May 8, 2024 | SlideUpLift

Powerful Words and Statements To Use In Presentations

No matter what industry you work in, you will have to deliver a presentation at some point. At first, this may be quite nerve-racking, if not simply terrifying. 

The good news is that nervousness can be channelized into stimulating meticulous preparation, an ingredient of a successful presentation!

When it comes to conveying thoughts with others, especially in high-stakes situations like presentations, the power of words is tremendous and tangible. The way you arrange your thinking and use specific words will influence how long the audience remembers you. 

Not just that, power words and statements can frame situations, shape narratives about businesses, influence (both favorably and adversely) their perception, and alter the listener’s buying behavior. 

That’s why elite copywriters and public speakers spend so much time agonizing over potential word combinations and worrying over their choice of action verbs, adjectives, and connecting phrases.

In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of effective presentation words and statements to help you organize your next presentation for maximum impact.

What Are Power Words?

Power words are phrases and words that trigger a good or negative emotional response. Our verbs, adjectives, and adverbs evoke a range of emotions, from mild joy to justified outrage. Individual word selections can reveal a speaker’s intended emotional state and influence the result of a discussion. 

In a nutshell, our choice of words and statements has a significant influence on how people interpret us and the actions they take as a result. So, let’s get right into it: What are these power words and statements?

Powerful Words And Statements That Will Give A Spark To Your Presentations

Here is a selection of compelling words and statements to consider using in your next business presentation. Sprinkle a handful of these within the script to improve your presentation.

They won’t all be applicable to everyone, but they will provide you with some foundational elements to construct your presentation around.

Opening Words And Statements

The most critical aspect of your presentation is the beginning. It will be your first impression on your audience. It’s your first chance to get their attention. You want them to immediately trust you and listen to you.

However, the initial moment when you begin to communicate is typically the most difficult. Knowing how to best prepare and what to say can help you feel confident and ready to let your first words out.

Low-Risk Starts

  • Greet warmly
  • Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening everyone (when you have a global audience)
  • Hello everyone, Thanks for coming. I for one am delighted to be here
  • Use weather or time of the day as an ally
  • Hello everyone, and thank you for joining. I am cheered up by your coming in on a gloomy Monday morning
  • Hello everyone, I believe we are still lacking a few folks, I think it has something to do with the meeting being post-lunch. 

Medium Risk Starts

  • Say something human that most people can relate to: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”
  • Start with a personal story: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. A little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.” “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

High Risk And High Rewards Starts:

  • Evoke Imagery: “Imagine a big explosion as you sit in a flight and climb 30,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack”. You get the complete attention of the audience with a start like this. You can customize the commentary imagery based on your context to then continue on with the story and lead into your presentation
  • Use Silence: Look at the camera, as if you are looking in the mirror. Pretend to comb your hair and make it appear like you are doing a face touch-up. Look at the audience,  appear surprised “What?
  • Long Pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title): “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
Power Words: Imagine, Confession, Story, Delight, Surprise, Warm, Bright

Main Body Content Words And Statements

After you’ve completed your introduction, you’re ready to start talking about your topic. Your audience now knows who you are and what to expect from you. There is now a room full of people wanting to hear you.

Structured And logical

  • Structure The Time: My presentation will last around 45 minutes and will be segmented into four parts
  • Use Data And Build Curiosity: According to our research, 63% of working individuals in this city go straight to the gym after work. This presentation will explain why

Storyteller And emotional

  • Share Experiences: As a caregiver, I went through a roller coaster getting my Dad treated for cancer. I will open my heart and share my best and worst moments with you
  • Weave Messages Using Theatrical Frameworks: Spoiler alert! Our product launch is doomed for a spectacular failure unless we get three things right

Connector

  • This session is all about grounding and listening. I need you to truly tell me how you are feeling about the project
  • We have some ideas on what’s working, what’s not. But we want to run them by you and listen if we got these right
  • I plan to quickly breeze through the material. Please stop me anytime for any questions- since that’s why we are here today
Power Words: Segmented, Agenda, Timeline, Listening, Spoiler, Interaction, Focus, Roadmap

Closing Words And Statements

This is the closing phase of the presentation. You’ve stated what you need to say, and now it’s time to wrap it up properly. You could also have time for questions. 

If time allows, let your audience ask any questions they may have. A summary is generally included at the end of a business presentation. You may use this to either reiterate your key points or to return to the topic you were discussing.

Summarizer 

  • I hope that you have enjoyed my session. Let me summarize my key ideas. After reviewing the importance of the product launch for us, we reviewed the top areas that can doom us to potential failure. Then we spoke of remedial actions we can take in the immediate, short, and long term to mitigate these pitfalls
  • That wraps my presentation for today. To refresh your memory, here are the important takeaways.
  • Thank you for your time. I am now available to address any queries you may have.

Inspirer

  • It has been an honor to be here today and get time from this elite audience. After this discussion, I feel that we are still all firmly together in this dream we saw during our visioning exercise
  • Thank you, everybody, for coming; I had a great time interacting with you today and saw how strong a project team we really are that can achieve anything if we set our minds to it.

Forward Looker

  • Our lively and multifaceted discussion today must have follow-ups. Here are the next steps we agreed on today
  • If you really want to discuss this further, feel free to come and get me afterward. Here are my contact details
Power Words: Summary, Conclusion, Multifaceted, Honor, Privilege, Time Investment, Lively, Informative, Interactive. Next steps, Action Items. Sum up, Thank you, Hope, Dreams, Achieve
Conclusion Slide

Conclusion Slide

Source: Conclusion Slide by SliedUpLift

Conclusion Slide

Conclusion Slide

Source: Conclusion Slide by SliedUpLift

Conclusion Slide

Conclusion Slide

Source: Conclusion Slide by SliedUpLift

Bulb Slide

Bulb Slide

Source: Bulb Slide by SliedUpLift

Wrapping It Up

Positive power words and phrases communicate directly with the audience’s hearts and brains. They inspire, motivate, bring up, and assist in moving forward in the proper path. These words and statements are your greatest friends to employ throughout your presentation slides and throughout delivery, if your objective is to hammer in a clear message and encourage subsequent desirable action.

Preparation is essential for success, but when combined with expert advice, you’ll take your presenting abilities to a whole new level!

Hopefully, you now feel prepared to give a presentation that will leave your audience stunned! Or, at the very least, impressed by your professionalism and sparkle. You can try these free PowerPoint templates and google slides templates to create more impact with your power words and statements.  

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