Forbes: Thought Leaders: 19 Expert Tips To Make Your Presentation Unforgettable

3. Mingle And Connect

When speaking to groups, make time to mingle and connect with attendees in advance of your presentation. Ask them questions about their roles and what they're looking to gain from the day. You can then incorporate some of the top stories into your presentation in real time. It will make your messages more personal, timely and authentic, and will help to draw in the audience. - Camille Weleschuk, ATB Financial

4. Craft Your Presentation As A Speech

The most compelling and memorable presentations are actually speeches. Name one truly memorable and inspiring PowerPoint presentation you have ever attended. Leave the PowerPoint behind and craft your presentation as a speech—a story you are telling your audience. Shift your mental model. You will be stunned at the difference it makes. - Michele Schiavoni, Schiavoni Executive Consulting

5. Find A Hook

You need a hook, immediately. Start with a fact your audience may not know, then build from there. This works because our brains are wired to pay attention to surprises—the unexpected grabs focus, makes your message stick and sets the stage for everything that follows. - Amber Roussel Cavallo, Civic Builders

6. Break Monotony With Multimodal Storytelling

A presentation doesn't have to be static slides and bullet points. By integrating sound, movement and video, and leaning into highly visual storytelling with minimal text, you can create an experience, not just a talk. The simple act of adding an unexpected element, like a well-timed sound effect or short video, instantly resets attention and makes the message stick. - Meredith McEuen, Chartwells Higher Education

7. Focus On How The Audience Feels

One powerful way to make your presentation more memorable is to focus on how you make the audience feel. People may forget your slides, but they remember how you made them feel: seen, inspired or challenged. Use storytelling, reflection or humor to connect emotionally. When your message resonates on a deeper level, it sticks. - Trish Nettleship, NCR Voyix

8. Bring An Artifact

Break free from slideware and bring an artifact—something with personal or symbolic meaning that ties directly to your message. Whether it’s a worn field notebook, a product prototype or an item from a pivotal moment, a well-chosen object adds storytelling power, sparks curiosity and anchors your audience’s memory long after you leave the stage. - Mike Neumeier, Arketi Group

9. Weave In Personal Narratives

Make it your story, and make it for them. When a thought leader weaves their personal narrative into their presentation, it transforms the experience from a simple talk into something truly memorable. By blending personal touches with deep expertise and reinforcing the main takeaway, the message resonates long after the presentation ends. Authenticity and relatability really elevate the impact. - Diana Scholz, Bayer AG

10. Create A Memorable Opening Line

Just as journalists need to grab readers with a good lede, speakers need to grab their audience with a good opening line. It can be anything from a joke, a pointed comment or an unrelated observation, but it is crucial to hook the audience from the start to make sure they want to listen to the rest of the talk. It is a lot easier to maintain attention than to try and get it back. - Andrew Frank, KARV

11. Employ Strategic Silence

A brief pause after a key point gives the audience time to absorb it and lean in. Silence creates contrast, builds anticipation and makes your words land with more weight. It works because the break shifts people from passive listening to active reflection, ensuring your message sticks. - Katie Jewett, UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations

12. Be Meaningful And Authentic

The authentic version of you and your story is necessary to connect with your audience. Consider why they came to see you in the first place, and share truths that fulfill the promise of your presentation. Make it memorable by being meaningful to the audience. Don't read from slides; make eye contact and speak like you're at a dinner party. Be articulate, warm and friendly. Smile. - Lauren Pasquale Bartlett, Ingenovis Health

13. Share An Emotion-Driven Story

Weave in a single, vulnerability-driven story that directly illustrates your key business lesson. This works so well because people connect with emotion. A story creates a human connection with the audience, making you more relatable and trustworthy. The narrative acts as a powerful anchor for your core message, ensuring your key takeaway is not just heard, but felt and remembered. - Patrick Ward, NanoGlobals

14. Anchor Your Message In Real-Life Examples

Anchor your message in real-life examples that are relatable and tangible. Audiences hardly ever remember slide decks. They remember stories that make them feel something or moments that sound like something they’ve actually lived. Whether it’s a customer anecdote, a team failure or an off-script insight from a project gone wrong, the more grounded and human the example, the more it sticks. - Francesca Pezzoli, Looper Insights

15. Use Vulnerable Anecdotes

Use anecdotes that show your scars, not just your successes. Instead of opening with a polished win, share the moment when you doubted your own voice and what that taught you. That kind of vulnerability doesn’t weaken your credibility—it strengthens it. It tells the audience, “I’ve been where you are,” and that connection is what sticks more than slides. - Natalie Silverman, GSCF, A Blackstone Portfolio Company

16. Share A Funny Story

During several public speaking engagements, I've shared a funny story that has nothing to do with the theme of the conference. It lightens the mood and provides a short mental break from what is usually a jam-packed conference with lots of information. I still have people coming up to me years later talking about the personal story I shared at a past conference. - Antonio Sanchez, Quantum Xchange

17. Anchor The Talk Around A Single Big Idea

Anchor your talk around one big idea, reinforced with a story. People forget data points but remember narratives. When you frame insights through a simple, human story tied to your core message, the content sticks emotionally and intellectually. That clarity makes your presentation memorable and actionable. - Cody Gillund, Grounded Growth Studio

18. Inject Your Personality Into The Presentation

Injecting your culture and personality in an audio/visual way always works well for memorability. For example, I'm Jamaican, so inviting the media team to play reggae music as part of my introduction, and wearing brightly colored, yet still professional attire, often creates instant engagement and connection—and that's always memorable. - Kerry-Ann Betton Stimpson, JMMB Group

19. Grab Attention With A Genuine Moment

Start with a real, unsearchable moment that strikes a nerve. You want to share a story, a challenge or even a funny personal fail—something that grabs attention and humanizes your message. If you do that first, then when you drop your data or insights, the audience won’t just hear it—they’ll feel it. That emotional hook turns facts into memorable moments. - Kristin Russel, symplr