Simple Presentation Topics

You have been asked to give a presentation. To make it easier for you they have also let you choose your own topic.

The problem is that you have too much choice. Now you are worried and are going to spend too much of your creative time trying to pick the right topic and not rehearsing your presentation. So how do you choose the right presentation topic?

The right presentation topic.

It is easy to pick the topic. Just follow these two simple rules.

Pick a subject you are passionate about. The passion will come out in your voice and in your body language and will be naturally picked up by your audience.

Pick a topic that could be illustrated by pictures. A lot of the research shows that you could increase message retention dramatically if you use pictures rather than bullet points.

Job interview topics

Pick a project or area of your work that was well received. Ideally one where you received lots of positive feedback and got the end result despite all the setbacks. This will show you as someone who can get things done and is well liked. If you can, please do include the feedback you received.

If you are going for a management or leadership position it is a good idea to ask your team to describe your leadership style. If you have not led a team before – just ask the people you work with to describe your style.

Personal topics

The key is the passion. Examples that can work well are hobbies and holidays. These are both easy topics that can be well illustrated.

Your holidays should have lots of photos and most hobbies have lots of photos available. You can probably find lots of travel photos on the web, but please do ensure that you have the permission of the copyright owners. You could have an opening page of a funny holiday snap, and continue the presentation by talking about food and activities that can be done in the place you visited. Another way you can introduce your presentation is by using a map of the area. We have a wonderful selection of travel and holiday templates, which you might inspire you.

If you pick a hobby make sure that you keep the jargon out of it and bring the topic down to a simple enough level everybody will be able to understand. This is an area where your fellow hobbyists should be able to help you with lots of pictures. Here are some of the great hobby presentations that I have seen – all very visual

• Steam trains
• Archaeology
• Lorries and trucks
• Needlework
• Amateur radio expeditions
• Baking

We have many templates which can be used to talk about your hobby, whether it is baking, or trains or sports.

Professional topics

If you are looking to speak on a professional (paid) basis the best topic is one that grabs people’s attention. Here are a few examples.

• The seven deadly sins of presentations
• Motivating people in boring jobs
• The physics of football
• PowerPoint poisoning – the antidote
• CRM – holy grail or holy smoke

We have also included a long list of presentation topics on the Informative Speech Topic page