Presentations: If you fail to plan you are planning to fail

To Plan  – I think this verb can divide a nation between those that love it and those that hate it. Just the word fills me with dread. It means I have to be organised. I have to make a list, remember birthdays, organise the logistics of picking up my child from a variety of venues. However, I have to admit that if I do manage a day where I know what will happen more than two hours in advance, there is a sense of achievement. I feel that I am ahead of the world and that I am in control for once!  Therefore I concede that when it comes to doing a presentation, the most important part is to plan.

Without detailed and structured planning, your presentation will fall flat. Your audience will miss the point or fall asleep and you will get the criticisms you are so keen to avoid.
Remember the presenter’s maxim:  'If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.'

There are three key steps to planning:

Researching the audience

Defining your key message

Structuring your talk

Find out as much as you can about your audience before you begin to construct your talk. Try to get a mental picture of the kind of people who will be facing you. Names, even faces, will help you; your talk will then be to a group of people you know, rather than a complete unknown entity. It is always a good idea to write down a description of your audience for each talk you give.

Describe each audience with the following headings;

Academic level

Experience

Information requirements

Personal goals

Age

Gender

With all this information at hand you should then be able to write a one sentence description of your audience that should be at your side to guide you the whole time.

Such a description might be:  'Senior managers of a large university hospital, aged 40-55, mostly male and all with business degrees or MBAs'

Once you know who you are talking to, you can decide what it is you want to tell them. But to do this you must establish your number one message. Few people will remember more than one major point you make. You should work out what it is that you want your audience to go away remembering. True, you want them to think you are a great presenter, but what single message do you want them to take away?

Think about  this carefully and then write it down. Your key message should be capable of being spelt out in a single sentence of less than 20 words otherwise it is likely to be too complex for people to remember. So there you have it - the beginnings of how to put together a brilliant presentation. For those of you who are filled with dread whenever someone mentions the ‘P’ word, you have nothing to fear – be brave, grasp your paper and pen with pride and start planning!

Sharon

P.S. For more information on the communications and presentations skills training offered by media first check out our website www.mediafirst.co.uk