You want your audience to hang on
every word. To make that happen, you have to be sure you win them over in the
first 30 seconds of your presentation.
Whether
your audience is your boss, your banker, a small team of direct
reports, a ballroom full of conference attendees, or thousands of people
worldwide connected via teleconference, your success depends on being able to
make a great presentation.
Great presentations are
well-organized, flow logically from one idea to another, and ultimately leave
the audience leave feeling rewarded and enlightened. All well and good, but if
you don’t hook your audience in the first 30 seconds, all your careful
preparation may be for naught. Therefore you have to begin with a bang! A
television commercial has only 30 seconds to grab your attention; the same is
true for you and your presentation.
The following steps will help you up
your game:
Brainstorm Ideas
Start building your presentation by
brainstorming. Share ideas with co-workers, draw flow charts, or talk with relevant
customers or vendors. Make time to write down your initial ideas without
concern about how they flow, or if they even seem to connect. As a way to
start, consider your audience. Who will be there? What do you want them to
understand at the end of the presentation, and what impact do you want have?
How long should you talk? How detailed should you be? Brainstorming is an
important step to begin building a good presentation, because although your
ideas are not refined during the process, it helps you focus in on the details
you need.
Write a Basic Outline
Once you have a general idea of what
you want, create a foundation for your presentation by writing an outline. This
outline forms a basic structure for your presentation; with it you list and
build upon your ideas. The outline should include an introduction, three to
five important points that elaborate on the main idea(s), and a conclusion that
recaps what you’ve just covered. of your introduction. Conclude your
outline by telling your audience what you just showed them.
This outline format, although
simple, forms the basic structure of a well-organized presentation. More
complex and longer presentations can be easily created by multiple, simple
outlines like the one described above and then piecing them together with
transitions. The outlines are building blocks, and their brevity permits you to
string ideas together and present more complex material in concise,
understandable pieces.
A completed outline can help you
conceive an optimum opening “bang” that you will hook your audience. It can be
a funny cartoon, some amazing statistics, a dramatic personal story, a good
joke, or a pithy quote. Some speakers have found that starting a presentation
with silence can be quite effective. Whatever you do, remember that you need to
get the audience hooked in 30 seconds or less!
Connect Ideas Together and Fill in
the Details
After completing your outline, write
as many outlines as you need to cover the scope of your presentation. Connect
your outlines with transitional words and phrases like, “Expanding on this
point…” or “As a result of….” Use pictures, graphs, spreadsheets, samples, or
other props as you see fit to help you illustrate your points. According to
research, when information is presented with vivid images, people will remember
95 percent of what they see and hear. Remember to specifically tell your
audience what to look for in the props and how these further prove or
demonstrate your main theme.
Polish and Practice
Once you’re satisfied with the structure
of your presentation, practice by reading it aloud. You may find that areas
that are well-written sound awkward when read aloud. Refine as needed, and also
look for portions that could be deleted in the interest of clarity and brevity.
If your presentation is long and complex, consider how you might break up your
ideas so you keep your audience focused on your main points. Think about how to
smoothly transition between topics (sometimes revisiting or referring to the
source of your opening bang can be a good way to link one section to the next).
Turn Up the Energy
Deliver your presentation with
personal energy and enthusiasm. Remember that the final product should reflect
your unique perspective, insights, and energy. Illustrate the key points with
flair, by showing rather than simply reading from a script. And remember: the
last 30 seconds of your presentation are almost as important as the first 30.
Summarize your points clearly and succinctly, and leave your audience with a
brief, inspiring or uplifting message to take with them after the presentation
ends.
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