A good start is half the work. And that also applies to creating and giving a good presentation. Most company presentations begin with the history of the company. But is that information important enough to captivate those present from the start?

The highest attention peak is at the beginning of the presentation.

The highest attention peak of people listening to a presentation is at the beginning of the presentation. A second peak is at the end of the presentation. Those, then, are the moments when you have to convey the most important information. Unfortunately, in practice we often see a long-winded introduction at the beginning of the presentation and a slide with contact information or (even worse) a question mark as the last slide (also read: Do not forget the last slide!)

Make an impression with your presentation through a smart build-up and a strong start.

Begin your presentation with the most important message you have to tell:

• what do you want to achieve for the (potential) customer
• what are the shared objectives
• what is your added value
• what is your 'Why' (Start with WHY - Simon Sinek - startwithwhy.com)

Make use of the most important attention peak in your presentation and therefore begin with your most important message. The history of the company can come back later in the presentation. Then it gains value because it lends credibility to what you say you can do.

Good luck.