Belle Bedazzled

Effective Presentations

One of the keys to a successful presentation is to plan for it. As the saying goes, 'If you fail to plan, you plan to fail'. Let us see how we can plan for a presentation.

When planning for presentations, ask yourself a few questions:

1. What is my purpose of the presentation?
2. Who are my audiences?
3. How long is the presentation?
   

Knowing the purpose of the presentation helps you keep to the topic in discussion. Informing, educating, entertaining and persuading are just some of the common purposes of a presentation. Your purpose of the presentation will also set the tone and, at the same time, help keep your audience focused.

Audiences also affect how presentations are conducted. Your audience affects the choice of language and illustrations used during your presentation. For example, the language used when speaking to a group of teenagers about ageism would be different from that you would use if you are addressing a group of doctors. A small audience allows room for a more interactivity whereas a lecture-style presentation would cater better to a bigger crowd.

The duration of the presentation plays a part in determining how much information can be included. Many presenters fall into the trap of providing too much information. When audiences are bombarded with too much information, they start to become restless and eventually, switch off. Hence, it is important for the presenters to pick up relevant key ideas to get their messages across.

So having planned the presentation, will everything go according to plan? Not all the time. It is important bear in mind that things may go wrong. Always be prepared for equipment to malfunction and have a back-up plan ready.

Remember, 'If you fail to plan, you plan to fail'.