You’ve got something important to say and it’s time to get the message across and you’ve decided that a presentation is what it takes. You’re probably looking to win the hearts and minds of stakeholders so that your plans or ideas can be implemented effectively.
Presenting can be a scary thing but with this ultimate guide to presenting with impact you’ll be rocking it.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting Presentation goals, Knowing your Audience, knowing yourself.
Are you sure you need a presentation?
Before making any presentation, just make sure that a presentation is really the right medium for getting your message across. Is that really the best way to achieve your goal? If it’s to inform people, would an email suffice? If it’s to solicit solutions, would a brainstorm with fewer people suffice?
What reasons could there possibly be to make a presentation
- Bringing across new data or insights.
- Asking for ideas or feedback to bridge stakeholder disagreements
- Getting people to take action
- Providing background and to ask for solutions.
- Getting approvals and buy ins from stakeholders.
Of course, this short list isn’t exhaustive, but you get the point. What is it exactly that you’re trying to do?
Presenting with a goal in mind
Let’s clarify your goal. As always, make your goal SMART. The more specific your goal is, the more focused your thinking will be. Here’s an example:
I want to get written approval from our CMO on executing this H2 Marketing plan by the end of this week.
Contextual presenting
Then set the context of achieving that goal. How specifically will you be getting that nod of approval from the CMO? Start this phrase with “I want” and mention the audience of your presentation.
I want to show my CMO that my unit is outperforming expectations.
Success Metrics
Honestly, many people just omit this whole part of delivering presentations.. With your goal and audience in mind, how will you measure if you’ve reached your goals? Setting a success metric helps you to close your presentation with an appropriate call-to-action and, if necessary, with follow-up materials or actions.
All right! Nailed the first part of the presentation already, knowing the goals of your presentation, the context in which you’ll work to achieve those goals and the way you’ll measure success of the presentation.
Know your audience
Clearly, the better you know your audience’s goals and considerations, the more likely your presentation will be successful. Does that mean that the audience is actually what the whole presentation is about? YES! It’s not about the presenter. It’s about the audience. Figuring out your audience therefore is key to success.
Let’s break down some variables of your audience you want to know about beforehand.
- How many people will attend? Who will not be joining? Track participants. Absent stakeholders are also stakeholders and you wanna be able to follow up with them later.
- What are the responsibilities of these attendees. Frame your message from their perspective, or be badass and frame it from their leader’s perspective. How does your goal support theirs?
- What do they know already? What do they need to know? What knowledge gaps do I need to fill to give them enough background information.
- What do people think they know? What prejudices and assumptions do I need to address head on to give my presentation fair evaluation?
- Is my presentation gonna flare up a sh*t storm amongst attendees? Sometimes, you present uncomfortable or conflicting ideas. Pre-frame this by explaining beforehand that you’re aware of this, and how it may help sot that you can keep control.
- My personal favourite. Is someone telling your attendees to be here?If so, it’s likely that your message is not gonna be too well received. Even hostility may be lurching around the corner.
As a certified coach, I deal with lots of people that are ‘required to be here’. Usually, it’s important to break their resistance (if any) by building rapport. Understanding this beforehand helps changing the mindset of the attendee before you’re sharing your message, and greatly affect how the message is received.
Shape Your Message
Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that a brilliant idea will automatically resonate with your audience just because it’s presented well. While presentation look and feel is important, your audience craves more than just a visually appealing package. Let’s be fair, we want the rationale behind ideas, supported by logic, facts, and examples. Make sure to not overwhelm the audience with irrelevant details (step 3 of knowing your audience). The goal is to guide them to your viewpoint and make the journey enjoyable.
Follow these three fundamental steps to shape your message.
Step 1: Define Your Core Message
What’s the main takeaway you want your audience to remember after the presentation? That there is your core message. Keep it short and aligned with your presentation’s purpose and desired outcomes. Every element of your presentation should reinforce this message. While repetition isn’t necessary, anything that doesn’t support your main point will probably dilute your message and therefore slow you down from achieving your goal.
Step 2: Identify Relevant Arguments and Data
Effective presentations build a case, and a robust case requires support. Support each claim with well-chosen facts and data because “statements without data are just opinions”. I’m not against opinions, but data rules them all! Persuade your audience by giving them reasons to embrace your perspective or take specific actions. Only include facts and data that are persuasive, avoiding details that may distract from your core message. Put that as an appendix slide instead.
Emotional connection is crucial too. Clarify why your audience should care about your message and tap into their emotions. Tap into the emotions, the annoyance of the status quo, the sadness of not hitting KPIs or the happiness when you do hit those KPIs and unlock massive bonuses. Use those emotions to capture the attention and willingness of attendees.
Step 3: Organize your Content
A well-organized presentation ensures your audience gets it and helps you achieve your goals. Therefore, you will need to structure your argument logically, guiding your audience from one argument to the next.
Returning to the earlier example, if you propose a new system, explain why the old one is inadequate and how the new system addresses those issues. Then outline how the new system functions and how your audience can start benefiting from it.
The structure of your presentation
Usually, a presentation has four components, an opening, a problem statement (and the background of it), your solution and a call to action.
Opening of your Presentation
The opening of your presentation sends a lot of signals to your audience. Most importantly, you want to signal that they should pay attention. You could achieve this with a funny anecdote, a captivating hook or, a controversial statement. Now clearly, hold off on making blatantly wrong or insulting statements in order to be controversial.. The point is, signal that people need to want to hear this.
Once you’ve captured that attention, highlight your intended outcome and address your key argument(s) briefly. You do this, so that it’s easier to guide your audience through your points, now that they know what those points are.
Presenting your Problem or Need
Short and sweet baby! Focus on the problem or the need more than anything.
- Show how this problem/need is affecting the people in your audience and evoke emotions.
- Highlight the main issue(s) that need need to be tackled to overcome this problem.
- Frame the problem through data
- Address what actions you want the audience to take after the presentation
Awesome. 2/4 in the bag!
The Solution you’re presenting
Now that you’ve outlined the Problem, the context of that Problem and have supported that Problem, your audience wants you to talk about a solution in your presentation. Here your goal as a presenter is singular.
Help your audience understand that your solution is the best thing that has happened to them in a long, long time.
- Assist your audience in seeing the advantages your solution brings.
- Frame your solution based on their specific needs.
- Whenever possible, tell a story to help visualise the solution in action.
- Talk about steps you and the audience together, could take to move forward.
Call to action to wrap up your presentation
Provide a clear call to action.
Choose a quote, tell a powerful story, a surprising fact, a rhetorical question, or a call back to your opening. Whatever you choose, make sure it relates to your main message and CTA, and end with a confident and enthusiastic thank you. Address any actions you want your audience to take.
Explain the next steps you’ll take after the presentation.
Maybe you will send them an email, or have them fill in a survey before leaving the room. Whatever it is, this is your moment to get your audience’s buy in!
