Communications

8PRESENTATIONS: DESIGNING AND DELIVERING

In the previous chapter, you wrote, sketched and organised your ideas for your presentation on paper, whiteboard or sticky notes (or you’ve developed and organised them using software). Then, you created a content outline. In this chapter, you will learn how you can use these resources to write notes and create visuals for your presentation. Your goal is to deliver a spontaneous, passionate, engaging presentation that resonates with your audience.

PREPARING NOTES FOR YOUR PRESENTATION

In contrast to a speech, you do not have to write the presentation in its entirety and deliver it verbatim. Nor do you have to memorise it word for word. If you do deliver it from memory, you risk appearing formal, stilted and lacking in conviction. And there is also the risk that you could forget something and stumble in your presentation.

Instead, for presentations, I recommend creating a set of notes—either written or printed on index cards or written in PowerPoint notes—and speaking extemporaneously. Write whatever number of notes you require, one for each slide, if necessary. Each note should be brief—just a few words that work as a memory key.

PREPARING VISUALS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION

One of the first things you should consider when preparing your presentation is whether you want to use visuals, such as pictures, graphs, tables or props. You may decide to make a presentation to your supervisor, members of your team, a senior executive or others inside or ...