Tips & Techniques for Planning your Presentation

Tips & Techniques for Planning your Presentation “A convincing presentation creates a good balance between logic and emotion.” To move forward, backward or to a specific slide, move your cursor over the hidden arrows/menu in the bottom left corner of each slide and make a selection. You can also use your space bar (forward); or your Page Up/Page Dn keys (backward/forward).

Table of Contents Orientation Analyze your Situation Clarify your Objective Craft your Message Click on any colored bullet found on the Content pages to jump to a specific section. www.iwcctraining.com

This material was developed to help you plan for a successful business presentation. As you work through the slides, you will learn a system for preparing presentations. You will also gain tips and techniques to help you develop presentations which meet the needs of your audience. Orientation Some Important Truths Introducing the 6 Key Steps Return to main Table of Contents www.iwcctraining.com

Skills…not art Good presentation skills are not an art. They are rather a set of skills that almost anyone can master. Presentation skills can be learned by almost anyone who is motivated to do so. People do not learn from listening to someone else talk Research tells us that an audience will retain only 10% of what a speaker says. Therefore, presenters must find tools and techniques to help their audience: hear their message get the point remember the important parts of their presentation. Some Important Truths Orientation

“How” is just as important as “what” Audiences often make judgments about a presenter’s competence based on “how” they present rather than “what” they present. A competent presenter knows how to: gain the trust and interest of their audience hold the audience’s attention throughout their presentation present their material in a convincing and compelling way. Orientation

IWCC has created a six step process for delivering effective presentations. You will find the six steps listed on the next slide. For the purpose of this slide deck, we have focused on the first three steps in the process. We believe that by focusing on these three steps you will improve at the upfront preparation stage. As a result, you will overcome many of the frustrations or anxieties you may have about presentations. Introducing the 6 Key Steps Orientation

This slide deck focuses on the first three steps in the process. 6 Key Steps to an Effective Presentation 6. Rehearse 5. Prepare Visuals & Notes 4. Package Presentation 3. Craft Message 2. Clarify Objective 1. Analyze the Situation Orientation

In this section, you will explore some of the issues you must consider before your presentation. You will find questions you need answered well before you present. Analyze your Situation Know What you are Getting Into Complete your Situation Analysis Return to main Table of Contents www.iwcctraining.com

Know What you are Getting Into Think about the things you need to know about when preparing for your presentation: • The Sponsor • The Audience • The Mechanics • The Timing • The Interactive Expectations What kind of homework do you need to do? On the next few slides, you will find questions that you will need answered before your presentation. If you are not able to answer these questions, you will need to do some homework. Go back to the sponsor of your presentation and ask for more information. Whatever you do, don’t guess the answers...research them! Analyze your Situation

Plan ahead by completing your Situation Analysis. Here are many of the questions you will need to answer before you prepare and deliver your next presentation: The Sponsor Who has requested the presentation? And why? What is the occasion? What are the objectives of the presentation? The Audience Who are they? How many? What do they know about your topic? What is their attitude likely to be? Are there any language or cultural issues you should be aware of? Complete your Situation Analysis Analyze your Situation

The Mechanics Room set-up: What size of room? Will you present from a podium or stage? From floor level? Will you present in person? Or via webcast or phone? Will you be sitting or standing? What kind of lighting in the room? Light or dark? Natural or artificial? Equipment: What equipment will you need? (microphone, telephone, SMARTboard, projector, laptop, flip chart, etc.) What equipment will be available in the room? What other equipment would you like/do you need? Will there be a technical expert available to help you with equipment issues? Analyze your Situation

The Timing How long should your presentation be? What day and time will you speak? Who else will be presenting? Will you speak first, last or somewhere in the middle? The Interactive Expectations What will the atmosphere be like? Informal? Formal? Do you have a choice? Will you be expected to take questions from the audience? Throughout the presentation or only at the end? Analyze your Situation

Now that you have had an opportunity to focus on your audience, your timing and your equipment, write down the following: Ideas for your presentation (e.g. examples, visuals, analogies, etc.) Things you can do before your presentation to ensure success (e.g. send material in advance, lobby for support, phone key people, check sources, etc.) Now you are ready to design your presentation. More to consider… Analyze your Situation

In this section, you will gain tips and techniques to help you be clear about what you want to achieve when speaking to a group. Clarify your Objective Stay on Target with a Clear Objective Craft your Specific Purpose Return to main Table of Contents www.iwcctraining.com

To be a good presenter, you need to always be clear about your objective. Your General Objective will likely be one of the following: To mobilize your listeners to action To persuade or influence your listeners’ feelings To educate your listeners about something To instruct or teach your listeners a skill To inform your listeners about a topic. What is the General Objective of your presentation? Stay on Target with a Clear Objective Clarify your Objective

Craft yourSpecific Purpose Now that you are clear about your General Objective, you can craft your Specific Purpose. Complete the following statement: As a result of listening to this presentation, I want my audienceto [do/feel/understand/learn/know] so that __________________. General Objective Specific Purpose I want senior management to approve our budget so that we can begin the project by year end. • To mobilize Here are examples to help you identify your Presentation Objective: Clarify your Objective

To influence • I want my audience to feel convinced that our Unit will benefit by digitizing our records so that we will have quicker access to better information. General Objective Specific Purpose I want my audience to learn how to prepare effective PowerPoint slides so that they improve the impact of their presentations. • To instruct • To educate • I want my audience to understand how they can market their products through webinars so that they can meet sales targets. • I want to give my audience an update on the plant maintenance schedule so that they will know how it will impact their staff planning. • To inform Now that you have identified your Presentation Objective, you are ready to decide a) what you should say and b) how you should deliver it. Clarify your Objective

In this section, you will learn techniques to help you decide what to say in your presentation. You will focus on developing your ideas and structuring your presentation. Craft Your Message Structure your Presentation Use the Listener Questions Technique Label Statements, Key Points & Transitions Open & Close for Maximum Impact Return to main Table of Contents www.iwcctraining.com

Structure your Presentation You will build your presentation in three parts: First…the Body Then…the Opening And finally…the Closing Let’s start by taking a look at IWCC’s 5 Cs Template which will provide you the structure for your presentation. Craft your Message

IWCC’s Five Cs Template… Opening: Capture Connect Clarify Let’s start with: Review your Situation Analysis & Presentation Objective Brainstorm, then answer the key Listener Questions (LQs) Build content using labels, key points & transitions Body: Convince Closing: Confirm Craft your Message

Use the Listener Questions Technique Rather than starting the body of your presentation by asking yourself, “What should I say?”, give your listeners the specific information they need. Use the Listener Questions Technique to determine what information to include in your presentation by asking: “What do my listeners want/need to know for me to reach my presentation objective?” Craft your Message

Next steps • Create a Listener Questions Worksheet (see the example on the next slide) to help you complete the next three steps. • Review your Situation Analysis and record your Presentation Objective. • Brainstorm/record your Listener Questions (LQs) – the questions your listeners need answered – and put them in the order your listeners will want the information. • Go back to your LQs and add your ideas for the delivery, visuals, examples, etc.

Example. Listener Questions Worksheet Presentation Objective: _______________________________ _______________________________ Sequence Listener Questions Ideas (visuals, examples, etc.) Craft your Message

Label Statements,Key Points & Transitions Now you are ready to develop the body of your presentation. Answer each of your LQs by crafting a Label Statement (a statement that tells your listeners the overall answer to the question), then listing Key Points (details listeners need to understand your answer). Craft your Message

Listener Question: How is the project going? This project is basically on schedule except for three minor delays. Label Statement: • Key Points: • set-up phase • development phase • hardware/technical problems Example. Craft your Message

Take your listeners with you… Add Transitions (phrases or sentences that help you guide the listeners through your presentation) to connect where you have been with where you are going. Craft your Message

Listener Question: How is the project going? Transition Now that we know we are basically on schedule, let’s talk about the next step. Statement What do we, as a management team, need to do to complete the project successfully? Listener Question: Example. Craft your Message

Open & Close with Maximum Impact To be successful when delivering a formal presentation, you will need a well orchestrated opening and closing. By opening distinctively, you give your audience a reason to listen to your message. By closing powerfully, you give them a reason to remember your message. Craft your Message

Distinctive openings… Distinctive openings are particularly important. Research suggests that the first few minutes of a speaker’s time can make or break the entire presentation. Here are some ideas for distinctive ways to open your presentation: State a fact “Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 28.4% in November and are on track to reach a target of US $205 billion this year.” Make a provocative or controversial statement “If we don’t meet environmental standards on emissions by the end of the year, our company may be forced to close its doors.” Ask a question (real or rhetorical) “How many people in the room fully understand the company’s guidelines for developing new procedures?” Craft your Message

Start with a quotation “Whether you think you can…or you think you can’t…you’re right!” (Henry Ford) Use a short anecdote or personal experience “Something very significant happened to me the day I joined this company….” Create suspense “How many of you have faced adversity in creating or promoting new technology? Consider the story of a mechanically-inclined young man who grew up in rural Michigan in the 1850s. Despite leaving school at an early age… slowly he made an name for himself. Imagine if Thomas Edison had given up in the face of adversity. Where would we be today?” Craft your Message

Use all or some of the following LQs to plan what you will say in your opening: • Who are you? What are your credentials? • What is the purpose of your presentation? What will happen during and after your presentation? • What are you going to talk about? For how long? • What do you expect to achieve? • Will you take questions? When? Any handouts? • What is your point of view on your topic? • Why should I listen? What’s in it for me (WIIFM)? Answer the following question for yourself: • What can I do to make my opening truly distinctive? Craft your Message

Your opening should… • break the ice • be distinctive • introduce yourself • establish credibility Capture Connect • state topic & context Clarify • state objective • explain benefits (WIIFM) • share agenda • set expectations (questions, handouts) Craft your Message

Powerful closings… The closing of your presentation is your chance to ensure that you have achieved your objective. Plan your closing by mentally revisiting your objective and ensuring that you are clear about what you are trying to achieve. Link back to your objective (and ice breaker) Reinforce your objective by confirming it in your closing, for example: “I started out by saying if we don’t meet environmental standards on emissions by the end of the year, our company may be forced to close its doors. I hope you are now convinced that we need to take drastic action to design a system to meet these standards and save our jobs.” Summarize key points Quickly…and without undue elaboration…re-visit the key points of your presentation. Craft your Message

Ask for commitment “Now that you have heard the facts, I encourage you to support this worthwhile project.” Agree on follow-through actions Re-visit and agree on any follow-through actions discussed during your presentation. Be sure to include names, tasks & target dates. Do something memorable You want your audience to remember you as a person as well as to remember the key point of the presentation. Incorporate one or more of the following techniques into your closing: • Show a dramatic visual • Tell a very short and to-the-point story • Use a quotation • Build a “just imagine” scenario (ex. “Imagine the savings in time and money once we are able to access this new technology.”) Craft your Message

Use all or some of the following LQs to plan what you will say in your closing: • What is your main point again? • What key information do you want me to remember? • Do you want/need my commitment? • Tell me again, what do you expect me to do/feel/understand/learn/know now that I have listened to your presentation? Answer the following questions for yourself: • What can I do to make my closing memorable? • Can I relate a personal story or anecdote to end on a positive note and reinforce my message? Craft your Message

Your closing should… Summarize key points Link back to objective (icebreaker) Ask for commitment Agree on follow-through Do something memorable Craft your Message

By applying the tips and techniques you have learned in this slideshow, you will be well on your way to: • Preparing for a successful presentation. • Developing an effective presentation that meets the needs of the audience and gets your key message across. “A convincing presentation creates a good balance between logic and emotion.”

Tips & Techniques for Planning your Presentation