Your 8 Stages of Making a Presentation as Illustrated by Hilarious GIFs

When you’re asked to prepare a PowerPoint presentation, you’re pretty much being asked to go on a crazy ride full of laughter, grief, anxiety and a sense of accomplishment. But hey, let’s have a laugh at that process!

Here are your eight stages of making a presentation as illustrated by hilarious GIFs

Stage 1: The Request Stage

Beware! The request takes many forms. In some cases, it’s a subtle “Hey, can you deliver a presentation on [insert topic here] by Wednesday?” that arrives in your email.

In other cases, it’s more obvious than that; you may even have someone physically walk up to you, look at you dead in the eye and say “I need a presentation done.”

And this, obviously, is what is going on in your head:

But of course, you end up doing this anyway:

Stage 2: The Planning Stage

Ah, the dreaded process of planning for your presentation. Here you spend hours researching for information, assessing various principles, looking for what to include and what not to include, coming up with content, and the like. It can get a little hectic.

Maybe too hectic.

Stage 3: The Slide Preparation Stage

This part is supposed to be fun. After all, what could go wrong with you playing with colors and shapes?

Well, since the stars of the universe are obviously against you, EVERYTHING could go wrong.

“I don’t have the right pictures.”

“Those colors look stale.”

“Is that another slide with bullet points?!”

“Oh God, why isn’t this shape aligning correctly?”

Stage 4: The ‘I’m not a Multi-Tasker, LEAVE ME THE F*** ALONE SO I CAN DO THIS’ stage

You’re in the zone.

You’re working on your presentation like crazy.

And then, out of nowhere, you have a request or two popping up every damn hour from someone who needs help with something.

You have no time for this crap. You have no time for anyone’s crap!

Stage 5: The Practice Stage

Your slides are done, and your content is ready.

Now comes the time for you to practice your presentation.

“I shouldn’t need more than 30 minutes for this,” you think to yourself.

The harsh reality is you know that you suck, and spend a lot more time practicing than you anticipated.

But you’ll be ready. You know, eventually.

Stage 6: The “You’re up soon” stage

You practiced, you prepared, and you’re due to present in just under an hour.

Nervous? Who’s nervous? After all, this is only the presentation that’s going to make or break your career.

Not to mention you might even get fired for doing a bad job.

Oh, did you forget that people are going to laugh at you if you screw up? Pretty weird if that laugh ends up haunting your dreams forever, too.

Stage 7: The Delivery stage

You’re up there KILLING it!

People are following everything you’re saying, they’re amazed at the effort you put into your PowerPoint slides, and absolutely fell in love with how you presented the information.

And that’s time.

Final score: You – 1, Presentation – 0

Stage 8: The relief stage

You’re done. You can now go back to your office, eat that bagel you’ve been thinking about all day, and get through the week with ease.

Until, of course, you get another presentation-related request.

Yousef "Yoyo" Abu Ghaidah

Yousef "Yoyo" Abu Ghaidah

Yousef "Yoyo" Abu Ghaidah is a PowerPoint ninja that founded Slide Cow, a learning platform for all things PowerPoint, presentations and public speaking. When he's not designing slides or giving presentations, he's on another coffee run.
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