Presentations

Planning Presentations
• Planning presentations = Planning business messages
• Analyze the situation
• Gather information
• Select the best media and channels (i.e. material for communication e.g.
verbal, paper, email, powerpoint etc.)
• Organize the information

• Preparation Time: Rule of thumb:

• Formal, 1-hour presentation = 36 to 90 hours to research, plan, create, and
practice
Analyse
• Define Purpose
• Develop Audience Profile:
• Size and composition
• Probable reaction
• Experience
Select Media and Channels
• Live, in-person presentations
• Webcasts (online presentations that people either view live or
download later from the web)
• Screencasts (recordings of activity on computer displays with audio
voiceover) etc.
Organise Presentations
• Linear:
• Outlined like conventional messages (e.g. Essay)
• Follow predefined flow from start to finish
• Appropriate for speeches, status updates, technical and financial
presentations
• Any presentation that requires conveying message:
• Point by point
• Build up to a conclusion following logical steps
Organise Presentations
• Nonlinear:
• Presenter can move back and forth between topics and up and down in terms
of level of detail.
• Use to:
• Show complicated relationships between multiple ideas or elements
• Zoom in and out between the “big picture” and specific details
• Explore complex visuals
• Move from topic to topic in any order
Define Main Idea
• Clear statement of the main idea you want to share with your
audience.
• Make one-sentence summary that links your subject and purpose to
your audience
• e.g. Address employee concerns regarding a new health-care plan by showing
how the plan will reduce costs and improve the quality of their care
• Directly link main idea (health care plan) to audience interest (how
does it impact them)?
Limit Scope (i.e. material covered)
• Meet time period
• Keep audience interest
• Rule of thumb: 3-4 minutes per slide
• Practice
Organise short presentation
• Introduction:
• Create interest
• Give preview
• Body:
• Explain who, what, when, where, why, and how of your topic (Journalists
questions)
• Conclusion:
• Review points made
• Close with statement that helps audience remember the topic
• Prepare an outline to organize this
Visuals
• Structure slide around a key visual
• Key Visual: Organizes and explains the points you are trying to make
• Write Readable Content
• Create Charts and Tables for Slides: Keep information to a minimum
so that the audience can follow
• Choose Design Elements:
• Colour
• Background designs and artwork (e.g. theme): must be consistent
• Foreground designs and artwork (e.g. visual): do not overuse decorative ones
• Animations and transitions: also, don't overuse
Presentation Delivery
• Use notes, not memorization
• Practice, practice, practice
• Relieve stress: breathing technique
Talks about good Presentations
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo

• https://www.ted.com/talks/
julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen