What Social Media Can Teach Us About High-Impact Presenting

Social media didn’t just alter how we communicate; it transformed what grabs our attention, what sustains our engagement, and what causes us to switch off.

Whether we like it or not, your audience brings those same habits, expectations, and impulses into the room every time you present. If you want to hold their attention, earn their trust, and make your message matter, the smartest thing you can do is learn from the platforms that already dominate their minds.

Here are five impactful presentation lessons inspired by the world of social media — and why they matter more than ever.

1. Facebook: Curiosity Comes First

Let’s be honest: during a dull presentation, most people would rather be scrolling Facebook. Not because they’re rude, but because Facebook is engineered around three human truths:

– We’re curious

– We want connection

– We get bored easily

A great presentation honours all three.

Spark Curiosity Immediately

You only get a few seconds to convince an audience that you’re worth listening to. Not minutes, seconds. That’s why the warm‑up, the polite preamble and the “Good morning, my name is…” routine are dead on arrival. If you want people to lean in, you have to earn it immediately.

Start with something that jolts them awake: a question that makes them think, a statistic that stops them in their tracks, a short story that feels real, or a moment of humour or humanity that disarms the room.

Attention isn’t given; it’s captured, and the opening line is where that capture begins.

Create Connection, Not Distance

People don’t connect with corporate masks; they connect with humans.
>Let them see you. Let them feel you. Let them understand why this message matters to you.

A presentation is not a performance; it’s a conversation. 

Never Bore Them

Boredom is fatal in a presentation. The moment your audience feels even a flicker of it, their attention slips to the nearest distraction, usually their phones.

That’s why every sentence, every slide and every example has to earn its place. What you share must be relevant to their world, personal enough to feel human, useful enough to matter and interesting enough to hold them. The simplest test is also the most honest: If you were sitting in their seats, would you stay tuned in?

If the answer is anything other than yes, it’s a signal to refine, rethink or rewrite

2. Twitter: Think in Headlines, Not Novels

Twitter taught the world a brutal truth: if you can’t say it clearly and concisely, you don’t understand it well enough.

Most presenters bury their key message at the end, like a punchline, that works for comedians, not communicators.

Your audience shouldn’t have to wait 20 minutes to understand why they’re listening.

Your message should fit in a tweet

Short. Sharp. Memorable.

If you can’t express it simply, you can’t expect anyone to remember it.

Give them the headline first, then use the rest of your time to bring it to life.

3. LinkedIn: Stay Focused on What Matters

LinkedIn is built on one principle: value attracts attention.

People scroll past noise and stop for substance, and your presentation is no different.

Once you’ve found your core message, your “tweet”, stay ruthlessly focused on it.

Ask yourself three essential questions:

1. Why should my audience give me their attention right now?
2. What meaningful difference will this make to their work or life?
3. How do I want them to feel when I’m done?

If you can’t answer those questions, you’re not ready to present. 

4. Pinterest: Show, Don’t Tell

Pinterest exploded because humans are visual creatures. We think in images, we remember in images and learn through images.

Yet many presenters still rely on text-heavy slides that drain the room of energy.

Use images that support your message, not decorate it.

Choose visuals that:

• clarify
• simplify
• amplify
• inspire

A single powerful image can do more than a paragraph ever will.

5. The Downside: Don’t Chase Likes

Social media has a dark side: the dopamine rush of approval.
The pursuit of likes and the pressure to impress.

Presenters fall into the same trap.

They try to appear clever, sound impressive, and gain approval, but the moment you make the presentation about yourself, you lose the audience in front of you.

Your job isn’t to be liked; your job is to help.

When you focus on serving your audience rather than impressing them, they’ll support you naturally.

The Real Lesson: Social Media Wins Without Speaking. You Have an Even Bigger Advantage.

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest built empires without using the spoken word.
Imagine the power of applying their principles with the spoken word, your voice, your presence, your humanity.

Just don’t make the mistakes they make:

• drowning people in text
• relying on poor visuals
• chasing approval

Focus on curiosity, clarity, connection, value and visuals, and you’ll deliver presentations people actually want to listen to.

If you want to master these principles at a deeper level:

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training

Image courtesy of Canva.com