These days, everything has to move. So you start your presentation with a spinning logo, a company film or some motion graphics. The lights dim, the music swells and you think: right, that’s the start sorted.
But who’s in the room? Clients, decision-makers, investors, colleagues. They’ve come to hear you. Not to watch a film that’s also just on your website. And you don’t want them to say afterwards: “Great video, but what was it actually about?”
Why we start with a video anyway
Honestly? Often that video isn’t for the audience. It’s for the speaker. As long as the film is running, you don’t have to say anything yet. The nerves get a brief reprieve. Very human. But that’s how you hand over the most important moment of your presentation.
What a video in your intro costs you
- Your audience leans back before you’ve said a word.
- The video sets the tone, not you.
- They remember the film, not your message.
In a pitch, a sales conversation or a team meeting, that’s a shame. It’s exactly in that first minute that you need to connect, intrigue and give direction.
Yes, news anchors and presenters speak in perfect timing with images and music. But they have years of training and a control room behind them. You have a laptop and a clicker that sometimes doesn’t work either.
When a video does work
Have a video that’s too good to leave out? Then put it in the middle of your presentation. There, it strengthens your story, provided you stay in control.
- A testimonial. Real words from a client, user or patient give credibility you can’t give yourself.
- A mechanism of action. A few seconds of footage sometimes say more than five minutes of explanation. Make sure you can pause to put it in context.
- A surprise. An emotional jolt or an unexpected twist. Afterwards, you make the translation: why does this matter?
How to stay in control
- Briefly introduce the video: “Let’s take a look together at…”
- Stay quiet while it plays. No explanation on top.
- Sum up afterwards: “What you just saw mainly shows that…”
Complex subject? Choose still images
What’s clear to you is often still complex for your audience. Then stills work better than a film: one image per slide, you tell the story, you set the pace. Your audience can’t follow moving images and listen to you at the same time. More about that in the tip on too many bullet points.
Having a video made for your presentation?
Only do it if you’re sure it adds something you can’t tell yourself. Otherwise you pay a lot of money for three minutes in which you’re standing on the sidelines.
In short
You are the presentation. A video can strengthen your story, but never replace it.
Not sure whether that video belongs in your presentation? With the Presentation Check, we look together at what your audience really needs. In the training, you learn to build an intro that works from the very first second, without having to hide behind a film.
