Starting your presentation with a video is not a good idea.

Everything has to move these days.
There’s a hype: starting your presentation with a flashy animation.
A spinning logo, music, motion graphics... and the speaker thinks: “Great, intro’s covered – thanks to the animation.”

But think: who’s in the room? Clients, decision makers, investors, colleagues. They came to hear you. Not to watch a video they could just as easily find on your website.
And you? Surely you don’t want them to say afterwards: "Great video… but I have no idea what the presentation was about."

Why not open with a video

• The audience leans back before you’ve said a word.
• You disappear into the background.
• The tone is set by the video – not by you.
• And the video is what they’ll remember. Not your message.

If you’re giving a pitch, a sales talk or a team presentation:
don’t waste your opening.
That’s your moment to connect, trigger, and steer.
Not visual fireworks, but meaningful connection.

Unless you’re a top-level speaker…
We do see it work – with news anchors or professional moderators. Perfectly timed speech, synced with video and rhythm. But they’ve trained for years. With a full production team behind them. That’s a skill. Not something you improvise. You need to guide your audience, step by step. Especially in the opening – it sets the tone. Don’t overload. Don’t compete with visuals. Lead.

When is a video okay?
Have a video that’s just too good not to show?
Go ahead. But place it in the middle of your presentation.
That’s where it can strengthen your story – if you stay in control.
Examples:

• A testimonial: Real words from a client, user, or patient. That kind of credibility is hard to fake.
• A how-it-works video: Visually explain something that would take minutes to describe. But make sure you can hit pause. So you can frame or clarify it.
• A surprise video: Something emotional or unexpected. Great. But you wrap it up with meaning: “Why this matters? Because…”

How to do it well:

1. Briefly introduce the video: “Let’s take a quick look at…”
2. Stay quiet while it plays. No narration. No voice-over.
3. Summarise afterwards: “What you just saw shows us that…”

Is the content complex?
What’s clear to you may be hard to follow for your audience.
Use stills instead:

• One image per slide
• You do the talking
• You set the pace – much more effective.

Don’t let anyone sell you on animation
Too much motion turns your presentation into a mental workout. Your audience is trying to watch, listen, and understand – all at once. It overwhelms. It distracts. It backfires. And commissioning a video just for your presentation? Save your budget – unless you’re absolutely sure it adds value and you use it at the right moment.