During July I had the privilege of assessing the presentations of a number of young graduates newly employed in the corporate world. The delegates brought energy and commitment to their presentations, and it was great working with young people that were passionate to learn. It was clear that they’d all put a great deal of preparation into their presentations.
Once the presentations had been recorded, played back and feedback given, the majority of delegates had clearly done well enough to be assessed as competent. They had all prepared their subject matter diligently - but it was easy to tell who had rehearsed and who hadn’t. The telling factor was the ability to stay within the allotted time, and some of those who did not make the grade had fallen into the trap of failing to practice, despite this area being strongly highlighted in their initial training.
Allied to this, the ones who battled had simply stuffed too much content in to their allocated time. This resulted in delegates rushing to get through their content and losing their audience along the way, with insufficient pausing along the way.
The presentation that stood out was completed within the allocated time. The topic was briefly but clearly introduced. There was one central purpose which was enunciated well using excellent eye contact. The few slides that were presented had good visual images but only a smattering of text. The conclusion was brief, but powerful. Her peers gave a large sigh of appreciation as she ended and burst in to applause. Their response said it all.
The best way to start planning your presentation is to ask yourself what you’d like your audience to do afterwards. It’s called starting with the end in mind. Once you know how you’re going to end, work out how you’d like to start. You’ll be surprised how easily the body just falls into place. Resist the temptation to add everything you know into the “Body”. You’re the expert, so select what the audience needs to know, and include that only.
Then leave enough time to rehearse, at least 2 or 3 times - and time yourself on the 2nd run.
The premise is that if your structure is designed properly and tested in rehearsal, you have removed most of your delivery pressure in advance. There are many different variations of the correct structure, but for simplicity’s sake, an introduction, body and conclusion is usualy what you’ll need.
It’s dead simple, really. Trouble is, in our quest to do well, the tendency is to over complicate. And it need not be so.
Paul du Toit, Certified Speaking Professional, Author and Presentation Skills coach
