Title: TUTORIAL (MUST READ): Preparing Your Presentation
Course: Manage Projects and Ensure a Safe Workplace

TUTORIAL: Preparing Your Presentation

Preparing Your Presentation.

Step 1
Formulate your Objectives

The starting point in planning any presentation is to formulate a precise objective. This should take the form of a simple, concise statement of intent. For example, the purpose of your presentation may be to obtain approval to proceed with a proposal, or to motivate your team. No two objectives will be served equally well by the same presentation; and if you are not sure at the onset what you are trying to do, it is unlikely that your plan will achieve it.

Step 2
Identify the Audience

The next task is to consider the audience to determine how best to achieve your objectives in the context of these people. Essentially this is done by identifying their aims and objectives while attending your presentation. If you can somehow convince them they are achieving those aims while at the same time achieving your own, you will find a helpful and receptive audience. For instance, if you are seeking approval for a new design from a client it is useful to know and understand their main objectives. If they are currently worried that their product range is out of date and old fashioned, you would emphasise the innovative aspects of your new design; if they are fearful about product diversification you would then emphasise how well your new design fits within the existing catalogue.

Step 3
Create a Structure

All presentations should have a definite structure or format; a presentation without a structure is a woolly mess. If you do not order your thoughts into a structured manner, the audience will not be able to follow them. Having established the aim of your presentation you should choose the most appropriate structure to achieve it.

The Beginning

It is imperative to plan your beginning carefully; there are five main elements:

Get their attention

You only have a limited time and every minute is precious to you so, from the beginning, make sure they pay attention. Start with an interesting story or a startling statistic

Establish a theme

Basically, you need to start the audience thinking about the subject matter of your presentation. This can be done by a statement of your main objective.

Present a structure

If you explain briefly at the beginning of a talk how it is to proceed, then the audience will know what to expect.

Create a rapport

If you can win the audience over in the first minute, you will keep them for the remainder. You should plan exactly how you wish to appear to them and use the beginning to establish that relationship. You may be presenting yourself as their friend, as an expert, perhaps even as a judge, but whatever role you choose you must establish it at the very beginning.

The Ending

The final impression you make on the audience is the one they will remember. Thus it is worth planning your last few sentences with extreme care.

As with the beginning, it is necessary first to get their attention, which will have wandered. This requires a change of pace, a new visual aid or perhaps the introduction of one final culminating idea. In some formats the ending will be a summary of the main points of the talk.

Conclusion

Once the speech is over and you have calmed down, you should try to honestly evaluate your performance. Either alone, or with the help of a friend in the audience, decide what was the least successful aspect of your presentation and resolve to concentrate on that point in the next talk you give. If it is a problem associated with the preparation, then deal with it there; if it is a problem with your delivery, write yourself a reminder note and put it in front of you at the next talk.

Practice is only productive when you make a positive effort to improve - try it