When it comes to giving presentations, there is a lot of confusion about whether you should “make” a presentation or “do” a presentation. Both are correct, but they have different meanings.
The terms “make” and “do” have different meanings based on context. Generally, “make” is used to create something new, and “do” is used for performing an action.
Definition Of Terms
In presentations, “make” refers to creating a presentation from scratch, whereas “do” means delivering a presentation someone else prepared.
Here is an example:
You’ll need to prepare a presentation for your sales team tomorrow, which involves creating it from scratch.
If your boss asks you to do a presentation, it means he or she has already created it and wants you to deliver it.
Using “make” or “do” when giving a presentation has different implications.
- Make: create from scratch
- Do: deliver created presentation
- Different implications
Which Is Correct?
Both terms work if used in the right context. Interchanging them can cause confusion. Understand their meanings before using them.
If you want to avoid confusion, stick to using “deliver” when referring to giving a presentation. This term applies whether you created the presentation or not.
Context usually settles which verb fits best. In a workplace conversation, saying “I have to make a presentation by Friday” tells your manager you are building the slides and the talking points yourself. Saying “I have to do a presentation on Friday” usually signals that the event is on your calendar and you are the one standing up to speak, even if the deck came from someone else. Native English speakers will often choose between the two without thinking about it, but for non-native speakers and writers, that small distinction can change how a sentence reads.
British and American English also nudge the choice in slightly different directions. “Give a presentation” is the most neutral phrasing you can pick, and it lands cleanly in formal emails, meeting agendas, and academic writing. “Present” on its own works well in headings and bullet points, as in “Present quarterly results to the board.” If you are writing for a mixed international audience and want to be safe, lean on “give a presentation” or “deliver a presentation” and reserve “make” for the building stage and “do” for casual, spoken contexts where the meaning is clear from the situation.
