6 Types of Presentations and Which One is the Best for You

Last updated on April 22nd, 2024

Presentations are an important part of the routine lives of students, business people, and other professionals. Different presentations are used for different occasions and purposes, such as student speeches, seminars, conferences, webinars, other eLearning activities, etc.

Choosing a proper presentation type for your next activity or meeting can be hectic for many professionals. That is why you must have a quick idea about how many presentation types are actually there and which one is best for you to achieve your specific goal or objective.

Are there any specific categories of presentations? Why is there a need for different types of presentation methods? This article will answer all of these questions in addition to some free premade presentation templates that have been made to save time and other resources for professionals, students, and business people.

Why Do You Need Different Types of Presentation Styles?

To deliver a persuasive and results-oriented presentation, the speaker must use techniques and tools to engage his audience and retain their attention. To achieve different objectives, a speaker may implement various techniques and methods of delivering his message.

If one expert says that the presenter should speak loudly, the other professional may argue that the visuals must be present throughout your presentation slides. Someone may stress the need for storytelling, while another mentor may think that statistics, infographics, or quotes are integral parts of successful presentations.

What if there was not a single way of delivering a presentation? What if there are several types of presentations that are used on different occasions for achieving specific objectives? Below, 6 different types of presentation styles are mentioned that are used for specific purposes only.

6 Different Types of Presentations (Plus Actionable Tips to Deliver Them)

When do you need specific types of presentation methods? How do they fulfill your specific purposes? Let’s have a look at 6 different types of presentations.

1. Informative Presentations

One of the most common presentation types is an informative presentation used for endless occasions, from educational to corporate business activities.

Why is there a need for informative presentations?

When you want to deliver detailed information or data about a specific product, service, idea, or process to a specific audience, these kinds of presentations are ideal. In such presentations, the speaker may seem analytical and rational to prove and make his concepts understandable to listeners. Informative presentations can be used in many situations. A news anchor may use informative presentations to present his data and information more systematically and comprehensively.
Businesses and institutions’ decision-makers use such presentations to discuss the pros and cons of a specific process, situation, or activity to reach effective solutions for specific problems. Hence, if you are looking forward to delivering a relatively longer presentation, an informative presentation can prove to be an appropriate choice for you. You can look at articles regarding how many slides for a long presentation or how many slides for 30 minutes to have a better idea of how to effectively present longer-duration presentations.

Tips for delivering effective informative presentations

Here are a few tips for informative presentations.

You should focus on the main points or agenda of your topic first
Don’t use complex sentences and graphics to avoid confusion among listeners.
Try telling your presentation’s outline in the introduction section
Summarize important points and ideas of your presentation in the end

2. Persuasive Presentations

Persuasion is an art through which an individual influences the opinions, thoughts, decisions, and actions of others. Delivering persuasive presentations is a need of the hour for many business people like marketers, project managers, and salespersons.

Why is there a need for persuasive presentations?

There are various circumstances in which persuasive presentations can be used.

Governmental institutions can use persuasive presentations in policy-making and election campaigns to convince their listeners to respond to a specific call to action. Senior executives or management of an organization can leverage such presentations to win the trust and confidence of their relevant stakeholders.
Speakers in TED Talks also need to convince their listeners regarding their concepts and ideas, and they use persuasive presentations to leave a significant impact on the minds of their audience. From youtube videos to sermons of religious leaders, persuasive presentations find their applications in many fields of life. If you are looking for premade free templates for your next persuasive presentation, look at our best PowerPoint Templates specifically made for your needs.

Tips for delivering effective persuasive presentations

Here are some actionable tips for delivering persuasive presentations.

To develop credibility, start your presentation with a relevant quote or statistical analysis.
Try to relate your arguments and data with personal experiences and stories.
Try delivering your presentation passionately with genuine interest and attention.
Your presentation should be an answer to the queries of your audience. Try to leave no stone unturned to deliver your message efficiently.

3. Demonstrative Presentations

Known as a demonstrative presentation when a presentation is based on the step-by-step demonstration of a product, service, or process. The audience is usually more attentive in such presentations, and you can leverage this added characteristic to your maximum advantage by implementing effective measures.

Why is there a need for demonstrative presentations?

When an employer or trainer teaches his employees about a specific operational process, activity, or task systematically, he usually uses demonstrative presentation. Instructional videos and training generally depend on such presentations to effectively guide the audience.

You don’t need to develop demonstrative presentations from scratch all by yourself. Our website Free PowerPoint Templates offers quality premade templates with in-built process demonstrations and infographics for your every possible need. Just download any of your desired templates with a simple click. You can make a few changes to the specific areas of your template as per your requirements, and in no time, your own professionally crafted demonstrative presentation will be ready to deliver. You can also easily get ideas regarding different presentation backgrounds for your next eye-catching and persuasive presentation.

Tips for delivering effective demonstrative presentations

Here are some effective tips for you.

Try introducing your product, service, or process a bit before its elaborative demonstration.
Use the maximum number of diagrams and visuals.
Try clearing the doubts of your listeners during your presentation for better understanding.
Spend less time on the introduction part and more time on the demonstration part.
Try mentioning some options or alternatives for the audience in the end so that they can implement the suggested measures as per their own desires and needs.

4. Inspirational Presentations

Also known as motivational presentations, inspirational presentations aim to inspire and motivate the audience. By developing an emotional connection with the listeners, the speaker tries to convey his ideas and thoughts through stories, personal experiences, and even humor sometimes.

Why is there a need for inspirational presentations?

Motivational speakers use such presentations to inspire their audience and make them see the positive aspects of life and the circumstances they face. For example, in TED Talks, a speaker uses a slide presentation along with his/her verbal speech to influence his/her listeners more effectively. Farewell speeches and presentations delivered by senior executives or management of businesses can also be considered examples of inspirational presentations.

Tips for delivering effective inspirational presentations

By following the below-mentioned tips, you can become an appealing inspirational speaker.

Start with a startling question or statement that will leave the audience thinking for a long time.
Use the storytelling approach to resonate with the minds of your listeners.
Emphasize your presentation’s main points and ideas.
Use humor if it helps in achieving your audience’s attention.
Improve your body language and posture to establish authority on the stage.

5. Business Presentations

In the business landscape, presentations are used for countless purposes like business planning, decision-making, developing a strategy, forecasting future results, hiring new employees, analyzing project management activities, etc.

Why is there a need for business presentations?

As told before, business presentations have numerous applications in several areas of the business world. One of the most common usage of such presentations is in sales and marketing activities. A salesperson can use such a presentation to market his product effectively to convert his listener into a customer.

Look at our Sales PowerPoint Templates to better understand such presentations. Business presentations are also used in corporate training sessions, meetings, e-presentations, seminars, webinars, one-on-one interviews, etc.

Tips for delivering effective business presentations

Here are some actionable business presentation tips for you.

Use concise and solid points in your slides by making important keywords either bold or highlighted.
Avoid informal tone of speech. Business presentations are usually formal and should be delivered accordingly.
Be punctual during such presentations. Being late or showing irresponsible behavior is highly discouraged by the audience in such kinds of presentations.
Go prepared in front of the audience so that you can answer all of their questions effectively.

6. PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint presentations are one of the most effective and widely used presentation types worldwide. They are easy to develop, deliver and understand. No matter what type of purpose you are trying to achieve, PowerPoint presentations can always come in handy in almost all possible situations you may find yourself in.

Why is there a need for PowerPoint presentations?

You can deliver such presentations for any audience, like for educational, business, formal, or informal purposes. You can use them to educate your listeners and inform them about a specific issue or process. PechaKucha presentations are also very popular for telling a story or narrating a personal experience. You don’t need to design and develop PowerPoint presentations yourself, as our website Free PowerPoint Templates is now offering thousands of free premade templates. Delivering and designing any PowerPoint presentation was never this easy.

In Conclusion

Although all types of presentations have their benefits and specific use cases, some are universal, and by modifying them a little bit, you can use them for various purposes. The best examples of such types of presentations are PowerPoint Presentations that can be used for a variety of purposes with the help of premade templates (as mentioned above).

Every audience has different requirements; therefore, the presenter must be ready to deliver the desired message or idea per the needs of his listeners. Using the previously mentioned presentation types and methods, any user can now fulfill the demands of every possible situation in which he may have to deliver a presentation. With actionable tips, strategies, and premade templates mentioned above, you are now fully equipped to efficiently hit your desired presentation targets.