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Course 28 · Work course 08

Create Better Presentations

Turn a decision, lesson, or proposal into a clear story, honest visuals, confident delivery, and an accessible handoff.

Before you start

Choose one real upcoming presentation with a known audience, time limit, setting, and desired action.

See everything you’ll need
What you’ll leave with

A complete audience-tested presentation with an evidence outline, readable slides, speaker notes, and rehearsal plan.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload the practice worksheetUse the downloadable worksheet or toolkit alongside the lesson instructions.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from TEDx Talks introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
TEDx TalksHow to Avoid Death by PowerPointYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Professionals, students, founders, educators, and community leaders who need an audience to understand, remember, or decide something.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Choose one real upcoming presentation with a known audience, time limit, setting, and desired action.
  • Collect reliable evidence, brand or accessibility requirements, and the actual display or meeting constraints.
  • Separate confidential source material from content that can safely appear on slides or in shared files.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

Deliver a timed presentation containing a one-sentence objective, structured narrative, sourced evidence, accessible slide deck, speaker notes, Q&A appendix, and feedback-based revision.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria
  • An audience-objective brief with starting state, desired change, action, success evidence, and constraints.
  • A one-page presentation outline with audience questions, each section's main point and evidence, links between sections, and your final request.
  • An evidence table and three publication-ready visuals with claims, sources, context, and limitations.
  • A complete slide deck using a documented visual system and accessibility checklist.
  • Speaker notes, two timed rehearsal logs, a revised deck, and tested presentation backups.
  • A Q&A bank, appendix, final close, and post-presentation follow-up template.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

One decision guides the deck

Every section should help the audience understand, believe, remember, or do what the objective requires.

02

Slides support the speaker

A slide is a visual moment, not a teleprompter or document pasted onto a wall.

03

Evidence must stay honest

Charts, quotes, images, and numbers need context, readable labels, and traceable sources.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Audience objective
The specific understanding, belief, decision, or action the presentation should produce.
Assertion-evidence slide
A slide led by a meaningful claim and supported by relevant visual evidence.
Cognitive load
The amount of mental effort required to process the material at a given moment.
Speaker notes
Prompts, transitions, evidence details, and delivery cues visible to the presenter rather than the audience.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Define the audience objective

    Replace the topic with a concrete audience change that can guide every content decision.

  2. 2
    29 min

    Build the story before slides

    Create a logical narrative with tension, evidence, recommendation, and next step before opening presentation software.

  3. 3
    32 min

    Choose honest evidence and charts

    Select data, examples, quotations, and visuals that clarify the claim without distortion.

  4. 4
    34 min

    Design readable slides

    Create a consistent visual system that makes one meaningful point at a time and remains usable for diverse audiences.

  5. 5
    30 min

    Write notes and rehearse

    Convert the deck into a natural, timed delivery with clear transitions and resilient technical backups.

  6. 6
    27 min

    Handle questions and close the loop

    Prepare for challenge, answer within evidence, restate the action, and deliver an accessible follow-up.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
Text worksheet

Your course practice worksheet

A text worksheet with this course’s lesson tasks, space for your answers, and a project checklist.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

Microsoft — Tips for creating and delivering an effective presentation
Google — Slides training and help
Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one