Mastering Presentations: Be the Undisputed Expert when You Deliver Presentations

Chapter 2

A Simple Way to Design Presentations in 15 Minutes or Less

“If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.”

—Mark Twain

Okay, so now that we realize how much of an expert you really are, how do we start designing compelling speeches or presentations that people in your industry really want to listen to? More important, how do we design this compelling presentation without it taking hours, days, or even weeks? The first step is to realize that what the audience really wants to know and what you really want to tell them are often two totally different things.

What the Audience Wants to Know and What You Want to Tell Them Are Often Two Totally Different Things

Perhaps the biggest mistakes that people make when they start to design a presentation is to ask themselves, “Okay, so what do I know about this subject?” They then start designing slides based on everything that they know. What happens more often than not is that they end up with too much information and too many slides, so to fit the time frame allotted, they will cut some content. When this happens, what presenters end up with is a Swiss cheese presentation that is both difficult to remember (to deliver) and difficult for the audience to retain.

A better way to start is to put yourself in the shoes of an audience ...