What to do before we start our presentation.

When preparing for a presentation, you should do the necessary preparatory work, so that you express yourselves clearly, allowing  the presentation to be followed easily and the objectives clearly identified.

However, I have found that when I talk to many professionals about this they seem to leave everything to the last minute without having a clear strategy of which questions to ask themselves. I find being fluent or confident in front of others is simply not enough for the presentation to shine and for your audience to remember the main ideas and content.

What I suggest is that you go about preparing your presentation in the same way, every time. What I propose is that you follow A SIMPLE CHECKLIST in order for you to clarify your main ideas. Ask yourself the following questions

1. What is the aim of your presentation?
   1. To sell a product,
   2. To explain the hierarchical structure of your  company?
   3. To inform and explain possible changes in a portfolio?
2. What is the title of your presentation?
   1. How to increase market share
   2. The advantages of incorporating new personnel in the London team
   3. The advantages of implementing a cost-cutting strategy
3. Who am I speaking to?
   1. Are the people I am talking to the decision makers?
   2. How much does my audience know about the subject?
   3. Do they understand technical data or not?
4. What are the main points you would like to make?
   1. Between 3-4 points is more than enough

5. What do you want your audience to do once I have finished my presentation?

We must invite them:

5. To buy my products or services?
6. To change their minds about a possible issue?
7. to contract your services?
8. To offer a free trial period?
9. How long do you have to do your presentation?
   1. Are you the only presentor or are you doing a presentation as a team?

Once we have answered these questions we are on the way to doing a very effective presentation. In part 2, we will look at the different parts of a presentation and the importance of it being well-structured. We will also examine the different expressions that can be used and how to simplify the content of the introduction.