You lost the at Ummm

​Yeap. It was supposed to be your shining moment delivering that career making presentation but instead you got nervous, stuttered, couldn't focus, and basically fell flat. You blew it, you knew it, and now what? Umm well, you pick yourself up, stop complaining, stop saying ummm, and solve the problem. Get some public speaking/presentation training because solving problems is what embodies you, not that one fleeting moment.

     It's not really that complicated. In creating any presentation, you need to first consider the audience, the setting, the demographics of the audience, the message you want to convey, and the time you have available to do so. Ask yourself, who is the audience? Is it executives or is it a group of peer associates? Knowing the audience lets you know what kind of information they are looking for and sets the tone for how you will deliver it. The setting refers to the place you are delivering the presentation. The preparation and techniques for presenting via online format are quite different than those used when speaking in front of a live audience. We've all seen those online headlines about words or sayings you never hear anymore. In that same note, the demographics of the audience shapes the media and the words you will use to communicate and connect with the audience. Likewise, understanding the audience means you also know what the message is they have come to hear. In the presentation game, you hit a homerun by hitting the message right at the audience; not over their heads. Lastly, who wants to only catch the first part of a concert? You need to deliver the entire message to make the information effective. Hence, like a conductor, you need to set the timing of each part.

    After you know these things, you start to build the presentation, however, all presentations have that same four parts; the Intro, the Body, a Conclusion, and a Q&A allotment. The introduction is where you break the ice and establish a connection with the audience. It's where you tell them what they can expect to hear. The body of the presentation is where the bulk of the time is spent and it's where you convey the information. The body is designed around your intended objective or purpose and the audience but there are 3 typical body designs: Categorical, Problem/solution or Cause/effect, and Chronological. The names pretty much describe the format. For example, a project update might best be provided in a categorical format of scope, schedule, and budget while a presentation for a proposal might be best accomplished using a problem/solution format. Regardless, it is never truer than in a presentation that a picture is worth a thousand words so, use graphs to make your point rather than a table of data. At the end of the presentation, you present your conclusions. You restate the important points you want the audience to walk away with. If it is a call to action, tell them what action you want them to take. If it is a request for assistance, tell them exactly what you need. The Q&A is trickier than the rest of the presentation, so you need to think this through. Allowing for Q&A as you go ensures the audience gets the information they need but, it can be disruptive leading to one person dominating the floor. Holding questions until the end, however, may cause the audience to lose interest. The answer to which of these you use goes back to the intended audience; if you think the President of the company is going to wait to ask you a question, you're wrong, and telling her to wait is almost guaranteed to get you a ticket to the unemployment line. Know the audience's expectation and create your presentation accordingly.
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     Once the presentation has been created, don't wait until game day to practice. Remember the 3 Rs: Review it, Rehearse it, and Rework it before you deliver it. You won't want to come off as scripted but rather as prepared. This is when you think about what questions you might be asked and how you will respond. Maybe in anticipation of a question, you put a link on your slide to a back-up slide. (If you do this, make sure you put a return link so you don't have to scroll around to get back.) Before the presentation, make sure the room and media equipment are set up and working. Nothing will get you off to a bad start worse than a computer or digital connection that won't work correctly.

I will post another blog about delivering the presentation in the future but if you want more details related to this blog, or that one, visit my YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/OJOl-bOKH5w or check out our lesson index on our website.

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