What are some different types of presentations?

 

Did you know that PowerPoint presentations are classified into different categories based on the purpose they serve, the setting they are presented in, and so on? Whether it is a management presentation or a business proposal PowerPoint presentation, it requires a unique set of skills, different kinds of preparation, and a completely discrete mindset. PowerPoint presentations, as we know, are slideshows viewed on a huge screen. Since school days, we have been acquainted with all the different forms of presentations in one context or the other. We can recognize the type, but probably don’t know their names. In this article, we are going to discuss all the types of presentations in detail so that you are aware of which type to use, when to use, and how to deliver it well:

Educative presentations

Starting with the most common type, educative presentations are meant to teach something. All the seminars that take place in schools, colleges, or universities come under this category. The workshops or training programs are also examples of instructional presentations. More often than not, the presenters are accomplished masters in a certain field. The presentations of this kind leave the audience with a deeper insight into a particular topic. In order to engage the audience, the presenters employ unique methods to educate. Thus, creativity and expertise are the two crucial qualities required in a presenter.

Informational presentations

Anything from showing the budget of a company to informing the clients of a new product comprises an informational presentation. Almost every management presentation is informational in nature. As the major objective of these presentations is to provide information, the speaker has to make sure that he/she is presenting the accurate information. The fine difference between instructional presentations and informational presentations is that informational presentations are more focused on presenting the information which the audience may or may not know already, rather than teaching a new skill.

Progress presentations

As the name implies, progress presentations are given to report progress. The annual reports, sales reports, project status reports, risk reports, analytical reports, campaign reports, time-tracking reports- all analyze a project or a system and delineate the progress. Such presentations are usually in-house presentations where an employee of a certain company/firm/department reports to his senior executives or primary stakeholders. Like informational presentations, these need to be precise and to the point.

Compelling presentations

The presentations of this sort are used to convince the audience to do as required. The presenter must know the art of persuasion to pull them off. The business proposal PowerPoint presentations, investor pitch-deck presentations, event sponsorship pitch-deck presentations, startup pitch-deck, sales presentations etc, are included in the wide array of compelling presentations. These are the most challenging of all; making the audience listen to you is a challenge in itself, let alone making them agree to your proposal. There has to be a sweet mix of ethos, pathos, and logos present in his speech.

Most of these presentations are based on the problem-solution approach. The speaker mentions the problem that the audience is facing and introduces his solution. He further convinces them that the solution he is offering is the best one so far.

Inspirational presentations

You must have watched one or two videos on the TEDx Talks channel on YouTube, right? They are all examples of inspirational presentations. The speaker motivates the audience to succeed by telling his real-life story of success or failure. Some are supposed to sensitize the public to the plight of something. Usually, the motive of these presentations is charity. However, sometimes the speaker might use this approach for marketing purposes as well.