How to Get Better at Presenting Creative Work (as Told by 5 Copywriters)

Struggling with sharing your ideas, even if you wrote them yourself? Here are some tips on how to give effective and memorable presentations to your bosses and your clients.

Aug 14, 2024

Presenting your work to bosses and clients is one thing many jobs have in common. Whether you’re a copywriter explaining a big idea, an art director sharing the campaign’s visual direction, a teacher, a biz dev officer, or an entrepreneur, you will have to do a lot of talking at some point.

In the ad world, presentations - whether internally to your manager, or externally to clients - is all part of the job. That’s why we must learn to make effective, memorable presentations. After all, you can’t let your compelling copy go to waste by reading it robotically. 🤖 And you can’t risk weeks of work by delivering a presentation that’ll make clients doze off. 😴

In today’s post, I’ll share with you some tips on presenting, as shared by my fellow copywriters.

“When I know I have a big presentation coming, I ready my spiels at least a night before. And I practice presenting multiple times ‘til I’m confident with my flow.

But if I don’t have time talaga to prepare, I just remind myself that no one else in that room knows my deck more than I do. Sinulat ko ‘yun eh. Ano bang malay nila. Hehe charot.” (But if I really don’t have time to prepare, I just remind myself that no one else in the room knows my deck more than I do. I wrote that! What do they know? Hehe, kidding.)

- Kriselle Panopio, Copywriter at Dentsu Creative Philippines

“1. Fake it ‘til you ~~make~~ slay it! As someone na more reserved and not really the public speaking kind of person, ito talaga ang aking life mantra haha! What I do is I prepare a short spiel and then I just try to be super confident even though the kaba is real, especially when presenting to big brands/clients. What’s more important is you add a bit of ✨spark✨ of energy para na rin memorable yung presentation niyo sa client.

I remember before, a client even thanked me after the presentation for the energetic presentation daw haha kasi EOD na meeting so nabuhayan sila — nabuhayan din naman kami. Slayed!

(As someone who is more reserved and not really the public speaking kind of person, this has really been my life mantra, haha! What I do is I prepare a short spiel and then I just try to be super confident even though the nervousness is real, especially when presenting to big brands/clients. What’s more important is you add a bit of ✨spark✨ of energy so that your presentation becomes memorable for the client.)

Make it heartfelt and relatable. I feel like a client can really see (and hear!) pag buong puso + efforts ang binigay for a campaign. So when presenting, of course, don’t read everything word per word — better to add something that people would be able to relate to like what’s trending right now or a short personal experience related to the topic.

(I feel like a client can really see (and hear!) when your whole heart and efforts are in the campaign. So when presenting, of course, don’t read everything word per word — better to add something that people would be able to relate to like what’s trending right now or a short personal experience related to the topic.)”

- JB Ramos, Content Strategist at SVEN Group

“1. Try not to sound too scripted and stiff when presenting. You can write an outline of keywords to help organize your thought flow, but most of the time it’s better if the mood is conversational.

Have your own reference of the deck/presentation open on your device, just in case. In a Zoom meeting once, the person sharing their screen suddenly got disconnected while I was speaking. Because I had my notes and the deck was open on my end, I was able to keep things going to avoid dead air.

Here’s a bonus that’s applicable to any role or industry, even for non-newbies: Identify the decision-makers in the room. Make eye contact with them. When you’re not talking, observe their reactions. It may help gauge the outcome of your pitch/presentation.”
- Aira de Roque, Senior Copywriter, Leo Burnett Manila

“1. Prepare to be the bard (or even the jester) for the day. If there are parts where you need to enunciate, to sing, to dance, or to act, give it your all.

2. The creative part is the fun part so you have to act the part, too. Make sure you as a presenter have the highest energy in the room. Bring them on a journey. Put on a show.”

-Paul Bicol, Copywriter, FCB Manila

Here are some of my own tips:

Learn the presentation style your bosses like. I remember my first presentation at what was then a new job. I presented the way I had been taught by an old boss - with theatrics, dramatization, ad libs. My current boss didn’t like it and said it was too chatty. If you can, sit in on at least one presentation first before you take the spotlight.
Make your voice dynamic. Use pauses and pacing. Vary your intonation. Don’t get into a robotic voice or go all sing-song. Also, end the most important sentences with intonation going down (for conviction) instead of up (like a question).
Make it personal, relatable, and heartfelt. Like what JB said above, bosses clients appreciate colleagues who are passionate about the project. And if you’re working remotely with the camera off, your voice is the best vehicle to express these emotions. The way you speak also emphasizes how strong the personal insights are behind every big idea, headline, or storyboard you’re presenting.

What are your tips for improving presentation skills? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

How to Get Better at Presenting Creative Work (as Told by 5 Copywriters)

Struggling with sharing your ideas, even if you wrote them yourself? Here are some tips on how to give effective and memorable presentations to your bosses and your clients.

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