KPIs of Effective Presentations - An Original ConceptIn corporate parlance, KPIs or Key Performance Indicators are signal posts. They indicate the levels of effectiveness and efficiency in a person or the organization. In other words, if the KPIs are being met, then the job is being done right.

The KPIs we talk about in this instance, in relation to an Effective Presentation, have the same end objective as KPIs in business; but the letters themselves connote some very different ideas.

“Acronyms and abbreviations are great. They are easily remembered and can be delivered with impact. The rule of 3 is awesome too; 3 things to focus on, at once, is the most many can handle.”

Expanding each letter of the acronym ‘KPI’, we can logically explain the essence of effective presentations. From the letter ‘K’ of our KPIs, come the rules for an effective presentation, the '3Ks'. From 'P' come the '3Ps', the essential elements to getting the '3Ks' right. The '3Is' from the letter 'I', help round up the presentation, making it complete & outstanding.

“Get the ‘3Ks’ spot on; you’ll have a winning presentation!!!”Know Your Objective - Every presentation has an objective and it is vital that the presenter is absolutely sure of this. Depending on this, the manner of the presenter; the tone of voice, the body language, the stance, etc., will vary greatly.

Know Your Audience - Even with the objectives clear, the presentation can go wrong if one does not know the audience. The level of knowledge, interest, respect for the speaker, and much more differ from one audience to the other. Therefore, pitching the message at the level of the audience

becomes crucial.Key Message - The audience needs something to take back, which makes the presentation relevant. That one thing about the presentation, that they need to remember, even if they forget all else. That is what the Key Message is all about, and spells the difference between great presentations, and mediocre others.

“The '3Ps' are for presentations, what the 4Ps are for marketing - essential elements of success”Plan - Despite being the most common sense thing to do, very many speakers and presenters fail to plan their presentations. Quite like the military adage ‘If You Fail To Plan, You Plan To Fail’ points out; a presenter, who does not have a plan for the presentation, is soon going to be wishing he never got on stage in the first place.Prepare - Perhaps because in a life or death situation, only the best practices give you a fighting chance; we find many modern management ideas originating in the military. ‘Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance’ is one such phrase borrowed from the military, which perfectly sums up the need for preparation. Rehearse ! Rehearse !! Rehearse !!!Perform - Your performance has got to be the very best you could ever do it, every time, all the time. What is the point of giving a lousy performance? There is none. It will do more harm than good, and defeat the very purpose of standing up and making the presentation.

“The ‘3Is’ add the extra something to make your presentation sing”‘Intuition’ is instinctive. More often than not, we all have a ‘gut feel’ about how something will go, and should be played. Once we have mapped out our plan and rehearse for all possible scenarios and even as we make a presentation, it helps to let the gut make some decisions too.‘Improvisation’ comes into play when things stop going according to the plan. The prepared presenter, automatically makes improvisations to his presentation. More often than not he is prepared for such an eventuality; and even if not, he makes the adjustments that need to be done, to keep the show going on.‘Innovation’ is my personal favorite. Many great presenters are not scared to step out of the norm and do something out of the ordinary. It is all about achieving the objective, connecting with the audience and leaving a lasting message with them, and if you can achieve it with some flair and originality, then go ahead, knock the ball out of the park.

In conclusion, the KPIs of an Effective Presentation, are indeed Key Performance Indicators of the presentation. The logical flow of needing to achieve the 3Ks, by means of the 3Ps, with the effort rounded up and made to shine with the 3Is; when practiced as a whole, will give you the ovation you richly deserve.

Like we say in theatre, go ahead and break a leg!!!