Developing and delivering a five-minute presentation seems a straightforward enough task at first — until you realize the condensed format actually requires significantly more efficiency, focus, and a focus to detail than longer presentation types.
When there’s less time to get your point across, every second counts more, and there’s no time for improvisation. While short presentations may be unexpectedly difficult to create, when done accurately, they may be more impactful than longer presentations.
Five minutes is barely enough time so that you can present a compelling narrative about one topic, with none filler or fluff. The closing date forces you to pack as much invaluable information as possible into your presentation while maintaining a coherent structure.
The shorter format also encourages audiences to pay more attention.
But how are you going to ensure your short presentation accomplishes every thing it must inside just five short minutes? We have put together an (appropriately condensed) guide on five-minute presentations to assist you start.
What number of words are in a 5-minute presentation?
A five-minute presentation is roughly 700 words long. The typical person speaks 120 to 160 words a minute, which suggests the common five-minute presentation is 600 to 800 words.
To calculate your personal personal speaking speed (words per minute, or WPM):
- Make an audio recording of yourself speaking for one minute.
- Use a free transcription service to generate a text version of your speech.
- The variety of words you spoke in that minute is your personal WPM.
When constructing an extended presentation, you may be more concerned about transitions and keeping the audience engaged with more extensive narrative elements.
In a brief presentation, every thing you say should directly tie back to your central premise and further advance your major point. Keeping a decent scope and using your words rigorously ensures your time is not wasted, and the audience leaves with a transparent, singular takeaway.
What number of slides are in a 5-minute presentation
Generally speaking, you will need to persist with just 5 – 6 slides for a five-minute presentation, but there is no set limit on what number of yours would require. Depending in your material, you’ll have as much as twenty slides and spend about 10 or 15 seconds on each
More necessary than your slide count is what each slide comprises. It’s a great rule of thumb to maintain your slides easy and focused on visuals (as a substitute of text) for a presentation of any length. This becomes especially necessary whenever you’re coping with a condensed presentation window
Attempting to cram in as much information as possible inside a brief timeframe may be tempting. Resist the urge. As an alternative, concentrate on easy, clean visuals that (once more) all tie back to your central premise.
You may as well us these free presentation templates to rearrange your slides in a way that makes essentially the most sense in your delivery and the content of your presentation.
5-Minute Presentation Outline
When you’re searching for a start line in your five-minute presentation, we have created a basic outline below that you could use to prepare your initial thoughts within the starting stage.
You possibly can devote one slide to every section or multiple slides if you wish to break them down further.
Be at liberty to depart from the structure depending on the content or format of your presentation. Just remember not to present your audience an excessive amount of to chew on. The important thing here is — you guessed it — tying every slide back to at least one central idea.
1. Cover Slide (What)
Your cover slide needs to reply the query that’s on everyone’s mind: What’s in it for me?
“Probably the most common mistake that folks make when making a short presentation will not be establishing the who, what, when, where, why right away,” said skilled pitch deck creator Malcolm Lewis.
“People will mentally try inside 10 seconds.” The job of your cover slide is to establish context immediately. Your first slide should function an introduction to the subject of your presentation, and it ought to be charming.
Specificity is your friend. Avoid general introductions, for instance, “The way to refine your craft.” It’s unclear what this presentation is about and who it concerns. A transparent title helps your audience understand the main focus and prevents you from going too broad together with your topic.
2. Thesis Slide (What, Continued)
Common convention might state to briefly introduce yourself at first of your presentation, but you must actually jump directly into your thesis.
Why? You’ve got the best amount of attention at first of your presentation.
This slide should answer the query: If listeners only remember ONE thing from my presentation, what do I would like it to be?
Writing a thesis advantages each your audience and you. Establishing a one-sentence summary of your presentation forces you to articulate and focus your message, which is able to assist you craft the remainder of your slides that support this point.
To write down your thesis, “start at the top and ask yourself what you wish to accomplish in 5 minutes,” said leadership communications coach Nausheen I. Chen. “Keep it super easy: the less the goals of the presentation, the upper the prospect of you achieving them.”
In Nausheen’s five-minute presentation, she explicitly states an important takeaway for viewers at first of her presentation:
3. Problem Slide (Why)
Most presentations may be boiled all the way down to an issue you’ve got identified, solved, or are within the means of solving. You’ve identified what listeners should care about within the thesis statement, and now your problem slide should tell them why.
Don’t be afraid to border your problem in a negative light. Audience members will likely be more motivated to listen when you steer them away from an issue, slightly than helping them achieve a greater end result. Consider this as “pain over gain.”
Here’s an example of a brief presentation on the advantages of quitting caffeine:
- Gain — you would ultimately have more energy by quitting caffeine.
- Pain — your caffeine intake is hurting your energy levels, not helping.
After you’ve identified the issue, deliver on the answer.
4. Solution/Evaluation Slide (How)
Now that your problem has been introduced, tell your audience what they should learn about this topic. In shorter presentation formats, you will need to focus less on the main points and more on the big-picture items.
Ask yourself: What does your audience must learn about this topic? Anything that falls into the “nice to know” category may be cut and delivered to stakeholders in a follow-up email after the meeting.
5. About You — Optional (Who)
Does your five-minute presentation need an “about me” slide? Provided that it reinforces your thesis and offers authority to your words.
For instance, a brief presentation about cancer screenings could be more credible if a physician was the presenter. Nonetheless, given the brevity of your presentation, yow will discover a creative option to lend that very same authority to what you’re saying without shortening your message.
It may be possible to attain the identical authority by a physician wearing a white coat for a presentation in real-life and adding the “Dr.” prefix to their name on Zoom.
6. Conclusion (What’s Next)
The conclusion slide lets you coherently end your presentation and summarize the necessary takeaway points in your audience. Don’t skimp in your conclusion simply because it’s a brief presentation — it is the last item your audience will hear from you.
On this slide, include contact information so interested audience members can follow up. Then, end with a zinger. Reinforce the points you presented and ultimately make your presentation more memorable.
5-Minute Presentation Example
While we weren’t within the room when these presentations were originally given — and due to this fact cannot confirm with 100% certainty that they ran for under five minutes.
Nonetheless, these decks clock in at under 15 slides and use a straightforward format to convey an issue and solution.
1. LinkedIn Tip
2. Email Marketing Trend
3. The Marketing Plan
The way to Create a 5-Minute Presentation Your Audience Will Love
Listed below are some best practices to follow when crafting a brief presentation.
1. Make it about your audience.
A presentation may feel prefer it’s about you, nevertheless it’s actually about your audience.
“To know the right way to create an actual transformation in a brief period of time, you must know who you’re chatting with and have a way of what they know and don’t know,” said Learning Experience Designer Lyssa Leigh Jackson.
Lyssa encourages presenters to obviously define what your audience will walk away knowing and feeling.
2. Don’t make vague or generalized points.
It is simple to turn into overambitious or overwhelmed by the knowledge you wish to present. Selecting a single idea to concentrate on gives you clarity when designing your speech and lets you cut extraneous details. It also provides a narrative structure that your audience can more easily grasp
One of the regularly made mistake with short presentations is being vague. Malcolm Lewis advises you to combat that by leveraging data: “Get specific with examples and numbers. Be as precise as possible.”
This presentation slide from Lyssa Leigh Jackson explicitly writes data and in addition visualizes it with the funnel graphic:
3. Research, fact-check, and do it twice.
Your presentation is your likelihood to shine — however the shorter format also implies that each point you make will likely be more visible, memorable, and, consequently, more vulnerable to scrutiny
Take the time to thoroughly research the topic of your presentation and ensure every point you make is:
- Technically accurate
- Tailored in your audience.
- Jargon-free and simple to grasp
With a robust command of your material, your delivery may also be more confident and convincing.
4. Appeal to how people learn best: stories.
A story can provide intending to your presentation and elevate it to greater than just facts, figures, and flashy slides. Constructing your presentation around a straightforward, easy-to-understand narrative makes your content more digestible.
Your presentation will only last for just a few minutes, however the story you tell needs to stay around in your audiences’ minds for longer — an stories naturally help humans understand and retain information more easily.
Be warned that an anecdotal story have to be condensed and well-outlined, otherwise you risk using up your precious 300 seconds with a run-on story. You possibly can manage this in your practice sessions.
5. Don’t skip that rehearsal.
“Short presentation” doesn’t translate into “spontaneous presentation.” From CEOs to interns, everyone will profit from practicing their short presentations upfront, irrespective of how confident they’re.
Practicing your presentation will assist you:
- Practicing your talking points.
- Ensuring the proper length of presentation.
- Overall confidence in presentation style.
Film a run-through of your presentation in your phone and watch it back to assist you self-critique.
Attempt to deliver much (or all) of your presentation by heart. Your delivery will likely be more natural, allowing you to develop a stronger connection together with your audience. And once nerves hit, you will have the muscle memory to fall back on and carry you thru the presentation.
If you must speed through your slides to squeeze every thing right into a five-minute window, you’re likely attempting to do an excessive amount of. Consider cutting your slides and talking points so that you don’t risk getting caught off.
6. Loosen up, and do not rush.
Along with understanding timing issues, practicing may also assist you feel less nervous within the moment and maintain your normal WPM.
It’s natural to talk more quickly whenever you’re public speaking, but prepare enough to feel relaxed throughout your presentation so that you simply don’t speed through your talking points.
Staying focused in your presentation (and never getting distracted by nerves) will improve your delivery and provide you with more confidence, even when you’re anxious about public speaking.
7. Expect your presentation to be shared.
Every presentation ought to be created with the expectation that it can be viewed by itself.
It’s standard practice to follow up presentations with an email that features an attached slide deck. That email might thoroughly be viewed by someone who missed your initial meeting, or forwarded to someone latest altogether.
Because of this, don’t put sensitive or private information on the slides. Be certain that every slide presents enough information for viewers to grasp the massive bullet points of your short presentation.
This positive trend means your work can live beyond the initial presentation. Consider sharing the link yourself in your LinkedIn profile to focus on your work.
5-Minute Presentation Sample
These five-minute presentation samples all explore different presentation settings and narratives that can help encourage you as you create your personal presentation.
1. Speak as a Leader Bootcamp Welcome.
This five-minute presentation by Nausheen I. Chen perfectly balances minimalism with informative text. The design uses background color to assist create contrast throughout the presentation, and the ultimate call-to-action is exclusive and actionable.
What we like:This slide deck is for a more interactive presentation, providing clear objectives and structure for the audience to follow along and feel comfortable. The worth they will expect from the presentation is communicated and delivered
2. Digital Finest Pitch Deck
This high-contrast five-minute presentation design by Gabe Marusca uses color to inform a story and daring text to interact the audience.
Where some presenters would’ve put an “about me” slide at the top, Gabe kept the highlight directly on the viewer by showcasing client success testimonials.
What we like:This slide deck follows the classic problem–solution–results storyline. His conclusion slide summarizes the major point and provides a transparent takeaway for audiences
3. Women within the Workplace Briefing
This presentation grabs viewers’ attention immediately with powerful statistics and continues to articulate talking points with data.
While the presentation likely didn’t discuss every graph and data point in-depth, it paints a persuasive picture. This creates a highly invaluable resource even when viewed independently of the presentation.
What we like: This data-driven slide deck illuminates problems women face within the workplace, with only two slides proposing solutions at the top. If the goal of your presentation is to wake your audience as much as an issue that’s of their hands to repair, follow this instance to drive your point home
4. Legacy Speaker Tour
This colourful presentation by Jasmin Haley uses daring text and fascinating imagery to introduce a 1-day workshop.
The inspiring message and colourful design reflect the energy of a live workshop, and the minimal text complements the daring imagery on each slide.
What we like:This is a wonderful example of an image-focused presentation. When you want the main focus to be on you because the speaker, with the pictures amplifying your message, find fitting images to accompany you point by point.
You Know Your Audience Best
When creating your five-minute presentation, take into consideration your audience and craft it to appeal to them. The data you choose to focus on and the way you frame it can vastly differ depending on who your presentation is supposed for.
It’s natural to be nervous going into your presentation, especially when you do not like public speaking or fear it, but with enough consideration and practice, you will be a master of whatever subject you hope to present.
