Who’s doing the presentation for the convention? Or even better, who’s doing ALL the presentations for the convention?
If at least once in your life you’ve happened to hear this question and (even worse) if the answer to this question was your name, welcome to the club, bro!
It happened to me. I was “the one for presentations” for years. I had the unfortunate idea of talking about how effective or ineffective a poorly set up presentation could be on an audience of potential clients and ta-da. The role is yours!
Despite having given me a trauma that is not yet fully resolved, that period of my life left me with a checklist that I now share with you, hoping to save you some effort.
- Know your audience: before creating your presentation, it’s important that you know your audience. What are their needs and expectations? What are their interests? Knowing your audience will help you create a presentation that is relevant and interesting to them.
- Define the type of presentation and its objective: there are different types of presentations, and for each type, there is a narrative path to follow. Download our guide to learn more!
- Be clear and concise: a good business presentation must be clear and concise. Use simple words and short sentences to explain your ideas. Remember that your main goal is to communicate your message clearly and understandably. The presentation is recited. It is a tool to aid your speech. Don’t be afraid to remove text, choose keywords that will only be the starting point from which to express the concept. The words will come on their own even without walls of text that will only have the effect of diluting the effectiveness of the slide.
- Use images and graphs: images and graphs can help make your presentation more interesting and understandable. Use charts and diagrams to illustrate your data and information, and use images to create a visual impact.
ATTENTION: there are images and images, and graphs and graphs. Download our guide to learn more! - Font and palette: don’t exaggerate with font variations, for colors, sizes, and types. Look for consistency throughout the presentation regardless of the message of each individual slide. This will help to convey professionalism and clarity and will not distract attention to details at the expense of the message.
- Be engaging: try to involve your audience during the presentation. Ask questions, tell stories, and use examples to keep the audience’s attention. How?
Open with a WOW-effect video or a breathtaking image; if you can connect with your audience’s emotions at the start, they will be yours forever!
Stay on the thin line of “I’ll tell you, but not completely”: arouse curiosity, try to be clear but leave some questions open so that you are asked questions. Especially if your speech is commercial, it is essential to say almost everything your interlocutor needs, leaving the conclusion pending. If you receive the question, in all probability, you will also receive the request for consultation.
Last but not least: if you are going to present the presentation yourself, don’t let anyone else touch it. No to changes, especially to the order of the slides. The flow of your speech will never be the same as your Boss’s.
My rule: whoever modifies it, explains it!
Steve Jobs @ WWDC 2007 by Ben Stanfield, source: https://www.flickr.
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