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1. Arrive early

Arriving early for your presentation is always a good practice as the balance time can help you get organized and composed. Ensure that all the necessary equipment like a laptop, projector, sound system, etc. is in a working condition.

2. Structure your presentation

Your presentation should have a proper structure to keep the audience engaged throughout. It must have a brief introduction, detailing the objectives and purpose of the presentation. This will help you prepare your speech and define the approach that you will follow to connect with your audience.

3. Learn about your audience

Your audience could comprise of your juniors, your reporting manager, their senior or maybe even an external person of authority. It is crucial to cover only those points that could be of most relevance to your audience. Also, your tone and presentation style will depend a lot on your audience.

4. Do proper research

Your presentation could include a lot of information, along with important concepts and numbers. Beyond the standard explanation, make sure you have that ‚Äòextra’ information to portray yourself as a knowledgeable person who is serious about his work.

5. Keep minimum information on slides

If you keep a lot of text on your slides, your audience will have to spend a lot of time reading the information rather than concentrating on your speech. However, not many will invest their time in reading the information and it could rather divert their attention. If this happens regularly during the presentation, your audience may not remain interested until the end of the presentation.

6. Add pictures and infographics

A slide with a lot of text without any visuals can come across as a dampener for your audience. Relevant images and infographics can help add that fresh breath of life to your presentation, however serious or complex it is for your audience.

7. Do not use a script

It is a good practice to use a conversational style during your presentation for better audience engagement. Merely reading the slides will make the overall presentation very boring, however, certain points like quotes and excerpts can be read to emphasize on the point.

8. Practice

Many people ignore practising their presentation, thinking that since they have prepared the slides, they are aware of everything. However, it can be very beneficial to make yourself comfortable with the delivery and the presentation style and iron out any shortcomings that you experience while practising.

9. Prepare the conclusion

Ending the presentation on a positive note can be very crucial to make a lasting impact in the minds of your audience. However, it can be a bit difficult to end it on a high note if you are not prepared. The best way to do this is by summarizing the presentation, by reiterating on the points that were presented to the audience. You can thank the audience for their time and open the session for any questions related to the presentation.

10. Distribute copies of your presentation

Once you are done with the presentation, you can distribute it to your audience for their reference. This can be done either via handouts or the presentation can be hosted on a file-sharing platform, from where people can simply download the presentations.

There can be many more tips to make a killer presentation, however, all these are acquired skills and practising and implementing them will only help you improve.

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Project Presentations: How to Prepare and Deliver a Project Presentation

Can anything make a project manager’s heart sink faster than being told that they need to give a project presentation to the board of directors? The pressure. The responsibility. Sure, you’re happy that the directors of the company trust you enough that they want your input in the project, but having to present in front of these powerful players is making your stress levels spike.

If you haven’t come across these presentation requests from senior managers yet, you will! These scenarios are common on projects, especially projects that introduce a new product or involve organizational change. But don’t feel overwhelmed. Giving project presentations may feel scary, but you can plan and prepare for them just like any other meeting.

What Is a Project Presentation?

A project presentation is an opportunity for you to explain your project processes and deliverables to key stakeholders. These can be informal, like a quick update via reports with a few individuals, or formal. Formal project presentations often require proper meeting times, thought-out slide decks, goal review and more. We’ll spend most of our time discussing how to prepare and deliver a formal project presentation.

A formal project presentation requires good data. Project management software can provide you with the dashboards and reports you need to supplement your points and progress updates. ProjectManager has real-time dashboards that you can share with stakeholders, and eight different in-depth project reports that you can make with just a few clicks. Get started for free today!

Why Is a Project Presentation So Important?

A project presentation is your opportunity to convey the importance of the work you and your team have been doing. If you’re unable to articulate your progress and achievements, key stakeholders won’t understand why money, time and resources are being spent on your project.

When you think of it like that, it’s no wonder why people spend so much time preparing for their project presentations. Read on to see how you can knock your next presentation out of the park.

How to Prepare for a Project Presentation

Preparing for a project presentation can be more important than you actual delivery. That’s because good preparation can set you up for success on the big day. Let’s go through some preparation techniques you can do for your project presentation.

1. Create a Calendar Invite for Your Project Presentation

You can’t just expect people to turn up – they need to know that there is an important event that requires their attendance, so get it in their diaries. People plan their meetings and calendar appointments sometimes quite far in advance, giving ample warning. Schedule the presentation as soon as you can, and check with the individuals (or their assistants) if you don’t get a reply about their availability.

If you have been invited to someone else’s meeting to talk about your project, make sure it is in your planner and book some time to plan for it in advance. If you don’t, you risk running out of time to prepare your material.

2. Select a Format for Your Presentation

How are you going to get your message across? If you’ve scheduled a project meeting it’s likely that you are expecting to do a formal presentation. That’s fine, but how? Will you use slides or flip charts or mirror your iPad on a monitor? Do you expect the audience to participate in any part of the presentation? Can you speak without notes or would it be better to have some pointers with you on the day?

You should also consider where you will be giving the presentation. For example, a format that is suitable for a small room and a limited audience, such as a loosely-structured project update with a couple of slides, is not going to be appropriate for a room full of stakeholders, laid out like a lecture theatre with you at a lectern at the front.

3. Practice Your Project Management Presentation

Giving presentations is a skill. Practice, practice, practice. Before your big project presentation, volunteer to do some smaller ones, like staff briefings or shorter updates at team meetings. You want to feel comfortable both standing up in front of the room and with the material. Run through your presentation at home or in an empty meeting room so that you remember where the slide transitions are. Practice using the projector and a clicker to move the slides forward. Write out your flip charts several times so that it becomes second nature.

Practice and training will make your delivery much more polished and professional and give your audience a far better experience.

4. Write Big So Your Presentation Is Legible

Whether you are using slides or flip charts, write big or use big fonts. It is often difficult to see what is on the screen, even in a small room – and that means your message is not getting across. And it’s an excuse for audience members to check their phones instead of listening to you.

A good tip is to print out your slides and put them on the floor. If you can still read them clearly from a standing position, then the text is big enough. If you can’t read the words or you have to bend down to read them, make the font size larger!

5. Have a Backup Plan for Your Presentation

Projectors break, meeting rooms don’t have conference phones in, pens run out just at the critical moment. Plan for everything to go wrong. Your presentation audience is made up of busy people and they don’t want to sit there watching you fiddle with the technology. Get it all working before they arrive, and if it doesn’t work when you get going, make sure that you have a contingency plan (like a printout of your slides) so that you can carry on anyway.

How to Give a Project Presentation

When the fateful day arrives, there are some important things to keep in mind when giving your project presentation. Follow these best practices and you’ll portray your project and your team in the best possible light.

1. Speak Clearly and Don’t Rely on Jargon

Presentations depend on clarity and good communication . If you bog down your presentation with jargon and convulated reasoning, you’re going to lose your audience. Make sure that you use language that your audience will understand, so they can follow along with all of the key points you need to make.

Remember, not everyone in that meeting is going to understand all the intricasies of your project, in fact, none of them likely will. So speak slowly, clearly and ensure that you communicate.

2. Stick to What Matters and Use Data

When giving your project presentation, don’t lose sight of the original goals and requirements of the project. Your stakeholders agreed on certain goals at the beginning, how are you trending towards reaching those goals? Sometimes it’s easy to focus on setbacks or difficulties, or things that you may find fascinating. However, it’s best to recenter on critical business objectives.

It’s important to use data to supplement your project presentation as you address key goals and initiatives. But don’t use too much data! People will get lost in the numbers and stop listening to what you have to say. It’s a delicate balance.

3. Tell a Story

You have probably sat through a fair few presentations in your time, and I expect you’ve tried to stop yourself from nodding off in some of them. Project status updates can be boring. If the subject matter isn’t dull, often the speaker is. Don’t let that be you.

One way to keep the attention of the audience is to structure your presentation in the most interesting fashion. Consider what they will find interesting (and it won’t be the same as what you find interesting). Telling the story of your project is a good idea. Think about a start, a middle and an end to your presentation. Perhaps follow the lifecycle from the perspective of a customer.

Focus on the benefits and not the project management process. If you don’t know if your presentation material makes sense, run it past a friend or family member who doesn’t know anything about your project. If they don’t fall asleep, it’s OK!

4. Ask for Feedback on Your Presentation

When your presentation is over, ask for feedback. You could do this directly at the end of the session before people leave the room, or a couple of days later. It’s good to get some feedback as it helps you work on what to improve for next time.

Ask people to give you their impressions both of your presentation skills and also of the presentation content. You could find that the content was really good but you lacked confidence delivering it, or conversely that you were an engaging presenter but the material was not relevant to them. All this is useful stuff to know and it will help you improve your presentation skills for next time.

Project Management Presentations Take Time to Master

Giving presentations isn’t an everyday occurrence on projects but it is likely that you will have to give one or two during the project lifecycle – more if your project involves a lot of workshops or user sessions.

Don’t panic – presentation skills are something that you can learn and you will get better with practice! Once you have cracked it, you’ll feel confident delivering presentations and you’ll find that it gets easier to prepare for them in the future.

The scheduling features of our software can be used to book your presentations on the team calendar, which can be easily seen on the project dashboard. With it you have the ability to share agendas and slides after the presentation with the online document library. Then you can carry on the discussion after the meeting by using the great chat tool. Try the software from ProjectManager free for 30 days and see how helpful it really is.

Click here to browse ProjectManager's free templates

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Presentation Tips For Project Managers

Fundamentals of Project Presentation

Having a successful project presentation involves understanding your audience and defining clear objectives and goals. These fundamentals help project managers effectively communicate their message and engage their audience.

Understanding Your Audience

Knowing your audience is crucial for any project presentation. Project managers should spend time researching who will be attending the presentation. It's vital to understand the audience's background, their level of expertise, and what interests them most about the project.

Tailoring the presentation to address the audience’s specific needs and interests will make it more engaging. Avoid using complex jargon or technical terms if the audience is not familiar with them. Instead, use clear and simple language to convey your points.

Engagement can be improved by involving the audience in the presentation. This can be done by asking questions, encouraging feedback, or using interactive elements like polls or quizzes. Making the audience feel involved will keep their attention and make the presentation more memorable.

Defining Clear Objectives and Goals

Clear objectives and goals are at the heart of a strong project presentation. Project managers should start by defining what they aim to achieve with the presentation. This includes both the overall goal and specific objectives that need to be communicated to the audience.

Creating a focused and structured outline helps in delivering a clear and concise message. Each section of the presentation should support the main objectives and lead logically to the next point.

Setting measurable goals can also be helpful. For example, if the goal is to secure approval for the next phase of the project, outline what information decision-makers need and make sure this is clearly presented. This approach not only helps in staying on track but also ensures that the audience walks away with a clear understanding of the project's next steps.

Using visuals like charts, graphs, and summaries can aid in clearly presenting goals and objectives. They provide a visual representation that can make complex information easier to understand and remember.

Structuring Your Presentation

The way you structure your presentation can significantly influence how your message is received. A clear structure helps keep your audience engaged and ensures that your main points are communicated effectively.

Crafting a Compelling Introduction

A strong introduction captures your audience's attention from the start. Begin with an interesting hook, such as a surprising fact or a thought-provoking question. This helps grab attention right away.

After the hook, provide a brief overview of what your presentation will cover. This gives the audience a roadmap and sets their expectations. For example, stating the key points or objectives helps them follow along more easily.

Make sure your introduction is concise and to the point. Avoid using too much jargon or complex terms. This keeps your audience from feeling overwhelmed and helps them focus on the main message.

Organizing Content for Maximum Impact

Organizing your content logically is crucial for maintaining audience engagement. Break down the main points into smaller, digestible segments. Use headings and subheadings to clearly label each section. This makes it easier for the audience to follow and understand.

Consider using the Hook, Meat, and Payoff structure . Start with an engaging hook, then present the core content (the meat), and finally, conclude with a strong payoff. This structure ensures your presentation flows smoothly.

Visual aids like charts, graphs, and images can make complex information more accessible. Ensure these aids are relevant and add value to your content. Avoid cluttering slides with too much text or too many images, which can distract from your message.

Designing an Informative Conclusion

An effective conclusion reinforces the main points and provides a clear takeaway for the audience. Start by summarizing the key points you discussed. This helps reiterate the main message and ensures it is fresh in the audience's mind.

Include a call to action if applicable, such as asking the audience to implement a new strategy or consider a different perspective. This makes your presentation actionable and relevant.

Finally, prepare for a Q&A session. Anticipate potential questions and think about how to address them concisely and confidently. This shows you are knowledgeable and well-prepared, and it can leave a lasting impact on your audience.

Creating Engaging Visual Aids

Using visual aids can significantly enhance the effectiveness of a project manager's presentation. This involves selecting the right charts, images, and infographics to communicate ideas clearly and engagingly.

Selecting Appropriate Charts and Graphs

Choose charts and graphs that best represent your data. Bar charts are effective for comparing quantities, while line graphs are ideal for showing trends over time. Pie charts can illustrate proportions but should be used sparingly to avoid clutter. Avoid overloading charts with too much information; keep them simple and focused.

Proper labeling is essential. Make sure axes are clearly marked and include a legend if necessary. Use contrasting colors to differentiate between data sets, making it easy for the audience to understand at a glance. Visit Mind Tools for more on creating effective presentation visuals.

Using Images and Infographics Effectively

Images and infographics can make your presentations more engaging by breaking up text and illustrating key points. Use high-quality images relevant to the topic. Avoid generic stock photos that do not add value. Infographics can simplify complex information, making it easier to digest.

Ensure that the visuals are aligned with your message. They should enhance understanding, not distract from it. Keep text on infographics minimal to maintain clarity. Check out how Icebreaker Speech provides insights on making a powerful impact with visual aids.

Incorporating Visuals into Your Slides

Integrate visuals seamlessly into your slides. Place images or charts near the relevant text to maintain context. Balance is key; do not overcrowd slides with too many visuals. Use whitespace effectively to make the slides look clean and organized.

Slide transitions and animations can add a dynamic element but should be used sparingly to avoid distracting the audience. Ensure that your visuals are consistent in style and format to provide a cohesive look throughout the presentation. For more tips on making your presentation stand out, refer to Visme .

Delivering Your Message

When presenting a project, it's crucial to communicate clearly and confidently. Effective verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as handling questions and interactive elements skillfully, can make a significant difference. Projecting confidence and credibility ensures your audience takes you seriously.

Mastering Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

Verbal communication encompasses the words you choose and how you articulate them. Clarity and conciseness are key. Avoid jargon and complicated language. Speak at a moderate pace and adjust your volume as needed to keep the audience engaged.

Non-verbal communication includes body language—gestures, posture, and facial expressions. Good body language helps in delivering your message effectively. Maintain an open posture, use hand gestures purposefully, and smile to create a positive connection. Eye contact is essential for building trust and keeping the audience focused.

Handling Questions and Interactive Elements

Engaging with your audience through questions and interactive elements makes your presentation more dynamic. Ask open-ended questions to invite participation. Use polls or brief activities to keep the audience involved and make the experience memorable.

When handling questions, listen carefully before responding. If you don't know the answer, it’s okay to admit it and offer to follow up later. Be respectful and concise in your responses. Interactive elements not only capture attention but also make the content more relatable and easier to understand.

Projecting Confidence and Credibility

Confidence and credibility are vital for any presenter. Confidence comes from preparation and practice. Rehearse your presentation multiple times to become familiar with the material. This will help you speak more naturally and reduce anxiety .

Credibility is built through your knowledge and delivery. Present accurate and relevant information. Speak with authority and avoid filler words like "um" or "uh." Maintain good eye contact and stand with an upright posture to exude confidence. The combination of confidence and credibility will ensure your message is well-received and respected by your audience.

Planning and Preparation

Effective planning and preparation are crucial for delivering a successful project presentation. It's essential to know your material well, rehearse the presentation to manage time effectively, and set up any necessary equipment or materials in advance.

Knowing Your Material

Knowing your material is the foundation of a confident and smooth presentation. This means understanding every aspect of the project, from key milestones and timelines to important data points and insights. Reviewing the project's current progress and knowing top issues and risks can help you answer questions confidently. Use visuals like charts and graphs to illustrate data effectively and ensure that the presentation is clear and engaging.

Break down complex information into smaller, more digestible parts. This makes it easier for the audience to follow along and helps you remember details. When you know your material inside and out, you're less likely to rely on notes and can focus on delivering an engaging presentation.

Rehearsing and Timing Your Presentation

Rehearsing your presentation is just as important as knowing your material. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or present to a friend or colleague. This helps you get comfortable with your content and refine your delivery style.

Timing is critical. Use a timer during practice runs to ensure your presentation fits within the allocated time slot. This helps you identify sections where you may need to speed up or slow down. If possible, run through the entire presentation multiple times. This helps identify areas that need improvement and ensures a smooth flow of information.

Remember to practice answering potential questions. This prepares you for any interruptions and helps you stay composed, even if unexpected queries arise.

Setting Up for Success

Setting up involves more than just technical preparations. Arrive early to the venue to set up any required equipment like laptops, projectors, and microphones. Test everything in advance to avoid technical glitches.

Arrange your materials neatly. Having printed handouts, if applicable, ensures everyone can follow along. Know the room layout and where you'll be standing. This helps manage your movements and maintain eye contact with the audience.

Consider the environment. Make sure the room is comfortable, with appropriate lighting and seating arrangements. A well-prepared setup contributes to a smoother presentation experience and leaves a positive impression on your audience.

Crafting Your Narrative

Crafting a narrative in project management involves weaving storytelling with data and emphasizing key milestones and outcomes. This approach helps to engage and persuade stakeholders effectively.

Storytelling with Data

Storytelling with data is about transforming raw numbers and statistics into engaging stories. Project managers can start by identifying the most critical data points that highlight project progress or issues. This can include metrics like budget usage, timeline adherence, and quality metrics.

Using visual aids such as graphs, charts, and infographics makes the data more digestible. For instance, a line chart can show project progress over time, while a pie chart can break down budget allocations. Integrating compelling narratives around these visuals helps make a stronger impact.

By providing context and emphasizing the "why" behind the data, project managers can foster a deeper understanding and drive home important messages. This method adds a human touch, making information more relatable and memorable.

Highlighting Key Milestones and Outcomes

Highlighting key milestones is essential in keeping teams and stakeholders aligned and motivated. These milestones could include the completion of major project phases, achieving particular performance metrics, or hitting significant deadlines.

By focusing on both the process and the results, project managers can illustrate the journey and the achievements. This approach not only acknowledges the team's hard work but also sets clear expectations moving forward. It shows a timeline of successes and what is planned next, building a narrative around the project’s trajectory.

Using examples and case studies from past projects where milestones and outcomes were successfully highlighted can serve as effective lessons. These highlights help maintain focus on critical aspects and demonstrate progress in a clear and structured way.

Creating a compelling call to action at each milestone can further engage stakeholders and drive commitment towards the project's success.

Technical Aspects of Presentation

Project managers need to handle both the choice of presentation tools and the management of technical details to deliver an effective presentation .

Choosing Software and Tools

Selecting the right software is crucial. Project management software like Microsoft Project or Trello can help integrate real-time data into presentations. For slides, tools like PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides are essential for creating visually appealing content.

Consider the audience and choose software that's widely accessible. Ensure that it supports different file formats for seamless sharing. Using tools that allow for easy updates, like cloud-based software, can be beneficial for last-minute changes. Also, look for software that offers templates to save time while maintaining a professional look.

To make an engaging presentation , using multimedia elements like videos or animations can be useful. However, ensure that all multimedia elements are compatible with the chosen software to avoid technical issues during the presentation.

Managing Technical Details

Before the presentation, check all technical equipment. This includes ensuring that the laptop, projector, and sound systems are in working order. Arrive early to set up and troubleshoot any potential issues. Have backup equipment or solutions, like extra cables or a second laptop, ready in case of failure.

Test the software beforehand to ensure it runs smoothly on the presentation hardware. If using project management software, ensure that data is up-to-date and that the software is connected to the necessary databases.

Create a one-click reset strategy to recover quickly from technical issues. This involves preparing your software and files in a way that they can be easily reopened or reset with minimal disruption. Lastly, always have your presentation saved on multiple devices or cloud storage to prevent data loss.

Feedback and Continuous Improvement

Effective feedback and continuous adjustments can significantly enhance the quality of presentations and drive better project outcomes through constant learning and improvement.

Gathering and Acting on Feedback

Project managers should regularly seek feedback from team members and stakeholders. This can be done through surveys, one-on-one meetings, or feedback forms. Structured feedback helps identify specific areas where the presentation can be improved. For example, comments on clarity, pacing, and engagement levels are crucial.

Using a checklist, such as the one from Mentimeter , can make this process more straightforward. After gathering feedback, immediate action is essential. Addressing concerns and implementing suggestions show the audience that their opinions are valued.

Timely feedback can be the difference between a good presentation and a great one. When managers act on feedback promptly, it helps in making swift improvements that can be tested in subsequent presentations.

Making Adjustments for Future Presentations

Once feedback is gathered and analyzed, the next step is to make necessary adjustments. Focusing on areas that need the most improvement can yield significant results. For example, if feedback indicates that the presentation lacked clear visuals, project managers should work on enhancing their visual aids.

Continuous improvement is a process. Each presentation should build on the lessons learned from the previous ones. Project managers could refer to frameworks like the six stages of continuous improvement to structure their improvement efforts systematically.

Tracking progress over time can highlight both strengths and areas needing further enhancement. By consistently applying feedback and making adjustments, project managers can ensure that each presentation is better than the last, leading to more effective communication and project success.

Engaging with Stakeholders

Engaging with stakeholders involves tailoring content to their specific needs and building strong relationships based on trust. It is crucial for project managers to know their stakeholders well to communicate effectively.

Tailoring Content to Key Stakeholders

Understanding who the key stakeholders are and their roles helps in crafting the right message. Key stakeholders often include project sponsors, clients, and senior management. Each group has different priorities and concerns.

For example, senior management might focus on financial performance and timelines, while clients may want updates on how the project meets their needs.

Using clear visuals like charts or graphs can make complex information easier to understand. Tools like PowerPoint can effectively present these visuals, making it easier for stakeholders to grasp important points. Keep the content simple and direct to avoid overwhelming them. Knowing when to dive deeper into details is essential for answering questions confidently.

Building Relationships and Trust

Building strong relationships with stakeholders starts with frequent and transparent communication. Regular updates and check-ins show that their input is valued and keep them informed of progress.

Listening actively to stakeholders’ concerns and suggestions can foster trust. Taking their feedback seriously and showing how it impacts the project builds credibility.

Project managers should be approachable and responsive. Prompt follow-up on queries and concerns demonstrates commitment and reliability. Engaging actively with stakeholders during meetings by asking for their opinions and feedback helps in creating a collaborative environment. Trust is built over time through consistent and honest interactions, making stakeholders feel like integral parts of the project.

Visual and Design Considerations

Effective visual design in presentations helps maintain audience engagement and ensures that key messages are communicated clearly. Focus on creating visual consistency and a visually appealing layout to enhance your project management presentations.

Ensuring Visual Consistency

Visual consistency is essential for professional presentations. Use a uniform color scheme and font style throughout the slides. Make sure that headings, subheadings, and body text are in a consistent format to avoid distracting the audience.

Tip: Create a template that includes predefined styles for titles, charts, and other elements.

Consistent use of images and icons also adds to a cohesive look. Ensure that the imagery aligns with your brand and message. Small details like uniform spacing and alignment contribute significantly to the overall appearance. Limiting the number of slide transitions and animations can also help maintain a professional feel.

Creating a Visually Appealing Layout

A visually appealing layout grabs the audience's attention. Incorporate more visual elements like images and graphics rather than text-heavy slides. Use high-quality images relevant to your content to make the presentation engaging.

Guideline: Utilize a grid system to keep elements like text and images organized on the slide.

Use adequate white space to avoid cluttering. Bullet points can break down complex information into digestible pieces. Incorporate charts and diagrams to illustrate data, making it easier to comprehend. Using flowcharts is particularly effective in project management presentations for showing progression and relationships visually. Balancing text and visuals in each slide can make your presentation not only informative but also aesthetically pleasing.

Frequently Asked Questions

This section covers the essentials for project managers to create, deliver, and improve their presentations. It includes tips on structure, key elements, delivery practices, Q&A handling, stakeholder engagement, and visual aids.

How can project managers effectively structure a project presentation?

Project managers should start with a clear introduction, outlining the presentation’s goals. Follow with a logical flow of information, covering the project's background, objectives, challenges, and solutions. Conclude with a strong summary and clear calls to action.

What are key elements to include in a project management presentation?

Key elements include an overview of the project, timeline, milestones, budget, resource allocation, and risk management. Data metrics and performance indicators are also crucial, along with any significant achievements or lessons learned.

What are some best practices for delivering successful project presentations?

Project managers should practice their delivery to ensure confidence and clarity. They should maintain eye contact, use clear and concise language, and be prepared to adapt to their audience’s needs. Active engagement and pauses for questions can also be beneficial.

How should project managers handle Q&A sessions after presentations?

Effective Q&A sessions require preparation. Project managers should anticipate potential questions and prepare responses. Listening to questions fully before answering is crucial. It’s also helpful to repeat the question for everyone’s benefit and to ensure understanding.

What techniques can project managers use to engage stakeholders during presentations?

Techniques include using storytelling to make the presentation more relatable, asking interactive questions, and involving stakeholders in discussions. It's important to address stakeholder concerns and highlight how the project benefits them directly.

How can project managers leverage visual aids to enhance project presentations?

Visual aids like charts, graphs, and infographics can simplify complex information and make data more accessible. High-quality visuals should be used to illustrate key points, helping to keep the audience’s attention and enhance their understanding.

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Presentation Skills for Project Managers [Going from Good to Great]

Adriana Girdler

How To Present with Impact Every Single Time Project Managers need strong presentation skills – that’s just non-negotiable. Whether you’re holding a team meeting, talking …

How To Present with Impact Every Single Time

Project Managers need strong presentation skills – that’s just non-negotiable. Whether you’re holding a team meeting, talking to your stakeholders, or trying to get approval from your Steering Committee, it’s crucial that you know how to present well.

There are a few key things you need to pay attention to so you can set yourself up for project presentation success.

Don’t skip your prep work

It’s critical that you prepare everything in advance of any project presentation. I use a check list to ensure I have everything I need ready, so I’m never left scrambling.

Prep work includes things like pulling up any documents and websites, so you have them ready to go in advance. Also, if you’re using one or more screens for your presentation, you want to have them locked and loaded so you’re not fumbling and keeping your audience waiting.

You might think these items will only take a minute to get ready, but when you’re presenting to a group, that can seem like an eternity. Doing prep work ahead of time helps you put your best foot forward professionally.

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6 March, 2023

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Project Management Presentations: The 3 Expert Elements for a Great One

By Mike Clayton

Too many Project Managers find it’s their presentation skills that let them down.

Yet, having coached many presenters, I find that the difference between:

a clear, confident presentation, and
a waffly, wobbly presentation

is usually very easy to fix.

There are a few simple things any project manager can do to brush up on your presentation skills.

This will show your project skills to their best and impress the people you want to influence. You’ll have a greater impact as a project manager, and it’s often your presentation skills that give a real boost to your career.

So this is what we’ll look at in this guide: the three key elements of presenting for project managers.

Why Presentation Skills Matter to a Project Manager

Project Management Presentations: The 3 Expert Elements for a Great One

Project Managers often get plenty of opportunities to use their presentation skills. And, while some of us relish the opportunity to perform; others hate the idea. But, when the need arises, one thing is for sure:

People will judge you on how well you present .

This has more impact than it first appears.

Because the ‘halo effect’ means they won’t just judge you as a presenter. They will extend their assessment to other areas of your professional competence. If you present poorly, people will easily think you are a poor Project Manager.

Objectively, we know that this is not logical. But we cannot help it. If you give a poor presentation of good work, people will have two abiding memories:

Where was the evidence of good work?
This person does not come across as professional

So, there are clearly two powerful reasons why presentation skills should matter to you:

They are how you showcase your Project Management achievements
They set the tone for how people perceive you as a professional

Presentation Skills are a Part of the Role of Project Manager

But what if you said to me:

‘Hold on, Mike. That’s all very well. But I’m interested in being a good Project Manager, not in looking like a good Project Manager.’

Well, I also argue that presenting is a core part of your Project Management skillset. After all, I’m not alone when I often tell people that:

Here are some examples of where your presentation skills are essential to doing a good job as a project manager.

Influencing stakeholders
Communicating status and plans to business leaders and project board members
Briefing and motivating your project team
Setting the tone of your project at your kick-off meeting

The Essential Elements of Good Presentation Skills

So, the three elements that we will look at in this article are:

Being clear about the information you want to convey
Putting together a presentation that is compelling, powerful, and persuasive
Performing your presentation with confidence

These three things also set out the three steps to giving a good presentation. So we will use them as a structure for this guide.

For More Detailed Information: FREE Course!

This article summarizes some of the most important elements of presenting. Like many of our long-form articles, it’s pretty comprehensive. But a committed Project Manager may want more.

If only there were a complete Presentation Skills course that you could take, in your own time, which was completely free .

Management Courses: Presentation Skills course

Well… It turns out there is!

Our sister YouTube channel, Management Courses , has a complete course on Presentation Skills. You can:

View the Presentation Skills playlist on YouTube
Access the full course more conveniently, on the MgmtCourses.com Presentation Skills course page
Subscribe to the YouTube channel for all future Management Courses content
Check out all our completed FREE courses on the MgmtCourses.com website

You can, of course, come back to this at any time.

So, let’s dive into our article!

Presentation Skills 1: Being Clear about the Information You want to Convey

Before you start drafting your presentation, it pays to prepare. And this means deciding what you need to communicate, to meet your needs and the needs of your audience. I often use the metaphor of defusing a bomb. If you fail to prepare well, your presentation is like a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off in your face. The four components of your initial preparation are:

B ackground

If you carry out these four steps properly, you will defuse the bomb.

First, ask yourself:

‘Why should my audience listen to my presentation? What is the benefit for them?’

Too often, you think first about what you want to say. But your audience is giving up their time, and giving you their attention. So you need to give them something in return, that is at least of equal benefit.

What’s in it for them?

So, what do they want or need to know?

How will they use the information you give them?
Why will they be attending your presentation?
How do they need to change?

Start by seeing your next presentation through the eyes of your audience. When you craft a present that meets their needs, they are always going to be more interested in what you have to say. And that means they will find it more helpful and rate you higher.

But you are also investing your time, effort, and reputation in making this presentation. So, for what reason?

A good way to start designing your presentation is to ask yourself:

‘What do I want to be different, when my presentation is over’

One of the key presentation skills is your ability to trigger action. And this means knowing what action you would like.

Call to Action

If you start your thinking with the call to action (CTA) you’ll want to make at the end, you can focus your content on the key information that will lead up to that CTA. This will be information that:

makes your call to action an obvious ending
compels your audience to want to act

Now you know what you want to achieve, and what your audience needs to get from your presentation, it’s time to ask yourself:

‘What is the story I need to tell?’

And I purposely frame your presentation as a story for two reasons:

Firstly, because humans are story-telling and story-listening creatures. This is how we best absorb information. It’s also a great way to build emotion into a business-focused presentation.
Secondly, because a story has a narrative structure. And it is by creating a logical structure that you will make your presentation compelling (see below).

The Elements of Your Story

Your Project Management presentation will have a central idea that you need to get across. This will lead directly to any call to action you need to make. So, these are the start and end of your presentation.

In between is a structure that will take you from your central idea to your call to action. Within that structure will be the evidence and practical information that will make your CTA not only persuasive but also practical for your audience. At the end, you want them to say:

‘I followed that argument, agreed with your evidence, and see why and how I can do what you suggest.’

The last part of your preparation is to do your homework. Make sure that you have all the knowledge you need, to draft a persuasive and powerful presentation. Ask yourself two questions:

‘What do I know about my audience, what they need, and what they know?’ ‘What information do I need to know, to address my audience’s needs, and be confident that I can speak with authority?’

These questions will guide your research. And answering the first question may lead you to review your thinking on the Benefits, at the start of the BOMB process.

The 7x Factor

When I started learning about presentation skills, someone gave me a useful piece of advice. I genuinely do not recall who it was. They told me that I should never put everything I know into my presentation, because, if you do, it means:

You are failing to select the most important information for your audience – and are therefore being lazy.
Any good question from the audience could take you outside of your zone of knowledge.

Their rule of thumb was to always know seven times as much as you present. Or, to put it another way, never present more than 15 percent of what you know. That way you have plenty in reserve. That accords well with the Pareto Principle, which tells us that approximately 80% of the value to your audience comes from 20% of the information you could present. So, I conclude that 15-20% of your knowledge is about right for a presentation.

Presentation Skills 2: Putting together a Presentation that is Compelling, Powerful, and Persuasive

Once you have done your preparation, the next step is to draft your presentation. Your goal is to make it compelling, persuasive, and powerful.

Compelling Draw your audience in, keep them engaged, and help them to understand your presentation. You do this with a clear structure that uses flow and sequence. The best tools to help you are a story-telling approach, and question and answer frameworks.
Persuasive Change the way your audience thinks, by helping them understand the world as you see it, and generate agreement with your point of view. You do this by creating a persuasive argument that uses the three elements of character, reason, and emotion.
Powerful Drive change by making your audience remember what you say and want to act on your recommendations. Do this by addressing their needs, being memorable, and using your knowledge of psychology.

We shall look at each of these three components in sequence.

The most important aspect here is to create a logical structure that your audience can follow easily. Yes, novels, plays, and films sometimes adopt non-linear storytelling. But they are art that aims to entertain. You are a professional who needs to inform.

So, coming up with a straightforward sequence for your information is one of your vital presentation skills. And, don’t take chances. Use regular signposting to help your audience know where they are in your presentation, and what’s coming up next.

A Works-every-time Compelling Structure to Boost Your Presentation Skills

Here is a simple and effective structure that works every time.

Introduce your central idea
Why… is it true?
How… can you implement it?
What… are the components?
How… did it happen?
Who… are the people involved?
What if…something goes wrong?
Introduce the principle answers to your question Seven should be the absolute maximum, and three is the most memorable number
For each principle answer, have a section that you divide into a small number (2-5) of parts
When you have covered one answer, move to the next and repeat
When you have covered all your answers, summarize
Finally, make your call to action

How to Introduce your Central Idea

A good introduction will get your presentation off to a powerful start, with your audience hooked on hearing what you have to say.

Luckily there is a simple but powerful formula that is used by professional writers from journalists to novelists. Even Jane Austen used it !

Step 1: Tell the audience something they know

This way, it’s easy for them to agree with you, so you have them on your side right from the get-go. But you need to stop that pretty quickly, before they get bored.

Step 2: Tell the audience something surprising, controversial, worrying…

This will raise their alertness, by increasing the stakes. Now, your presentation matters.

Step 3: Pose a question

Either ask your audience a question directly or raise a question in their minds.

What happens when you hear a question?

That’s right… You try to think of an answer. Now you are mentally hooked:

If you have an answer, you want to know if it’s the right one.
Or if you are confident, you want to know if the presenter will get it right!
If you don’t have an answer, you want to know what the answer is.

Step 4: Reveal your Answer

This is the Central Idea of your presentation. Now your audience has a clear signpost for what they will get.

Step 5: Another question

The lead into your main content is the question you are going to answer in your presentation:

It might justify your central idea, so the question would be ‘why?’
Maybe you will spell out how to implement your central idea, so your question would be ‘how?’
Or perhaps your central idea is about risk and you are going to lay out some scenarios, so your question could be ‘what if?’

You get the picture.

If your audience cares enough about the complication you introduced in step 2, they will want to hear your answers to the question in step 5. And these are the main parts of your presentation.

Will You be using Slides?

If you are, and you want to start your presentation powerfully, here is a great article on giving a good presentation , and how to start a presentation with 5 strong opening slides, from SlideModel.com.

We also have a great video on our sister site, Management Courses: Attending Meetings – Using Projector and Slides Effectively

As an aside, can you see how I used this structure to introduce this article?

Step 1: Too many Project Managers find it’s their presentation skills that let them down. [You probably knew that]

Step 2: Yet, having coached many presenters, I find that the difference between:

is usually very easy to fix. [Really? – I expect a lot of people will think it would be tricky]

Step 3: There are a few simple things any project manager can do to brush up on your presentation skills. [What are they?]

Step 4: This will show your project skills to their best, and impress the people you want to influence. You’ll have a greater impact as a project manager, and it’s often your presentation skills that give a real boost to your career. [Okay, so you see you can have a greater impact]

Step 5: So this is what we’ll look at in this guide: the key elements of presenting for project managers. [What are they? Tell me how?]

I have made a video that covers very much this idea, called: How to Communicate Big Ideas with Maximum Impact .

The science of persuasion and influence is a huge discipline, so I recommend you read our article Persuasion and Influence: A Through Introduction .

Here, I want to highlight the three elements that classical speakers and presenters going right back to ancient times have used. People are much the same now as they were three thousand years ago, so these methods still work.

Aristotle told us a speaker needs to demonstrate three things:

Ethos – Character
Logos – Reason
Pathos – Emotion

We’ll cover these in this order, because it’s the order that classical speakers learned to address these three, for maximum effect.

Ethos is about you. The first question your audience will need you to answer is:

‘Why should I listen to you?’

So right from the start, in the way you dress, introduce yourself, and open your presentation, you need to establish your credibility and your integrity.

Logos is about the facts – it literally means ‘the word’ . Here is where you:

Select the information that will be most persuasive, and
Present it in a logical way that creates a convincing argument

I usually find that this is the part Project Managers find easiest, because we tend to be in control of the facts. However, selecting out the minor points, so you can focus on the big points that matter, is a real skill. So too, is structuring that information.

Visual Communication

A lot of the information that we need to communicate is visual in nature. So, I recommend you take a look at the guest article that Jeilan Devanesan, the graphic design expert from Venngage, wrote for us: Visual Communication for Better Project Results .

Pathos is about your audience and how the facts matter to them. If you don’t know why they should care, you’ll never convince them.

So, answer one or more of these questions:

What will happen to your audience if they act on your call to action?
And what if they do not?
What won’t happen if they act on your call to action?
And what won’t happen if they don’t?

Here, you can appeal to a few fundamental drivers in our audience

Anticipation

Persuading your audience that you are right is not enough. You need to have an impact on them.

So, the next of your presentation skills is to speak with power. This means:

Being memorable
Inciting action or change

How to be Memorable

The main ways to be memorable are very simple:

Keep your message simple and don’t say too much. Just three points is great. One is ideal.
Repeat your key points again and again.
Introduce your key points at the start, when your audience is alert.
Remind your audience of your key points at the end, so they stay fresh.

For more detail…

How to Incite Action

Above all, you cannot get people to do something if they are unsure what to do. You need to craft a clear, unambiguous, simple call to action. Spell it out and make it easy.

But then, you want to motivate them to follow your CTA. So, do you know what the most powerful motivators are?

I think these are the main psychological hooks you can use. Of the three, fear is undoubtedly the most powerful. But it is also the most dangerous, so I always save this for the most important and urgent situations.

I like to focus on desire. Ask yourself this question about your audience:

‘What’s in it for you?’

If you know why they should act, and you tell them, you will be answering their most pressing question. And nothing compels action better than a big, fat, juicy ‘ because ‘.

Presentation Skills 3: Performing Your Presentation with Confidence

The last of your presentation skills is to bring everything together in front of your audience.

You can hear a lot of nonsense from various trainers about how to give a good performance:

Make big movements
Stay in one place
Use lots of slides
Don’t use too many slides
Speak loudly
Talk slowly
Speed up to keep your audience alert

They all have their place. But unless you aim to be a polished professional speaker, rather than a professional project manager who presents well, they barely matter.

The Two Big Things

What matters is that your audience warms to you and finds you credible. And that means two things:

Be yourself, and make your speech and movements natural.
Be confident, so that you can project that confidence to your audience.

Being Yourself

I cannot tell you how to be yourself. No one knows that but you. Of course, you need to slow down enough for people to follow you. This is especially true if some people in your audience are not fluent speakers of your language. And you certainly need to be loud enough for them to hear. And, of course, too much fidgeting or bobbing around can be a distraction.

But the basic guidance is that, as long as you are comfortable, your own natural style is the best one to use. Unless some aspect is so obtrusive that it detracts from your message, you’ll find that:

Trying to suppress who you are or
Putting on some kind of act

will be more distracting to your audience.

Be Confident

The biggest challenge for most speakers is confidence. many of us fear having to get up in front of people and speak to them. So, I have three tips for you, based on what I call the Triangle of Confidence . I have described this fully in our guide: Confidence: What You Need to Know to be a Confident Project Manager . I do recommend you read that article.

Personal Impact

At our sister site, Management Courses , we offer a whole course, FREE, on personal impact. It covers topics like:

Click here – or on the image – to check it out.

Management Courses: Personal Impact Course

What is Your Experience of Presentation, as a Project Manager?

A good call to action is essential at the end of a presentation. So here’s mine. Use the comments box below to share your thoughts on presentation skills for project managers. As always, I’ll respond to every contribution we get.

Learn more…

Take a look at our article: Communication Skills for Project Managers | The Best Books

And, as a reminder, here is a link to the section of this article where I pointed you to the FREE Online Presentation Skills course, from our sister channel, Management Courses .

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Home Blog Business How To Create a Project Presentation: A Guide for Impactful Content

How To Create a Project Presentation: A Guide for Impactful Content

Cover for how to create a project presentation

Corporate, academic, and business meetings share one common factor: successfully delivering project presentations. This is one skill professionals should harness in terms of articulating ideas, presenting plans, and sharing outcomes through an effective project presentation.

In this fast-paced reality where new tools and frameworks make us question the human factor value, we believe there’s much to be said about how working towards building presentation skills can make a difference, especially for making a project stand out from the crowd and have a lasting impact on stakeholders. We can no longer talk about simply disclosing information, the manner in which the narrative is built, how data is introduced, and several other factors that speak of your expertise in the subject.

This article will explore the art of project presentation, giving insights to presenters to deliver a memorable project plan presentation. Whether you are new to this experience or a seasoned presenter, this article promises to give you valuable information on how to build and present a project presentation that resonates with your target audience and will convert into your expected results for the project. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Who is the audience of a project presentation?

Executive Summary

Project overview, the project process model, the project scope, the project resources, the project roadmap, the project activities plan, the project risks, quality control, project execution and monitoring.

The Project Team

What Is a Project Presentation?

A project presentation is a business activity that brings together stakeholders and team members to oversee a project from execution to completion. During a project presentation, one or two people present a document or slide deck with an overview of all the project’s details.

During a project presentation, the project manager highlights key data about the project initiation and planning activities, like the project scope, requirements gathering, a deliverable list, timelines, and milestones.

The first instance of a project presentation is right before the execution of the project itself. Then, during the project process life cycle, you present it again with timely updates and news about the progress.

Who is the audience of a project presentation?

A project-related audience is made up of stakeholders – all individuals and entities that affect or are affected by the project’s existence.

Discuss the project presentation with team members that’ll work on the project so they know what’s at stake and what’s expected of them. They’ll need information like requirements, the roadmap, the work breakdown structure, and deliverables.

Stakeholders

Present your project to the stakeholders that can authorize resources and expenditures. Show them how the project will offer the solutions they want under the conditions they impose in a set amount of time.

Stakeholders want to know details like project scope, budget breakdowns, timing calculations, risk assessments, and how you plan to confront these risks and be ready for changes.

The Structure of a Project Presentation

Project presentations follow a standard structure covering all critical elements. Follow this guideline to ensure that you cover everything with the slides, the speech, and the discussion.

In the next section, we describe a project presentation structure you can build with SlideModel templates or working with our AI PowerPoint generator . As you will see, most sections in the structure are summaries or overviews of project management practices completed during initiation and planning.

At the start of your presentation, add an executive summary slide . This section is meant to welcome the viewer to the presentation and give an idea of what’s to come. To differentiate your executive summary from the project overview that comes right after it, use the opportunity to place the project into context.

In an executive summary , show how this particular project fits into the overall strategy for the company or the section it belongs to. If, for example, your project is about TikTok Marketing, offer information as to how it fits in the overall marketing strategy.

Continue the presentation with a project overview to show the audience what to expect. This section covers one slide or a combination of slides depending on the layout. The project overview slide serves as the introduction to a project presentation and what’s inside.

Include these items:

An Introduction with a brief background about the project.
A short explanation of the project’s objectives and completion goals.
A quick overview of the timeline with start and end dates.

Project Overview representation in a Project Presentation

The project life cycle is the series of phases that a project goes through from its inception to its completion. The project process model is the group of knowledge areas, processes, and their relationships that will guide the activities along the project lifecycle. The next slide should display the chosen project process model and explain how it’ll be carried out along the different lifecycle phases. Project process models examples include Waterfall, Scrum, and V Model for software development, and Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and Swimlane for general business-related projects.

Process models are important for the team to understand execution processes. Stakeholders need to see the process model to understand the systematic process of activities and how long they will take.

Use one slide for the model, show only high-level components, and offer details during the presentation if the audience asks for them.

The scope is a crucial element of any project and needs its own section in the presentation. The scoping process begins with requirements gathering and includes the creation of a work breakdown structure , an analysis of what’s in and out of scope, plus validation and scope management plans.

One or two slides are enough to highlight key scope details in a dashboard-style layout mirroring the information on your project scope statement. Preferably, place the scope slides towards the start of the project presentation close to the process model and project resources.

Every project needs resources, and that assessment must be included in the project presentation as well. In a general sense, all resources are what make up the overall budget for the project. In turn, you’ll need to show a budget breakdown that shows high-level resources.

Like many aspects of a project presentation, what you include depends on the industry you’re working for. Construction projects use constructors, materials, machinery, etc. Software projects use programmers, designers, software licenses, computers, etc.

Budget breakdown slide in a project presentation

Time is the main resource of any project. During project planning, the project management team estimates the required effort needed to complete the defined scope. Using the Project Process Model, Scope, and Resources, a plan is built. Present a roadmap to highlight the expected time for project completion and where each milestone falls along that line.

Roadmaps can be constructed with an infinite variety of visual layouts, from highly creative and illustrative to structured formats resembling spreadsheets and tables with color-coded roadmaps across the cells. Use one slide to show the roadmap highlighting time estimates, constraints, and projections. For updated project presentations, mark where the project is on the roadmap at that particular moment in time.

Every phase of the roadmap is broken down into action plans . Action plans list activities, their duration, allocated resources (human, material, and financial), and the relationship between activities.

Present your project activities plan with a Gantt Chart and a Costs Report. The Gantt Chart will show the activities to execute, how long they will take, and who (person or team) will be responsible for them. The costs reports will show how much the execution of activities will cost.

During the presentation, you’ll spend the most time on this section, as this is when and where your entire plan is outlined. To show more detail than the roadmap overview, use a few slides to show specific sections of the main Gantt chart and show key activities per phase or milestone.

All projects present risks, and to control them, they must be identified, assessed, evaluated, and mitigated . Visualize your risk assessment with a risk matrix and include it in the project presentation.

Use this slide to explain to stakeholders how you plan to mitigate the identified risks. Share with team members what’s expected of them in order to keep the risks under control. Risk management is a critical component of project management and something stakeholders will always be looking at.

Controlling the quality of project deliverables is critical for positive project outcomes and continued success with the deliverable. This process is called quality control or quality assurance.

The project process model includes which quality control techniques the team will use and when. Some quality assurance (QA) techniques include statistical process control (SPC), Six Sigma, ISO 9000, and Total Quality Management (TQM). Use one slide to visualize the process and your plan to execute it.

Once the project starts, the project plan is a living entity and evolves over time. This section will need to be regularly updated with progress reports, performance KPIs, and status updates.

Across these slides, explain how activities will be monitored and deliverable outcomes measured. Show exactly how you will determine if the project is on course or has deviations. Visualize all execution activities with a Gantt chart to show the current progress. Use big numbers and data points to highlight performance metrics. Use a comparison slide to visualize the completeness percentage vs. planned progress and budget consumption vs. planned budget.

Explain all monitoring activities for the execution phase using a calendar or schedule that shows on what days activities will take place and who is involved.

The Project Team

When presenting a project, include a stakeholder map to describe the management team, the sponsors, the main stakeholders, and the implementation team or teams. Depending on the size of the project, this will be an org chart or multiple org charts across a few slides.

Why is it important to present the project team to the stakeholders and vice versa? So that everyone involved knows the other parties and their responsibilities.

Another use for the team slide or slides is to present the next person who will speak during the project presentation. This gives the audience some background on that person’s role in the project.

Case Study – Project Presentation Example

Using the structure we present above, we outlined a case study of a realistic project and how the project manager puts together the project presentation using SlideModel templates. The project presentation example is based on a complex project of building a bridge (Cline Avenue Bridge). For the educational purpose of this article, we are not delivering all the elements of the project presentation, as it is out of scope. Still, we illustrate the more representative slides of each section, show how to prepare a PowerPoint Presentation for a project and how simple it is to adapt the templates to the content that needs to be presented. As a disclaimer, all information we present is an adaptation and reinterpretation of the real project, modified by SlideModel to fit the use case learning goals. This information and presentation should not be considered a source of information related to the Cline Avenue Bridge Project.

In this slide, the presenter summarises the project highlights in a project charter style. The Project Manager can extend this introduction all over the project lifecycle, and the speech can jump from different knowledge areas without the need to change slides or get deeper into details. Specifically, in the Cline Bridge Project, the objective is narrated, the location is just mentioned and linked to a map for further details, and a set of important facts are presented (Building Information Modelling Process, Budget, Duration, Sponsor, and Constructor). Key Highlights of the final deliverable are listed (Segmental Bridge, Material Concrete, 1.7 miles of length and 46 feet of width)

Project Presentation Project Overview Slide

Process Model

The Process Model slide illustrates the framework for the project lifecycle, processes, planning, and execution. In this slide, the Project Manager will describe the model and how it is tailored to the specifics of the project. In this case, for the development and construction of the Cline Bridge, the builder has defined the use of BIM (Building Information Modelling) as the process model. During this slide, the presenter can describe the lifecycle phases (Design, Production, Construction, Operation, and Planning) and drill down one level over the knowledge practices involved. For example, the initial stage consists of “Design”, which has two main knowledge areas, Conceptual Design, and Detailed Design. The project manager is able to explain this definition without the need to outline detailed processes and activities within them.

The Scope section of the presentation generally involves several slides, as the content layout is a list of “requirements.” Based on this fact, a table layout is suggested to make good use of space. It is important to avoid abusing the “list” and present the group of requirements rather than specific requirements. Otherwise, the project manager ends up transcribing the requirements document.

In this project presentation example, we present 10 groups of requirements traversing different stages of the project lifecycle.

Design Standards: Bridge design must comply with local, national, and international design standards, including relevant engineering and safety codes
Load Capacity: The bridge must be designed to safely carry a specific maximum load, which would include the weight of the bridge itself, traffic, pedestrians, wind, and other factors.
Seismic Design: The design must account for seismic loads.
Aesthetic Design: The bridge must be designed to meet certain aesthetic criteria aligned with the artists and architects.
Accessibility and Use Requirements: Requirements for pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, vehicle lanes, load restrictions for vehicles, clearance heights for boats if over a waterway, etc.
Regulatory Approvals: The project must secure all necessary permits and approvals from relevant local and national regulatory bodies.
Environmental Impact: The project must take steps to minimize its environmental impact during construction and the operation of the bridge, including implementing erosion and sediment controls.
Materials Simulation: Materials should comply with regulations and usage expectations for current and future expected requirements.
Site Preparation: The project must include preparation of the construction site, including any necessary land clearing or grading.
Foundations Construction: Foundations will need to support materials weight and traffic expected for the next 30 years.
Site Acquisition: Acquire site and terrain for building and logistics.

build bridge project presentation scope slide

Building a bridge involves a high level of resource usage. In an executive meeting of a project presentation, the recommendation is to structure this section as a Financial table with only one level of detail. Further details are delegated to specific resources and cost analysis presentations.

The resources list presented is:

Professional Services
Construction Labour
Quality Assurance
Contingency
Waste Disposal and Cleanup
Subcontractors

In order to break the style of table after table during the project presentation, we suggest using visual elements as icons and colors metaphorically related to each of the elements listed.

project presentation resources slide template

Project Roadmap

As explained earlier in the article, the project roadmap serves to offer a comprehensive overview of the significant milestones that will happen over the course of time. Given the magnitude of a bridge construction project and its prolonged duration, it is advisable, particularly for such extensive endeavours, to present a roadmap that aligns milestones with corresponding lifecycle phases in a discernible manner. This approach enables the audience to mentally envision the sequential progression of the construction process.

Aligned with previous slides, in the example we created a roadmap with the following high level milestones, and sub componentes:

Project Budgeting and Financing
Land Purchase & Renting
Conceptual Design
Detailed Design
Access Routes
Waste Disposal
Simulations
Materials Tests
Seismic Tests
Fabrication
Preparation of Modular Pieces
Build and Assembly
Test under Acceptance Criteria
Stress Test
Operation and Maintenance

As you can see, the Project Manager decided over a sequential roadmap, presented with little detail in timings, with start and end dates to picture dimension over the diagram.

project roadmap template case study build a bridge

Action Plan

In the bridge construction project of the example, there will be plenty of activity plans. All along the project several of these slides will be created and updated. The most suitable option for presentation tasks, durations, precedence relationship and resource allocation is the Gantt Chart Template. We present the first Quarter of the project, over the Conceptual Design Activities.

As displayed in the PowerPoint Slide , the subtitle clarifies the number of slides that will be used for this purpose.

The activities presented are:

Site Analysis
Feasibility Analysis
Design Concepts
BIM Model Creation
Model Revision
Environmental Impact
Present Design

action plan conceptual design project presentation

Project Risks

Risk management is an iterative process all over the project life cycle. When presenting your projects, the risks will vary depending on the progress over the roadmap. For this specific example we decided to present the risks being discussed during the Ideation stage, where the developer is exchanging risks with contractors and the company that will build the bridge.

Our suggested layout for this kind of information is a simple table, where the risks are clearly readable and visible, while the description is a hint for discussion rather than an in depth explanation.

It is very important to classify the presented risks, at least with two dimensions; “Impact” and “Probability”. This will generate quality conversations around them.

Outlined Risks during the Initiation Phase:

Design Errors
Construction Delays
Budget Overruns
Regulatory Changes
Site Conditions
Equipment Failures
Health and Safety Incidents

As the reader can spot, the risks outlined, are very high level, and each of them will trigger specific Risk Analysis Reports.

project presentations risks outline slide powerpoint template

The quality control section of the project presentation may vary depending on the quality process adopted. For large scale companies with a uniform portfolio of projects , it is common to see a continuous improvement quality model, which iteratively builds quality over the different projects (for example software companies) For construction companies like the example, the situation is not different, and the quality control model is aligned with the specific building process model. In this specific case, the project manager is presenting the quality control process to be applied over the BIM model and the Quality Control process to be followed for the physical construction of the bridge:

project presentation case study quality control BIM process model

Execution and Monitoring

During the project, several status meetings will be carried out. During the project presentation the manager can establish the pattern to be used along the project.

For this example, we set a basic progress dashboard where the project manager can present :

The current timeline
Top 5 issues
Current Burndown
Top 5 risks.

project presentation case study PowerPoint dashboard

The art of project presentation goes beyond listing data in random slides. A project presentation is a powerful tool to align stakeholders and foster an environment of trust and collaboration over factual information.

With a structured approach, all members involved in the project design and execution can understand the direction that’s being taken and the importance behind certain decisions. We hope these insights can turn your project into a powerful presentation that inspires and deliver results.

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Project Management, Project Planning Filed under Business

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18 Steps to Present Your Project Like a Pro

GanttPRO Gantt chart maker

Presenting a project can be a challenge. However, all project managers over the world know that project success directly depends on its presentation. If you arrange the presentation thoroughly, you have many chances to grab your audience’s attention and take them to an agreement.

In this post, we share some essential tips on how to present a timeline of your project without extra effort. We also describe some creative ways to generate a project presentation using online Gantt charts.

So, what are the steps for making your project presentation a true masterpiece?

18 tips for presenting a project

If a project presentation is a nerve-racking activity for you, it is better to follow reliable guiding principles and practices that will help you open many doors. What are these principles and practices?

We’ve combined them in a full tip-list, so now, it’s high time to explore them. Be ready to present your masterpiece to managers, executives, customers, your team, or stakeholders with a passion!

1. Start with clear project goals

When project managers run a presentation, they should define what effect they would like to reach beforehand.

Start with determining project goals by arranging a call-up meeting with the product owner and your teammates. You can even communicate the goals of your project verbally, or with the help of special documentation, visuals, models, or a project timeline .

2. Prioritize

Set priorities for specific tasks within your project. Discuss them with the managers from other departments, discuss, and decide together how these priorities fit into the common goals.

3. Study your audience

Knowing your audience will help to define what points are critical to them and what can be left out. This will also assist you in determining how to present your ideas more effectively.

4. Make research

What does your audience care about? Make sure everyone understands your technical and financial information. Try to compile your research into one place — even a simple timeline or doc will help you organize your findings and research. If you want a more fundamental and professional solution — use an online Gantt chart maker that will help you to identify project progression, assign tasks, set all necessary dates, and consider risk points.

5. Run surveys

It is crucial to study what your target audience thinks about a subject partway into your presentation. This will help you to turn your project into a forum for discussion.

6. Evolve credibility

The goal of any presenter is to convince the audience to know the stuff and impress them. To boost the people’s trust, mention your background, exciting cases, or even rewards you have been given. It will help you to gain credibility and raise interest in the subject.

7. Outline the key points of your introduction

Start your speech with a quote, statistical facts, or an exciting story. Try to avoid goofy jokes that can jeopardize your credibility.

8. Define the key points

Select the key points that will compose your thesis statements. Write down all critical topics that need to be presented and brainstorm what facts should be used to support your claims.

9. Prepare a stunning conclusion

It is not easy to end a business presentation with a bang. The best way to keep your audience on track is to simply summarize and close.

Write a summary, ask for questions, and don’t forget to thank your audience for attention.

10. Care about the presentation style

You can make your project presentation dry or funny or dry. But keep in mind that the quality presentation should be clear, concise, and concrete.

11. Don’t be afraid of silence

Give your audience enough time to internalize what you’re presenting. When you allow for some silence, they can absorb and retain more information. Use pauses after giving big problems or your unique solution.

12. Keep connection with people

Most people don’t have enough attention span to stay engaged for the whole presentation. Usually, they remember only the most exciting facts.

If you want to grab their attention, avoid reading from a script, and talk to one person who is the most interested in the audience.

13. Use analogies and provide stories

Use outstanding and interesting stories to engage your audience. The stories with analogies will allow people to extrapolate the relevant meaning for their personal application. Everyone remembers stories much better than boring facts.

14. Visualize

Add images, graphics, timelines, and other visuals to keep people engaged and ensure the key points remain. Try to avoid complicated slides that could distract participants. Support your statements with actual charts and diagrams. Such great solutions as online Gantt chart makers will help to do this quickly and reliably.

15. Make a rehearsal

Some people never practice their speeches and this is actually not a good idea.

Review your presentation, talk it out, and find good ways to present a project. Consider the tone, the speed, and the moments you wish to emphasize.

16. Temper your anxiety

Remember that when a speaker is relaxed, the audience is also relaxed.

Write notecards to ease your anxiety. Sleep well before the presentation. Do not forget to bring in a glass of water. Make pauses and allow yourself to regroup.

17. Do not dwell on mistakes

The equipment can fail. You can forget the main idea of your presentation or its introduction. Do not panic. Your audience will evaluate the way how you recover. Just continue to perform and take it easy.

18. Enjoy your presentation

Now you know almost everything about an effective project management presentation. You’ve rehearsed everything, and now the presentation of your project looks clean and organized. Your audience will definitely appreciate it!

That was a lot of tips, but each one is worth your attention if you care about effective project presentation. Analyze these recommendations and choose the best way to present a project to your audience.

Well, it seems that only one moment is missed. Literally, you need reliable project management software to prepare your presentation like a pro. This is where GattPRO comes to the rescue.

Presenting projects with a powerful Gantt chart generator

Many teams that appreciate comfort, system, attractive visualization, and ease of use prefer to use GanttPRO for their project presentations. You can also try this online Gantt chart maker to present your project to your colleagues, top management, stakeholders, partners, or customers.

How to do it? There are several ways.

1. Share your project via URL

If you need to demonstrate your project to any 3rd party, there is a solution for you. GanttPRO allows sharing your projects using a “Public URL.”

It is possible to share a dynamic URL to keep any changes you make active. If you don’t want to share a dynamic URL, you can choose a “Snapshot option” that will allow getting a static picture of your Gantt diagram taken when creating the URL (if you do not want to showcase any updates in your presentation).

Once the link is created, you can manage it, choosing any of the following options:

Copy and send it to anyone you want.
Make it timely inactive if needed.
Finally, delete the URL if required.

You can share your project with the URL at any stage.

2. Export it

You may also use the exporting feature in GanttPRO. It allows having your project always at hand as you can export your diagram to PNG, XML, PDF, Excel, and apply lots of other advanced options.

Using the dashboard you can choose the export options:

A paper size.
An orientation.

3. Import Excel and .mpp files to GanttPRO

Using GanttPRO, you also have an opportunity to import different format files. If you have projects in .xlsx, .csv, or .mpp formats and want to present them more beautifully and professionally, you can easily import them to GanttPRO.

If you manage a project in MS Project, it will also be easy for you to import your .mpp file to GanttPRO.

Final thought

All great project management presentation ideas are based on careful planning.

When choosing the appropriate way to present your project, make sure you are passionate about it. Remember that the attentive audience can tell whether or not presenters are engaged with the material they’re talking about. Organize the order of all steps you will discuss. Practice it and work on grabbing public attention.

By choosing a reliable project management tool, you will be able to make your project presentation a true masterpiece!

Read more about presenting projects here: How to Present a Project https://blog.ganttpro.com/en/how-present-project/ .

Written by GanttPRO Gantt chart maker

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Microsoft Project Tutorial

How to Present a Project: 18-Step Formula for Purpose-Driven Teams

Audio version:

Presenting a project requires studying dozens of sources, from books and lectures to innovative methodologies. How to present a project so that your team members, stakeholders, executives, or clients say “wow!”?

It can be a challenge. But there is nothing impossible for managers who consider a project timeline presentation a part of their daily job.

Project success directly depends on its presentation. According to the latest research , effective presentations are 38% of your voice, 55% non-verbal communication, and only 7% your content. If you do it thoroughly, you have many chances to grab your audience’s attention and take them to an agreement.

Below you’ll find reliable tips on how to present a timeline of your project following some consistent steps. You’ll also discover some creative ways to create a project presentation using online Gantt charts. Let’s dive in!

Steps for presenting a project .
Best ways to present a project .
Presenting projects with GanttPRO .

18 steps for presenting a project

Sometimes a project presentation is a nerve-racking activity. However, it doesn’t mean it has to be complicated. You can prepare a creative project presentation that will open many doors following essential guiding principles and practices.

Here we recommend 18 simple steps for presenting your high-level plan with all project tasks, dependencies , project milestones , attachments, comments, and other attributes. You may use them while presenting your masterpiece to clients, managers, executives, your team, or the stakeholders who have a specific interest in your project.

Let’s figure them out starting with the foundation of all activities in the project management world – setting goals.

1. Formulate your project goals

Before you start finding the answer to the question “ how to create a project plan ,” communicate the goals of your project. When you hold a presentation, you should define what effect you would like to reach beforehand. Discuss all necessary details and fix the goals by arranging a call-up meeting with your team members and the product owner. If you do not do this, you will not have the direction to go, and your efforts will be useless.

Project goals can be trivially similar, but a business college presentation will be differently built than a pitch by a construction project manager. You can explain the goals of your project verbally, with the help of visuals, models, special documentation, or can create a project timeline.

In some cases, you will have to share information clearly and, in other cases, present a more emotional overview. Anyway, make sure you set clear and achievable goals while you prepare your project.

2. Set priorities

After determining the goals, give priority to specific tasks within your project. It is crucial to communicate with the managers from different departments, such as marketing, customer support, sales, etc. Discuss their priorities and decide together how these priorities fit into the general strategic goals.

3. Know your target audience

Considering relationships between yourself and your audience will help you define what points are critical to them and what can be left out. Knowing your audience will also help you determine how to present your ideas more effectively.

Pay special attention to how many people you’ll present your thoughts to. Talking to ten people is a conversation. Getting up in front of a group of twenty is already a speech. When you talk to more individuals, it’s a full-fledged performance.

4. Research

When you know your goals and the audience, ask yourself, “What do these people care about?”

Your presentation will probably cover many project management metrics . Make sure you have your technical and financial info available. Try to compile your research into one place. Even simple word docs and timelines will help you organize your findings and research.

Or use a helpful online Gantt chart maker to help identify project progression, set all necessary dates, assign tasks, and consider risk points.

5. Survey your audience’s opinion

By studying what your audience thinks about a subject partway into your presentation, you will get a chance to turn your project into a forum for discussion.

New ideas and insights from the people who may be hearing about your subject for the first time will add an organic quality to the presentation.

6. Establish credability

When you run a presentation, you are the expert in the room. Your goal is to convince the audience to know your stuff, so try to impress them. To boost the audience’s trust, mention your background, first points of contact with the topic, nuances, exciting cases, or even rewards you have been given. It will help you to establish a greater degree of credibility and raise interest in the subject.

7. Prepare your introduction

An efficient introduction consists of three parts:

A preview, outlining your main points.
A thesis – a summary of your main points based on a big picture.
An attention-getter – the most critical part of your presentation speech as it encompasses the first few seconds that your audience will judge you as a performer.

It is recommended to start your speech with statistical facts, a quote, or an exciting story. Remember that goofy jokes can jeopardize your credibility.

8. Choose the key points

Pick up your main points that will compose your thesis statements. Choosing these points should be apparent if you’ve done your research and know what and why you’re presenting.

Write down the essential topics that need to be presented and brainstorm what facts should be used to support your claims.

9. Write a winning conclusion

All presenters strive to end their performances with a bang. However, it isn’t easy to do it with a business presentation.

The best way to keep your audience on track is to simply summarize and close. Prepare a brief and informative summary, or reiterate what you’ve already said in the preview. Asking for questions or thanking your audience are both great ways to end.

10. Choose an appropriate presentation style

Some people make their presentations funny or dry; some try to make them as exciting as possible. It depends on the presenter’s style. Keep in mind that the quality presentation should be clear, concise, and concrete.

11. Don’t be afraid of silence

Even silence can be an essential ally in impressing your audience.

Give people enough time to internalize what you’re presenting. If you allow for some silence, they will be able to absorb and retain more information. Practice pauses after giving big problems or your unique solution. Allow presentation visuals to speak for themselves when you demonstrate necessary diagrams or meaningful images.

12. Keep the connection with your audience

Another key to a successful project presentation is connecting with the audience. Most people don’t have enough attention span to stay engaged for an entire presentation. They will remember only the most interesting (not necessarily important) facts.

To catch their attention, use outline notes, avoid reading from a script, talk to one person who is the most interested in the audience. Make sure that the people who want to know your information aren’t disappointed.

13. Use stories and analogies

Numbers and statistics work well. However, they can also scare off your audience.

Add interesting stories to engage people. The stories with analogies will allow participants to extrapolate the relevant meaning for their personal application. After all, people remember stories much better than boring facts.

14. Use visuals

Images, graphics, timelines, and other visual aids will help keep your audience engaged and ensure the key points remain.

Use images that clarify what is said verbally. Avoid complicated slides that could distract people, and remember to keep your prospective audience’s age in mind if you use humor and funny images.

Support your statements with charts. Charts and diagrams are the lifeblood of any successful presentation. You may say that it takes time to produce them.

However, such great solutions as online Gantt chart makers help to do this quickly and reliably.

Gantt charts for visual project presentation

Apply Gantt chart graphics to present your project professionally.

15. Practice the presentation

Just because you’ve designed your creative slides and timelines does not mean you are prepared to perform a stunning presentation. Some people never practice their speeches, by the way.

Review your presentation, talk it out, get comfortable with the delivery, and find good ways to present a project. Consider the tone, the speed, and the moments you wish to emphasize.

16. Temper your anxiety

When a speaker is relaxed, the audience will also relax, making for an overall comfortable experience.

Use notecards to ease your anxiety. Write them well, and you won’t forget anything. Get a whole night’s sleep, eat well the day before, and exercise – it will make you feel better. Do not forget to bring in a glass of water. Make pauses and allow yourself to regroup.

Give yourself a mindset that you will rock this presentation. Don’t let your anxiety get in the way of your success.

17. Do not dwell on mistakes

Mistakes can happen at any time. Your equipment may fail, or you can even forget the critical idea from your presentation. Do not panic. Your audience will evaluate the way how you recover. Don’t dwell on mistakes or failures and continue to perform.

18. Present your projest like a Pro

You’ve covered a lot of ground, and now you know almost everything about an effective project management presentation.

You will do well because you’ve rehearsed everything, and now the presentation of your project looks organized, clear, and entertaining. Your coworkers, executives, stakeholders, and clients will thank you for it.

The only thing you miss is a reliable project management tool to impress your audience. Below, we will talk about this.

Well, that was a lot of tips, but each one is worth your attention if you care about presenting your project in the best possible way.

Analyze all these steps and recommendations and choose the best way to present a project to your audience. Here are some thoughts on this matter.

Best ways to present a project

Knowing different ways to present a project makes managers true professionals. This skill is essential for any industry, no matter you want to present it to clients, stakeholders, or teammates.

Every experienced PM has their own best way to present a project. This exclusive method can be a real secret, but we will share the easy way to turn project management presentation ideas into a masterpiece.

As with many project management practices, your presentation requires the right tools. One of the good ways to present a project is to rely on powerful project planning software .

And now you will be pleasantly surprised when you find out how comfortable and easy it is to hold presentations with the help of Gantt charts.

Presenting your projects with GanttPRO

Project presentation with the help of GanttPRO is a true godsend for project managers and their teams who like comfort, order, system, attractive visualization, and ease of use.

Use the reliable online Gantt chart maker to present your project to your colleagues, top management, stakeholders, partners, or clients. To anyone! A set of the most essential and innovative features makes GanttPRO one of the most powerful tools for high-quality presentations.

There are several ways of how you can present your project with the help of GanttPRO.

1. Sharing via URL

You may need to showcase your project to a third party (even if they are not registered in GanttPRO). How to do it? The Gantt chart platform allows sharing your projects using a Public URL .

To include a project in your presentation, open the Public URL window by clicking on the three dots on the right corner.

Demonstrate your project with/without filters applied, choosing the corresponding option.

You can share a dynamic URL to keep any changes you make active. If you don’t want to share a dynamic URL, choose a Snapshot option . It will allow getting a static picture of your Gantt diagram taken when creating the URL (if you do not want to showcase any updates in your presentation).

Then push the Create Public URL button. By the way, you can leave a description of it.

The great news is that once the link is created, you can manage it. For example, select any of the following options:

Copy and send it to anyone you want.
Make it timely inactive if needed.
Finally, delete the URL if required.

Note : you can share your project with the URL at any stage.

2. Advanced export

Another way to present a project with GanttPRO is to export it. This feature allows having your project always at hand as you can export your diagram to PNG, XML, PDF, Excel, and apply lots of other advanced options.

To export your project, find the Export button at the right corner.

On your right, you will see a dashboard where you can choose the export options:

A paper size.
An orientation.

Then you can also set the additional options.

Nothing complicated, right? Hopefully, you’ll figure it out in seconds. If not, take another look to understand this feature better:

3. Importing Excel and .mpp files to GanttPRO

To do it, press Import when creating a new project.

Then drag & drop or upload it from your computer.

If you manage a project in MS Project, it will also be easy for you to import your .mpp file to GanttPRO.

Follow the steps described above, open an mpp file without any headache, and present it with GanttPRO like a real professional.

It seems like this is all we wanted to tell you about how to present a project and use a robust PM tool for this purpose.

Your ability to attract the audience’s attention is what makes or breaks a presentation, no matter how good your material is. Although virtually all practical project management presentation ideas are based on careful planning, you should put equal thought into how you’ll communicate your ideas to others.

When looking for your best ways to present a project, make sure you are passionate about it. After all, an attentive audience can tell whether or not presenters are engaged with the material they’re talking about.

Now you know how to present a project. Organize the order of all steps you will discuss, do practice, work on grabbing public attention, and do not forget to choose the appropriate project management tool for succeeding in your efforts.

It is not a big deal if you haven’t caught all the details about presenting projects using a convenient Gantt chart maker. Here you will find short video tutorials on how to do it quickly and easily:

Sharing your project with “Public URL”

Paolo Kukhnavets

Paolo writes about the exciting world of project management, innovative tools, planning strategies, time management, productivity, and more. He has a professional journalism education, over ten years of writing experience, and a vast bag of enthusiasm to comprehend and learn new things every day. In his other life, he is addicted to traveling, gym, and sci-fi movies. He cycles and runs a lot.

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How to Create a Successful Project Presentation

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

An illustration showcasing a project presentation being built.

You’ve spent time working on a project that could be a potential game-changer for your company or client. Now you’re buzzing to present it to your team, investors and other key stakeholders.

Creating and delivering project presentations can be nerve-racking and you probably have one question running through your mind.

How do you get the decision-makers to understand your project or secure their buy-in?

Considering that some companies have had about 12% of failed projects in the past year, you want to create presentations that are not only convincing but memorable.

With the right project presentation deck, you can win and keep your audience’s attention long enough to explain project details and why it’s sure to succeed.

Not sure how to create successful project presentations? We’ve got you covered.

This article will show you how to set project goals and create winning presentations that take your project to the next level.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit project presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Let's get to it.

1 Set Goals for Your Project

Before you dive into the main details of your project presentation, you want to answer these questions:

What is your project set out to achieve?
Why is it important for you and your team to achieve your set goals?
How do you plan to communicate your goals to your audience?

If you have to make long guesses before answering these questions, you’ve got a lot of work to do.

Here’s what you should know. Beautiful or well-articulated project presentations aren’t a substitute for project planning. Without clear goals, your project is already set up to fail. And your investors might think, “why bother listening?”

Many project managers tend to rush through the goal-setting phase, but we don't recommend this. That’s because you could be setting yourself up for failure.

Once you clearly define your project goals, you can get stakeholders to buy into them.

Now the question is, how do you set goals for your project and achieve them? One way to do that is by using the SMART goal setting method.

Setting SMART Project Goals

SMART is an acronym that stands for S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant and T ime-Bound.

SMART goals are a staple for planning and executing successful projects. It takes a deeper look into the finer details your audience care about, such as:

Project plan and schedule,
Project timelines,
Milestones,
Potential roadblocks and more

For example, let's say your project aims to improve customer experience on web and mobile devices. Notice this example describes the end goal. But it doesn’t specify how you’ll work to enhance customer experience.

Here’s how using SMART goals provides direction for your planned project.

When setting your goals, be clear and specific about what you want to achieve in the end.

A specific goal could be: “We want to build a responsive website and mobile app for our company to improve customer experience. This project will require inputs from our product design, software and marketing department”.

Measurable

During your presentation, you'd have to answer questions like:

What metrics will you use to determine if you meet the goal?
How will you know you’re on the right track?

Having metrics in place will help you evaluate your project. Plus, you’d be able to monitor progress and optimize your project to achieve better results.

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a short-term or long-term project. Ensure you set metrics and milestones that count towards your goal.

From our earlier example, a measurable goal could be to have:

Over 100,000 mobile app downloads on Google Playstore and Apple App Store.
A 20% bounce rate on your website and a 15% conversion rate on mobile and web.

Attainable

One of the most critical questions you want to ask during goal-setting is, “Can we achieve our set goal?” Do we have the resources to accomplish the goal within the available time frame?

If the answer is no, then you’d have to consider what it would take to achieve those goals. This may require adjusting your goals or the resources needed to achieve your goal.

Although it’s okay to be ambitious, you should also be realistic. For example, getting 200,000 app downloads in one week could be overly ambitious if you’ve just launched your app. However, if you set out to achieve that goal in three months, that could make your project practicable.

Transform technical, complex information into easy-to-understand reports

Create detailed diagrams of workflows , systems and processes to see how they interset
Easily create and share resources for your team , from login credentials to security best practices
Get more visual with your communication to ensure intricate information is resonating and sinking in

Your project goals need to align with your broader business goals. Are your goals relevant to the growth and success of the company? Are they worth allocating resources for?

For instance, if your company is B2B and doesn’t plan to expand to the B2C market, launching an e-commerce website would be an irrelevant goal.

Time-Bound

Regardless of your project type and size, you should set time frames. Setting target dates for deliverables creates a sense of urgency and motivates you to hit your goals.

From our example above, a time-bound goal could be “We aim to achieve 100,000 mobile app downloads and a 15% conversion rate by the end of the fiscal year. Our company will launch the mobile app by Q3 with a robust marketing campaign that will run through the end of next fiscal year.”

Setting SMART goals doesn’t have to be a challenging task. Use the template below to set project goals that position your business for success.

A SMART goals worksheet template available to customize with Visme.

Communicate Project Goals to Your Team Members

After you've set your goals, your team will play a key role in helping you achieve them. So you ensure they understand these things:

Why the project goals are in place
What it's supposed to deliver for your business and customers
How their role, team and department contributes to the success of the project

Unless you’re clear on this, the project can derail and move in all sorts of unwanted directions.

Rather than slam the goals you’ve set on your team, make it a collaborative effort. Spend time talking to your team and stakeholders about the project goals.

Don't limit your communication to people within your department. You can reach out to people in other departments like sales, operations, finance, etc., to see how well your goals align with theirs.

A timeline presentation slide available in Visme.

To give your team a better understanding, you can communicate your project goals in a variety of ways, including:

Visuals (videos, images, charts, infographics, etc.)
Verbal presentation
Documentations

By doing that, you’re sure to get their valuable feedback, buy-in and commitment to the project. Plus, getting your team on board with your project plan will up your chances of successful execution.

A project status presentation template available in Visme.

2 Lay Out Your Project Plan

Once you’ve set your goals, the next big step is to outline how you'll achieve them. An excellent place to start is by organizing your project into an actionable plan and steps for execution.

You might wonder why this step is important for creating a successful project presentation.

Whether you’re planning a small or big project, writing a detailed plan, structure and layout puts everything into perspective. It eliminates vagueness and helps your audience grasp the project roadmap without missing the points.

Your project plan should contain the technical and non-technical project details. Therefore, you want to give yourself an edge by using a project presentation template that clearly explains all the activities and steps.

Not only that, your presentation structure should be simple and easy to follow.

Depending on the project type, your plan could include key details such as:

The goals and objectives you've outlined earlier
Your project scope, methodology and framework
Project milestones, deliverable and acceptance criteria
Project schedule and timelines
Resources and budget estimates, etc.

A project management presentation template available to customize in Visme.

There's no hard and fast rule for laying out your project plan. However, if you want to create a memorable plan that will keep your audience engaged, you could break it down into three parts, including:

Introduction

Conclusion and key takeaways

Your introduction should provide a brief overview of what you’re going to talk about and why it’s relevant to your audience. You could start by writing down the project name and the executive summary.

Think of your executive summary as an abridged version of the project plan.

If your audience read only your executive summary, would they have all the information they need about your project? If the answer is yes, your executive summary has served its purpose.

The length of your executive summary will depend on what you intend to cover in your project plan. However, we recommend keeping your executive summary one or two pages long.

You can include key information such as:

Objectives of the project
Key points of the project plan
Results, conclusions and project recommendations

Keep in mind that not everyone will have the time to dive into the details of your project plan.

Having a snapshot of your project brings clarity to key stakeholders and collaborators. It also enables people who aren't actively involved in the project to understand it at a glance.

Ready to create your own presentation in minutes?

Add your own text, images and more
Customize colors, fonts and everything else
Choose from hundreds of slide designs and templates
Add interactive buttons and animations

The body of your project plan is where you have the full project details and everything relevant to its success.

Here you can break your project into deliverables, tasks, milestones and schedules (start and end dates).

Ensure you precisely define the resources you need to complete the project, including finances, team, time, technology, physical resources and more.

This is the part where you sum up your project plan with key takeaways. Your conclusion should include what you expect from your audience, including key action points and next steps.

Writing your intro, body and conclusion may sound like a lot of information. But instead of writing multiple pages of text, incorporating visuals can make your project presentations more effective.

By using images, videos, infographics and charts , you can capture all the vital information and help your audience understand your message better.

Visme presentation templates are effective for visualizing different sections of your project plan. They are professionally designed and easy for anyone to craft high-quality project plans that keep their team on track.

Use the project plan templates below to kickstart your project planning process.

A project plan template available in Visme.

3 Outline the Problem and Solution

You've just spent time crafting your project action plan. Now it’s time to communicate your project plan and goals with your audience.

Project presentations are a lot like sales pitches. Whether you’re presenting your project plan to clients or creating a pitch deck for investors, your job is to keep your audience hooked right from the start till the end.

One of the most potent ways of grabbing your audience's attention is by highlighting their pain points.

It’s not enough to have beautiful slides that showcase your amazing product features and project activities.

Make sure you set up your project presentation to:

Outline your audience pain points
Emphasize how your project, product or service works to address their pain points
Explain how they’ll benefit from using your product or investing in your project

In a nutshell, your audience should have a clear insight into how your project makes their life better. When they’re clear on this, they’ll most likely listen to the solutions you bring to the table and take the desired action.

Don’t make sweeping assumptions about your audience.

If you’re looking to get them on board, dedicate a slide to discuss their problems and solutions. Make them understand how your project benefits them.

A goals presentation slide available in Visme.

Not sure what your audience's pain points are? Go ahead and do these things:

Run a persona survey or interview existing customers. This will help you build a data-driven user persona that you can use for all types of business and marketing decisions.
Talk to your customer support and success team. They have close relationships with your customers, so they know their challenges and what they want. If they don’t know these things, do them a favor and create a customer success program .
Interact with your community, ask for feedback and involvement. The more you engage with your consumers, the more you understand their challenges, work toward solving and get them invested in your brand.
Keeping an eye on relevant social media trends, Twitter hashtags, Facebook trends
Join relevant online forums like Quora, Reddit, Stack Exchange, etc.

RELATED: How to Write an Effective Presentation Outline

4 Keep Your Presentation Slides Short

When creating project presentations, prioritize quality over quantity. Be sure to keep your slides short and simple. When you do this, your audience will be glad you value their time.

Remember, this isn’t the time to slam your audience with lengthy and irrelevant jargon. Instead, keep your slides on topics and hit the main points without the boring and unnecessary details.

Here’s why you need to keep your presentation brief:

Concise presentation slides are not only powerful, but they are also memorable.
Studies have shown that during project or business presentations, attention levels drop sharply after 30 minutes . By creating lengthy presentations, you risk losing your audience's attention halfway.
Nobody wants to sit and watch you flip tons of slides for hours. With shorter slides, you can capture your audience's attention and get them to focus on the message.
Most people might have limited time or have short attention spans. So they’d want to quickly digest information and move on to the next best thing.

How do you keep your project presentations short?

If your slide doesn’t add value to your presentation, it shouldn’t earn a spot on your deck.
Supercharge your slide deck with captivating visuals that capture more information
Adopt proven methods for preparing your slide

For example, the 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki is one of the most popular methods used by experts. The rule recommends using ten slides for 20 minutes presentations (about two minutes per slide). It also specifies using a font size of at least 30 for text.

This will enable your audience to digest the messages on your screen while you’re talking.

A business model presentation slide available in Visme.

Keep in mind that this isn’t an iron-clad rule for presentation. There are other rules such as Pecha Kucha method , Takahashi method, Lessig method, etc. You can adapt any of these rules to suit your project presentation needs.

5 Use Less Text and More Visuals

Another great way to keep your slides brief yet interesting is using less text and more visuals.

Remember, your slide should aid your verbal presentation and not replace it. So you want to avoid crowding too much information on one slide.

Cluttering your presentation with too much text could:

Overwhelm your audiences and bore them
Shift your audience's attention to the text, making your presentation less effective.

Instead, use one slide to present each idea. Marketing guru Seth Godin recommends no more than six words per slide .

People retain more information when it’s presented in bite-size chunks and visuals. This applies to B2B, B2C audiences, project managers and corporate executives.

About 59% of business executives say they’d rather watch a video about a topic than read about it. Hence the need to supercharge your project presentation with compelling visuals that capture and bring your audience’s attention right where you want it.

Steve Jobs’ MacWorld Keynote presentation in 2007 is an excellent example of how to enhance your presentation with compelling visuals.

During the presentation, Steve Jobs used live and interactive visuals to show how the iPhone 1 works.

Read on to learn more tips on creating engaging presentations that will wow your audience.

With Visme's presentation maker , you can make stunning project presentations with a rich blend of text and compelling visuals. Hook your audience and inspire action with stellar project presentation templates like the one below.

A budget presentation slide available in Visme.

6 Use Quality Visuals, Diagrams and Presentation Aids

Visuals are important for making successful project presentations. Beyond grabbing the audience’s attention and keeping them engaged, viewers recall 95% of a message when presented in visual form. But when shared via text, they retain only about 10%.

There are many types of visual aids you can use in your presentations, including:

Graphs and charts
Heat and choropleth maps
Scatter plots
Screenshots and more

Using images and videos will up your chances of getting audience engagements and positive responses to your call-to-action (CTA).

Gantt charts , whiteboard drawings and mind maps are ideal for visualizing early-stage project designs. You can use charts, diagrams, maps and trees to present the project architecture for technology-related projects.

A Gantt chart template available in Visme.

If you’re working on product development projects, consider adding sketches, flowcharts , models and prototypes to your slide.

Pie charts are excellent for showing percentages. Vertical bar charts indicate changes over time, while horizontal bar charts help you compare quantities.

Infographics are perfect for visualizing data and explaining complex information like market trends.

Here’s the interesting part. Visme has the tools you need for every job. The software allows you to add different visuals, infographics, charts and graphs to your deck and customize them to suit your needs.

You can change design, text and background colors, add or remove legends, animate charts, etc.

You can also use maps to represent geographic information. Or, use progress bars, thermometers, radials and widgets to visualize stats and figures as shown in the template below.

A pie chart template available to customize in Visme.

When adding visuals to your slide, don’t go overboard. Stick to a minimum of two images per slide. In addition, make sure your visuals are relevant to your project presentation.

While designing your presentation slides , always stick to high-quality visuals. Blurry or low-resolution images or videos can be a major turn-off for viewers.

With high-quality visuals, your presentations will be crisp and clear, even on large screens.

The slide below is an excellent example of how to power your presentations with compelling visuals.

A team presentation slide available in Visme.

7 Pay Attention to Design

Want to create impressive presentations that pop? If the answer is yes, you need to pay attention to your design details. Your design can make or break your project presentation.

Whether you are an experienced designer or a novice, design tools like Visme give you an edge. You can create compelling presentation designs for your business in a few minutes.

The beautiful thing is that you don’t have to break the bank to make stunning project presentations. You'll find beautiful ready-made templates and millions of stunning royalty-free images for your slides.

Here are tips you should consider while designing your slides.

Use the Right Color Combination

If you want to make your presentations appealing, use color moderately.

We get it; everyone loves color. But using too many colors can make your presentations look chaotic and unpleasant.

Your color choice can influence how your audience grasps and responds to your presentation. A general rule of thumb is to pick colors that evoke positive emotions in your audience.

For example, warm colors like yellow, orange and red convey feelings of excitement and positivity. On the other hand, cool colors (blue, green and violet) reflect an aura of calmness.

When combining colors, aim for a balanced color scheme. For example, if your slide or image background is dark, your text and design elements should have bright colors. This contrast will make your project presentation legible and visually appealing.

You can learn about color psychology and how to use it in your next presentation design by watching the video below.

Use Clear and Consistent Typography

Optimizing your typography can make a difference in how people perceive your message. So you want to make sure your slide looks organized, professional and sends the right message.

Here’s how you can make this happen:

Use fonts that embody the spirit of your brand
Keep your text styles consistent throughout your presentation. We recommend you stick to a maximum of three fonts.
Avoid fancy fonts and tiny text that strain the reader's eyes. Rather use fonts like Arial, Time News Roman, Calibri and other legible fonts suited for small and large screens.
Use a font size of at least 30 for the body text and 36 for titles.

In addition, remember to present your text using the color scheme we mentioned earlier. This will keep your text visible over your background.

Take a look at this slide from one of our presentation templates. Notice how the design, fonts and color combination blends in to make the visuals pop.

An app presentation template available to customize in Visme.

8 Start With a Presentation Template

Whether you’re a newbie or pro, creating project presentations that pack a punch can be time-consuming.

Let’s say you’ve got a deadline looming. You’d have to deal with writing your project outline, preparing your slide notes, designing your slides, sourcing and incorporating visuals and more.

Handling these things from scratch could slow you down or make your presentations untidy.

Using presentation templates could save you from all the stress. They help you make professional-looking project presentations fast and easy.

Since the slides are pre-designed, you’ll find a place to insert every possible piece of content you need. Be it a progress bar, chart, graph, table, video or image, the design is right there.

All you need to do is type your content, input data or insert the image. And boom, your presentation is ready to go.

In addition, using presentation templates offers brand consistency in terms of font, style, layout, colors and overall design. You can customize and share templates with your project team to keep your presentations uniform.

The title and main body slide, image and chart layout and fonts are set in the template. Therefore formatting your slide becomes a breeze—no more messy or cluttered project presentations.

Visme has a wide selection of templates designed to make your presentations shine. You’ll find millions of pixel-perfect graphics, icons, design elements and professionally designed templates for any purpose, industry and project type.

Regardless of your skill level, you can customize your templates like the one below. Just add your content and your project presentations will be ready in a few minutes.

A modern presentation theme available in Visme.

9 Present Your Project Like a Pro

If you follow all the tips we shared above, you’ve probably got the perfect project presentation on paper. Great stuff, but your job isn’t done yet.

Your delivery is the final piece of the puzzle, and you’ve got to make it count.

Here’s the thing. Your presentation could flop if the delivery isn’t convincing. Hence the need to plan your delivery and drive your message across with passion and enthusiasm.

Here's how to deliver project presentations that leave an impact.

Practice Makes Perfect

Did you know that Steve Jobs used to spend two days prepping for presentations? Yes, you read that right.

Practice is one of the key steps to nailing your delivery.

You can practice by reading out loud in your quiet space. While you’re at it, make audio and video recordings and watch them repeatedly.

Ask your friends and colleagues to serve as a test audience and give feedback on your presentation.

This run-through will help ensure your presentation captures the main points within the allotted time. It will also help you maintain the correct body posture during your project presentation.

Make time to check if the equipment is working and get familiar with the settings and operations. This is especially important if you plan to use video or audio in your slides.

Start With a Strong Opening

Your audiences could have short attention spans, so make those first moments count. With solid openings, you can hook your audience and set the mood for a successful presentation.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech at Stanford is an excellent example of having a solid opening. With over 4 million views on YouTube, it’s one of the most memorable and watched speeches in history.

Notice how he hooks the audience with powerful anecdotes about his life, beginning from dropping out of college. And then, he goes on to share the lessons he learned in his early days at Apple, losing his job in 1985 and reflections on death.

Here’s how to make an excellent opening speech that grabs the audience’s attention and convinces them you’re worth listening to:

Ask a question
Tell a compelling story
Share mind-blowing facts and statistics
Show captivating video and visuals that spark curiosity
Open your presentation with humor

Be sure to tailor your opening hook to your audience. To make this effective, it’d help to know about your audiences, including their likes, dislikes, cultural and ethical dispositions, etc.

If you want to learn more about making captivating presentation openings and more, read our guide on starting a presentation .

While presenting your project, focus on your audience’s needs. By doing this, you’ll build an emotional connection and drive action.

However, don’t go overboard. Be genuine and focus on getting the points across to them. This way, you’ll gain their trust and build excitement about your project.

Keep in mind that everything may not go as planned. It’s best to have backup materials and be flexible enough to make necessary adjustments. Preparing for unexpected events will give you more control over them.

End Your Presentation on a High Note

After you've delivered a fantastic presentation, make sure you wrap it up in a memorable way. Doing this will leave a lasting impression and nudge your audiences to take action.

One way to end your project presentation is to use a powerful call to action.

You can also tell memorable stories, summarize the main points and highlight compelling figures about the project.

For example you can mention some really intriguing figures like:

Expected growth rate, return on investment and profit margin
Potential company valuation in the next five to ten years.
Projected earnings and market position etc.

The goal is to hype your audiences and stimulate them to take action.

You can check out our other article to learn more about ending your presentation on a great note.

Get To Work: Create Powerful Project Presentations With Visme

Creating a successful project presentation starts with setting your goals and having a clear plan to achieve them. It also requires crafting compelling content, paying attention to design and excellent delivery.

If you’re going to close those deals, you need a solid pitch deck to explain your project details and why it will succeed. We recommend using an intuitive project presentation software like Visme .

Visme is the perfect design tool for creating stunning and engaging project presentations . With Visme, you’ll have access to a wide range of features and tools to help bring your project ideas to life.

The tool has hundreds of presentation templates, design elements, font styles, built-in stock images and videos, data visualization tools and more to make your project presentation a hit. You can download your design in different formats and share it across multiple social media channels.

Now you have all the tips and tools for nailing your next project presentations. Go ahead and make it memorable with Visme's project presentation software.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Unenabasi is a content expert with many years of experience in digital marketing, business development, and strategy. He loves to help brands tell stories that drive engagement, growth, and competitive advantage. He’s adept at creating compelling content on lifestyle, marketing, business, e-commerce, and technology. When he’s not taking the content world by storm, Unenabasi enjoys playing or watching soccer.

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Presentations
Presentation Techniques

How to Use PowerPoint for Project Management: Detailed Guide

If you manage projects, you know the value of strong project management. Project management is the art and science of steering work from start to finish efficiently. You can use project management PowerPoint slides to guide the process.

With project management, you'll set goals, develop expectations, and form a team. Then, you'll collaborate to track progress and march towards a successful conclusion. And the best tool to use for project management software might be one you already know - Microsoft PowerPoint!

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to build a project management presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint. We’ll work with a template and craft project management slides in moments. This will be a key part of your project toolbox. As you work, think of ways to apply these ideas to present a project of your own.

Jump to content in this section:

Introduce the Project with a Project Plan Slide
The Methodology Slide: Your Charter and Goals
The Magic Behind a Project Presentation: Introducing the Team
Staying on Track: Project Management Slides for Timelines
SWOT Analysis: Mapping the Landscape in a Project Presentation
Engagement: Gathering Feedback
Collaboration: Working Together to Present a Project

Why Use PowerPoint for Project Management?

Project management is an essential part of business. Just as important are the tools you use for it. Project management software like PowerPoint is a leading example. By building a project presentation, you'll work together with a team to succeed in a project.

Why should you build a project management PowerPoint? The advantages are many. We already defined the idea of project management. It’s the task of planning tasks to achieve a goal and tracking them in real time. What better way to do that than with a visual, collaborative app like PowerPoint?

Consider these key advantages for using PowerPoint projections for your projects:

Stakeholder communication. Project management slides are shareable across the world. That makes it easy to connect with all interested parties.
Visual tracking. Powerful visuals like charts and tables help you illustrate tough project concepts. Doing in a clear, easy-to-follow way is easy in PowerPoint, and it helps you keep others engaged.
Collaboration. PowerPoint is built for working together. You and your team can collaborate on slides in real time.
Documentation. Project plan slide designs serve as useful documentation during and after any project.

As you can see, Microsoft PowerPoint is your best friend as you present a project. Let’s dive in and learn how to build project management slides.

The best way to begin is with a premium project management PowerPoint template from Envato Elements. Here, we’ll use the beautiful and versatile Project Management template design. Download it today to follow along.

How to Build Project Overview Slide Designs Quickly (Step by Step)

With the template open, let’s get to work. We’ll work through several slide design ideas with new ways to present a project. But keep this in mind. Premium project management slides like these have dozens of layouts inside.

The key is to choose a few that best fit your project needs. We’ll look at several layouts that you should plan to include in your next project presentation.

1. Introduce the Project with a Project Plan Slide

PowerPoint is powerful project management software! You can use it to build an array of project management slides on any topic.

The first step is to introduce your project with a project plan slide. Slide #2 in our template is a great choice for this. As you can see below, it’s an About the Project intro slide.

The text you see is merely a placeholder. All you’ll have to do is swap out this text for your own words. To get started, click into one of the text boxes and select the contents inside. Then, start typing! Fill in your own details.

To present a project well, a strong start is key. Don’t be too wordy here - the details, after all, come later. But be sure to add an eye-catching title. Then, briefly describe what you’ll be doing in the explanatory paragraph below.

Finally, you might want to add an image. Photos in project management slides are very important. After all, they often are worth a thousand words! To add an image, find the placeholders on the left side of the slide.

Then, browse to an image stored on your computer. Click on it, then drag and drop it onto one of the placeholders.

The image will appear, sized, and scaled to fit perfectly! You can repeat this across your project plan slide to add these all-important visual aids.

2. The Methodology Slide: Your Charter and Goals

Slide #3 is the place to dive deeper into your project. Think of it as a methodology slide. Here, you’ll specifically state what you want to do. And you’ll map out specific goals to accomplish it.

With a layout broken into sections, it’s easy to outline these key ideas. Be specific, but brief. Projects that become too complex risk going adrift with confused, varying expectations. Set specific metrics, keeping them to a small handful. Once again, you can easily drop them in by selecting the text boxes and adding in your own details.

When you’re finished, your project overview slide clearly informs your audience of your project scope and goals.

3. The Magic Behind a Project Presentation: Introducing the Team

Projects are only as good as the team behind them. And your project presentation should acknowledge this. Early in your deck, be sure to introduce your key team members.

Also, make sure to always list their titles or main role in the project. After all, without context, a list of names doesn’t mean much by itself.

In our template, slide #5 has a handy organizational chart built in. As you can see, it’s easy to add your own team to the slide. When you do, audiences will instantly grasp the structure of your organization. They’ll understand who is involved in the project, and the roles each person plays.

4. Staying on Track: Project Management Slides for Timelines

Successful projects have a defined timeline. These timelines help you track milestones and stay on pace to complete projects by a set date. But it’s often challenging to map these out on a project overview slide.

Fortunately, premium templates like this include robust methodology slide layouts like Gantt charts. With a Gantt chart, you can precisely illustrate tasks in each project. You can show off dependencies, and easily sequence tasks in logical order.

You’ll find this feature on slide #15. As you can see, slides like this can’t be left out of a good project management PowerPoint. At a glance, readers can see the tasks needed to complete the project. They’ll know the key part they play and be able to intuitively grasp if a project is correctly on track.

5. SWOT Analysis: Mapping the Landscape in a Project Presentation

A SWOT analysis is a hugely valuable asset in any project plan slide deck. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. By examining each of these four aspects, it shows how your project fits into its competitive landscape.

A SWOT is vital in project management because it helps measure your chances for success. It also provides a clear picture of positive and negative externalities that impact the project. It’s an essential first step in PowerPoint projection slides. By clearly understanding your environment, you’re poised to succeed within it.

This template has several SWOT slides, like the one shown above. Perform these PowerPoint projection steps and map out your findings. Be prepared to engage with your audience, and brainstorm in real time. Building a SWOT analysis is an excellent way to develop stronger and more robust project goals to guide your future success.

6. Engagement: Gathering Feedback

Any successful project presentation answers many questions during its course. But as you present a project, engagement is imperative.

No matter how strong your slide deck is, you must always collect feedback from your audience. Often, this comes in the form of questions at the end of your presentation.

Always offer time for questions and answers. That way, you can ensure that your core project presentation message is understood. You can provide clarity as you present. By engaging, you'll develop stronger ideas and tactics to successfully execute your project.

A slide like this should always go at the end of your project management PowerPoint. Think of it as a Q&A time with your audience. Transition from a narrative delivery to conversation. This way, you’ll truly engage project stakeholders and inspire them to join your journey.

7. Collaboration: Working Together to Present a Project

You’ve just learned several key ways to present a project in PowerPoint! But here’s a final tip that you can bring to your own work. Don’t build project management presentation slides all by yourself!

After all, you’re working as part of a team. Enlist this team to help you craft even better project management slides. This way, you’ll leverage the very best that your group has to offer. Your slides - and your project - will surely benefit.

Fortunately, PowerPoint makes it very easy to collaborate as a global team. You don’t have to be physically present to contribute and work together in real time! As you build project overview slide designs, these features are your best friend. It’s a sure way to steer any project towards success.

The Best Source for the Top Project Management PowerPoint Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)

You’ve seen the value of sleek project plan slide designs. The best place to find these is Envato Elements. With thousands of PowerPoint themes to choose from , finding the perfect project management slides is a breeze.

The Elements offer is powerful. For a flat monthly rate, you’ll enjoy unlimited downloads of the full library of content. Along with PowerPoint slides, there are millions of stock photos, fonts, music, and more. All are included in the unlimited offer.

Find PowerPoint Templates

When you manage a project, don’t trust free project overview slide designs you might find online. Your project deserves the best, and the best it will get from Envato Elements. Embrace premium project management presentation designs and enjoy:

Sleek project plan slide designs. You won’t waste time building slide layouts from scratch. Premium Elements templates are hand-crafted by designers with your needs in mind.
Easy-to-use layouts. Not a PowerPoint expert? Or just pressed for time? Elements project methodology slide templates have you covered. Each one is easy to use, with helpful tutorial guides often included.
Inspiring slide decks. Any project overview slide should be clear, concise, and to the point. Premium layouts help you with this. You can simply drop your own content into place.

As you can see, Envato Elements is the ultimate value for project management slides (and more) in 2023! Join today and explore the vast library.

Build Project Management PowerPoint Slides Today!

You’ve seen the value of making a project management presentation in PowerPoint. When you use PowerPoint for a project plan slide, you’ll create deliverable reports that are clear and easy to understand. You can instantly highlight key details and share with project stakeholders.

A PowerPoint projection slide for projects also helps you stay on track. Think of project overview slide layouts as a way to document progress. You can set and track milestones and share this progress with your team and other stakeholders.

You can’t afford to miss out in 2023 and beyond. Use PowerPoint to build a project management presentation of your own today!

What you need to know about project communication management

Did you know that 56% of your project budget might be at risk due to poor communications?

Perhaps that number (from research by PMI ) surprises you, but I’m sure you aren’t surprised by the fact that good communication management on projects leads to higher success rates.

We know that all projects use finite resources to achieve an objective. One of the most valuable resources in a project is the people (developers, engineers, subject matter experts, etc.) who support it.

But just how does a savvy project manager ensure that work is completed in a predictable, efficient and less stressful way?

Project managers will use multiple tools and techniques at different times, but project communication management is one that it used throughout a project.

This article is a guide to project communication management. You’ll learn why it matters, see an overview of the communications process, and get some examples of where you might apply it on your own projects.

What is project communication management?

At a high level, project communication management ensures that key information flows efficiently and in a predetermined way between the various people working on (or impacted by) a project.

What they do with the information varies, and some may just need awareness of information versus taking a specific action based on it. However, having a plan for how to share information throughout a project’s lifecycle is critical to project success.

How much communication should you do?

Depending on who you ask, project managers spend anywhere from 60% – 90% of their time on communication with the various people on their projects. Whew, that is a lot of your time!

To explain why communication is so crucial, consider the PMBOK® Guide formula for determining the number of communication channels:

n (n-1) / 2

In this formula, n is the number of people on the project.

Using this formula, a team with 10 people would have 10 (9) / 2 or 45 communication channels. No wonder communication takes so much of our time!

Why project communication matters

I recall a story shared by a project manager who worked on an international consulting project. He took over responsibility from the previous project manager part way through the project.

During the transition, he focused on a smooth transition for the project team at the home office. One detail that was overlooked was reestablishing regular communications with a key stakeholder in a different country.

As a result of this oversight, a project complaint (escalation) occurred after the transition and included specific concerns around project communication. Although communication was occurring, the perception of the stakeholder was that communication was not being properly managed because he felt unintentionally “left out.”

The concern was ultimately addressed along with a plan update to include all key stakeholders. During the project’s lessons learned session, managing communication updates during and after a team member transition was recognized as an area in need of some improvement.

The key takeaway is that project communication management should occur throughout a project ’ s lifecycle , especially when a transition occurs.

When project communication happens

Here are some of the more common meetings where project communication occurs during a project:

Project kickoff meeting
Presentations for clients, customers, or other stakeholders
Executive updates, written briefs and presentations
The daily standup, or weekly or monthly status meetings in person or via Teams, Zoom, video chat etc
Milestone meetings to discuss progress, project risks, and determine path forward
Review meetings to periodically present and get acceptance on project deliverables
Lessons learned meetings or retrospectives.

You can probably think of other times where you are communicating with people on a project. After all, it’s a large part of what you do all day! Effective project managers spend most of their time communicating in one way or another.

I like to talk about project managers being the glue that holds the team together, and we do that through discussion, conversation, facilitated meetings and chat.

The communications management process

Communications management occurs in a well-defined and repeatable cycle. Here are the 4 steps of the communications process along with a bit of information to explain each one.

Process diagram showing project communications process including the steps plan, deliver, monitor and learn and adapt

At or before kickoff, the project manager proposes a communication plan and seeks input from team members and stakeholders. The plan outlines who will provide communication, how information will be issued, the frequency, and what action(s) are expected. The intent is to ensure that all team members and stakeholders know what to expect from each other during the project.

As part of communication planning, a project manager should perform some degree of stakeholder analysis to answer some key questions:

Who – the stakeholders impacted by the project and who will expect updates and information
What – their expectations of the project, what they want to “know” about the project
Why – why the project matters to them
I nfluence – their respective influence on the project’s resources and outcomes (low / medium / high)

Understanding stakeholders is critical because how to communicate, what they expect, and how to manage them varies according to these factors. You should adapt the plan with everyone in mind, but provide special consideration for the most influential people.

You will also need to consider the frequency and detail preferred by the most influential stakeholders so that you can meet their expectations from the beginning.

You will also want to consider who should receive information, who may provide information /input before communication is issued, and how to send that information.

Get the project communications plan template I use to plan my project communications

If you want to try something different, read this case study on using video for project communications .

Once planning is done and the project starts, the communication really begins!

This step is all about action – issuing meeting minutes, providing reports, and documenting proposed changes as agreed. Your biggest responsibility here is to ensure that all commitments are met on time and to the agreed level of expectation.

There are numerous examples where project communication supports other project management processes. Just to expand on that a bit, here are a few examples of where that might typically occur:

Stakeholder engagement – provides a general awareness of project status, issues, concerns, and required action or support needed for project success.
Progress monitoring and reporting – helps through regular overview of project progress, accomplishments, path forward, and next steps.
Key decisions documentation – provides a mechanism for documenting and distributing key decisions with the project team for future reference.
Team building – helps a project team establish and maintain trust through regular communication, discussions around issues and concerns, and getting to know each other.
Expectations management – sets the tone and details for how communication will flow, when who will receive it, and criteria for taking appropriate action (if needed).
Transition and change management – ensures that team members and stakeholders are aware of any proposed changes, their potential impact, and aligned in their support of changes.

In this step the project manager seeks input from the team and stakeholders, along with feedback. Are people looking for more information, less, or doing something different from what was agreed?

A direct conversation or survey can be helpful to understand if needs are being met and any area(s) that may need adjustment.

Based on feedback from the Monitor step, incorporate feedback and adapt the plan as needed. The goal here is to ensure that expectations are fully aligned with how communication is occurring.

Learn from what works and what doesn’t, then make the appropriate changes so the team can improve the way comms are done.

For example, if you don’t get the required response from an email, pick up the phone. There are more examples of how you can switch up your communications in the table below.

How much does project communication cost?

Project communication costs vary depending on the project. If you are hosting community events, that’s going to cost more than providing an internal team with a quarterly PDF newsletter.

However, you can do your stakeholder communication on a budget (there are ideas for cheap ways to communicate here ).

Regardless, it is worth spending the money on getting project comms correct. According to PMI’s report into the Essential Role of Communication, effective communication is associated with a 17% increase in finishing projects within budget .

In other words: investing in comms pays off because you are more likely to hit your financial targets and prevent overspending.

Communication skills for project managers

Project communication requires different skills for maximum effectiveness.

Here are the top communication skills for project managers:

Active listening: really hearing what people are saying in the room
Consistency: follow through when you say you will and create a cadence for the team
Clarity: use short sentences and jargon -free language in your communications
Accessibility: make sure comms are delivered in a format that works for everyone
Respect: treat your audience with respect and consideration.

Another important skill is public speaking – Toastmasters is a great way to improve. Look for a chapter near you, or simply volunteer to present to groups at work.

pin image with text: what you need to know about project communication management

Your next steps

Projects are a big responsibility and may seem overwhelming at times. Thankfully, there are tools and techniques that can help us break things down to make them more manageable.

The details of project communication management may vary according to your own style and preferences. Regardless of your project size or industry, communication will play a big role from beginning to end and can help you deliver your projects with success.

Your action steps are:

Have you got a communications plan? If not, download my template and create one.
Review your stakeholder list and ensure everyone is on there who needs to be

Good luck and happy communicating !

Project manager, author, mentor

Elizabeth Harrin is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management in the UK. She holds degrees from the University of York and Roehampton University, and several project management certifications including APM PMQ. She first took her PRINCE2 Practitioner exam in 2004 and has worked extensively in project delivery for over 20 years. Elizabeth is also the founder of the Project Management Rebels community, a mentoring group for professionals. She's written several books for project managers including Managing Multiple Projects .

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8 reasons project managers need public speaking skills.

As a project manager, you must juggle many tasks, responsibilities, and people. You must know how to manage time and resources, and you need to be a great communicator. But one skill that’s not often discussed is public speaking.

Public speaking skills are essential because you need to present the status of a project, give presentations about the project’s vision and mission, present information about the budget and scope of a project, or persuade stakeholders and executives to take action. This is why taking a course to overcome fear of public speaking is always recommended.

If you’re still contemplating if you need this skill, here are some reasons to convince you why it’s essential to project management:

You Have To Present To Stakeholders And Executive Sponsors

As a project manager (PM), you often work with stakeholders to gain buy-in for your projects and ensure that they align with business objectives. This is where public speaking skills come into play. Most executives wouldn’t want to spend their valuable time reading long documents filled with technical details that they don’t understand, just because they want to be updated on your progress.

Alternatively, you can opt for presentations that can give you a chance to communicate effectively with the key stakeholders about the status of your project. However, you need to do this in one of the most charming ways through your public speaking abilities. Without it, they may not key into the idea or be on the same track as you— this will lead to a dismal failure in the long run.

You Must Communicate With Team Members And Other Groups Of People

You may have heard that different people communicate in different ways. You may have even listened to the advice, ‘trust your gut.’ When it comes to public speaking and communication, perhaps, it’s excellent advice. For the reason that it’s not just about words—it’s about the emotions behind those words.

You need to communicate your vision and mission effectively with team members and other groups of people. This includes sharing status updates on progress toward project goals and issues associated with the project.

You Need To Present The Project Status In Meetings

Remember that meetings are where your project is presented and discussed. It is where decisions on the project’s direction are made and where updates on various project’s status are provided.

All these meetings require trust and confidence from your team members and stakeholders. To ensure that you maintain their faith, you’ll need impressive public speaking skills to deliver every detail concisely during meetings. Speaking spontaneously in front of everybody shows your confidence and utmost knowledge in what you do.

You need To Motivate The Teams

To be effective, you need to keep your team motivated and engaged. Team-building is one of the essential elements of project management. As a manager, you’ll be working with people focused on completing your company’s objectives.

If you can’t effectively lead them and motivate them to work together towards that goal because you lack the confidence to speak to them spontaneously, it’s unlikely that your project will succeed.

You Need To Deliver Bad News Constructively

Bad news is a part of life. Every project manager will inevitably have to deliver bad news at some point in their career. However, there is a right and a wrong way to do it.

First, you need to avoid blaming other people for the bad news. This can be offensive and result in defensive reactions to the situation instead of taking responsibility.

Please don’t give bad news in a way that makes people feel guilty either; everyone has their circumstances, so don’t assume that someone hasn’t already given their best effort or done everything to make something work.

When analyzing why something went wrong or didn’t go according to plan, try perusing things like “what happened?” rather than “why did this happen?” This approach helps keep things objective rather than subjective so that people won’t feel attacked or blamed.

You Need To Handle Confrontation And Conflict Between Team Members And Stakeholders

Suppose you’re the project manager for a major project worth millions of dollars. You’ve spent months working on this project, and now it’s time for the stakeholders to sign before you can move forward with the construction or the marketing strategy implementation.

Unfortunately, one of your senior executives has just told you that he doesn’t agree with some of your decisions regarding implementing the project because he thinks it’s risky and unnecessary. He says that if you continue down this path, he’ll refuse his department’s involvement.

This isn’t just a challenge for those managing major projects; even smaller projects often have their fair share of stakeholder conflicts. Whether it’s an environmental issue like noise pollution or a personal matter, conflict resolution is an essential skill that every good PM will need during their career. Additionally, having public speaking skills can help constructively justify your stand regarding a specific project.

You Need To Negotiate With Stakeholders, Executives, Vendors And Suppliers

Negotiating can be a difficult skill to master. It’s not something you’re born with, but it’s acquired through practice and experience. It’s one of the essential skills in project management because the ability to communicate effectively will help you achieve your goals.

Build Reputations With Presentations

Presentations are a critical part of being a project manager. If you’re able to present well, it can be seen as an indication that you’re also able to communicate effectively with others and capable of leading your team in projects. This will advance your careers—from small-scale projects to significant ones.

Public speaking skills are essential for project managers because they must be able to motivate different kinds of people. So, it’s a must to master these skills to improve how you communicate with others and increase your convincing power through your confidence. If you want to lead by example, you should take advantage of any tool available that will allow you to do this more effectively.

Presentations Can Help Your Team Nail Project Management

Are presentation skills important in project management? It’s been said that 80% of project management is communication, after all. Some don’t realize it, but every time a project manager leads a project or communicates about a project – no matter if it’s done face-to-face, remotely over the web or even standing in front of a slide deck and a room full of people – they are, in fact, giving a presentation.

Project managers often give visual presentations to a variety of audiences, and each presentation can advance or deter the project’s progress. It’s vital, therefore, that they make every presentation count, engaging audiences with a powerful and effective slide deck.

What is project management?

What is project management? Wikipedia defines it as the process of leading the work of a team to achieve project goals within given constraints. Sure, that might be an accurate enough general definition, but in reality, project management involves much more.

According to the Association for Project Management , “Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.”

That’s quite the heavy job description for a project manager! A person must need organizational superpowers to keep track of it all. Fortunately, project managers can use presentations to stay on track.

How can presentations help project managers stay on track?

Not only can presentations help project managers communicate important details to the right audiences, but they can be used to help keep a project on track. After all, nothing beats the power of good communication. A visual presentation can help ensure all team members are familiar with the project’s schedule, and they can help boost collaboration efforts by keeping everyone on the same page.

Unsure how to keep a project on track with an effective presentation? Try a presentation template curated just for that purpose. The Beautiful.ai Project Plan template , for example, is a simple presentation template that takes only minutes to customize and bring to life. The template features all the core elements needed for a successful presentation, including project timelines and goals to requirements and budgets.

The easy-to-create template helps project managers visualize their project plans and sell them to their target audiences in an engaging yet streamlined presentation. It’s perfect for kicking off new projects, detailing specific project plans and pitching new work.

Template not quite right for your objective? That’s OK, Beautiful.ai offers plenty of other presentation templates that are perfect for project managers. The Quarterly Project Update presentation template helps teams identify their objectives while tracking their progress and results.

The customizable presentation template allows project managers to identify their project dependencies and track their milestones in a single concise slide deck. The template includes all the necessary slides, just add your specific content and let artificial intelligence handle the nitty-gritty design details.

Presentation tips for project managers

Project managers might deliver frequent presentations, but even project planning presentations given to an internal team need to be delivered with skill and gusto. Even if a project manager has customized the perfect presentation template , their delivery is still key to success. What good is the presentation if the audience loses focus or, worse, just doesn’t care?

Want your next project management presentation to be a huge success? Consider the following tips for a powerful and engaging project management presentation:

Understand your purpose – Even if you choose to start with a presentation template , you have to understand your purpose to choose the best one. How can you inform your audience if you haven’t determined your message?
Know your audience – Who are you presenting to? You might not deliver the same message to your boss as you would give to a group of new recruits, just like you wouldn’t engage a roomful of retirees in the same way you would interact with a kindergarten class.
Do your research – Your audience has no interest in listening to a presentation full of the same information they already know. Spend some time and research the data you’ll be presenting, ensuring that you are actually informing your audience and not wasting its time.
Structure your presentation – If you aren’t starting out with a curated presentation template from Beautiful.ai or another PowerPoint alternative presentation software tool, then it’s important to give your presentation a proper structure. Create an outline, including an introduction, main points and closing statement. Be sure you present your information in an orderly manner or you’re likely to confuse your audience.
Keep slides simple – Your audience can only absorb so much information at a time, and cluttering your slides with too many details is a good way to overwhelm audience members and lose their attention.
Engage with infographics and images – People are naturally attracted to imagery, and including visual elements in your slides is a great way to keep your audience engaged. Instead of displaying dull and boring data, transform the details into engaging infographics that are sure to capture your audience’s interest.

Samantha Pratt Lile

Samantha is an independent journalist, editor, blogger and content manager. Examples of her published work can be found at sites including the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed.

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How to present a project? Ultimate Guide

Project success belongs to the way you adapt to present it. If you present your project in an effective way that you grab the intention of your client and take him/her to an agreement but if you create blunders and skip important points that you need to discuss while presenting your project .

Importance of properly presented project.

Presenting a project effectively is crucial for several reasons. It can significantly impact the project's success and your ability to communicate its value to stakeholders. However, here we have some key reasons why you must present your project correctly:

Proper presentation helps ensure that your audience understands the project's objectives, scope, and goals. It reduces ambiguity and confusion.
Project presentation will align all stakeholders, ensuring that everyone is on the same page regarding the project's purpose, deliverables, and timelines. This alignment will ultimately lead to project success.
An engaging presentation can capture your audience's attention and keep them interested throughout. So, you can expect better feedback, buy-in, and support for the project.
Effective project presentations provide the necessary information for decision-makers to make better choices. Whether it's approving project funding, adjusting the scope , or making strategic decisions, clear project presentations are essential for everything.
By presenting your project properly, Stakeholders will know who is responsible for what. It will ultimately help to prevent misunderstandings and finger-pointing.
Presenting the project can also help identify potential risks and issues early on. Stakeholders may raise concerns or offer insights that can help you address problems before they become major roadblocks.
Project presentation helps in resource allocation . It allows stakeholders to see the project's resource requirements, helping them allocate personnel, budget, and other resources accordingly.

In short, presenting a project correctly is not just about creating a visually appealing slide. It is also about conveying information and aligning stakeholders. You must ensure that everyone involved has a clear understanding of the purpose, progress, and potential challenges of the project. Therefore, effective project presentation is a skill that you must learn.

A complete guide on how to present a project?

Do not panic, and be confident about the content and visuals you have prepared to present your project. You should have command of all the information about your project, and you should also know each word you have included in your presentation so that you can explain it deliberately and confidently. You should follow some important steps to present your project:

First of all, know the goals of your project.

You should know the goals of the project you are doing as a project manager or being an owner of the project. First, you should discuss the project and fix its goals by having a warm call-up meeting with your teammates and the owner of the company or the client for whom you are doing the project. It is important when it comes to how to present a project.

Goal setting and owning are most important to make a project successful. It is the winning spot you set to win the race. If you do not do this, it means you do not have directions for where you will go, and all your efforts are useless.

Explain the goal of your project.

After setting the goals, you need to convince the audience by sharing the goals of your project in a way that they could have a better understanding of it. You can explain your project by

Verbally presentation
Documentations

If you explain the goals very well, you have done half of the work .

Organize the steps on a paper to present your project

After setting and explaining the goals of your project, you need to convince the audience or your client by explaining the ways to achieve these goals that seem. For that purpose, you should prepare well. You should make a layout of your presentation in which all the steps are organized and explained.

It will provide you with backbone support in presenting the project in an organized and ordered way. This organization will help you remember all key points and give you confidence about what you are saying. You know its meaning.

Prepare a rough sketch of the words you are going to speak

It is just like writing a speech. The delivery of words plays an important role in convincing the audience. If you know how to play the game of words well, you will easily take the audience to your platform. Therefore, before speaking in front of a crowd, keep in mind that you will be judged based on the words you deliver.

So, prepare for speaking and know the meaning of every word you have included. It can prove your strength or your weakness. It all depends on your preparation.

A healthy discussion with your team

When you work with your team, the pressure of work is minimized, and the moral support of your team also encourages you to give your best. While presenting your project, make your team ready to collaborate with you; you can divide the presentation into chunks and share it with your team members asking them to explain that specific part.

Team collaboration encourages success step-wise with the best quality in a short time as the work is divided and you are not burdened. Have trust in your team and get unique ideas by having a healthy discussion with them. Show value to others' ideas by considering and appreciating them.

Prepare your team-mate on standby if there appears to be a need to get their services while presenting the project. They provide you support to answer some critical questions asked by the client if you have pre- planned with your team members . You should keep this in mind when you are talking about how to present a project.

Prepare a presentation on PowerPoint

Another effective way to present the project is to put your ideas on the slides and mention the most important content about them. You can use the images to clarify the concept of your presentation and its purpose, as the images also describe the stories behind them. The images you use for visual description should be very clear and easy to understand.

Several tools in a presentation can help you present your project in the form of image illustration. You can play these slides automatically by setting the time duration. Do practice over these slides after fixing the duration for playing the.

You can present your project not only in the form of words or images but also through videos or graphics. The message you want to convey should not be lengthy or complicated. It should be simple and perfectly visible. Video audio presentation can be of more advantage in this regard.

Create some humor for the audience

If you talk a lot and change slide after slide, this will cause boredom among the audience. Here, you need to engage the audience while conveying your serious message in such a way that it seems entertaining. You can relate the bullet points or images with funny day-to-day activities to create humor, or you can also add some funny pictures or illusions to make fun of during heavy, serious discussions.

You will indirectly and silently decently engage the audience. If you do so, you will not feel the need to ask or make a request to the people to listen to you. They will do so willingly . It is an art, and if you know how to do it without realizing the audience you are doing this intentionally, you are a successful speaker.

In this way you will easily grab the attention of the client of your audience, they will love to listen and understand you, and even they will wait and expect the next bouncer from your side.

Adopt a confident body language.

It is human nature that we feel hesitant when we address a crowd who is sitting to judge us and ready to argue with us when it is our first time. But slowly, you will learn to deal with such a situation.

No matter if you are a beginner, you do not need to get worried. Just stay confident that you have prepared your presentation and practiced as well, and you can answer every query raised by the audience.

Focus on your body language; avoid doing the things that reveal your nervousness, like pressing your hands and playing with a pen by producing the sound of a tick-tock. It looks so odd and leaves a bad impression on your audience.

Make sure you have presented all the aspects.

Keep a checklist with you on paper or a computer slide and check with it whether you have explained important parts of your project, your client must know about them, or one of them is left by mistake. If it is left, it is okay; make a turn and explain it in a way that it seems you did not explain it before to maintain the surprising effect of your project.

I will say again that practice is the key to making your project presentation successful and completed within the expected or allocated time limit. It is important when you come up with the question of how to present a project.

Present everything without getting nervous.

Project presentation can sometimes be a real headache, even for pros. However, when you are presenting your project presentation, you must explain everything you have prepared without getting nervous.

It would be better to keep these steps in mind to make the most out of this experience:

You must keep your presentation concise, but don't forget to cover any of the essential points.
When you are presenting your presentation, you can take a quick pause to gather your thoughts. Slowing your breathing will certainly calm your nerves.
Take notes of what you will cover in your project presentation. It will help us to look more confident in the presentation room.
Above all, practicing your project presentation more can also make you feel less nervous. For perfect results, it is always better to practice throughout the time.

Answer the relevant questions

When you present your project, there will be many questions among the audience that are mostly related to the project type, but some of them will ask such questions just to confuse you or let your morals down. Here, you need to play the mind game; do not let these questions disturb you, but answer them with patience whether you know the answer or not.

If you do not answer, simply tell them you do not know about it but want to know and ask for an explanation in the sense to add up your knowledge. If these questions are shits just to disturb you, they will not be thrown towards you next time.

You must be prepared for your question-answer session during and after your project presentation. It is because your audience may ask you some difficult or tricky questions. Regardless of what you have been asked for, it is always important to take proper time and answer their questions with the information they are looking for.

Wrap up with a project

After discussing every aspect of the project with the client in detail, answering the queries, and getting suggestions, you need to end the session by wrapping up the project presentation in the form of a summary and giving a short review. In this way, all important parts of the projects will be recalled and finalized.

Common mistakes to avoid in project presentations

When presenting a project, avoiding common mistakes is essential for ensuring clarity, engagement, and effectiveness. So, here are the common mistakes that you must avoid in your project presentation:

Lack of Preparation

Inadequate project presentation can affect you in multiple ways. For example, you may stumble over your words during the presentation, lose your thought process while explaining some concepts, or even don’t have your project material ready to present.

Effective preparation is key to a satisfied audience. Therefore, you should also focus on preparing your project presentation. The process involves researching your topic thoroughly, creating a structured outline, and practicing your presentation multiple times to build confidence and fluency.

Information overloading

When it comes to presenting a project, people usually make the mistake of overwhelming their audience with the overload of information. They add excessive data, statistics, and technical details of the project that may be hard to digest for the audience.

The best practice here is to focus on adding the most important and relevant information only to your project presentation. Additionally, you can also add some statistics to support your key points. The best practice to simplify complex or technical project information is adding visuals in your presentation.

Not clearing your project purpose.

Without clear objectives, your audience may leave the presentation unsure. It is because they don’t get what actions they should take, the scope of the project , or what they will get from the project.

You should overcome this problem by stating the purpose of your project early on. Moreover, it would be better to outline what you want to achieve with this project and what others will get from it.

Poorly designed visuals

Visuals in your project presentation should complement your spoken words. The visuals in the presentation should not distract your audience from what you are saying.

Remember that cluttered or confusing slides can lead to disengagement.

You must keep slides simple, with clear headings, bullet points, and visuals that reinforce your message. Use a consistent design template and appropriately designed visuals for improved engagement.

Skipping the introduction

An engaging introduction sets the tone for your presentation. It gives you an opportunity to capture the attention of your audience and increase it consistently.

For this, you have to craft a compelling opening, such as a relevant story, a surprising fact, or a provocative question. These practices will certainly help you to draw your audience in.

Not defining the problem statement.

Failing to clearly define the problem your project addresses can leave your audience wondering why the project is necessary. As a presenter, you must provide a concise and relatable problem statement early on. It should demonstrate the relevance and importance of your project.

Poor storytelling

Stories help make your presentation memorable and relatable. They add a human element to your content. Therefore, it would be better to incorporate relevant anecdotes, case studies, or real-world examples into your project presentation. These will help you to illustrate your points and connect with your audience emotionally.

Disorganized presentation structure

A disorganized presentation structure can confuse. Even your audience will find it difficult to follow your thoughts. So, you must create logical sections with clear sections, transitions, and signposts. These will help you to guide your audience through your content seamlessly.

Final thoughts

If you are new to project management and do not know how to present a project to your client or the crowd of the audience, please do not be worried and panic at all. It is not a big deal. You can do it by maintaining your confidence level, organizing the order of steps you are going to discuss, practicing and being tricky about grabbing the attention of the audience.

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The Workstream
Project management
Project manager

What is a project manager? Responsibilities and best practices explained

Browse topics.

A project manager, or PM, coordinates the elements of a project, aiming for timely completion within budget and with high standards. They're the central figure connecting project goals with the collective efforts of their team and help navigate obstacles to guide projects to their goals.

This guide explores the role of PMs, highlighting their critical responsibilities, key skills, and best strategies. It also examines how platforms like Confluence can help PMs enhance team collaboration and communication across the project life cycle .

What is a project manager?

A PM is a leader who guides projects from the drawing board to the finish line. They make sure everything runs smoothly and stays on schedule. They gather necessary resources, unite team members, and work on continuous improvement .

PMs connect the day-to-day work with the bigger picture. They support the broader objectives of the company and satisfy stakeholder needs.

Project manager responsibilities

PMs juggle a variety of core responsibilities to lead a project through hurdles and changes. Mastery in each of these areas contributes to a smoother experience from the perspective of both team members and stakeholders:

Project planning : PMs initiate the planning process, clearly defining the project's scope, goals, and objectives. They develop detailed plans outlining tasks, resources, timelines, and deliverables, creating a solid foundation for project execution.
Team coordination : Project managers assemble and direct project teams, assigning tasks based on members' skills and experience. PMs focus and unify team efforts by promoting collaboration, resolving conflicts, and leading effective team meetings .
Risk management : PMs identify potential risks early, analyze their possible impact, and develop mitigation strategies. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions to the project’s schedule, quality, and budget.
Budget oversight : PMs estimate costs, establish budgets, track spending, and adjust as necessary to keep the project within financial boundaries while achieving fiscal efficiency.
Client communication : They maintain open and transparent communication with clients and stakeholders. PMs provide updates, respond to inquiries, and use feedback to adapt project scope to meet or exceed client expectations.
Maintaining quality standards : PMs implement quality control processes to ensure deliverables meet agreed-upon standards and satisfy client requirements. This helps maintain project integrity.

Project manager skills

The success of any project depends heavily on the unique blend of soft and hard skills possessed by the PM. Here are some of the critical soft skills that PMs need to excel in their role:

Communication : PMs must master verbal and written communication to convey project objectives, updates, and feedback to all stakeholders. This fosters alignment and collaboration throughout the project life cycle.
Adaptability : PMs need to respond to project shifts and unforeseen challenges with flexibility. They must be able to adjust strategies and plans to keep projects moving forward.
Problem-solving : PMs must approach issues decisively. They use critical thinking to analyze problems, devise solutions, and apply them effectively. This minimizes the impact on project progress and outcomes.
Leadership : PMs provide team leadership to inspire and motivate. They guide team members, support their development, and cultivate a collaborative environment.
Organizational skills : Exceptional organizational abilities allow PMs to balance multiple tasks and priorities. They skillfully map out schedules, allocate resources, and monitor project timelines to guide their team toward success.

Best practices for project managers

Great PMs commit to applying best practices consistently across projects. They understand that good project management comes from a blend of skill, strategy, and continuous refinement. Here are some key best practices:

Prioritize clear communication

Clear communication keeps everyone moving in the same direction and places transparency and efficiency at the heart of the team's workflow . Encouraging open exchanges of ideas, progress updates, and concerns helps the team tackle obstacles head-on and propels the project forward.

Create effective project plans

Well-structured project plans contain the following key elements:

Scope : Define the project scope clearly. This helps prevent scope creep and ensures everyone understands the project boundaries.
Goals and objectives : Establish what the project aims to achieve. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Milestones and timeline : Identify crucial milestones and create a timeline that outlines when each project phase should be completed.
Resources : Detail necessary resources (people, budget, technology) and allocate them effectively. This includes identifying roles and responsibilities.
Risk management : Anticipate potential risks and strategize how to address them. This fosters a proactive approach to uncertainty management.
Communication plan: Outline how you will handle communication within the project team and with stakeholders. This includes frequency, methods, and key points.

Use project management tools

Using specialized project management software empowers PMs to excel in their roles.

Project manager software is a centralized hub for everything project-related, including plans, tasks, and resources. This simplifies outlining projects, distributing tasks, and tracking deadlines. Everyone stays in the loop, reducing mix-ups and enhancing teamwork .

Project management software also improves how teams communicate. Tools facilitate smoother updates, collaborative problem-solving, and efficient coordination. This includes commenting, file sharing, and simultaneous editing.

Confluence is the premier project management solution for PMs seeking to overcome the common PgM challenge of fragmented communication and scattered data and documents. The platform serves as a central repository for all project-related documents and knowledge. Information is readily accessible to anyone who needs it, allowing PMs more time to focus on strategic tasks.

Empower your team

An inspired and empowered team not only boosts productivity but also becomes a driving force behind project success. Effective PMs cultivate a positive work environment through various team management strategies , such as:

Ensure each team member knows their role, expectations, and how their work contributes to the project's success.
Give team members the freedom to make decisions about their work. This builds trust and encourages innovation.
Provide opportunities for team members to develop their skills and grow professionally. This can include training, workshops, or taking on new challenges within the project.
Regularly acknowledge and celebrate achievements, both individually and as a team.
Create an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback.

Effective project management with Confluence

Confluence transforms project management through centralized collaboration and efficiency. It serves as a dynamic platform where teams unite. They can share and update project plans in real-time, keeping everyone aligned and informed. Confluence offers many features for effective project management, including:

Simultaneous editing : Say goodbye to endless email chains. Edit documents together.
Ready-made templates : Jumpstart your projects with templates for everything from meeting notes to project plans .
Task management : Assign and track tasks right in your documents, keeping everyone accountable.
Effortless organization : With powerful search and sorting capabilities, finding what you need is a breeze.
Seamless integration : Jira works with other third-party apps, putting all your tools in one place.

Confluence is more than a tool—it's a game-changer for teams dedicated to improving how they manage projects and collaborate. It also supports versatile content types – think pages for detailed documentation, whiteboards for brainstorming, Loom videos for walkthroughs, and databases for structured information. AI capabilities further expand Confluence’s feature set by summarizing text, highlighting action items, and even adjusting the tone of specific communication.

Try Confluence today and experience a unified workspace that propels projects forward.

Project manager: Frequently asked questions

What does a project manager do on a daily basis.

PMs juggle various tasks daily, including monitoring project progress, talking things through with stakeholders, tackling issues that arise, and tweaking plans to keep everything on track with the project's goals.

What are project management methodologies?

Project management methodologies act as blueprints for navigating a project's life cycle. Agile and Scrum are great for fast-paced, iterative projects. Waterfall and Lean work better for projects with a defined sequence or a focus on minimizing waste.

Why is a project manager important?

A project manager is vital because they act as the bridge between a project's plan and its execution. A PM's core role is to ensure that projects meet deadlines, stay within budget, and adhere to quality standards. Their expertise in managing timelines and resources prevents miscommunication and scope creep.

What is the difference between a program manager and a project manager?

A program manager oversees a group of related projects, focusing on long-term objectives and the overall impact on the company's goals. A project manager is responsible for the daily operations of a single project. They concentrate on meeting specific deadlines, budgets, and scope.

Project Plan Template

Define, scope, and plan milestones for your next project.

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What Is A Project Manager And What Do They Do?

Updated: May 29, 2024, 4:52pm

As a company grows, one of the most vital positions to staff is a project manager. If you’re wondering what a project manager does, the tasks are in the name. While it might seem narrow, project managers end up overseeing many of the invisible tasks that make a company tick. They are responsible for keeping everyone on time for company-wide initiatives, and ensuring necessary communication along the way.

What Is a Project Manager?

A project manager is the point person for all of the company’s major goals by implementing important plans and managing teams. They follow a project from ideation to completion.

Project managers are involved in the planning, implementation and ongoing support work for company-wide undertakings. They act as important mediators between teams when something is going wrong or there’s a communication breakdown. Although project management software is helpful to a growing business, hiring someone to actually oversee everything and talk to people is essential for successful follow-through.

Additionally, a project manager will be able to communicate with leadership and tell them what they need to know at the top line, as opposed to getting bogged down in too many specific details. A project manager acts as a chameleon between teams, making sure everyone has what they need to get pieces of the project done.

Becoming a Project Manager

Many high-level project managers have a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, which means they have several years of experience and have completed an extensive training course and test.

Before this certification, a project manager can gain experience through getting involved in initial planning and budgeting, as well as participating in cross-company communication.

Another necessary project manager skill is expectation management. The project manager has to set accurate and workable timelines for all the team members involved and make sure no one is being pushed to do sloppy work to meet an unrealistic deadline.

PMP-certified Project Managers

Developing these skills is critical for someone who wants to go through the certification process and become a PMP-certified Project Manager.

Although many people who work on projects and oversee parts of them could call themselves project managers, a Project Management Professional carries the assumption that they are extremely qualified to be on top of all the moving parts of a big project. There are so many things to juggle during a process, from leadership expectations to client care and employee management, that a trusted PMP will always be an asset to any company.

What Does a Project Manager Do?

A project manager has to balance the big picture with the daily tasks of all employees involved in the assignment. They ensure that everything that needs to be done in order to make something happen can realistically be done by employees in the time allotted with the tools everyone has at their disposal. They may use pre-existing frameworks, such as Agile or Waterfall methodologies, to help guide the process.

If the C-suite team wants to implement a new, company-wide policy, the project manager will be in charge of communicating that downstream to all employees and coming up with a proposed timeline for when it will be totally in place.

Similarly, if a company wants to launch a new website, the project manager won’t do any of the technical aspects (such as coding or checking for visual accessibility with color schemes and logos), but they will assign out these tasks and keep them on track.

Project Manager Responsibilities

Planning successful outcomes.

First and foremost, the project manager will receive a brief or a general idea of what the project is. It might not be thorough in terms of how many people will need to be involved, who’s responsible for what and why this needs to get done by a certain date, but that is up to the project manager to plan and understand how to communicate to the team. They will likely create a project timeline so that all parties have an idea of what to expect.

Communicating With Key Personnel

The project manager will then talk to everyone who needs to be on the team and make sure they have what they need to get started. The importance of this step lies in the project manager’s ability to know what information is key for which personnel. People who are building a website may only need to know the basic facts and the due date, but a marketing person will need more description of the project and why it matters to put together a campaign. Understanding what tools each team member needs to complete their piece of the project is just as important as giving them deadlines.

Following Up on Deliverables

When deadlines are looming, the project manager has to make sure that everyone is on top of their work and feels comfortable asking for more hands if they need them. Most deliverables in a large-scale project will be necessary to move to the next stage, so the project manager is responsible for making sure the lines of communication are open and honest about time frames and requirements.

Adapting to Unexpected Delays

Every project will have something come up: a key person is out sick, the client pulls out at the last minute, a vendor lives in a part of the world with a natural disaster or any other random occurrence. Being able to communicate what happened, as well as presenting a new plan to compensate, is an invaluable skill for a project manager.

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Supporting the Team

The project manager will have to stay on top of deadlines and deliverables, but also take some time to shout out the team’s successes and make sure everyone feels supported in their roles. The overall team will only be able to finish the project if they have what they need and feel empowered in their roles. The project manager can often be the source of that positive company culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is project management.

Project management uses processes, skills, tools and knowledge to complete a planned project and achieve its goals. It differs from general management because of the limited scope of a project, concrete deadlines and specific deliverables.

What do project managers do all day?

A day in the life of a project manager will probably not be standard. Depending on where they are in any given project cycle, they may need to check in with team members about deliverables or provide updates to project stakeholders.

What qualifications do you need to be a project manager?

Before obtaining a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification , a project manager needs to at least have a calm attitude and the ability to manage expectations from different stakeholders. They should also be sure to keep track of how many hours are spent managing projects, as this statistic is also a requirement of the certification.

Can I become a project manager without experience?

Although most roles require some experience, everyone has to start somewhere. If you want to move into a project management role, identify parts of your work history where you have experience with communications, planning, budgeting and managing.

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The 5 Essential PowerPoint Themes For Project Managers

As a project manager, making presentations is an integral part of your job. Making a good presentation requires many elements to be successful, with good presentation design being one of the most important things. But graphic design may not be a skill set that a project manager is familiar with. Making visually engaging and creative project presentations can be a major roadblock in the pursuit of good communication.

This is where PowerPoint Themes come in. PowerPoint Themes are pre-designed, customizable powerpoint templates that can create entire presentations, eliminating the need to start presentation work from scratch. Powerpoint themes also help you get over the presenter’s block as it provides a good starting point to work with and gives you a general idea of how your presentation should flow and the story you’re telling. Besides, having expertly crafted powerpoint themes can ensure that your presentations are engaging and visually appealing to your audience, retaining their attention and curiosity throughout.

Overall, PowerPoint Themes are fantastic productivity tools for those uber-busy project managers that need a quick, effective and creative solution to address their presentation and communication needs.

When it comes to the needs of Project Managers, SlideUpLift has created five major Project Management PowerPoint themes that every Project Manager needs to have in their repertoire.

BUSINESS CASE

PROJECT PLANNING

PROJECT KICKOFF

PROJECT REVIEW

PROJECT CLOSURE

BUSINESS CASE

The first line of action for any project manager is to get their projects approved and funded by either investors, stakeholders, or higher management. And to do so, the most effective method is to create a business case of your project idea. Effectively, a business case treats your project idea as a potential initiative and highlights all the details associated with it, including your problem statement, vision, success criteria, budget, etc. And having an impactful business case is key to making your audience engage with your idea and believe in your vision.

SlideUpLift’s Business Case presentation theme provides the perfect structure to your proposal, providing the requisite powerpoint slides logically and embodies the principles of storytelling to make a compelling case. The presentation theme is designed to make an impact with your audience, with vibrant and eye-catching colors, along with simple yet effective use of graphics, giving you all the tools you need to succeed creatively. With this presentation theme’s help, you can clearly and definitely show how your project is bound for success and is a profitable investment.

Business Case Presentation

Source: Business Case Presentation by SlideUpLift

With this business case presentation’s help, you can showcase to your clients and stakeholders that the project you’re pitching is a profitable investment. Overall, the business case PowerPoint deck consists of an approval document, project summary, objectives, financials, problems, solutions to those issues, impact, etc.

Project Planning is the most critical aspect of project management. It consists of creating a strategy that will lead your project to success. A lot of research goes into project planning and is used to define the scope, objectives, and task list for your project. This is an essential document that effectively defines the working of your team for a project.

The Project Planning Presentation Template was made carefully, considering the essential part of project planning and communication. The deck has slides for project scope, objectives, team structure, and timeline, to name a few, to set you on the right path to success with your planning. There is also an interesting use of graphics and charts to ensure that this essential document of project planning also communicates all the research and data engagingly and creatively, which is the first step towards effective communication and success.

Project Planning Presentation

Source: Project Planning Presentation by SlideUpLift

Overall Project Planning is the process of defining your Project Objectives, clarifying the project scope, and developing the task list to do it. Creating an effective Team Structure, identifying the right skill sets for the project, and estimating project costs & budget result in successful project planning.

A Project Kickoff presentation is used specifically to create enthusiasm and understanding of the vision and goals of the project and to build credibility within the team. Project Kickoff is a great opportunity for introducing team members, establishing communication protocols, and setting expectations.

This is usually important once your project has been picked up and funded, as you are now expected to show and deliver on your project plan. In this project presentation, you tend to consolidate even more budgeting and success criteria and develop a robust project roadmap with a detailed schedule, deadlines, and milestones.

SlideUpLift’s Project Kickoff powerpoint theme is created based on the industry standard for project management presentations. It includes dedicated slides for all important details necessary for project kickoff, including the team roster, schedule, and project charter. Being fully customizable, it just makes good sense to use it as a starting point for your project kickoff meetings.

Project KickOff Presentation

Source: Project KickOff Presentation by SlideUpLift

Overall, use Project Kickoff to get all the team members on the same page. It could be a guiding document to align everyone’s vision and to ensure that they stay on track and work on milestones accordingly.

Project Reviews are done at the end of each phase of the project and are a key metric for gauging the success of a project as it is in progress. This is also where the performance at the end of each phase is measured against the project planning and kickoff scheduling to understand any delays or issues that have cropped up and need to be resolved. It also ensures that the project sponsor is confident in the project’s ability to successfully reach its end goals or address any changes that need to be made to boost efficiency.

The Project Review Presentation Theme is a consolidation of all the information needed to provide a clear and articulate review of the project at the end of each phase. It presents a risk analysis, financial status, and other key areas of interest. It basically summarises the functioning of the whole team and project so far, with the careful use of project timeline, milestones, and overview slides. These slides use creative graphics to visualize the project’s status to make it easier for all stakeholders to understand and analyze the project. Project Reviews require careful communication amongst all stakeholders, and having a presentation template to lift some of the burdens of effective communication is a good way of having a successful project review.

Project Status Review Deck

Source: Project Status Review Deck by SlideUpLift

Overall Project Reviews are a great opportunity to conduct Gap analysis, assess the satisfaction levels of stakeholders, understand if project goals are being achieved, and document the lessons learned for subsequent projects.

Once your project has successfully concluded, a key part of your responsibility as the Project Manager is to provide a detailed breakdown of the whole process using a Project Closure Presentation. This is a presentation to outline the workings of the project, with the highlights and the failures, and the overall status of deliverables. It is also a great way to communicate exactly what went right and what went wrong to present a case for similar projects in the future.

The Project Closure Presentation theme consists of carefully curated slides that are integral for communicating all information at the end of a project. The deck contains an Executive Summary, business impact, RAG status of deliverables, and overall cost breakdowns. It also allows project managers to state their next steps and everything they learned from this project. In a way, this is the presentation that represents you as a project manager – your successes and failures, the effectiveness of your project planning, and the efficacy of your overall project management strategy. Having a deck that allows you to represent yourself through expertly built slides is a great way to close a project with an impact.

Project Closure Presentation

Source: Project Closure Presentation by SlideUpLift

You can also use Project Retrospective templates in your presentation to showcase lessons learned and feedback from the project. Check out our collection of Presentation Themes to create stunning business presentations.

For a project manager, having a repository of pre-designed presentation decks and powerpoint themes makes good sense. It allows them to focus on the actual data and research rather than worry about the aesthetics of a presentation, leading to a marked boost in productivity. SlideUpLift has one of the largest collections of powerpoint themes and powerpoint templates on the internet that are made using visual science and storytelling principles, ensuring that a perfect presentation theme is available for a project manager’s every need.

Now you don’t have to scour the web to find out the right templates. Download our PowerPoint Templates from within PowerPoint. See how ?

The 7 Top Roadmaps used by Project Managers Plus Roadmap Templates (Free Included)

Table Of Content

The 5 Essential Google Slides Themes Every Project Manager Must Have

As a project manager, you are responsible for making presentations on a regular basis, which can be quite tiresome. For a presentation to be successful, there are many factors to

12 Aug, 2021 | SlideUpLift

8 Project Management KPIs For Project Managers

Sometimes the best-managed projects fall apart because they are not working towards specific and measurable goals. Or they are working with too broad or too narrow objectives that do not

16 Dec, 2021 | SlideUpLift

Breaking Down Work Breakdown Structure in Easy Steps : Must Have Resource For Project Managers

Project management is complex. It necessitates keeping track of multiple – sometimes geographically dispersed – teams, coordinating tasks, and holding everyone accountable to a common goal. Fortunately, there are a

5 Jul, 2022 | SlideUpLift

Communicate With Authority Using These Highly Effective Project Presentations

Project management is the application of resources, techniques, and talent to create the required deliverables. Yet, mere delivery is not sufficient- a key differentiator within Project Management is seamless communication

31 Oct, 2022 | SlideUpLift

The Savvy Project Manager Series: 5 Steps To Successful Project Planning

We encounter projects in our everyday lives. You might be building or contributing to a deliverable like a report, a website, a tool, or a product. These are real projects

8 Jul, 2021 | SlideUpLift

Avoid Making These 7 Project Management Mistakes

Making mistakes is not a bad thing; tons of lessons can be learned from them. And in the field of Project Management, lessons abound. Projects, unfortunately, seldom go smoothly. There

6 Jun, 2024 | SlideUpLift

A Comprehensive Guide To Project Kickoff Meetings

It is always exciting to start work on a new project with your team, but before you even begin, there is one meeting you need to have: a project kickoff

28 Sep, 2022 | SlideUpLift

Don’t Plan Project Kickoff Without Doing These 5 Things

For starters, what is a “Project” anyway? The accepted definition is that it is a time-bound endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. It has a defined

22 May, 2020 | SlideUpLift

How to Create a Project Charter Presentation?

A project charter serves as the foundational document that officially initiates a project and grants authority to the project manager. This concise yet comprehensive document outlines the project's purpose, objectives,

15 Apr, 2021 | SlideUpLift

Types Of Roadmaps Used By Project Managers [Top 7 Examples]

A roadmap can be called the most important tool in a project manager’s arsenal. A project manager has to handle an internal cross-functional team and ensure everyone is on the

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Technical Project Manager

Job Description:

At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection. Responsible Growth is how we run our company and how we deliver for our clients, teammates, communities and shareholders every day.

One of the keys to driving Responsible Growth is being a great place to work for our teammates around the world. We’re devoted to being a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone. We hire individuals with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and invest heavily in our teammates and their families by offering competitive benefits to support their physical, emotional, and financial well-being.

Bank of America believes both in the importance of working together and offering flexibility to our employees. We use a multi-faceted approach for flexibility, depending on the various roles in our organization.

Working at Bank of America will give you a great career with opportunities to learn, grow and make an impact, along with the power to make a difference. Join us!

This job is responsible for planning and coordinating the execution of project/small program deliverables which requires the engagement of multiple teams. Key responsibilities include communicating work objectives, coordinating delivery, facilitating sync points across teams, providing end-to-end visibility into the health of the deliverables, and managing program risk and compliance to standards. Job expectations include ensuring delivery meets the client’s expectations in terms of the functionality, quality, timeline, and cost.

Responsibilities:

Leads and coordinates routines to support delivery (for example, kick-offs, status reviews, stakeholder meetings, change controls, and tollgates, etc.)

Manages coordination of delivery and dependencies across multiple teams

Facilitates communication and collaboration across organizations to support the deliverable completion and timeline

Provides status updates for the deliverables to stakeholders and leadership pertaining to delivery, risks, issues, and schedule

Works with sponsors and stakeholders to ensure that execution is aligned with deliverable requirements

Supports resource planning for delivery and execution

Ensures adherence with Enterprise Change Management standards

Required Qualifications:

5 years plus experience in project management or project experience with Bank of America.

Experience with Project management tools i.e Jira

Technical background, with understanding of SDLC and technologies

Hands on experience working on CRQ’s reports.

Responds to operational issues and RFI’s within defined areas of responsibility while progressing on project work.

Demonstrates an understanding of customer’s tactical goals and effectively participates in the development and implementation of business solutions.

Manages project risk through comprehensive mitigation assessment and planning techniques. Actively manages the work efforts of multiple functional resources through the project plan.

Establishes basic scope control procedures.

Develops documentation; monitors and reports project status; assesses the effectiveness and accuracy of documentation.

Effectively assists in directing both internal and external resources to achieve business solutions within project guidelines.

Desired Qualification :

Experience with cloud-based technologies ( e.g - AWS, Azure )

Assists in the development and implementation of contingency plans

Collaboration

Project Management

Result Orientation

Solution Delivery Process

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Thinking

Hours Per Week:

Weekly Schedule:

Referral Bonus Amount:

Hours Per Week:

Learn more about this role

JR-24037220

Manages People: No

Travel: Yes, 10% of the time

Street Address

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IMAGES

7 Effective Presentations Tips for Project Managers
The 5 Essential PowerPoint Themes For Project Managers To Ace Project
What Do Project Managers Do?
Understanding Project Management
The top 5 skills of a successful project manager
What Does a Project Manager Do? Key Aspects

VIDEO

How do Project Managers control project scope?
Why project managers need to understand project management versus program management
What do Project Managers do?
NO JOBS after PMP Certification? 🤔 #shorts
How Do Project Managers Instill Innovation in their Projects
What do Project Managers Do?

COMMENTS

Must-Have Presentation Skills for Project Managers
Hence, this YouTube video on the Adriana Girdler channel highlights essential tips for cultivating presentation skills as a project manager. According to the video, effective presentation skills are crucial for project managers, whether addressing team members, and stakeholders or seeking approvals. The video suggests that understanding the ...
Top 10 Presentation Tips and Tricks for Project Managers
1. Arrive early. Arriving early for your presentation is always a good practice as the balance time can help you get organized and composed. Ensure that all the necessary equipment like a laptop, projector, sound system, etc. is in a working condition. 2.
Project Presentations: Prepare and Give a Great Presentation
Practice Your Project Management Presentation. Giving presentations is a skill. Practice, practice, practice. Before your big project presentation, volunteer to do some smaller ones, like staff briefings or shorter updates at team meetings. You want to feel comfortable both standing up in front of the room and with the material.
Presentation Tips For Project Managers
How can project managers effectively structure a project presentation? Project managers should start with a clear introduction, outlining the presentation's goals. Follow with a logical flow of information, covering the project's background, objectives, challenges, and solutions. Conclude with a strong summary and clear calls to action.
Presentation Skills for Project Managers [Going from Good to Great]
Project Managers need strong presentation skills - that's just non-negotiable. There are a few key things you need to pay attention to so you can set yourself up for project presentation success. ... There are several other things you can do to ensure your project presentations run smoothly, and I made a video diving into them. It explains ...
Project Management Presentations: The 3 Expert ...
Too many Project Managers find it's their presentation skills that let them down. Yet, having coached many presenters, I find that the difference between: a clear, confident presentation, and; a waffly, wobbly presentation; is usually very easy to fix. There are a few simple things any project manager can do to brush up on your presentation ...
How To Create a Project Presentation: A Guide for ...
During the project presentation the manager can establish the pattern to be used along the project. For this example, we set a basic progress dashboard where the project manager can present : Activities; The current timeline; Top 5 issues; Current Burndown; Top 5 risks. Conclusion. The art of project presentation goes beyond listing data in ...
How to Deliver a Great Presentation: Project Management
Deliver a great presentation with these simple presentation tips from our expert. Try our Award-Winning PM Software for free: https://www.projectmanager.com/...
18 Steps to Present Your Project Like a Pro
Review your presentation, talk it out, and find good ways to present a project. Consider the tone, the speed, and the moments you wish to emphasize. 16. Temper your anxiety. Remember that when a ...
Talking points
All too often, project presentations fail because the presenter failed to either clearly define the message or logically organize the supporting details. Even more commonly, the presenter failed to create a concise narrative that visually engaged the audience. This article discusses how project managers can develop visually engaging project presentations that clearly and concisely outline the ...
Wow Everyone with These 11 Project Management Presentation Steps
Project presentations are unique. You have to address a massive amount of information in a short period of time in a high-pressure situation. Here are the eleven steps you should take to make sure you deliver the best presentation possible. 1. Really understand the presentation's purpose.
Top Tips to Present a Project Effectively
It can be a challenge. But there is nothing impossible for managers who consider a project timeline presentation a part of their daily job. Project success directly depends on its presentation. According to the latest research, effective presentations are 38% of your voice, 55% non-verbal communication, and only 7% your content. If you do it ...
A project is--a series of critical presentations
A critical part of managing projects is making project presentations--via one-on-one conversations, team meetings, and executive briefings. This paper examines seven strategies that can help project managers improve their ability to deliver project presentations. In doing so, it describes why project managers need strategies for delivering project presentations. It then details the seven ...
How to Create a Successful Project Presentation
2 Lay Out Your Project Plan. Once you've set your goals, the next big step is to outline how you'll achieve them. An excellent place to start is by organizing your project into an actionable plan and steps for execution. You might wonder why this step is important for creating a successful project presentation.
How To Create A Successful Project Presentation?
A project plan is an official document that follows a set format and flow. Your presentation should follow this flow for maximum impact. To present a project plan, you should go over the following eight steps: Give an overview. Provide a brief overview of the project, outlining its goals and rationale.
How to Use PowerPoint for Project Management: Detailed Guide
1. Introduce the Project with a Project Plan Slide. PowerPoint is powerful project management software! You can use it to build an array of project management slides on any topic. The first step is to introduce your project with a project plan slide. Slide #2 in our template is a great choice for this.
What you need to know about project communication management
1. Plan. At or before kickoff, the project manager proposes a communication plan and seeks input from team members and stakeholders. The plan outlines who will provide communication, how information will be issued, the frequency, and what action(s) are expected.
8 Reasons Project Managers Need Public Speaking Skills
1227. As a project manager, you must juggle many tasks, responsibilities, and people. You must know how to manage time and resources, and you need to be a great communicator. But one skill that's not often discussed is public speaking. Public speaking skills are essential because you need to present the status of a project, give presentations ...
Presentations Can Help Your Team Nail Project Management
The Quarterly Project Update presentation template helps teams identify their objectives while tracking their progress and results. The customizable presentation template allows project managers to identify their project dependencies and track their milestones in a single concise slide deck. The template includes all the necessary slides, just ...
How to present a project? Ultimate Guide
First of all, know the goals of your project. You should know the goals of the project you are doing as a project manager or being an owner of the project. First, you should discuss the project and fix its goals by having a warm call-up meeting with your teammates and the owner of the company or the client for whom you are doing the project. It ...
Project Managers: Skills And Traits That Make Good Ones Great
9. A Willingness To Dive Deep. Undoubtedly, a crucial trait of a great project manager is the ability and willingness to dive deep. This doesn't come down to domain-specific skills or technical ...
What is a Project Manager? Understanding Roles and ...
A program manager oversees a group of related projects, focusing on long-term objectives and the overall impact on the company's goals. A project manager is responsible for the daily operations of a single project. They concentrate on meeting specific deadlines, budgets, and scope. Explore the iterative process and how it fosters collaboration ...
What Is A Project Manager And What Do They Do?
A project manager is the point person for all of the company's major goals by implementing important plans and managing teams. They follow a project from ideation to completion. Project managers ...
The 5 Essential PowerPoint Themes For Project Managers
As a project manager, making presentations is an integral part of your job. Making a good presentation requires many elements to be successful, with good presentation design being one of the most important things. But graphic design may not be a skill set that a project manager is familiar with. Making visually engaging and creative project ...
Beyond The Basics
Doing the same thing everyone else does is called average, mediocre, or ordinary. If you want more in life, you must become more than you are today. Webinar (Beyond The Basics - Elevated Communication Skills For Top 1%) is your golden chance to learn how to differentiate your written project communications to open doors to endless opportunities ...
Project HEADWAY: When Is A Program Really A Program?
More important, however, is the delineation of those factors that the answer depends upon. This webinar explores and tests the boundary between project and program, to provide practical, relevant and meaningful guidance on where project management can suffice and program management should optimally kick in.
telehealth project manager jobs in Remote
The Associate Project Manager (or APM) will have project specific responsibilities & ownership of low/mid complexity projects across a set of client account(s) as assigned. They will work closely with their agency counterparts (Account, Creative, Finance, Strategy, Technology) to create the space for great ideas, work and results.
ProjectManagement.com
This research explores how GenAI is rapidly transforming project management. It highlights how trailblazing professionals are navigating the gap between quick adoption at the individual level and slower organizational support, while enhancing their skills, and driving innovation in the process.
Job ID:24037220
Ensures adherence with Enterprise Change Management standards. Required Qualifications: 5 years plus experience in project management or project experience with Bank of America. Experience with Project management tools i.e Jira . Technical background, with understanding of SDLC and technologies . Hands on experience working on CRQ's reports.

Popular Insights:

Top 10 Presentation Tips and Tricks for Project Managers

1. Arrive early

2. Structure your presentation

3. Learn about your audience

4. Do proper research

5. Keep minimum information on slides

6. Add pictures and infographics

7. Do not use a script

8. Practice

9. Prepare the conclusion

10. Distribute copies of your presentation

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Project Presentations: How to Prepare and Deliver a Project Presentation

What Is a Project Presentation?

Why Is a Project Presentation So Important?

How to Prepare for a Project Presentation

1. Create a Calendar Invite for Your Project Presentation

2. Select a Format for Your Presentation

3. Practice Your Project Management Presentation

4. Write Big So Your Presentation Is Legible

5. Have a Backup Plan for Your Presentation

How to Give a Project Presentation

1. Speak Clearly and Don’t Rely on Jargon

2. Stick to What Matters and Use Data

3. Tell a Story

4. Ask for Feedback on Your Presentation

Project Management Presentations Take Time to Master

Deliver your projects on time and on budget

Presentation Tips For Project Managers

Fundamentals of Project Presentation

Understanding Your Audience

Defining Clear Objectives and Goals

Structuring Your Presentation

Crafting a Compelling Introduction

Organizing Content for Maximum Impact

Designing an Informative Conclusion

Creating Engaging Visual Aids

Selecting Appropriate Charts and Graphs

Using Images and Infographics Effectively

Incorporating Visuals into Your Slides

Delivering Your Message

Mastering Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

Handling Questions and Interactive Elements

Projecting Confidence and Credibility

Planning and Preparation

Knowing Your Material

Rehearsing and Timing Your Presentation

Setting Up for Success

Crafting Your Narrative

Storytelling with Data

Highlighting Key Milestones and Outcomes

Technical Aspects of Presentation

Choosing Software and Tools

Managing Technical Details

Feedback and Continuous Improvement

Gathering and Acting on Feedback

Making Adjustments for Future Presentations

Engaging with Stakeholders

Tailoring Content to Key Stakeholders

Building Relationships and Trust

Visual and Design Considerations

Ensuring Visual Consistency

Creating a Visually Appealing Layout

Frequently Asked Questions

How can project managers effectively structure a project presentation?

What are key elements to include in a project management presentation?

What are some best practices for delivering successful project presentations?

How should project managers handle Q&A sessions after presentations?

What techniques can project managers use to engage stakeholders during presentations?

How can project managers leverage visual aids to enhance project presentations?

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