Preparation is Key

Preparation is the key to your success
When preparing your presentation, there are five things you can do to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible.

• 1. Find out the PURPOSE of your assignment

What are you/ your company hoping to achieve? Do you want to make sales or simply inform. This kind of clarity should help you when deciding upon the angle of your presentation.

• 2. Establish who your AUDIENCE is

Are they clients with decision making power? Are you simply educating them? Are they your superiors- could this presentation mean a promotion for you in the future? The degree of importance is obviously a key factor to consider- if nothing is riding on this presentation, there is even more reason to relax!

Another reason for considering your audience is in order to decide upon your style of delivery- should it be formal/ informal, a hard sell/ informative.

• 3. What do you NEED to make this an unforgettable presentation?

Do you know everything already, or will some research be required? How much does your audience know already and how much do they need to know to fulfil the purpose of your presentation? Do they need a brief overview or a detailed lecture… Is this a routine situation or the greatest opportunity of your career?

• 4. What CONTENT needs to be included?

So, we’ve established the purpose, the type of audience and the needs, in preparation for your presentation, now it’s time to focus on the content. How long should it be? There is a fine balance between boring your audience to death and leaving them with lots of gaps in their knowledge- reconsider your answers to points 1-3 to establish how much information is required. Remember that an individual can only retain so much information- you don’t want to overload them with details that aren’t essential to the PURPOSE of the presentation. So, as we’ve already stated: focus on points 1-3 when deciding what needs to be included.

• 5. HOW should you communicate your message?

This is when you consider your means of communication. As always you need to take points 1-4 into consideration when deciding upon your methods of communication.

Will visual aids help you deliver your message? Should you give your audience handouts? Would it be worthwhile to make your presentation interactive by asking questions?

To re-cap:

You need to ask the right questions before putting a presentation together:
Purpose: what is the purpose- what am I hoping to achieve?
Audience: who is my audience?
Needs: what do I need to do in terms of research and what are my audience's needs?
Content: what should I include in my presentation?
How: how should the information be delivered to best achieve my goals?
Having asked yourself and your superiors these questions and then acted upon them, you should be feeling more confident now.
Now there are just two more stages: rehearsal and delivery.

If the above information answers all your questions and appeases any fear you previously felt… then you’re extremely lucky! For those of you who are still not convinced, we will be producing several follow up ‘lessons’ over the next few weeks to help you overcome your fears and fine tune your presentation skills.

For further details,contact us

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