Basic Idea of Presentation Preparation, Content and Delivery

Michael was working as a Brand Promotions Manager with a reputed firm. He was doing very well and was the apple of his boss’s eye. One day, he had to deliver a presentation on his achievements and contributions to the organization in the past few months and also include his future plans in front of the organization’s board of directors. Michael was tensed as he was not too good in making presentations. Professionals generally rely on presentations to share their responsibilities, achievements or any other important information with a wider audience. Through presentations, an individual can actually collate and summarize all his reports, important data and effectively communicate to the desired recipients.

A presentation is ideally made on Microsoft Office PowerPoint with the help of slides. The number of slides to be used in the presentation is directly proportional to the content of the presentation.

Ideally the number of slides should range between ten to fifteen. The slide design, the font style, background colour all depend on the individual’s taste and choice. It is always advisable to keep the slides simple for corporate presentations.

How to prepare a presentation ?

Whenever a topic is assigned, the first and foremost task an individual must do is to jot down all the points he wishes to cover in the presentation. Always first be very clear what all you want to include in your presentation and what all can be left out. Avoid flowery English, stylish fonts as they are considered unprofessional, instead use bullet points. Do keep in mind the time limit allotted to you for the presentation and try to finish your presentation within the time limited allocated to you.

Remember a presentation can either make or break your as well as your organization’s image. A presentation is actually a mirror of an individual or an organization’s performance and achievements and what all he intends to do. A bad and an ineffective presentation can tarnish your organization’s image completely.

You have to cover each and every point and just can’t afford to miss a single point as it might result in an ineffective presentation. Be very careful about the content of your presentation.

Carefully choose the words, use short sentences and cover as much information as you can. Support your content with piecharts, graphs, diagrams, tables or pictorial representations to make the presentation self explanatory. Try to include examples from real life situations for better understanding.

Don’t add many slides or repeat the content and make the presentation too long. A long presentation is not necessarily an effective presentation. Your presentation must not exceed the time limit assigned to you as it would lead to boredom.

Always begin your presentation with a slide including the title of the topic assigned to you, your name as well as your organization’s name. The presentation should end with a “Thank You” Slide to thank your audience for being patient enough to listen to you till the end.

Don’t make the presentation too complicated or else the audience might not understand what you intend to convey. Keep it simple and self explanatory and do keep your audience in mind while preparing your presentation. Understand their educational, cultural background as well as their thought process to design your presentation. Highlight the important points in the slides for an effective presentation.

All the above tips will help you in preparing a presentation, but the presentation will not be effective unless and until you deliver it efficiently.

Delivering a Presentation

Always begin your presentation with a warm smile. It actually works! Greet your audience well to create a friendly ambience. These gestures go a long way in breaking the ice. Start your presentation by introducing yourself as well as your organization.

Remember it is not just a mere introduction but actually a trailer of your complete presentation. The first impression is the last impression and the five minutes of introduction has to be very effective and powerful to capture the interest of the audience so that they are with you till the end. Prepare your introduction well and do practice it once or twice before the final shot.

Come to the slides one by one and explain them confidently and convincingly. Don’t be in a rush to finish your presentation. Include instances from your personal experiences as it would help the listeners to relate themselves with the presentation. Don’t feel nervous at any point of the presentation or else the listeners will also loose their interest.

It is absolutely okay to read the presentation but don’t forget to make the eye contact with your audience. Eyecontact creates the magic and the listeners start believing you. Do take pauses after each slide and invite questions from the listeners.

More questions indicate an attentive crowd. Never include anything which you yourself don’t know. It becomes really embarrassing if you fail to answer your listeners. Stay calm, composed and comfortable. No need to panic as no one will bite you.

Maintain a tone audible to one and all even to people sitting on the last rows. Also do consult your IT Engineer or the concerned department before the presentation to ensure proper functioning of your system (desktop or laptop) as well as the microphone. The mike quality has to be good otherwise your voice will tend to crack in between and fail to create the desired effect. Take care of your hand movements, posture, facial expressions to make your presentation interactive.

One can actually walk away with all the credit if he has the ability to deliver the presentation in an effective and impressive manner. Presentation is no rocket science, you just have to be very clear about the content, design template of the slides and give your best while delivering it.

Do practice it well in front of the mirror and be your own critic. Understand the purpose of the presentation, the need of the presentation and how it can benefit you and your organization. Adopt a positive approach and believe in yourself to deliver an effective presentation and win the applauds of the audience.