ten steps to plan a presentation
TRANSCRIPT
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Ten Steps to Plana Presentation
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When planning a presentation, start with the end in
mind. What would you like to achieve by giving your
presentation?
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Most business presentations have common goals -
that is, to inform the audience about a topic of
interest and/or to persuade members of the
audience towards a course of action. Clarify the
purpose for your presentation at the very beginning
and stay focused on your main objective throughout
the planning process.
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Call to action.10
Start with the end in mind.
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Once you’ve decided on the purpose and main
objective of your presentation, how will you present
your topic?
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10 Call to action.
Presentation
Topic
• ~~~
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Start with the end in mind.
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Brainstorming is a key activity to generate ideas
early in the planning process. Use a whiteboard or
sticky notes to collect and capture all your thoughts
about the topic. You can decide later which ones to
use as content in your presentation.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Call to action.
Start with the end in mind.
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Imagine that this data is the result of your
brainstorm session. It’s all jumbled now, but each bit
is potential content for your presentation. Too much
information lacks focus, however, so you’ll have to
sort out what’s most useful to include.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Call to action.
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Start with the end in mind.
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One of the hardest things to do is keep things
simple. We have so much to say and we want to
include it all. But human brains have limited capacity
to absorb a lot of new information all at once. It
helps our understanding if things are less complex.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Call to action.
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Keep things simple.3
Start with the end in mind.
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To simplify your data, you’ll have to filter out the
parts that do not relate to the primary purpose of
your presentation. In this example, let’s eliminate
the letters in order to focus solely on the numbers.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Call to action.
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Keep things simple.
Start with the end in mind.
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Now we’re left with similar items, but it’s still hard to
know what’s most important. This time, let’s sort the
data into related groups of numbers. This will help
reveal some different aspects of the subject matter.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Call to action.
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Start with the end in mind.
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Now it’s easy to see a telephone number, a social
security number, and a zip code. Grouping related
ideas and data together is a useful way to organize
seemingly random information into smaller, more
focused parts.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Call to action.
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Start with the end in mind.
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At this point, you should have some basic content
that’s loosely organized into manageable chunks of
information. It’s tempting to open PowerPoint and
begin filling up the slides, but now is not the time to
get distracted by style and formatting. It’s better to
first organize how the information flows.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Call to action.
Start with the end in mind.
Organize the flow.
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Information will flow when your concepts appear to
be arranged in clear and logical order. An efficient
way to accomplish this is to open a Word document
in “Outline view.” Here you can use “level one”
headings to list your three main points and put
supporting information under each.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Main point
a. Factsb. Data
Main pointa. Factsb. Data
Main point a. Factsb. Data
Start with the end in mind.
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Once your three main points are outlined, find a
pattern, or organizing scheme, to tie the parts
together. For example, this module uses a numerical
sequence of ten steps to plan a presentation.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Call to action.
Main point
a. Factsb. Data
Main pointa. Factsb. Data
Main point a. Factsb. Data
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
Find a pattern.
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Even if the sequence of your subject matter is
pre-determined, you still have some flexibility in
arranging how it flows. Rather than just going from
topic to topic, you could choose any of the patterns
listed here to unify the parts in a meaningful way.
Chronological timeline
Numerical sequence
Problem/Solution
Features/Benefits
Issues/Actions
Opportunity/Leverage
Pros/Cons
Compare/Contrast
Physical or geographic grouping
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Call to action.
Find a pattern.
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
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Once your content flows in a logical order, it’s time
to think about the storyline for delivering your
presentation. How will you begin and end discussion
around the three main points of your topic?
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
1. Main point
a. Factsb. Data
2. Main pointa. Factsb. Data
3. Main point a. Factsb. Data
Start with the end in mind.
Prepare a storyline.
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Think of your presentation as a story with a
beginning, middle, and end. The beginning should
capture attention and set the stage for what’s to
come. The middle has your three main points. The
end should mirror the beginning with a review
followed by your call to action.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
I. BeginningA. Capture attentionB. Preview the content
II. MiddleA. Three main points B. Arranged logicallyC. Supported with facts and data
III. End A. Review B. Memorable statement
Start with the end in mind.
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The beginning is a powerful moment in your
presentation. This is your opportunity to grab
attention with your introduction. Spend some time
preparing an agenda, then think of ways to tell the
audience what it means to them.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
I. Beginning
A. Capture attention
B. Preview the content
Start with the end in mind.
Compose an introduction.
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To compose the introduction to your presentation,
follow these guidelines.
• Prepare a few attention-getting statements to arouse interest in your topic.
• Customize your opening to fit the audience and how they may benefit from listening.
• Provide a bit of personal information to establish your credibility.
• State the purpose of your talk and what you would like the audience to do or remember at the end.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
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It’s also important to manage the timing when
planning for delivery. You may have to adjust your
content or approach depending on the time allotted.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
Manage the timing.
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When delivering a presentation, the accepted ratio
is to allow 15% of your time for the beginning, 75%
for the middle, and 10% for the end. Using a 20
minute time frame as an example, you have three
minutes for the introduction and two minutes for
the end. That leaves 15 minutes to explain your
three main points. 5
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Manage the timing.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Beginning
• 15%
Middle
• 75%
End
• 10%
Start with the end in mind.
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Controlling the details is essential to a successful
presentation. Each main point requires a certain
amount of detail for a clear explanation. How much
detail to include depends on the complexity of your
ideas and how much the audience already knows
about your topic.
• If the audience is new to the material, you may have to spend a little more time explaining your main concepts.
• If the audience is knowledgeable about your topic, you may want to focus more on the supporting data.
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Manage the timing.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
Control the details.
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When time is limited, you’ll have to cut out some of
the details. When there’s more time you can take
longer to explain your three main points. Remember
that the audience won’t be able to process a lot of
new information all at once, so you will need to
determine which details are most important to
foster understanding. 5
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Manage the timing.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
Control the details.
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The final step requires an action-oriented message
that’s related to the purpose of your presentation.
Tell your listeners what it is you want them to do or
remember as you end. Your closing comments could
possibly be the only aspect the audience will
remember clearly. Make it count by concluding your
presentation with a message to reinforce the
outcome you desire. 5
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Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Manage the timing.
Control the details.
Call to action.
Organize the flow.
Start with the end in mind.
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Ten Steps to Plana Presentation
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The END
Brainstorm to collect ideas.
Keep things simple.
Organize the flow.
Find a pattern.
Prepare a storyline.
Compose an introduction.
Manage the timing.
Control the details.
Call to action.
Start with the end in mind.