Presentation Plan For A Presentation

Make sure they feel like your presentation is worth their time. No matter if you are giving a presentation to one person or a thousand, proper planning and practice will ensure its success.

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Business professionals spend their days consumed with meeting madness. One study discovered 71 percent of senior leaders believe meetings are an unproductive waste of their time. Research says the average business leaders endure 23 hours a week of meetings. With more than half of the workweek spent sitting through presentations, it's easy to see how they can become monotonous. How can you overcome the innate and overwhelming dread professionals feel when attending yet another presentation? You prepare, plan and practice. Ensure the presentation is catered to the audience's needs and compiled in a way that is captivating and intriguing.

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Here are five tips to planning a powerful presentation: 1. Know your audience. Defining your audience will help you create a presentation best suited to their needs. Understand how your topic is relevant and how it will benefit their needs.

Know what they expect to learn and take away from their time with you. Don't assume the audience thinks like you. Demographic biases can often separate our ways of thinking. The more you know them, the more effective you can make the presentation. Consider the audience's level of expertise so you don't lose their attention by speaking over their here or insult them by presenting basic knowledge.

Executives may be more eager to learn about how your topic will link their business growth, projection and prioritization. Mid-level managers will be more interested in learning the hands-on requirements, experience and implementation needs for your ideas. If you're unfamiliar with the audience, speak to the meeting organizer before you begin planning your presentation. Ask who will be attending and what they hope to learn. If you are presenting to a client or prospect, research the company, leaders and organizational priorities online as much as possible.

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Scope the topic. Content is critical in making your presentation a meaningful use of time. Content must be correct, factual and well-organized. Ideally, you would have the opportunity to understand your content before giving a presentation; however, sometimes we must present on topics outside of our comfort zones.

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In this case, take time to research everything you can about what you will discuss. Arm yourself with data that supports your message and helps provide answers to the most likely questions.

It's not enough to have historical knowledge of the topic but how that knowledge will benefit the audience. When you understand their needs, you can tailor your research and fact-gathering accordingly.]