5 minute presentation â intriguing to the audience (no one likes to sit through a one-hour-feels-like-a-decade kind of talk), but a big nuisance to the presenters to decide what to put in. If not handled properly, everything will slip away from oneâs mind in the blink of an eye.
The clock is ticking, but you can keep your panic attack at bay with our step-by-step guide with free topics and examples. Get the full lowdown on how to make a 5 minute presentation for a team meeting, college class, sales pitch, or wherever else you need it!
Table of Contents
- Present better with AhaSlides
- 5-Minute Presentation Topic List
- How to Make a 5-Minute Presentation
- 5 Common Mistakes
- 5-Minute Presentation Examples
- FAQ
How many slides should a 5 minute presentation be? | 10-20 visual slides |
Famous Human Beings with a 5-minute presenting skill | Steve Jobs, Sheryl Sandberg, Brené Brown |
What software can be used for presentation? | AhaSlides, Powerpoint, Key Note ⊠|
Present Better with AhaSlides
- Types of presentation
- 10 20 30 rule in presentations
- Top 10 office games
- 95 fun questions to ask students
- 21+ icebreaker games
5 Minute Presentation Ideas
First thing first, you should come up with a 5 minute presentation idea thatâs intriguing. Think about what makes the general audience, even you jump out of their seat and eagerly hear. What topic can you elaborate on better thatâs your niche? Get some sparks with our list below:
- The danger of cyberbullying
- Freelancing under the gig economy
- Fast fashion and its environmental impacts
- How podcast has evolved
- Dystopian society in George Orwellâs literature
- Common health disorders you might have
- What is aphasia?
- Caffeine myths â are they real?
- The perks of having a personality test
- The rise and fall of Genghis Khan
- What happens to the brain when youâre in long-distance relationships?
- Is it too late to care about the environment?
- The consequences of relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- The ways anxiety disorders disrupt our life
- 6 economic terms you need to know
- Gods in Greek mythology versus Roman mythology
- Origins of Kungfu
- Ethics of genetic modification
- The supernatural strength of cockroaches
- Is social media detox necessary?
- The history of the Silk Road
- What is the worldâs most dangerous disease in the 21st century?
- Reasons to do self-journaling everyday
- New trends in careers
- Five reasons to get some quality time for yourself
- The best food to cook when youâre in a hurry
- How to order the best Starbucks drink ever
- Ideas and practices that you follow and would like others to know about
- 5 ways to make a pancake
- Introduction to blockchain
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Bonus Video ⶠHow to make a 10-minute presentation
If you feel like a 5-minute presentation would be too stifling, stretch it to 10! Hereâs how to do thatâŠ
How to Make a 5-Minute Presentation
Remember, less is more, except when it comes to ice cream.
Thatâs why amid hundreds of methods to use, weâve boiled it down into these four simple steps to make a killer 5-minute presentation.
Letâs jump right in!
#1 â Choose your topic
How do you know if that topic is âthe oneâ for you? For us, the right topic ticks everything on this checklist:
â Stick to one key point. Itâs unlikely youâll have time to address more than one topic, so limit yourself to one and donât go over it!
â Know your audience. You donât want to waste time covering information they already know. Everyone knows 2 plus 2 is 4, so move on and never look back.
â Go with a simple topic. Again, explaining something that requires time should be off the checklist since you canât cover it all.
â Donât dwell on unfamiliar topics to minimise the time and effort you spend preparing the presentation. It should be something you already have on your mind.
Need some help finding the right topic for your short presentation? Weâve got 30 topics with different themes to captivate your audience.
#2 â Create your slides
Unlike the long presentation format in which you can have as many slides as you want, a five-minute presentation typically has significantly fewer slides. Because imagine each slide would take you roughly 40 seconds to 1 minute to go through, thatâs already five slides in total. Not much to think about, eh?
However, your slide count doesnât matter more than the essence each slide contains. We know that itâs tempting to pack it full of text, but keep in mind that you should be the subject your audience focuses on, not a wall of text.
Check these examples below.
Example 1
Bold
Italic
Underline
Example 2
Make the text bold to highlight important parts and use italics primarily to denote titles and the names of particular works or objects to allow that title or name to stand out from the surrounding sentence. The underlining text also helps draw attention to it, but it is most commonly used to represent a hyperlink on a webpage.
You obviously saw the second example and thought thereâs no way youâre going to read through this on the big screen.
The point is this: keep slides straight, concise, and short, as youâve got 5 minutes only. 99% of the info should come from your mouth.
When youâre keeping text minimal, donât forget to befriend visuals, as they can be your best sidekicks. Startling statistics, infographics, short animations, pictures of whales, etc., all are great attention grabbers and help you sprinkle your unique trademark and personality on each slide.
And how many words should be there in a 5-minute speech script? It mainly depends on the visuals or data you show in your slides and also your speech speed. However, a 5-minute speech is roughly 700 words long.
Secret tip: Go the extra length by making your presentation interactive. You can add a live poll, Q&A section, or quiz that illustrates your points and leaves a lasting impression on the audience.
Get Interactive, Fast đââïž
Make the most of your 5 minutes with a free interactive presentation tool!
#3 â Get the timing right
When youâre looking at this, we only have one thing to say: STOP PROCRASTINATING! For such a short presentation, thereâs virtually no time for âahâ, âuhâ or short pauses, because every moment counts. So, plan the timing of each section with military precision.
How should it look? Check out the example below:
- 30 seconds on the introduction. And no more. If you spend too much time on the intro, your main part will have to be sacrificed, which is a no-no.
- 1 minute on stating the problem. Tell the audience the problem you are trying to solve for them, i.e., what they are here for.
- 3 minutes on the solution. This is where you deliver the most essential info to the audience. Tell them what they need to know, not what is ânice to haveâ. For example, if youâre presenting how to make a cake, list each itemâs ingredients or measurement, as thatâs all essential information. However, additional information like icing and presentation is not essential and can be cut.
- 30 seconds on the conclusion. This is where you reinforce your main points, wrap up and have a call to action.
- You can end with a small Q&A. Since it isnât technically a part of the 5-minute presentation, you can take as much time as you want to answer the questions.
How many times should you practice a 5-minute speech? To nail these timings down, make sure you practice religiously. A 5-minute presentation requires more practice than a regular one, as you wonât have as much wiggle room or chance for improvisation.
Also, donât forget to check your equipment to ensure everything runs smoothly. When youâve only got 5 minutes, you donât want to waste any time fixing the mic, presentation, or other equipment.
#4 â Deliver your presentation
Imagine youâre watching an exciting video but it keeps.lagging.every.10.seconds. Youâd be super annoyed, right? Well, so would your audience if you keep confusing them with abrupt, unnatural speech.
Itâs normal to feel pressured to talk because you feel every minute is precious. But crafting the convo in a way that makes the crowd understand the assignment is so much more important.
Our first tip for delivering a great presentation is to practice flowing. From the introduction to the conclusion, every part needs to connect and link with each other like glue.
Go between the sections repeatedly (remember to set the timer). If thereâs any part in which you feel the urge to speed up, then consider trimming it down or articulating it differently.
Our second tip is for reeling in the audience from the first sentence.
There are countless ways to start a presentation. You can get factual with a shocking, on-topic fact or mention a humorous quote that gets your audience laughing and melting away their (and your) tension.
Secret tip: Donât know if your 5-minute presentation makes an impact? Use a feedback tool to collect the audienceâs sentiment right away. It takes minimal effort, and you avoid losing valuable feedback along the way.
5 Common Mistakes When Giving a 5-Minute Presentation
We overcome and adapt through trial and error, but itâs easier to avoid rookie mistakes if you know what they aređ
- Going way past your allotted time slot. Since the 15 or 30-minute presentation format has long dominated the scene, keeping it brief is difficult. But unlike the long format, which gives you a bit of flexibility on time, the audience knows exactly what 5 minutes feels like and, therefore will expect you to condense the information within the time limit.
- Having a decade-long introduction. Rookie mistake. Spending your precious time telling people who you are or what youâre going to do isnât the best plan. As we said, weâve got a bunch of beginning tips for you here.
- Donât dedicate enough time to prepare. Most people skip the practice part since they think itâs 5 minutes, and they can quickly fill that up, which is an issue. If in a 30-minute presentation, you can get away with âfillerâ content, the 5-minute presentation doesnât even allow you to pause for more than 10 seconds.
- Devote too much time explaining complicated concepts. A 5-minute presentation doesnât have room for that. If one point youâre explaining needs to link to other points for further elaboration, itâs always a good idea to revise it and dig deeper into only one aspect of the topic.
- Putting too many complex elements. When making a 30-minute presentation, you might add different elements, such as storytelling and animation, to keep the audience engaged. In a much shorter form, everything needs to be straight to the point, so choose your words or the transition carefully.
5-Minute Presentation Examples
To help you grasp how to make a 5-minute presentation, check these short presentation examples, to nail any message!
William Kamkwamba: âHow I Harnessed the Windâ
This TED Talk video presents the story of William Kamkwamba, an inventor from Malawi who, as a kid experiencing poverty, built a windmill to pump water and generate electricity for his village. Kamkwambaâs natural and straightforward storytelling was able to captivate the audience, and his usage of short pauses for people to laugh is also another great technique.
Susan V. Fisk: âThe Importance of Being Conciseâ
This training video offers helpful tips for scientists to structure their talk to fit the â5 Minute Rapidâ presentation format, which is also explained in 5 minutes. If you plan to create a âHow-toâ quick presentation, look at this example.
Jonathan Bell: âHow to Create a Great Brand Nameâ
As the title refers to itself, the speaker Jonathan Bell will give you a step-by-step guide on how to create a lasting brand name. He gets straight to the point with his topic and then breaks it down into smaller components. A good example to learn from.
PACE Invoice: â5 Min Pitch at Startupbootcampâ
This video shows how PACE Invoice, a start-up specialising in multi-currency payment processing, was able to pitch its ideas to investors clearly and concisely.
Will Stephen: âHow to Sound Smart in Your TEDx Talkâ
Using a humorous and creative approach, Will Stephenâs TEDx Talk guides people through the general skills of public speaking. A must-watch to craft your presentation into a masterpiece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why a 5-minute Presentation is important?
A 5-minute presentation shows the ability to manage time, grab the audienceâs attention, and mirror-like clarification as it requires lots of practice to make it perfect! Besides, there are various suitable speech topics for 5 minutes that you can refer to and adapt to your own.
Who gave the best 5-minute Presentation?
There are lots of impactful presenters over time, with the most famous man named Sir Ken Robinsonâs TED talk titled âDo Schools Kill Creativity?â, which has been viewed millions of times and has become one of the most-watched TED talks of all time. In the talk, Robinson delivers a humorous and engaging presentation on the importance of nurturing creativity in education and society.