presentation framework definition

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Structure Your Presentation Like a Story

• Nancy Duarte

To win people over, create tension between the status quo and a better way.

After studying hundreds of speeches, I’ve found that the most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers: By reminding people of the status quo and then revealing the path to a better way, they set up a conflict that needs to be resolved.

• ND Nancy Duarte is a best-selling author with thirty years of CEO-ing under her belt. She’s driven her firm, Duarte, Inc., to be the global leader behind some of the most influential messages and visuals in business and culture. Duarte, Inc., is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley, as well as one of the top woman-owned businesses in the area. Nancy has written six best-selling books, four have won awards, and her new book, DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story , is available now. Follow Duarte on Twitter: @nancyduarte or LinkedIn .

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How a Simple Presentation Framework Helps Students Learn

Explaining concepts to their peers helps students shore up their content knowledge and improve their communication skills.

A few years ago, my colleague and I were awarded a Hawai‘i Innovation Fund Grant. The joy of being awarded the grant was met with dread and despair when we were informed that we would have to deliver a 15-minute presentation on our grant write-up to a room full of educational leaders. If that wasn’t intimidating enough, my colleague informed me that he was not going to be in Hawai‘i at the time of the presentation. I had “one shot,” just a 15-minute presentation to encapsulate all of the 17 pages of the grant I had cowritten, but how?

I worked hard to construct and deliver a presentation that was concise yet explicit. I was clear on the big picture of what the grant was composed of and provided a visual of it in practice. I made sure the audience understood the “why” behind the grant. I showed how it worked, the concrete elements of it, and how they made it successful. I finished with a scaffold that would help others know how to initiate it within their context, giving them the freedom to make it authentically their own.

I received good feedback from the presentation, and more important, what was shared positively impacted student learning in other classrooms across the state.

A Simple Framework for Presentations

That first presentation took me over a month to prepare, but afterward I noticed that my prep time for presentations shrank exponentially from a few months to a few (uninterrupted) days. Interestingly enough, as a by-product of creating the original presentation, I created an abstract framework that I have used for every professional learning presentation I have delivered since then. The “What, Why, How, and How-To” framework goes as follows:

• What? What can the audience easily connect to and know as a bridge to the unknown for the rest of the experience?
• Why? Why should they care to listen to (and learn from) the rest of the presentation? What’s in it for them to shift from passive listeners to actively engaged? The audience needs to know why you believe in this so much that you are compelled to share it.
• How? What are the key elements that make it unique? How is it effective in doing what it does? What are the intricacies of how it works?
• How-to? How could they start doing this on their own? How could this knowledge serve as a foundational springboard? Connect it to “why.”

Benefits for Students

One of the best parts of presentations is that they help the presenter to improve their communication skills. The presenter is learning how to give a presentation by doing it. To prepare a presentation, the presenter must know the intricate elements of what they are presenting and the rationale for their importance. In the presentation delivery, the presenter must be articulate and meticulous to ensure that everyone in the audience is able (and willing) to process the information provided.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that preparing and delivering presentations could provide a valuable learning opportunity for my students.

I recall teaching mathematical concepts whereby students would immediately apply knowledge learned to accomplish the task in silence and without any deeper questioning. Only after I asked them to provide presentations on these concepts did they regularly ask me, “Why is this important, again?” or “What makes this so special?” My students’ mathematical literacy grew through preparing presentations with the “What, Why, How, and How-To” framework, which supported them in their ability to demonstrate content knowledge through mathematical rigor (balancing conceptual understanding, skills and procedural fluency, and real-world application).

• The “what” served as the mathematical concept.
• The “why” demonstrated the real-world application of the concept.
• “The “how” demonstrated conceptual understanding of the concept.
• The “how-to” demonstrated skills and procedures of the concept. 

In addition to content knowledge, the sequential competencies of clarity, cohesiveness, and captivation ensured that the presenter could successfully share the information with their audience. When combined, these framed a rubric that supported students in optimizing their presentation deliveries. The competencies are as follows:

1. Content knowledge. The presenter must display a deep understanding of what they are delivering in order to share the “what, why, how, and how-to” of the topic.

2. Clarity. The presenter must be clear with precise, academic language. As the content they deliver may be new to the audience, any lack of clarity will alienate the audience. Providing multiple modes of representation greatly addresses a variety of processing needs of a diverse audience.

3. Cohesiveness. When making clear connections, the presenter bridges gaps between each discrete component in how they all work together as integral elements of the topic. Any gaps too large may make the elements look disjointed or, worse, the audience feel lost.

4. Captivation. The presenter must captivate the audience through any combination of audience engagement or storytelling . They make the presentation flow with the energy of a song , and in the end, they leave the audience with a delicate balance of feeling fulfilled and inspired to learn more.

Anyone can build an effective presentation with the “What, Why, How, and How-To” framework, along with competencies of content knowledge, clarity, cohesiveness, and captivation. The better we teach and coach others on how to create and deliver presentations, the more we learn from these individuals through their work.

In my class, one multilingual learner responded to the prompt “What are the non-math (life lessons) you have found valuable from this class?” with “I learn what is learning and teaching... I truly understood how teaching is actually learning when I had presentation. I found a bit of desire to being a teacher. I hope you also learned something from this class.” I always learn from my students when they present.

Presentation Guru

The most successful presentations use this framework.

Stories are memorable, stories make a connection and so stories stick. All good. But if you don’t consider yourself a natural raconteur where do you start? Right here… Rob D Willis shares the framework for the perfect business pitch.

“What’s in it for me?”

That’s the question every single member of your audience is asking themselves while you speak. Our job, as speakers, is to answer that, so we can engage, inspire, persuade and inform.

Many speech builders and frameworks lay out the order in which to present information, but do little to highlight what should actually be presented.

I stumbled upon the answer to this in Donald Miller’s book, Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen . I was looking for something to help me as I setup my business as a public speaking coach, but was surprised to find a framework which would also help me create speeches.

The book uses the universal elements of storytelling to help brands connect with their customers. Connection is central to public speaking, and it is formed by an understanding of what the audience wants .

The basic storytelling structure as Miller sees it is:

A character has a problem and meets a guide who gives them a plan and calls them to action that ends in success and avoids failure.

For a marketer, the character would be the customer and the guide the brand. For a public speaker, the character is your audience and the speaker the guide. This is an opinion echoed by Nancy Duarte in her book Resonate .

The great thing about the Storybrand framework is that it methodically takes you through the different steps of the storytelling structure. Using it will give you a powerful lens through which to view your relationship with your audience, and tremendous insight into building a powerful message.

Using the Storybrand Framework In Speechwriting

The Storybrand structure revolves around a worksheet. Go through the questions methodically and fill them in as you go along. I’ll provide a link to the official Storybrand builder at the end of this article.

Note: it’s vital that you limit the number of responses to each question. There should be one character, one problem, one guide and one call-to-action. Just imagine if you saw a movie which had 5 different storylines, three heroes and eighteen villains – it would be impossibly complex to follow. The same goes for presenting: convey only one coherent narrative.

A character

What do they want?

This is the audience. Who are you talking to and what are their objectives? It’s essentially answering the old question “what’s in it for me?”. The book also says that this answer should come from one of the three survival instincts: money, time or status.

…has a problem

Every good story needs a bad guy. Personify the problem that your presentation is solving and make it the bad guy of the speech.

What the problem actually is – e.g. climate change, inequality in the workplace.

How does this problem make your audience feel? Is it fear for the future? Sadness at the loss of something? Humans make decisions emotionally, so your speech has to appeal to their emotions.

Philosophical

Why is this bad? Take a stand and say why you think that the problem is a problem.

…and meets a guide

This is you!

Show that you understand the internal problem and frustrations of the character (your audience). All humans want to feel understood so state explicitly that you know how they feel. This is a vital step in building a connection with your audience.

Demonstrate why you should be the one to show them the way. This might be your credentials or experience, or it might be the extensive research you’ve done on a particular topic. Note that your authority should only relate to how you can better serve the character as a guide. No one cares about how many degrees you have, or languages you can speak, unless it helps them solve their problem.

…who gives them a plan

Whether we are speaking to inform or persuade, there are usually stepping stones towards a final goal. Make sure your audience knows what they are. This step may require some simplification as I wouldn’t recommend including more than 3-5 steps.

When you ask someone to do something, or think in a new way, that carries a fear of loss with it. Miller described the plan phase as stepping stones across a fast river; people don’t want to fall in and be swept away! Show your audience that your path is safe.

…and call to action

I believe all speeches should have a call to action. CTAs are memorable, give the audience an instant win and therefore bolster the speaker’s authority. They also make people far more likely to then go on and take further steps.

Transitional

How should they think now? Connor Neill calls this an “indirect close”, and it is reminding the audience of the pain that the audience will continue to suffer if they do not follow your message.

…that ends in success

How will the world look in the future if the audience does everything you say? You have to show people why things will be better, or there is no motivation to carry out the call to action. This promising vision of the future is great for a motivating close.

…and avoids failure

State what the stakes are and what might happen if nothing is done. How will the problem manifest itself? Using this in an introduction can be a powerful motivator for the audience to listen to the rest of the speech.

Character Transformation

Remember the audience is the hero of your speech . It’s worth considering and outlining the personal transformation which they will go through – how are they how and how will they be having listened to your speech and taken your call-to-action?

What I like most about the Storybrand framework is how it refocuses the entire message of a speech to the needs of the character , our audience. There’s no room for egocentricity in public speaking , though that is a trap many fall into. As public speakers, we must remember our place as guides, not heroes . We bring our message to the world to serve others in their own lives .

The Storybrand framework is so enlightening to both marketers and speechwriters because both attempt to do the same thing: show people – be they customers or an audience – a different vision of the world and persuade them to pursue that – either through buying a product, changing their perspective or way of life.

So next time you sit down to write a speech, take a few minutes to fill out the Storybrand framework and see what insights you can come up with.

You can find the online Storybrand builder at www.mystorybrand.com .

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• The Most Successful Presentations Use This Framework - 2nd March 2020

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What makes an effective presentation + effective presentation strategies

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Anete Ezera August 15, 2022

Presenting is not everyone’s forte, but it’s an important skill that can help you get a job, get a promotion, influence a decision, persuade a large group, and make people understand your point of view. It’s a powerful way to gain control and make your voice heard. If you do it right, you’ll love presenting. However, if your presentation isn’t engaging or easy to follow, you’ll start seeing people’s attention drift away, and eventually, you’ll want it to be over as soon as possible. 

You’ve probably seen some fascinating presentations and some boring presentations. Could you spot the difference between them? What was it that made the engaging presentations effective? 

In this article, we’ll explore what makes an effective presentation, and what preparation you need to do to make sure that your presentation will be a success. We’ll also pinpoint 4 highly-useful tips on how to give an effective presentation. 

Keep reading to learn how to make an effective presentation. 

What makes a presentation effective

An effective presentation keeps you hooked the whole time, no matter whether you watch it online or in person.  There are multiple examples of effective presentations that people have enjoyed listening to. For example, the introduction of the iPhone by Steve Jobs remains one of the most influential speeches. Tony Robbins, an American author, inspired millions of people with his presentation on The Power of Beliefs. If you go through TED talks, you’ll discover several impressive presentations that have hooked thousands and millions of people. 

What do all these effective presentations have in common? Let’s dive into the effective presentation strategies they all share. 

In the list below, discover 5 key elements that make an effective presentation, and make sure to implement them in your next presentation.

#1 Simplicity

Despite what you might think, simplicity can actually be tied to many powerful and effective presentations. In the words of Leonardo da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” 

An effective presentation is simple and to the point. Just because you make a grand presentation with many facts and figures and thought-out details doesn’t make it more effective, nor sophisticated, for that matter. What’s important is that your presentation hits the right points and leaves the audience impressed and persuaded by your message.

You want your presentation to be easy to follow to ensure your audience is engaged from start to finish. To do that, remove anything that doesn’t support your narrative or add substantial value to your presentation. 

When speaking, always focus on your main points and avoid drifting away to other topics or irrelevant details. It’s best not to spend too much time explaining complex theories or terminologies. If you must, give concise, brief summaries of the concepts your audience might not be familiar with, but spend the majority of your presentation focused on the information your audience will have an easier time understanding. Another way to touch on a complex topic is to describe it from a new angle, one that might unlock new understanding for your audience.  

When creating your presentation, use a minimal amount of text. Don’t overwhelm your audience with blocks of text. Your presentation content should act as a compliment to your speech and shouldn’t contain a lot of text or difficult-to-read elements. Simplify your presentation with clearly-legible fonts and a coordinating color scheme. Also, remember to choose a simple yet appealing background that isn’t too busy and highlights the visual elements of your presentation. 

In short, include strong text and visuals to drive your points home. Leave the unnecessary bits out. 

#2 Well-defined structure

Have you ever gotten lost when listening to a presentation? One of the reasons might be that it didn’t have a well-defined structure. 

A clear structure is crucial for a presentation to be effective. Giving a presentation is like telling a story. You need to have a compelling beginning that pulls in listeners. Once everyone is hooked, provide an interesting storyline with conflict, heroes, villains, and other enriching elements. In the end, you need to give an obvious conclusion, leaving the audience to discuss the main takeaways.

Create an outline of your presentation before creating the content of it. You’ll have a better overview of what you want to share. To organize your thoughts, create a mind map using Prezi Design . It’ll help you structure your points and decide when and how to share them.

Having a clearly-defined structure will help your audience to follow your story and get them on the same page as you. You’ll feel more confident when talking because you’ll know your talking points by heart, and your audience will feel more comfortable and engaged when listening to you.

Visuals enrich your presentation, help reinforce your words, highlight important points, and keep your audience engaged. Visuals are powerful tools. Used wisely, they can elevate your presentation to a whole new level.

Most people are visual learners – 65% to be exact. Therefore, visuals play an important role in understanding a topic. By incorporating visuals into your presentation, your audience will have an easier time digesting the information. 

Furthermore, visual aids make presentations more enjoyable and engaging. Just take a look at the examples below. One slide contains only text-based information, while the other also has visuals. Which one do you find more visually appealing?  

Images, video, data visualizations, GIFs, stickers, and animations make a presentation effective. Showcase images or videos to highlight an important point, or incorporate animations to add movement to your presentation. You can also add data visualizations like interactive charts and maps to illustrate essential statistics or valuable information. Plus, you can use infographics to diversify your presentation content and make it more attractive. 

You can find plenty of engaging visuals, like images, video covers, GIFs, stickers, and more in the Prezi library. Also, you can create impressive data visualizations by choosing a pre-designed template or starting from scratch using Prezi Design. You can even use this pre-designed template below. 

When adding visuals to your presentation, don’t forget the golden rule – simplicity. You can enrich your presentation with funny GIFs and interesting videos, but don’t overdo it. Add them where they’ll make the most impact and make sense to your audience. 

#4 Connection with the audience

When giving a presentation, you want your audience to connect with you, and you want to connect with them. Ultimately, you want to feel like you’re having a conversation with your friends. 

Creating a connection can be difficult, especially if you’re presenting online. However, you have to find a way to cultivate a bond to make your audience genuinely interested in what you’re presenting. 

One way to do that is by sharing a personal story at the beginning of your presentation to create a more intimate atmosphere in the room. Share something you’ve struggled with or a common problem your audience members can relate to, or tell a fascinating story that reveals your values and experiences. An anecdote your audience will find amusing would also work, just as long as it relates to your topic. 

Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with your audience from the get-go, so think about incorporating a story element into your presentation to generate this connection. 

Making eye contact with your audience members when presenting is key. If you’re presenting to a small group of people, it’s easy, but if you’re presenting to a wider audience, choose a couple of people to make eye contact with. 

When presenting online, make sure to always remain visible to your audience, so avoid sharing your screen and blocking yourself from viewing. Instead, try Prezi Video and display your content next to you on screen while you maintain a face-to-face connection with your audience. People will feel more connected to you and your presentation if they’ll be able to see you while you’re presenting. Discover what Prezi Video has to offer:

#5 Preparation

Being prepared is the key to presentation success . If you practice something long enough, you’ll be able to master it. Therefore, preparation is one of the most important aspects of an effective presentation. It’s what truly makes an effective presentation and empowers you to be the best speaker you can be. 

You might think that public speaking is not your strong suit, but with dedicated preparation and time invested in improving your public speaking skills, you can impress yourself. 

When practicing your presentation, create a mind map to help you memorize the key points, but don’t stop there. Plan out how you’re going to start and end your presentation . Think about which statement or statistic you want to share to start your presentation speech. Also, decide what’s going to be the last statement or question of your speech. The details matter. 

What’s more, consider the technical requirements and familiarize yourself with the equipment. Whether you’re presenting in a familiar setting or someplace new, become acquainted with the equipment and the surroundings. If you’re presenting online, test-run your slides and visuals, especially if you’re planning to share video or audio materials.

How to give an effective presentation

Now that you know what makes an effective presentation, you might be wondering how to apply them. A stunning presentation will make a killer impression only if you deliver it right. Make sure to follow these effective presentation strategies to give a memorable presentation. 

Stay calm and focused

Sometimes, nerves can get the best of you. Your hands get sweaty, your breath shortens, and your heart starts pounding. If you’re not a fan of public speaking, this is how you might feel about presenting in front of an audience. 

Don’t panic. There’s a way to calm your nerves and appear collected in front of your audience. The last thing you want is for people in the audience to notice your nervousness and for you to mess up because of it. 

Try practicing in front of your friends to get acquainted with speaking in front of people. Also, focus on your topic and shut down intrusive thoughts. If you’re focused on the topic, you’ll have less time to think about other people’s thoughts. Lastly, try breathing exercises to calm down right before presenting, and remember that it’s normal to feel nervous – it means you care. Discover other ways to not be nervous for a presentation.  

Read the room

You have mapped out the whole presentation. However, you can never truly know how your audience will feel and react. They might surprise you. 

When presenting, try to notice how your audience responds to what you’re sharing. Before presenting, if you’re on stage or in a meeting room, you might already get a chance to scan the room or even say hi to some people. Read the room to familiarize yourself with the audience. 

Make your presentation a conversation instead of a monologue, if applicable. Ensure that your audience feels comfortable and understood. If you’re presenting online, use the chat function, and ask people to send in their questions. There’s a higher chance they’ll ask a question if they don’t have to be in the spotlight and ask on camera.

Be aware of your body language

Body language can say a lot about how a person feels, and whether or not theyre confident and comfortable. Body language can influence other people’s connection with you. If you’re talking to a person with inviting body language (for instance, a friendly smile, open posture, or eye contact), you might feel closer to them. 

That’s why you need to work on your body language to appear confident and approachable when presenting. You’ll be able to develop a close connection with your audience and appear trustworthy and friendly. 

Make sure you greet your audience with a smile and keep eye contact. Have an open posture and use hand gestures to articulate your thoughts (without overdoing them). If you’re on stage, you can even walk around the stage to develop command of the room.

Choose easy-to-use tools

When delivering your presentation, you want to look and feel confident. Technical mishaps and confusing presentation tools can pose an issue. Make sure you use convenient, good-looking presentation tools that make your presentation look professional and engaging. 

If you’re presenting in a virtual setting, it can be challenging to hold your audience’s attention, and there’s a higher chance of technical issues. 

To engage your audience and create an easy-to-use presentation, check out Prezi Present . You can save time by choosing a pre-designed presentation template or creating a unique-looking presentation from scratch. With Prezi Video, share your content next to you on-screen, which will help you engage your audience throughout your presentation. 

Before presenting, you can go through your slides and even record yourself with Prezi Video to test-run your presentation. As a result, you’ll feel prepared and confident. 

There’s a lot that goes into creating and delivering an impressive presentation. However, a few key elements make the greatest impact on your presentation. Follow these points and check out 14 effective presentation tips to further improve your presentations. Also, if you’re presenting online, familiarize yourself with the virtual presentation framework by Micheal Lee to impress your virtual audience. 

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How to Write an Effective Presentation Outline

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

Creating a presentation can be nerve-wracking, especially when you're staring at a blank slate.

You’ve probably got tons of ideas bouncing around, but turning them into a slick, impressive presentation is proving a hard nut to crack.

News flash: You’re not alone.

About 80% of presentations fail to deliver their objectives due to poorly organized information, a lack of preparation and scruffy slide decks.

So, how do you avoid this disaster? It all boils down to having a solid presentation outline. Think of it as a roadmap that helps you organize and share your ideas in a clear and logical way.

With the right presentation outline, you can stay on track, keep your audience hooked and ultimately convey your message with clarity and impact.

So whether you're pitching to investors, partners or clients or preparing a presentation for a conference, this article has everything you need to know about writing an effective presentation outline.

Let’s get to it!

Table of Contents

What is the outline of a presentation, why is a presentation outline important, how to write a presentation outline, how to execute your presentation outline with visme.

• A presentation outline will help you organize your thoughts to communicate with your audience clearly and easily. It clarifies the presenter’s primary ideas and organizes the flow of your presentation.
• A presentation outline consists of critical components that are logically arranged for coherence. Utilize best practices, including formatting, audience analysis and visual cues, to deliver the message with impact.
• Use interactive elements from Visme, such as hotspots, polls, animations and links, to add interactivity to your presentation outline.
• Create a presentation outline by signing up for Visme's extensive online presentation tool without dealing with complicated tool setup or program installation issues.

A presentation outline refers to the barebones version of a talk or a speech that summarizes the main points and takes the general direction of the pitch. It allows presenters to structure the flow of information in a manner that is easy to understand.

Without an outline, your presentation can be a nightmare. You could end up shuffling slides around indefinitely and appearing confused. To avoid this situation, the outline clearly lists out everything you want your presentation to achieve.

Before creating your outline, consider the goal of your presentation, who will listen to it, and what interests them. This will help you organize your content to keep them engaged.

Here’s an excellent example of a presentation with an outline.

An outline for presentation is a valuable tool that can assist you in several ways:

• You can ensure that your thoughts flow smoothly and that important points are highlighted and not overlooked.
• Creating an outline for a presentation can help you generate ideas for your presentation and give you a clear notion of what to focus on.
• A presentation outline acts as a foundation for your speaking notes, allowing you to rehearse and prepare effectively.
• It helps you stay more confident because of your polished presentation.

Now that we know why we need to make a presentation outline, let’s dive deeper into how you can write a presentation outline.

1. Decide the Purpose of the Presentation

Decide on the goal of your presentation before you start writing any notes. It serves as a base for the remainder of your outline. Your presentation may have one of the following six objectives: to inform, convince, motivate, inspire action or entertain.

A business, for instance, might use presentations for various reasons. A sales presentation outline would try to convince potential customers to buy a product, while a training presentation might educate staff members on new techniques.

Once you determine this, answer the following questions to specify the purpose.

• What is the main message you want to convey to your audience?
• What problem are you trying to solve and how can your presentation help?
• What is the desired outcome of your presentation and how will you measure its success?
• What key takeaways do you want your audience to remember after your presentation?
• What challenges or objections may your audience have and how can you address them in your presentation?

Upon answering them, write your purpose and summarize it into one or two sentences, then put that on your first slide.

2. Prepare a Structure

Making an excellent presentation starts with a great outline. But the structure is what amplifies the impact of your delivery.

An eye-catching introduction, a body and a conclusion emphasizing your primary ideas are the three essential components of a successful speech .

Here’s what you should include while creating the structure of your presentation .

• An introduction

3. Flesh out Your Outline

Now that you know what to include in the structure, let’s break it down step by step about how to write the outline.

Gather Ideas

When brainstorming, consider the most important things you want to discuss. These could be key points, stories to share, or facts and numbers you want to tell your audience. Write them all down, even if they initially seem a bit random.

Organize your ideas and determine the main message

Armed with a bucket list of ideas, you must later organize and group them. Look for patterns, connections and relationships between your ideas.

Find the most important idea—the main thing you want to tell your audience. Make sure it's clear, short and something they'll find interesting. Recheck your ideas and remove anything that doesn't match your main message or the people you're talking to.

Create a Skeleton Outline

Now that you’ve gathered ideas, it's time to build the framework for your presentation.

Introduction

Begin by introducing your topic and explaining why it's essential. Think of it as the curtain-raiser that gets your audience's attention. Also, clearly state the main point you'll discuss—your "thesis" or purpose for the presentation.

Create a skeleton outline of your presentation by breaking down this main message into smaller parts. Use bullet points or headings to organize these bits of information.

Think of the main points as the big chapters and the subpoints as the smaller sections within those chapters.

To make your presentation flow smoothly, add transitions between your points. These can be simple phrases like "Let's move on to the next point" or "Now, let's build on what we've just discussed." And when you're nearing the end, use a transition like "In conclusion."

Once you have your skeleton outline, add supporting evidence to each point. It could include statistics, case studies, quotes, images, or videos. Make sure whatever you add fits well and backs up your main message.

As you reach the end of the presentation, tie everything together with a solid conclusion. Start by recapping the main points you covered throughout your presentation. It helps reinforce what you've shared and ensure your message sticks.

Next, emphasize the key takeaways—those crucial nuggets of wisdom you want your audience to remember long after the presentation.

Now, consider including a call to action. It is where you invite your audience to do something based on what they've learned. It could be as simple as asking them to share their thoughts, sign up for more information or even take a specific action related to your topic.

If you're feeling creative, create a unique call to action that inspires your audience to engage further.

For instance, if you’re presenting a project presentation to a group of people, you might seek to win their support for your idea or get them involved in its execution. Your audience should know what they get from taking action.

If you need help generating ideas for your presentation, Visme AI writer can help. You can enhance your outline content with fresh angles, Call to Action (CTAs), examples and data points.

Remind the audience of your central point and express gratitude for their attention in the conclusion if the presentation doesn't require a call to action.

As your presentation winds down, open the floor to questions or discussion. It encourages interaction and lets your audience clarify any doubts they may have.

Lastly, list the sources you used in your presentation and acknowledge any individuals or organizations that contributed to your research or material development. It adds credibility and respect to your work.

Read our guide to learn more about how to close a presentation with style . Also, watch this video to learn how to create CTAs that make your audience do your bidding.

4. Add Visual Content

Consider adding visual content, as it has a higher recall rate than text based or video content. It can add meaning to your message, increase interest and invite the viewer to click and consume your content.

Here’s an example of a presentation outline with a colorful image that makes the slide pop.

Visuals can be anything from infographics, videos, photos, GIFs or memes, screenshots or illustrations. However, if you’re including statistics and research findings in your presentation outline slide, consider creating a visual representation of that data.

Visme’s data visualization tools make this easy. They take your data and turn it into beautiful and comprehensive visuals.

Whether you want to create bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, area charts, histograms, or donut charts, Visme has a wide range of options.

Remember that you don’t need to include all of these visuals while creating the outline. Just mention where and on which slide you’d place the visual elements. It’ll help you organize your ideas as you dive into the body of the presentation.

5. Pay Attention to Color and Design

You must pay attention to the colors, design, layout and style to capture the audience's attention and interest. It must look consistent to give a neat look and feel.

When creating an outline, finalize what color combination and typography you'll use throughout your creative presentation .

Below are the tips you should consider when deciding on it Use color moderately

Everyone enjoys color; that is obvious. Nevertheless, using too many colors might result in chaotic, unattractive presentations.

Your audience's understanding and reaction to your presentation may depend on your color scheme. For instance, choosing dark and subdued colors when discussing a serious subject may be effective. Bright and bold colors may be preferable if your theme is engaging or imaginative.

You don't want the colors in your design to appear intimidating or overpowering to your audience since every color has both good and bad connotations. Hence, understanding marketing color psychology becomes essential.

Watch this video to learn more about color psychology and how to use it in your upcoming presentation design.

Make use of clear and consistent typography

Optimizing your typography can impact how people interpret your message. Therefore, ensure your presentation slide looks well-organized and polished and conveys the intended information.

Here's how you can accomplish that:

• Use fonts that reflect your brand's essence.
• Throughout your presentation, maintain consistency in your text styles. We advise you to use up to three typefaces.
• Avoid using intricate fonts and small, difficult-to-read text. Use readable fonts like Arial, Times News Roman and Calibri for tiny and large screens.
• For titles and at least the body content, use a font size of 34–36.

When putting out your presentation outline, using a tool like Visme can significantly improve your ability to create visually appealing and polished presentations quickly.

The templates from Visme are professionally designed to help you save hours and effort.

Hear what one of our customers has to say about our designs:

Web Designer & Digital Marketing Specialist

Let’s get started on how you can make a presentation outline.

1. Log in to Visme & Choose a Template

Log in or Sign up free to Visme and then click the "Create New" button.

Select "Presentations" from the "Project" menu to browse through Visme's collection of presentation templates. Use a blank or pre-designed template to start from scratch with your presentation design.

Visme offers 500+ presentation templates split into 20+ topic categories, including pitch decks, interactive, business and more. So even if you have no prior knowledge of presentation design, you will likely find an excellent template to use as a starting point.

2. Find the Right Visuals and Design Assets

After you select the template, decide what visuals you will use in the presentation outline. The visuals you select will significantly impact the presentation's overall appearance and feel

Visme gives you access to thousands of high-quality, royalty-free photos and design assets To find your preferred image, browse and select using a particular keyword.

And still, if you don’t find the perfect image for your design needs, you can use Visme's AI image generator to generate professional-quality photos, graphics, art, drawings and paintings.

You simply need to input an accurate prompt that describes what you want. The wizard will automatically generate and present multiple options for you. Additionally, you may use the Visme AI image photo editor to transform your photos into a masterpiece.

3. Choose Legible fonts

Selecting the right brand fonts for your presentation outline holds the same importance as choosing your brand colors .

If the chosen typefaces are of high quality, i.e., easy to read, it can positively impact the audience's understanding of the presentation's context.

But a font that’s too small or hard to read can lead to waning interest and the oversight of essential information. To overcome this situation, we recommend you check out the list of 20 best fonts for presentations for your upcoming one!

Remember to limit the fonts you use to three: one for the title, one for the subheaders and one for the body of your text.

When creating a presentation outline, use your brand fonts to ensure the presentation better reflects your brand voice. This helps maintain consistency and uniformity.

You can easily create and save your branding elements with the brand kit. Or use paste your website URL into Visme's brand wizard to automatically extract your brand assets (fonts, color and logo).

Moreover, to ensure that your key brand information is accurate across all slides while doing the outline, simply create new dynamic fields or edit existing ones. You can assign values and your data will update in real time, speeding up your editing process.

4. Make your Presentation Interactive

One of the most challenging tasks for a presenter is keeping their audience intrigued and engaged. Adding interactivity to your presentation can help attract and hold your audience's attention throughout the presentation.

The best part is that it doesn’t have to be a tough task. If you’re looking to create an immersive experience for your audience and increase engagement, Visme offers interactivity and animation features such as hotspots, hover effects and clickable menus.

You don't need to do everything while making your presentation outline; just remember where to place interactive elements to create an engaging experience for your audience.

5. Revise the Outline Flow

Once you have finished creating the outline, review your slides again to ensure each section flows into the next without disruption. This step is crucial for creating a smooth presentation overview and maintaining audience engagement.

Additionally, if you want to inform viewers about a new idea between portions, use visual cues. For instance, use an eye-catching design element or an inverted color scheme for every transitional slide.

Employee feedback across the company is often needed while creating a presentation outline. The marketing team may want to highlight your growing customer base, while the finance team may add some income and spending numbers.

After the review, feel free to eliminate any redundant or unnecessary information.

You can collaborate with your team and improve your project with Visme’s collaboration tools . Collaborators can access the document and pin, circle, annotate, highlight, add comments and more. This way, you can see your team members' feedback and resolve the comments in real-time.

6. Share It With the Team

We understand the frustration of investing hours of hard work into crafting a presentation only to have it rejected by our superiors or boss.

Sharing and showcasing your work can be beneficial for getting feedback on your presentation outline. You can easily share and publish your presentation online using Visme. It opens the door for simple access and review by enabling you to distribute it quickly using a generated URL or simply embed it on your website.

Watch this video to learn how to collaborate using Visme.

Presentation Outline FAQs

Q. what are the 5 steps to outlining a presentation.

Creating well-structured presentation outlines is essential for successful presentations. Here are the 5 steps:

• Define Your Presentation Goal: What do you want your audience to learn or do after your presentation?
• Brainstorm Ideas: Generate a list of main points and supporting ideas related to your goal.
• Organize Your Thoughts: Arrange your ideas in a logical flow, considering what information builds upon the previous.
• Create a Clear Structure: Craft a compelling introduction, a well-organized body with your main points, and a concise conclusion that reinforces your message.
• Refine and Polish: Review and revise your outline to ensure clarity, conciseness and a smooth transition between sections.

Q. What Are the Three Basic Parts of a Presentation Outline?

A presentation outline typically consists of three main parts:

• Introduction: Hook your audience, introduce your topic, establish your credibility and clearly state your main message or thesis.
• Body: This is the heart of your presentation, where you present your main points and supporting evidence. Use clear transitions between points and maintain a logical flow to keep your audience engaged.
• Conclusion: Briefly summarize your key points, repeat your main message for reinforcement and end with a strong call to action or a memorable takeaway for your audience.

Q. What is a Presentation Script Outline?

A presentation script outline is a detailed, word-for-word plan for your presentation. It includes everything you'll say, from opening to closing remarks. This outline helps ensure you deliver your message smoothly and stay on track, especially if you feel nervous or working on complex information.

Q. What Is the Difference Between a Presentation Outline and a Speaking Outline?

A presentation outline is your presentation's comprehensive blueprint, covering all the main points and supporting details. A speaking outline, or speaker note, is a shorter version used as a reference while presenting. It typically includes key phrases, cues and transitions to guide you through your talk.

Level Up Your Presentations with Visme

As we have explored the ins and outs of making a presentation outline, it's clear that this process goes beyond just putting bullet points in order.

By organizing each part of your outline, arranging sub-points and adding visuals, you're crafting an immersive experience for your audience. This experience grabs attention, helps them understand and keeps them engaged.

With Visme, you can create an impressive presentation outline with an intuitive editor and advanced features. Additionally, if you want your audience to watch your presentation at their convenience, you can use Visme's presentation recording software .

Visme offers a wide selection of templates to take your presentation outline to the next level. There are millions of pixel-perfect graphics, icons and design elements to make your presentation come to life.

Sign-up today and make your presentation shine.

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About the Author

Unenabasi is a content expert with many years of experience in digital marketing, business development, and strategy. He loves to help brands tell stories that drive engagement, growth, and competitive advantage. He’s adept at creating compelling content on lifestyle, marketing, business, e-commerce, and technology. When he’s not taking the content world by storm, Unenabasi enjoys playing or watching soccer.

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Land your dream job, use this framework for your best presentations yet.

Deborah Swerdlow

Think about the best presentations, workshops, or trainings you’ve attended—the ones that gave you new ideas, made you feel empowered or inspired, or pushed you to implement something new in the office.

None of that happened by accident. The person leading the session probably thought carefully about their goals and desired outcomes for the session. They decided what they wanted you to take away from it and then planned the content and format to achieve those outcomes.

A few years ago, a co-worker suggested the “know, feel, do” framework—a helpful approach for setting desired outcomes. As the name implies, it boils down to laying out what you want participants to know, feel, and do as a result of attending your session. I now use it for every meeting, presentation, or training that I plan.

Read on to learn what it looks like in practice, and to get some helpful tips to guide you in using this framework.

When you’re planning a presentation or training, you’ll probably have at least one (if not more) “know” statements in your desired outcomes. That’s because your expertise is the reason why you’re leading the session. For example: 

• For a presentation at your organization’s board meeting, a desired outcome could be: “I want the board members to know what we learned from the community survey and how we’re adjusting our programs in response to the feedback.”
• If you’re leading a fundraising workshop, one of your desired outcomes could be: “I want attendees to know how to craft an end-of-year fundraising strategy.”
• If you’re training volunteers on how to staff a caller hotline, a desired outcome could be: “I want participants to know the hotline protocol and understand why it’s important.”

Achieving your "know" outcomes

Many people default to giving a slide presentation when they have knowledge to share—and that’s not always bad! But you don’t want to give a slide presentation that puts people to sleep or bombards them with information they won’t remember.

To make your slide presentations more engaging, try one of these ideas:

• Incorporate interactivity, which helps people stay engaged and retain the information. For example, you can use an online tool like Kahoot! to set up a quiz or Poll Everywhere (which has a free option and four pricing levels) to set up a live poll. Pro Tip: Polls are a great way to add interactivity to virtual presentations like webinars!
• Do a PechaKucha , a timed presentation where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds, and the slides advance automatically. This format challenges you to keep your content short (6 minutes and 40 seconds total), and it challenges your audience to pay attention as things move quickly.
• Supplement your presentation with role-playing scenarios or a worksheet to help attendees apply the information and reinforce what they learn.

The renowned poet Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

This saying applies to interpersonal interactions and larger settings like presentations, workshops, and trainings. No matter how well you structure your session, some of the knowledge you share will eventually fade. But the feelings people experienced in your session—positive or negative—will remain vivid.

If you’re intentional about your desired outcomes and how you run the session, you can avoid instilling feelings of boredom or exasperation. Using the same three examples from above you could aspire to one of these positive “feel” outcomes:

• Board presentation: “I want board members to feel committed to the program changes we are making as a result of the community survey.”  
• Fundraising workshop: “I want attendees to feel excited about end-of-year fundraising instead of dreading it.”
• Volunteer training: “I want volunteers to feel empowered to staff the hotline during their shifts and judge how to handle each situation.”

Achieving your "feel" outcomes

If you want people to feel empowered, role-playing scenarios will also do the trick here. Part of empowerment is feeling confident in your ability to do something, so a role-play gives you a chance to do it! 

People can also feel empowered by listening to success stories from their peers. This is often more convincing than hearing a workshop leader tell them they can do something.

For other “feel” outcomes, like feeling excited or inspired, think about what makes you feel that way in a presentation or workshop. Is it hearing new ideas? Brainstorming how you’ll implement these ideas back home? Connecting with other people in the room and discussing what you’ve learned? You can also ask friends and colleagues these questions to inform how you structure your session.

In some ways, this is the entire point of your session. Ultimately, you want people to do something—whether that’s doing something new or doing something differently.

These desired outcomes don’t always include the word “do,” but they are action-oriented. For example:

• Board presentation: “I want board members to act as ambassadors in the community for the program changes we are making.”  
• Fundraising workshop: “I want attendees to revise and share their end-of-year fundraising plans with each other to receive feedback.”
• Volunteer training: “I want volunteers to complete three shifts in the next six months .

Achieving your “do” outcomes

One way to get people to do something as a result of your session is to ask them to make a commitment at the end. Writing down their commitment increases the likelihood that they’ll follow through. You can also ask people to share their commitment with someone next to them or with the full group, so others can hold them accountable to following through.

Another way to achieve these desired outcomes is to incorporate the action itself (not just the commitment) into the end of your session. For example, you can set aside a portion of the fundraising workshop for people to revise their end-of-year fundraising plan and get real-time feedback from their peers.

Make sure the content you cover—and how it's delivered—will help achieve your desired "know, feel, do" outcomes. We've got a few final tips to get you started:

• Your desired outcomes need to match the time you have—meaning that if you only have 30 minutes, you probably can’t accomplish five outcomes. If you feel like you’re trying to pack too much into the time, consider whether to de-prioritize one or more of the outcomes.
• Prepare people for the session so they know what to expect. If you have a way to communicate with attendees beforehand, you can share the desired outcomes—they don’t have to be a secret! People like knowing what they can expect from a session. This means you’ll get people in the room who want to be there and are committed to those outcomes.
• If you’re going to survey people afterward to get feedback and inform your debrief of the session , structure your evaluation to measure the desired outcomes. For example, you can ask people to rate how much they agree with one of your “know, feel, and do” statements, such as “I felt empowered about…” or “I learned…”

How will you use this framework the next time you plan a presentation, workshop, or training? Tweet at us to share your experience. 

As a nonprofit advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C., Deborah works with groups across the country to educate their communities and lawmakers about public policies that can help low-income residents make ends meet. She is passionate about helping people connect their interests to a cause they believe in and empowering them to take action.

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• Free Template
• Tips and Trick
• How it works
• Create a project

• Identify 4 Types of Useful Presentation Framework

Framework or presentation format is made to keep the quality of the presented content in which matched to the purpose and not too overwhelming for audience. Know the four types of framework that you can use for completing your slides, read the following.

is a type of presentation which include heavy data and need to be analyzed further, such as marketing planning, advertising budget planning, and recommendation proposals (for corporates). This framework is built up with the factual data that translated into quick conclusion hence the presentation can be understood easier and tend to be meaningful for anyone in the room. You can easily use the "problem and solution" conversation along the presentation slides. The order of the framework consists of: the root of the problem - the factors of consideration - the analysis (data) - the solution / recommendation.

is a presentation type which has been prepared into conclusion (there's no further explanation how conclusion has been made) such as an annual / quarter report from a branch / manager head. A sequence of this presentation framework is started with the background of such condition, followed with the results achieved (it might be sales achievement or anything with quick comparison of last year), also conclusions and suggestions. Real example of company profile sequences with informative frameworks:

- slide company history

- slide vision and mission

- slide products / services 

- slide management profile / organization 

- slide corporate network (branch office)

- slide financial highlights (especially public companies)

- slide conclusions.

This framework aims to "sell" the ideas we present. The sequence with this framework usually begins with AIDA format (one of famous communication theory) which is raising Attention in the beginning - gaining Interest - encourages Desire - pursue audience to take Action. Start with an exciting slide show (such as the current happening issue), write down the benefits audiences can get from your product and also the Call to Action phrases like "Join Now" or "Limited Offer, Sign Up Today!" as well as phone numbers or website addresses that can be reached. You may also adding testimonials from existing client to make it more valid along with clients' logos.

This framework is somewhat similar to the informative framework, but the content is loaded with heavier information that tailored made to educate the audience (not just focusing on the promotion of the company's products / services). The exact sequence for this framework is the topic (what) - why this topic is useful (why) - what are the appropriate tips (how to) - conclusions.

Any framework that you choose, make sure it's well prepared with suitable design. DoctorSlide is ready to assist you in translating the framework with expected design as you wish.

If you like our articles, help us to share this knowledge via social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn) thanks a bunch and have a nice day! :) 

Disclaimer: this article originated written in Bahasa and being translated using Google Translate hence please understand if there's any mistake of tenses and/or misunderstanding that occurred. Thank you for reading!

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More Tips and Tricks

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for  GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

• Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

• Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

• Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

• Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

• Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

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7 Visual Frameworks for Strategy Analysis Presentation

• June 13, 2017
• Management , Strategy Management

There are dozens of frameworks you can use for strategy analysis, from the classical SWOT model to the BCG matrix. The question is which one to choose and how to illustrate the strategy engagingly and understandably for your audience. As usual, the simplest way is the best 🙂

Transform your business presentations with our expert resources. Discover more on our business performance presentations webpage.

Frameworks for Strategy Analysis and Planning

Below is the list of key tools used for strategic management. Starting with techniques for analyzing the current business situation and market opportunities and finishing with methods for planning the next company moves:

• SWOT analysis
• Porter’s Five Forces
• Business Review
• PEST and PESTEL analysis
• SMART goals
• Roadmaps for strategy planning

Choose the strategy model that fits your market and situation. We used those models in our business, however, we are not management consultants ourselves. But as presentation designers, we can advise you on how to present the selected model using simple diagrams .

Check out those books for entrepreneurs and managers , they will help you define the strategy you need and the tools to use.

In this article, you will find various ways to show and illustrate these strategy frameworks.

1. Business Review – visual summarizing KPIs and results

Have you ever thought that financial data can be interesting and not boring? 🙂 There is a way to make financial results more interesting, show sales, production, accounting data, and other KPIs in eye-catching visual form. What is more, the solution is simple: just add a few simple shapes and change plain numbers to colorful, simple infographics. Example of  business review visual slides

If you want to find more inspiration on making similar diagrams, check this blog article “ How to Make Attractive Annual Company Review “.

2. SWOT Analysis – diagrams for understanding strong and weak points

A SWOT analysis is a useful tool for brainstorming and strategic planning. You’ll get more value from a SWOT analysis if you conduct it with a specific objective or question in mind. The crucial step is to move away from usually busy SWOT findings notes to clean and eye-catchy slides presenting all SWOT areas. Illustration of  SWOT one-pager 

Do you need to add more details to your SWOT presentation? Reuse the same graphics. A slide costs you nothing so don’t be afraid to split busy slides into several ones. You can assign a color and symbol to each of the 4 SWOT areas to identify them in your presentation.

For more inspiration on using SWOT check this article with examples of how to grab attention to all issues of SWOT presentation.  If you prefer conducting your SWOT analysis online, there are also a bunch of mobile and cloud apps for personal or company SWOT as well.

3. PEST Analysis – testing your external environment

PEST analysis is commonly used in strategic and marketing planning or product development. If you are looking for more PEST visualizations, read our article on How to create a great PEST slide or presentation.

4. Porter’s Five Forces – a framework for identifying a company’s environment

Porter’s Five Forces is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. This model helps you understand both the strength of your current competitive position and the strength of a position you’re considering moving into.

Here are some ideas on how to present Porter’s 5 forces creatively . You may also search for a more detailed explanation of how to analyze the competitive environment in this  article.

5. BCG Matrix – identifying customer segments

BCG matrix is designed to help a business consider growth opportunities by reviewing its portfolio of products to decide where to invest, discontinue, or develop products. More ideas on how to present the BCG matrix.

6. SMART Goals – ensuring  your objectives are clear and reachable

To set effective goals, use the S.M.A.R.T. method of defining them. If you present the goals in nice eye-catching ways, you can reach better engagement by your audience. Design templates of  SMART goals  benchmark tables

If you write your plans and targets in text only, people will not be eager to read and remind them often. On the other side, if you present them in a clear aesthetic way, people will remember them longer (we wrote more about it in this blog How to make SMART goals visually engaging).

7. Roadmaps – presenting a long-term vision

A well-designed strategic roadmap is like a GPS for your business . It’s one of the best tools to lift the fog and make your vision clear for everyone on the team.

Roadmap slide deck illustration for project planning

I recommend using those five steps  (Forbes article) to create an effective long-term or short-term strategy:

• Check where you are
• Prioritize what’s important
• What to achieve
• Who will do it, who’s accountable

Once you have it, it’s time to pack it into a nice engaging presentation design. See the blog  Three Creative Ways to Do a Roadmap slide .

Whatever your planning level and context are, the visual roadmap can be one of the best weapons in your communication arsenal.

Those are seven essential tools for strategic planning and implementation. Check specific framework graphics in the infoDiagram business diagrams collection to find what you need.

You may want to create your own slides and use more models than we suggested. For this purpose, we recently created an infographics do-it-yourself collection:  Flat Infographic Presentation Templates.

For more inspiration, subscribe to our YouTube channel:

Explore our blog to get ideas for Strategic Planning Presentations.

Conclusion – Make Your Strategy Visual

As you can see, all those strategy tools can be pretty easily visualized. Even if using plain simple PowerPoint shapes – 4 colorful rectangles for the matrix or a wide arrow for roadmaps.

Here’s what a professional management consultancy principal told us about using such visual frameworks in her work:

“As a management consultant, it is important for me to visually display my slides in a way that not only appeals to my clients, but also sets the quality of my work apart and gives more life to my message.”

Astrid Malval-Beharry from StratMaven Operations Consulting Firm

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Get new presentation ideas and updates sent directly to you! Plus, if you sign up for our free newsletter now, you’ll receive a  Creative slide design guide  for free, as well as hand-drawn shapes you can start using right now.

What tool do you use the most in the strategic analysis? Drop us a line in the comments 🙂

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Home Blog Business SCQA Framework: Definition, Examples & How To Use It

SCQA Framework: Definition, Examples & How To Use It

Structuring information is just as important as gathering the required details to form a narrative. Your message should be structured to make your content easy to understand, with clarity regarding what is to be discussed. The SCQA framework by Barbra Minto provides a logical flow to structure your message. Let us show you how you can make your message more engaging using SCQA.

What is SCQA?

SCQA stands for situation, complication, question, and answer. This is a logical flow to structure your message to make it engaging for the reader. SCQA has a wide range of applications, particularly in communication-related to business.

Be it a presentation, report, email, or value proposition, using SCQA can make the message more attractive to the reader and result in a favorable outcome. For example, a potential client follows up on your call to action because the message appears compelling. Similarly, you can use SCQA to structure your pitch deck to grab the attention of a potential investor or use the framework to structure your reports to make them easier to read for the reader.

The ‘situation’ is a part of the flow of information that comes at the very beginning. This contains agreed points and information that is recognizable. This is the part where you also define the problem and state the set of facts related to the current situation. Let’s assume you are presenting a PowerPoint pitch deck for an app that tracks the customer journey to help boost sales using e-commerce platforms. In such a case the situation would include well-established facts related to e-commerce and the customer journey and the need for efficient software to track it for boosting sales.

Complication

A ‘complication’ in the SCQA framework is the problem that you are working on or the change in circumstances. It is the reason for your entire narrative. A complication can be a result of both an internal or external change. This should be well defined in the narrative.

A presenter delivering a pitch deck has a bright idea that can help solve a problem by providing a useful product or service. Similarly, a client reading a compelling ad is there because he or she wants something. In order to make a compelling case for the call to action, you need to define the problem well enough to attract the consumer.

The ‘question’ identifies your hypothesis regarding the solution. If you are presenting a pitch deck before a potential investor, you need to pose questions regarding the complication. Perhaps you have a product that can boost sales and result in a long-term profit if the investor provides you with the required funding. Maybe the product you are producing is one of a kind and the demand for it can be immense in the market. Let’s assume you need funding for your app that can provide analytics regarding the customer journey for an e-commerce website. In such a case you might want to ask questions about the efficiency of existing analytical software and how they fall short of expectations.

The ‘answer’ in the SCQA model is the response to the questions you have asked. It is important to provide compelling answers. These answers might not be the definitive truth but answers to the questions posed by you during your narrative. If you are offering investors a chance to invest in a promising venture, you cannot guarantee success but there is a good amount of chance that the investment is going to pay off.

Sticking to our example of an analytical software capable of boosting sales via e-commerce platforms, you can present your app as a solution to the question asked in the previous section. This is an example of how an answer can help structure your message using SCQA.

Barbara Minto’s Pyramid Principle and SCQA Framework

The SCQA framework was developed by Barbra Minto, who was also the developer of the Pyramid Principle. As explained in our previous post, the Pyramid Principle provides the answer at the beginning, followed by supporting arguments, which are then followed up with data and facts. This enables the audience to see the supporting argument, data, and facts in light of the hypothesis presented at the start. Allowing for a better analysis of the hypothesis itself.

The SCQA framework, unlike the Pyramid Principle, presents the answer at the very end. It begins with the current situation, the problem, the question regarding the core issue, followed by your solution for the problem. This is more of a conventional approach towards presenting your message, albeit in a more refined manner.

Examples of using SCQA to Structure Your Message

When using the SCQA framework, you can structure your message for a variety of purposes. Since the framework is widely used for business writing , it can be used in everything from your reports and PowerPoint presentations to emails, storyboards, product descriptions, and value propositions.

Using SCQA in Presentations

SCQA can be used for virtually any type of presentation, especially business presentations. Let’s say you are presenting a presentation regarding the results of a recent investment by your organization in a new market before the senior management and want to make the flow of information more structured. Using SCQA, you can start with the situation, present the complication, ask relevant questions, and provide the solution.

Example: You work for a telecom company that recently invested in a country in South Asia with a growing telecom user base. It has been a year since the investment and the company only has a 5% market share. A recent user survey has yielded some compelling results that might help the company identify the issue.

For this example, using the SCQA framework you first need to state the situation, i.e. the investment of the company in a promising market. You can also present a few key figures to show the sales performance. This will lead you towards the complication, the inability of the company to attract a sizeable number of consumers despite being in the market for a year. This will be followed by the question. In this case, a suitable question can be; ‘why aren’t consumers interested in the service of your company compared to competitors?’.

The answer can be presented at the end with a solution. In our example, a user satisfaction survey identified that competitor telecom companies have been offering more compelling rates. While many consumers rated the voice quality of the company to be better than competitors, the call and internet bundles are a bit expensive. The answer, in this case, would be to present a pricing structure that can help the company attract customers, complemented with a compelling marketing campaign that can help make the new packages a hit with customers.

Using SCQA to Structure an Email

Many people might not think much about their communication via email. However, presenting complex information in a few lines and using the right words can make a world of difference. Using the right structure and tone can save you from miscommunication and provide your message with clarity.

Example: You are writing an email that will be sent to customers who have subscribed to your monthly newsletter. You want to write something related to the new ice cream flavors your company has launched and want to encourage people to buy them.

When writing an email, be it for marketing purposes or informing customers regarding a new product, the basic structure would include stating the situation, e.g. it’s time for summer and people are looking to satisfy their ice cream cravings. The complication is that people might be tired of the old flavors and want something fresh. You can pose the question whether the customers would be interested in new and delicious flavors? The answer would be your new flavors mentioned at the end with a call to action.

Using SCQA to Improve Reports

One of the banes of reporting is the difficulty they can pose in making them cohesive and easy to understand amidst endless charts, tables, and figures. SCQA can help you uncomplicate your reports.

Example: Let’s say you have to create a report based on a consumer satisfaction survey your company conducted. Such a report can be difficult to interpret and boring for the reader under normal circumstances. By using SCQA, you can structure it to start with the basic information regarding the current situation, i.e. where does your company stand in terms of market share, revenue, and how does it currently fare in the target market. This can be followed by the issue at hand, e.g. stagnation in the market.

You can pose questions that might be relevant to the situation to ask as to why the market has stagnated for your business. The answer at the end can be the key findings from the survey, such as a dip in satisfaction of the consumers or perhaps their preference for a competitor product with more features.

Using SCQA to Write a Value Proposition or Product Descriptions for E-commerce

Value propositions or product descriptions can be structured using SCQA just like any other message. When making such a description for e-commerce, you can make use of analytical data to map the customer journey to make your description more compelling.

Example: You are an employee at an e-commerce company tasked with writing a compelling product description for PowerPoint templates sold via your website. You can start with what the product is about, i.e. premium PowerPoint templates, describe the complication. This can be the lack of quality templates for people looking to create presentations with accurate maps. Something that your company specializes in producing.

You can pose questions like; ‘are you looking for an Animated Map PowerPoint Template for a country, continent, or regions?’. This can be followed by the answer that your company provides premium, animated map templates for every country, continent, and various regions. You can mention features that make your service stand out, such as the fact that other than countries and continents, your website also provides customers access to editable map templates for EU countries, the SAARC region, the Middle East, etc.

Using SCQA for Storyboarding

The SCQA framework is pretty close to storyboarding your message to build a compelling narrative. This can be literally translated into a storyboard just as easily.

Example: You are making a storyboard for an Android app that is meant to educate children about preventive measures to take when going to school to avoid contracting COVID-19. In this case, you can describe the current state of the pandemic, the problem of living with the COVID-19 pandemic until it can be tackled in a better way with new research and medicines, pose questions around safety, and then show multiple-choice questions to test the knowledge of the user with a rating-based system. The answers revealed at each stage will be informative for the user to test how accurate their knowledge is regarding COVID-19 and preventive measures to take at school, while also revealing the answer.

SCQA PowerPoint Templates

To present the SCQA framework or to structure your message using it, you can use the following PowerPoint templates to present your content using compelling layouts, infographics, and sequential slides to explain each section of the framework. the SCQA templates listed below come with editable objects that can help you design your presentation slides with the visual aid of customizable slide layouts that can be adjusted to your liking.

Final Words

The SCQA framework can be a great way to structure your message. By using this four-step framework, you can inform the recipient of the message regarding the existing situation, the issue or complication, pose important questions, and provide a solution. The SCQA framework is not meant to provide a silver bullet to answer all questions but to offer a direction that can be further debated. Like the Pyramid Principle, SCQA can be a good starting point for important discussions, as well as a better way to identify solutions to complex problems.

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What is the difference between a Fair presentation framework and a Compliance framework?

Financial statements are prepared to fulfill information needs of its users. In order to cater the needs at best a certain financial reporting framework is used considering the jurisdiction in which the entity and/or its users exist. For example two of the popular financial reporting framework are IFRSs and US GAAPs. However, talking about the nature of reporting frameworks, we can have to types of framework:

• Fair presentation framework (also known as conceptual framework)
• Compliance framework (also known as rule-based framework)

Fair presentation framework is such a framework that requires compliance with the provisions of framework but in addition that it acknowledges that:

• in achieving fair presentation management might have to make such additional disclosures that are not specifically required by the framework; and
• in extremely rare circumstances it might be necessary to depart from the requirements of the framework to achieve fair presentation of the entity’s financial position and performance in the financial statements

Compliance framework, as the name suggests, requires compliance with the provisions of the framework i.e. strict obedience of instructions is required and the ones preparing financial statements have no choice but to follow the requirements of framework. Compliance framework does not allow any room or flexibility as given under fair presentation framework.

In simple words, although fair presentation framework requires compliance but it still allows for the alternatives that can achieve better presentation of financial statements resulting in more relevant and reliable financial statements even if management has to make additions or go against the requirements of framework. Whereas, in compliance framework no such leverage is given and under this framework complete compliance is required under any condition.

While preparing financial statements those who are responsible to prepare financial statements needs to inform users regarding the financial reporting framework used and also in case of any departure, if fair presentation framework is used, disclosures shall be made with such prominence as required so that users can understand and also provide the reasons why departure was necessary and how the alternative treatment adopted by the management resulted in more relevant and reliable financial statements.

In audit engagements, auditor has to consider the framework used to prepare financial statements as it has bearing on the audit engagement down to the level of audit report.

it has not complied with what it needs to be complied. That is what happens

what happen if the entity complied with fair presentation framework but not comply with compliance framework?

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• What Is a Conceptual Framework? | Tips & Examples

What Is a Conceptual Framework? | Tips & Examples

Published on August 2, 2022 by Bas Swaen and Tegan George. Revised on March 18, 2024.

A conceptual framework illustrates the expected relationship between your variables. It defines the relevant objectives for your research process and maps out how they come together to draw coherent conclusions.

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to help you construct your own conceptual framework.

Table of contents

Developing a conceptual framework in research, step 1: choose your research question, step 2: select your independent and dependent variables, step 3: visualize your cause-and-effect relationship, step 4: identify other influencing variables, frequently asked questions about conceptual models.

A conceptual framework is a representation of the relationship you expect to see between your variables, or the characteristics or properties that you want to study.

Conceptual frameworks can be written or visual and are generally developed based on a literature review of existing studies about your topic.

Your research question guides your work by determining exactly what you want to find out, giving your research process a clear focus.

However, before you start collecting your data, consider constructing a conceptual framework. This will help you map out which variables you will measure and how you expect them to relate to one another.

In order to move forward with your research question and test a cause-and-effect relationship, you must first identify at least two key variables: your independent and dependent variables .

• The expected cause, “hours of study,” is the independent variable (the predictor, or explanatory variable)
• The expected effect, “exam score,” is the dependent variable (the response, or outcome variable).

Note that causal relationships often involve several independent variables that affect the dependent variable. For the purpose of this example, we’ll work with just one independent variable (“hours of study”).

Now that you’ve figured out your research question and variables, the first step in designing your conceptual framework is visualizing your expected cause-and-effect relationship.

We demonstrate this using basic design components of boxes and arrows. Here, each variable appears in a box. To indicate a causal relationship, each arrow should start from the independent variable (the cause) and point to the dependent variable (the effect).

It’s crucial to identify other variables that can influence the relationship between your independent and dependent variables early in your research process.

Some common variables to include are moderating, mediating, and control variables.

Moderating variables

Moderating variable (or moderators) alter the effect that an independent variable has on a dependent variable. In other words, moderators change the “effect” component of the cause-and-effect relationship.

Let’s add the moderator “IQ.” Here, a student’s IQ level can change the effect that the variable “hours of study” has on the exam score. The higher the IQ, the fewer hours of study are needed to do well on the exam.

Let’s take a look at how this might work. The graph below shows how the number of hours spent studying affects exam score. As expected, the more hours you study, the better your results. Here, a student who studies for 20 hours will get a perfect score.

But the graph looks different when we add our “IQ” moderator of 120. A student with this IQ will achieve a perfect score after just 15 hours of study.

Below, the value of the “IQ” moderator has been increased to 150. A student with this IQ will only need to invest five hours of study in order to get a perfect score.

Here, we see that a moderating variable does indeed change the cause-and-effect relationship between two variables.

Mediating variables

Now we’ll expand the framework by adding a mediating variable . Mediating variables link the independent and dependent variables, allowing the relationship between them to be better explained.

Here’s how the conceptual framework might look if a mediator variable were involved:

In this case, the mediator helps explain why studying more hours leads to a higher exam score. The more hours a student studies, the more practice problems they will complete; the more practice problems completed, the higher the student’s exam score will be.

Moderator vs. mediator

It’s important not to confuse moderating and mediating variables. To remember the difference, you can think of them in relation to the independent variable:

• A moderating variable is not affected by the independent variable, even though it affects the dependent variable. For example, no matter how many hours you study (the independent variable), your IQ will not get higher.
• A mediating variable is affected by the independent variable. In turn, it also affects the dependent variable. Therefore, it links the two variables and helps explain the relationship between them.

Control variables

Lastly,  control variables must also be taken into account. These are variables that are held constant so that they don’t interfere with the results. Even though you aren’t interested in measuring them for your study, it’s crucial to be aware of as many of them as you can be.

A mediator variable explains the process through which two variables are related, while a moderator variable affects the strength and direction of that relationship.

A confounding variable is closely related to both the independent and dependent variables in a study. An independent variable represents the supposed cause , while the dependent variable is the supposed effect . A confounding variable is a third variable that influences both the independent and dependent variables.

Failing to account for confounding variables can cause you to wrongly estimate the relationship between your independent and dependent variables.

Yes, but including more than one of either type requires multiple research questions .

For example, if you are interested in the effect of a diet on health, you can use multiple measures of health: blood sugar, blood pressure, weight, pulse, and many more. Each of these is its own dependent variable with its own research question.

You could also choose to look at the effect of exercise levels as well as diet, or even the additional effect of the two combined. Each of these is a separate independent variable .

To ensure the internal validity of an experiment , you should only change one independent variable at a time.

A control variable is any variable that’s held constant in a research study. It’s not a variable of interest in the study, but it’s controlled because it could influence the outcomes.

A confounding variable , also called a confounder or confounding factor, is a third variable in a study examining a potential cause-and-effect relationship.

A confounding variable is related to both the supposed cause and the supposed effect of the study. It can be difficult to separate the true effect of the independent variable from the effect of the confounding variable.

In your research design , it’s important to identify potential confounding variables and plan how you will reduce their impact.

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What is a Conceptual Framework and How to Make It (with Examples)

A strong conceptual framework underpins good research. A conceptual framework in research is used to understand a research problem and guide the development and analysis of the research. It serves as a roadmap to conceptualize and structure the work by providing an outline that connects different ideas, concepts, and theories within the field of study. A conceptual framework pictorially or verbally depicts presumed relationships among the study variables.

The purpose of a conceptual framework is to serve as a scheme for organizing and categorizing knowledge and thereby help researchers in developing theories and hypotheses and conducting empirical studies.

In this post, we explain what is a conceptual framework, and provide expert advice on how to make a conceptual framework, along with conceptual framework examples.

Table of Contents

What is a Conceptual Framework in Research

Definition of a conceptual framework.

A conceptual framework includes key concepts, variables, relationships, and assumptions that guide the academic inquiry. It establishes the theoretical underpinnings and provides a lens through which researchers can analyze and interpret data. A conceptual framework draws upon existing theories, models, or established bodies of knowledge to provide a structure for understanding the research problem. It defines the scope of research, identifying relevant variables, establishing research questions, and guiding the selection of appropriate methodologies and data analysis techniques.

Conceptual frameworks can be written or visual. Other types of conceptual framework representations might be taxonomic (verbal description categorizing phenomena into classes without showing relationships between classes) or mathematical descriptions (expression of phenomena in the form of mathematical equations).

Figure 1: Definition of a conceptual framework explained diagrammatically

Conceptual Framework Origin

The term conceptual framework appears to have originated in philosophy and systems theory, being used for the first time in the 1930s by the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead. He bridged the theological, social, and physical sciences by providing a common conceptual framework. The use of the conceptual framework began early in accountancy and can be traced back to publications by William A. Paton and John B. Canning in the first quarter of the 20 th century. Thus, in the original framework, financial issues were addressed, such as useful features, basic elements, and variables needed to prepare financial statements. Nevertheless, a conceptual framework approach should be considered when starting your research journey in any field, from finance to social sciences to applied sciences.

Purpose and Importance of a Conceptual Framework in Research

The importance of a conceptual framework in research cannot be understated, irrespective of the field of study. It is important for the following reasons:

• It clarifies the context of the study.
• It justifies the study to the reader.
• It helps you check your own understanding of the problem and the need for the study.
• It illustrates the expected relationship between the variables and defines the objectives for the research.
• It helps further refine the study objectives and choose the methods appropriate to meet them.

What to Include in a Conceptual Framework

Essential elements that a conceptual framework should include are as follows:

• Overarching research question(s)
• Study parameters
• Study variables
• Potential relationships between those variables.

The sources for these elements of a conceptual framework are literature, theory, and experience or prior knowledge.

How to Make a Conceptual Framework

Now that you know the essential elements, your next question will be how to make a conceptual framework.

For this, start by identifying the most suitable set of questions that your research aims to answer. Next, categorize the various variables. Finally, perform a rigorous analysis of the collected data and compile the final results to establish connections between the variables.

In short, the steps are as follows:

• Choose appropriate research questions.
• Define the different types of variables involved.
• Determine the cause-and-effect relationships.

Be sure to make use of arrows and lines to depict the presence or absence of correlational linkages among the variables.

Developing a Conceptual Framework

Researchers should be adept at developing a conceptual framework. Here are the steps for developing a conceptual framework:

1. Identify a research question

Your research question guides your entire study, making it imperative to invest time and effort in formulating a question that aligns with your research goals and contributes to the existing body of knowledge. This step involves the following:

• Choose a broad topic of interest
• Conduct background research
• Narrow down the focus
• Define your goals
• Make it specific and answerable
• Consider significance and novelty
• Seek feedback.

 2. Choose independent and dependent variables

The dependent variable is the main outcome you want to measure, explain, or predict in your study. It should be a variable that can be observed, measured, or assessed quantitatively or qualitatively. Independent variables are the factors or variables that may influence, explain, or predict changes in the dependent variable.

Choose independent and dependent variables for your study according to the research objectives, the nature of the phenomenon being studied, and the specific research design. The identification of variables is rooted in existing literature, theories, or your own observations.

3. Consider cause-and-effect relationships

To better understand and communicate the relationships between variables in your study, cause-and-effect relationships need to be visualized. This can be done by using path diagrams, cause-and-effect matrices, time series plots, scatter plots, bar charts, or heatmaps.

4. Identify other influencing variables

Besides the independent and dependent variables, researchers must understand and consider the following types of variables:

• Moderating variable: A variable that influences the strength or direction of the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable.
• Mediating variable: A variable that explains the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable and clarifies how the independent variable affects the dependent variable.
• Control variable: A variable that is kept constant or controlled to avoid the influence of other factors that may affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
• Confounding variable: A type of unmeasured variable that is related to both the independent and dependent variables.

Example of a Conceptual Framework

Let us examine the following conceptual framework example. Let’s say your research topic is “ The Impact of Social Media Usage on Academic Performance among College Students .” Here, you want to investigate how social media usage affects academic performance in college students. Social media usage (encompassing frequency of social media use, time spent on social media platforms, and types of social media platforms used) is the independent variable, and academic performance (covering grades, exam scores, and class attendance) is the dependent variable.

This conceptual framework example also includes a mediating variable, study habits, which may explain how social media usage affects academic performance. Study habits (time spent studying, study environment, and use of study aids or resources) can act as a mechanism through which social media usage influences academic outcomes. Additionally, a moderating variable, self-discipline (level of self-control and self-regulation, ability to manage distractions, and prioritization skills), is included to examine how individual differences in self-control and discipline may influence the relationship between social media usage and academic performance.

Confounding variables are also identified (socioeconomic status, prior academic achievement), which are potential factors that may influence both social media usage and academic performance. These variables need to be considered and controlled in the study to ensure that any observed effects are specifically attributed to social media usage. A visual representation of this conceptual framework example is seen in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Visual representation of a conceptual framework for the topic “The Impact of Social Media Usage on Academic Performance among College Students”

Key Takeaways

Here is a snapshot of the basics of a conceptual framework in research:

• A conceptual framework is an idea or model representing the subject or phenomena you intend to study.
• It is primarily a researcher’s perception of the research problem. It can be used to develop hypotheses or testable research questions.
• It provides a preliminary understanding of the factors at play, their interrelationships, and the underlying reasons.
• It guides your research by aiding in the formulation of meaningful research questions, selection of appropriate methods, and identification of potential challenges to the validity of your findings.
• It provides a structure for organizing and understanding data.
• It allows you to chalk out the relationships between concepts and variables to understand them.
• Variables besides dependent and independent variables (moderating, mediating, control, and confounding variables) must be considered when developing a conceptual framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a moderating variable and a mediating variable.

Moderating and mediating variables are easily confused. A moderating variable affects the direction and strength of this relationship, whereas a mediating explains how two variables relate.

What is the difference between independent variables, dependent variables, and confounding variables?

Independent variables are the variables manipulated to affect the outcome of an experiment (e.g., the dose of a fat-loss drug administered to rats). Dependent variables are variables being measured or observed in an experiment (e.g., changes in rat body weight as a result of the drug). A confounding variable distorts or masks the effects of the variables being studied because it is associated both with dependent variable and with the independent variable. For instance, in this example, pre-existing metabolic dysfunction in some rats could interact differently with the drug being studied and also affect rat body weight.

Should I have more than one dependent or independent variable in a study?

The need for more than one dependent or independent variable in a study depends on the research question, study design, and relationships being investigated. Note the following when making this decision for your research:

• If your research question involves exploring the relationships between multiple variables or factors, it may be appropriate to have more than one dependent or independent variable.
• If you have specific hypotheses about the relationships between several variables, it may be necessary to include multiple dependent or independent variables.
• Adequate resources, sample size, and data collection methods should be considered when determining the number of dependent and independent variables to include.

What is a confounding variable?

A confounding variable is not the main focus of the study but can unintentionally influence the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Confounding variables can introduce bias and give rise to misleading conclusions. These variables must be controlled to ensure that any observed relationship is genuinely due to the independent variable.

What is a control variable?

A control variable is something not of interest to the study’s objectives but is kept constant because it could influence the outcomes. Control variables can help prevent research biases and allow for a more accurate assessment of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Examples are (i) testing all participants at the same time (e.g., in the morning) to minimize the potential effects of circadian rhythms, (ii) ensuring that instruments are calibrated consistently before each measurement to minimize the influence of measurement errors, and (iii) randomization of participants across study groups.

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Cant load `PresentationFramework` after upgrade C# .Net 4.8 to .Net 5 (or 6)

Using VS 2022 RC3 and SDK 6.0.0-rc.2.21501.6

Project file already like

Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App.WPF framework is correctly referenced, version 6.0.0-rc.2.21501.6

When I try to build the project I get a single error

• visual-studio-2022

• The package has been merged with the main .NET package, checkout the docs: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/compatibility/sdk/5.0/… –  MaartenDev Commented Nov 7, 2021 at 18:21
• You could try to use the following tool to migrate your code: github.com/dotnet/try-convert . Keep in mind that .NET 5 is cross-platform while .NET 4.8 is not, they are different beasts all together –  MaartenDev Commented Nov 7, 2021 at 18:22
• <UseWPF>true</UseWPF> is missing. –  Hans Passant Commented Nov 7, 2021 at 19:31
• @HansPassant My bad, it's in there - updated question. –  Michael T Commented Nov 7, 2021 at 20:41

This was related to a Telerik file Licenses.licx which had references to .NET 4.7 components.

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Desktop Guide (WPF .NET)

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Welcome to the Desktop Guide for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), a UI framework that is resolution-independent and uses a vector-based rendering engine, built to take advantage of modern graphics hardware. WPF provides a comprehensive set of application-development features that include Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), controls, data binding, layout, 2D and 3D graphics, animation, styles, templates, documents, media, text, and typography. WPF is part of .NET, so you can build applications that incorporate other elements of the .NET API.

There are two implementations of WPF:

.NET version (this guide):

An open-source implementation of WPF hosted on GitHub , which runs on .NET. The XAML designer requires, at a minimum, Visual Studio 2019 version 16.8 . But depending on your version of .NET, you may be required to use a newer version of Visual Studio.

Even though .NET is a cross-platform technology, WPF only runs on Windows.

.NET Framework 4 version:

The .NET Framework implementation of WPF that's supported by Visual Studio 2019 and Visual Studio 2017.

.NET Framework 4 is a Windows-only version of .NET and is considered a Windows Operating System component. This version of WPF is distributed with .NET Framework. For more information about the .NET Framework version of WPF, see Introduction to WPF for .NET Framework .

This overview is intended for newcomers and covers the key capabilities and concepts of WPF. To learn how to create a WPF app, see Tutorial: Create a new WPF app .

Why upgrade from .NET Framework

When you are upgrading your application from .NET Framework to .NET, you will benefit from:

• Better performance
• New .NET APIs
• The latest language improvements
• Improved accessibility and reliability
• Updated tooling and more

To learn how to upgrade your application, see How to upgrade a WPF desktop app to .NET 7 .

Program with WPF

WPF exists as a subset of .NET types that are, mostly located in the System.Windows namespace. If you have previously built applications with .NET with frameworks like ASP.NET and Windows Forms, the fundamental WPF programming experience should be familiar, you:

• Instantiate classes
• Set properties
• Call methods
• Handle events

WPF includes more programming constructs that enhance properties and events: dependency properties and routed events .

Markup and code-behind

WPF lets you develop an application using both markup and code-behind , an experience with which ASP.NET developers should be familiar. You generally use XAML markup to implement the appearance of an application while using managed programming languages (code-behind) to implement its behavior. This separation of appearance and behavior has the following benefits:

Development and maintenance costs are reduced because appearance-specific markup isn't tightly coupled with behavior-specific code.

Development is more efficient because designers can implement an application's appearance simultaneously with developers who are implementing the application's behavior.

Globalization and localization for WPF applications is simplified.

XAML is an XML-based markup language that implements an application's appearance declaratively. You typically use it to define windows, dialog boxes, pages, and user controls, and to fill them with controls, shapes, and graphics.

The following example uses XAML to implement the appearance of a window that contains a single button:

Specifically, this XAML defines a window and a button by using the Window and Button elements. Each element is configured with attributes, such as the Window element's Title attribute to specify the window's title-bar text. At run time, WPF converts the elements and attributes that are defined in markup to instances of WPF classes. For example, the Window element is converted to an instance of the Window class whose Title property is the value of the Title attribute.

The following figure shows the user interface (UI) that is defined by the XAML in the previous example:

Since XAML is XML-based, the UI that you compose with it's assembled in a hierarchy of nested elements that is known as an element tree . The element tree provides a logical and intuitive way to create and manage UIs.

Code-behind

The main behavior of an application is to implement the functionality that responds to user interactions. For example clicking a menu or button, and calling business logic and data access logic in response. In WPF, this behavior is implemented in code that is associated with markup. This type of code is known as code-behind. The following example shows the updated markup from the previous example and the code-behind:

The updated markup defines the xmlns:x namespace and maps it to the schema that adds support for the code-behind types. The x:Class attribute is used to associate a code-behind class to this specific XAML markup. Considering this attribute is declared on the <Window> element, the code-behind class must inherit from the Window class.

InitializeComponent is called from the code-behind class's constructor to merge the UI that is defined in markup with the code-behind class. ( InitializeComponent is generated for you when your application is built, which is why you don't need to implement it manually.) The combination of x:Class and InitializeComponent ensure that your implementation is correctly initialized whenever it's created.

Notice that in the markup the <Button> element defined a value of button_Click for the Click attribute. With the markup and code-behind initialized and working together, the Click event for the button is automatically mapped to the button_Click method. When the button is clicked, the event handler is invoked and a message box is displayed by calling the System.Windows.MessageBox.Show method.

The following figure shows the result when the button is clicked:

Input and commands

Controls most often detect and respond to user input. The WPF input system uses both direct and routed events to support text input, focus management, and mouse positioning.

Applications often have complex input requirements. WPF provides a command system that separates user-input actions from the code that responds to those actions. The command system allows for multiple sources to invoke the same command logic. For example, take the common editing operations used by different applications: Copy , Cut , and Paste . These operations can be invoked by using different user actions if they're implemented by using commands.

The user experiences that are delivered by the application model are constructed controls. In WPF, control is an umbrella term that applies to a category of WPF classes that have the following characteristics:

• Hosted in either a window or a page.
• Have a user interface.
• Implement some behavior.

For more information, see Controls .

WPF controls by function

The built-in WPF controls are listed here:

Buttons : Button and RepeatButton .

Data Display : DataGrid , ListView , and TreeView .

Date Display and Selection : Calendar and DatePicker .

Dialog Boxes : OpenFileDialog , PrintDialog , and SaveFileDialog .

Digital Ink : InkCanvas and InkPresenter .

Documents : DocumentViewer , FlowDocumentPageViewer , FlowDocumentReader , FlowDocumentScrollViewer , and StickyNoteControl .

Input : TextBox , RichTextBox , and PasswordBox .

Layout : Border , BulletDecorator , Canvas , DockPanel , Expander , Grid , GridView , GridSplitter , GroupBox , Panel , ResizeGrip , Separator , ScrollBar , ScrollViewer , StackPanel , Thumb , Viewbox , VirtualizingStackPanel , Window , and WrapPanel .

Media : Image , MediaElement , and SoundPlayerAction .

Menus : ContextMenu , Menu , and ToolBar .

Navigation : Frame , Hyperlink , Page , NavigationWindow , and TabControl .

Selection : CheckBox , ComboBox , ListBox , RadioButton , and Slider .

User Information : AccessText , Label , Popup , ProgressBar , StatusBar , TextBlock , and ToolTip .

When you create a user interface, you arrange your controls by location and size to form a layout. A key requirement of any layout is to adapt to changes in window size and display settings. Rather than forcing you to write the code to adapt a layout in these circumstances, WPF provides a first-class, extensible layout system for you.

The cornerstone of the layout system is relative positioning, which increases the ability to adapt to changing window and display conditions. The layout system also manages the negotiation between controls to determine the layout. The negotiation is a two-step process: first, a control tells its parent what location and size it requires. Second, the parent tells the control what space it can have.

The layout system is exposed to child controls through base WPF classes. For common layouts such as grids, stacking, and docking, WPF includes several layout controls:

Canvas : Child controls provide their own layout.

DockPanel : Child controls are aligned to the edges of the panel.

Grid : Child controls are positioned by rows and columns.

StackPanel : Child controls are stacked either vertically or horizontally.

VirtualizingStackPanel : Child controls are virtualized and arranged on a single line that is either horizontally or vertically oriented.

WrapPanel : Child controls are positioned in left-to-right order and wrapped to the next line when there isn't enough space on the current line.

The following example uses a DockPanel to lay out several TextBox controls:

The DockPanel allows the child TextBox controls to tell it how to arrange them. To do this, the DockPanel implements a Dock attached property that is exposed to the child controls to allow each of them to specify a dock style.

A property that's implemented by a parent control for use by child controls is a WPF construct called an attached property .

The following figure shows the result of the XAML markup in the preceding example:

Data binding

Most applications are created to provide users with the means to view and edit data. For WPF applications, the work of storing and accessing data is already provided for by many different .NET data access libraries such as SQL and Entity Framework Core. After the data is accessed and loaded into an application's managed objects, the hard work for WPF applications begins. Essentially, this involves two things:

Copying the data from the managed objects into controls, where the data can be displayed and edited.

Ensuring that changes made to data by using controls are copied back to the managed objects.

To simplify application development, WPF provides a powerful data binding engine to automatically handle these steps. The core unit of the data binding engine is the Binding class, whose job is to bind a control (the binding target) to a data object (the binding source). This relationship is illustrated by the following figure:

WPF supports declaring bindings in the XAML markup directly. For example, the following XAML code binds the Text property of the TextBox to the Name property of an object using the " {Binding ... } " XAML syntax. This assumes there's a data object set to the DataContext property of the Window with a Name property.

The WPF data binding engine provides more than just binding, it provides validation, sorting, filtering, and grouping. Furthermore, data binding supports the use of data templates to create custom user interface for bound data.

For more information, see Data binding overview .

Graphics & animation

WPF provides an extensive and flexible set of graphics features that have the following benefits:

Resolution-independent and device-independent graphics . The basic unit of measurement in the WPF graphics system is the device-independent pixel, which is 1/96th of an inch, and provides the foundation for resolution-independent and device-independent rendering. Each device-independent pixel automatically scales to match the dots-per-inch (dpi) setting of the system it renders on.

Improved precision . The WPF coordinate system is measured with double-precision floating-point numbers rather than single-precision. Transformations and opacity values are also expressed as double-precision. WPF also supports a wide color gamut (scRGB) and provides integrated support for managing inputs from different color spaces.

Advanced graphics and animation support . WPF simplifies graphics programming by managing animation scenes for you; there's no need to worry about scene processing, rendering loops, and bilinear interpolation. Additionally, WPF provides hit-testing support and full alpha-compositing support.

Hardware acceleration . The WPF graphics system takes advantage of graphics hardware to minimize CPU usage.

2D graphics

WPF provides a library of common vector-drawn 2D shapes, such as the rectangles and ellipses. The shapes aren't just for display; shapes implement many of the features that you expect from controls, including keyboard and mouse input.

The 2D shapes provided by WPF cover the standard set of basic shapes. However, you may need to create custom shapes to help the design of a customized user interface. WPF provides geometries to create a custom shape that can be drawn directly, used as a brush, or used to clip other shapes and controls.

For more information, see Geometry overview .

A subset of WPF 2D capabilities includes visual effects, such as gradients, bitmaps, drawings, painting with videos, rotation, scaling, and skewing. These effects are all achieved with brushes. The following figure shows some examples:

For more information, see WPF brushes overview .

3D rendering

WPF also includes 3D rendering capabilities that integrate with 2D graphics to allow the creation of more exciting and interesting user interfaces. For example, the following figure shows 2D images rendered onto 3D shapes:

For more information, see 3D graphics overview .

WPF animation support lets you make controls grow, shake, spin, and fade, to create interesting page transitions, and more. You can animate most WPF classes, even custom classes. The following figure shows a simple animation in action:

For more information, see Animation overview .

Text and typography

To provide high-quality text rendering, WPF offers the following features:

• OpenType font support.
• ClearType enhancements.
• High performance that takes advantage of hardware acceleration.
• Integration of text with media, graphics, and animation.
• International font support and fallback mechanisms.

As a demonstration of text integration with graphics, the following figure shows the application of text decorations:

For more information, see Typography in Windows Presentation Foundation .

Customize WPF apps

Up to this point, you've seen the core WPF building blocks for developing applications:

• You use the application model to host and deliver application content, which consists mainly of controls.
• To simplify the arrangement of controls in a user interface, you use the WPF layout system.
• You use data binding to reduce the work of integrating your user interface with data.
• To enhance the visual appearance of your application, you use the comprehensive range of graphics, animation, and media support provided by WPF.

Often, though, the basics aren't enough for creating and managing a truly distinct and visually stunning user experience. The standard WPF controls might not integrate with the desired appearance of your application. Data might not be displayed in the most effective way. Your application's overall user experience may not be suited to the default look and feel of Windows themes.

For this reason, WPF provides various mechanisms for creating unique user experiences.

Content Model

The main purpose of most of the WPF controls is to display content. In WPF, the type and number of items that can constitute the content of a control is referred to as the control's content model . Some controls can contain a single item and type of content. For example, the content of a TextBox is a string value that is assigned to the Text property.

Other controls, however, can contain multiple items of different types of content; the content of a Button , specified by the Content property, can contain various items including layout controls, text, images, and shapes.

For more information on the kinds of content that is supported by various controls, see WPF content model .

Although the main purpose of XAML markup is to implement an application's appearance, you can also use XAML to implement some aspects of an application's behavior. One example is the use of triggers to change an application's appearance based on user interactions. For more information, see Styles and templates .

The default user interfaces for WPF controls are typically constructed from other controls and shapes. For example, a Button is composed of both ButtonChrome and ContentPresenter controls. The ButtonChrome provides the standard button appearance, while the ContentPresenter displays the button's content, as specified by the Content property.

Sometimes the default appearance of a control may conflict with the overall appearance of an application. In this case, you can use a ControlTemplate to change the appearance of the control's user interface without changing its content and behavior.

For example, a Button raises the Click event when it's clicked. By changing the template of a button to display an Ellipse shape, the visual of the aspect of the control has changed, but the functionality hasn't. You can still click on the visual aspect of the control and the Click event is raised as expected.

Data templates

Whereas a control template lets you specify the appearance of a control, a data template lets you specify the appearance of a control's content. Data templates are frequently used to enhance how bound data is displayed. The following figure shows the default appearance for a ListBox that is bound to a collection of Task objects, where each task has a name, description, and priority:

The default appearance is what you would expect from a ListBox . However, the default appearance of each task contains only the task name. To show the task name, description, and priority, the default appearance of the ListBox control's bound list items must be changed by using a DataTemplate . Here is an example of applying a data template that was created for the Task object.

The ListBox retains its behavior and overall appearance and only the appearance of the content being displayed by the list box has changed.

For more information, see Data templating overview .

Styles enable developers and designers to standardize on a particular appearance for their product. WPF provides a strong style model, the foundation of which is the Style element. Styles can apply property values to types. They can be applied automatically to the everything according to the type or individual objects when referenced. The following example creates a style that sets the background color for every Button on the window to Orange :

Because this style targets all Button controls, the style is automatically applied to all the buttons in the window, as shown in the following figure:

For more information, see Styles and templates .

Controls in an application should share the same appearance, which can include anything from fonts and background colors to control templates, data templates, and styles. You can use WPF's support for user interface resources to encapsulate these resources in a single location for reuse.

The following example defines a common background color that is shared by a Button and a Label :

For more information, see How to define and reference a WPF resource .

Custom controls

Although WPF provides a host of customization support, you may encounter situations where existing WPF controls do not meet the needs of either your application or its users. This can occur when:

• The user interface that you require cannot be created by customizing the look and feel of existing WPF implementations.
• The behavior that you require isn't supported (or not easily supported) by existing WPF implementations.

At this point, however, you can take advantage of one of three WPF models to create a new control. Each model targets a specific scenario and requires your custom control to derive from a particular WPF base class. The three models are listed here:

User Control Model A custom control derives from UserControl and is composed of one or more other controls.

Control Model A custom control derives from Control and is used to build implementations that separate their behavior from their appearance using templates, much like most WPF controls. Deriving from Control allows you more freedom for creating a custom user interface than user controls, but it may require more effort.

Framework Element Model . A custom control derives from FrameworkElement when its appearance is defined by custom rendering logic (not templates).

For more information on custom controls, see Control authoring overview .

• Tutorial: Create a new WPF app
• Migrate a WPF app to .NET
• Overview of WPF windows
• Data binding overview
• XAML overview

.NET Desktop feedback

Additional resources