Engaging in genuine conversation, be it one-on-one or a sea of faces, is a passion of mine. I thrive in making genuine connections from the state. In the dynamic realm of business, whether pursuing a coveted position or leading an enterprise, mastering diverse presentation skills becomes indispensable. Many clients approach me, their nerves frayed and confidence shaken, with the prospect of delivering a presentation. Empathizing deeply, I adore transforming that anxiety into grounded confidence. When you’re tasked to give a presentation, it’s not just about testing your subject matter knowledge or even gauging your communication skills. Those aspects are important, but engaging and persuading an audience with credibility and flow often relies on the initial preparation, the prework, long before you step on the stage or grab your laptop. Before diving into PowerPoint, Notion, or Google Slides and staring at a blank screen, let’s clarify the starting point, the prework.
Getting Ready: Often, I ask my clients to consider a few things to help them start with the right information and bring the presentation to the finish line. I have included those foundational questions below to help ensure your presentation is relevant, targeted, and impactful. Here are some critical questions to consider:
Why are you giving the presentation?
What is the objective, opportunity, or obstacle you wish to address?
What do you want to achieve by the end of it?
Who’s My Audience?
Who will be attending the presentation?
What is their level of familiarity with the topic?
What are their expectations and potential biases?
What’s the Key Message?
If the audience could remember only one thing from your presentation, what should it be?
What’s the Appropriate Tone and Style?
Should the presentation be formal or informal? Typically, I have a fun, informal tone, but that isn’t the right tone for every audience or situation.
Would a straightforward, humorous, inspirational, or persuasive tone be best?
How Much Time Do I Have?
How long is the presentation slot?
Will there be time for Q&A or discussion?
What Resources and Tools are Available?
Will you have access to a projector, whiteboard, or any specific software?
Do you need any additional resources, such as handouts or props? It is better to have a Backup Plan for unfamiliar environments or technical mishaps.
What’s the Ideal Structure?
How will you introduce, develop, and conclude your presentation?
How can you organize your content to be most engaging and impactful? There are lots of frameworks to use in creating your presentation. I often recommend the Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto, AIDA, or the SOAR Model for interviewing.
How Can I Make It Engaging?
What visuals, stories, or examples can you use to illustrate your points?
Are there interactive elements you can incorporate, like polls or group discussions?
Personally, when working with a large audience, I love to start with my audience on their feet with a survey, an interactive exercise, or just to get some blood flow and brain juices going if they have been sitting for a series of other presentations. Just make sure that you are inviting them and not directing them to join in the movement.
What Potential Challenges Might Arise?
Are there controversial points in your presentation? This goes back to knowing your audience and the topic well.
How can you address or mitigate them? You may ask your audience to give you their expectation regarding the presentation and what they want out of it in a pole and further define by listing what you will and won’t be covering in your presentation right at the start to avoid any conflict or awkwardness.
How Will You Handle Questions or Feedback?
Is answering questions a part of the requirements of presenting? Your host should be able to give you that information if there is a prescribed order or expectation in advance.
Do you want to take questions throughout, at specific intervals, or at the end?
How will you address questions or comments that you don’t have an immediate answer for?
What’s the Call to Action?
What do you want the audience to do, think, or feel after the presentation?
How can you motivate them to act and make it easy for them to take the next step? Give directions with ordered steps when needed, like, “If you would like to connect to discuss this further, here is my contact info, and I will get back to you within 24 hours.” Physically point to it on the slide or handout.
How Will You Practice?
Will you do a dry run with a colleague or friend?
What about in front of a mirror or recording yourself for self-review or sharing with a trusted advisor?
How will you incorporate feedback from practice sessions?
Addressing these prework questions before fashioning your presentation will ground and provide a solid starting point for the road ahead. Happy Trails!