Presentations: Part 1 of 3
Making Presentations: Preparing for the Presentation
by Elizabeth Pass
Preparing
The most important advice I can give to ensure that you give an effective presentation is to prepare. The more you prepare--and this means researching your audience and topic, not just practicing your presentation over and over--the more comfortable you will feel when you stand in front of that client or your boss. You will know the people you are addressing, how to design the message, what information they need to know, and what questions they will potentially ask in the Question & Answer period.
Researching Your Audience. Here are some questions you need to ask when researching your audience:
Who is the audience? Are they willing to listen? Do they agree with you or disagree with you? Or are they even hostile toward you? Knowing this will affect what you say. If your audience is neutral or already friendly to you, you can make more extreme statements than you could if your audience is hostile toward you. If you have a disagreeable audience, you must be much more cautious what you say.
What is their background? Age? Gender? Education? Political affiliation and religion? Occupation? Income level? Ethnicity and culture? Geographic location? You can't assume (i.e., stereotype) too much from demographic information; however, this information will provide an important starting point as you begin to focus your message.
Is the audience knowledgeable about the subject? For what will they be using the information? Knowing the purpose of the presentation and how the audience will be using the information is vital in helping you design your message. Also, by knowing how much the audience already knows about the audience will allow you to start at a point that will hold their interest and not repeat information they already know, potentially boring your audience, or speaking too technically and losing the audience altogether.
Researching Your Topic. Here are some questions you need to ask when researching your topic:
What is the goal/objective of the presentation? Is there a hidden agenda? After you have found out the purpose of the presentation, you need to understand the goal or objective of the presentation. Then, try to discover if there is a hidden agenda. This is sometimes easier said than done; it's not like you can ask directly. By asking indirect questions about how the audience is going to use the information, delving (carefully!) into conversations with your boss or client about the topic of the presentation in general and the scope of the presentation, you may be able to discover if there is a hidden agenda.
How much time do you have for the presentation? What does the audience need to know and, more importantly, not need to know? Finding the appropriate support to your claims can make or break your persuasion. This is where the research on your audience is important--knowing your audience and their needs will help you know what types of arguments will persuade them. Let's be clear: you are not lying to the audience or misleading them. You are finding the most appropriate means of persuasion for the specific audience and the particular time. And, this is a skill. Some audiences are more responsive to statistics, whereas some audiences are more responsive to a presentation of a series of real examples. Only when you know your audience will you be able to know what message works best. Don't think of it as misleading; it's a win-win situation--you are creating a more persuasive presentation and the audience is getting to listen to information in a structure they favor.
Researching the Environment. Here are some questions you need to ask when researching your environment:
If you are not familiar the venue for the presentation, do you know where the building is? Where the room is? How to get there? How long it will take from where you are? Phone numbers of all the contact people in case something detains you? Some of you may be traveling, either a short or long distance, to make your presentation. Knowing specifically where you are going and having contact information in case of delays will make you feel much more comfortable the day of the presentation. You will also appear professional.
What is the size of the audience? Size of the room? Configuration of the room? The size of the audience and room will impact the formality or informality of the presentation. If there is a large audience or room, you can use your language, tone of voice, and movement around the room to create some warmth and informality; however, you will still be in a fairly formal environment (which your host may want). If the audience or room size is small, you can create a formal or informal environment, again, with language, tone of voice, and movement around the room.
Also, the configuration of the room impacts the formality or informality of the presentation. Assuming you can change the configuration of the room, straight rows create formality; a circle is informal. For professional settings, a semi-circle is usually best. Sometimes you will be in a room with a conference table--this is a circle with a table…informal. If you can manipulate the environment, make if work for your presentation goals. If you can't then you can still work with your voice and nonverbal communication to create the environment you want.
What is the equipment in the room and what will you need? Will the equipment be compatible with your equipment? Is there a back-up plan? Will you have access to a technical person in case something goes wrong? What is the lighting (e.g., windows with or without shades, lights that can't dim)? When preparing your presentation, if you don't know what equipment is in the room then find out. Also, find out if there will be technical assistance available (and available at the time you are presenting--you may be presenting early in the morning or at night). If possible, get in the room early and work with the equipment so you know how everything works. IMPORTANT: Always have a back-up plan. Expect your first plan to fail.
Remember, the more preparation you do the more comfortable you will be the day of the presentation. Look for Part 2 of Making Presentations in the next newsletter, Creating the Presentation.
Resources
Gurak, Laura J. (2000) Oral Presentations for Technical Communication. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.
Hindle, Tim. (1998) Making Presentations. DK Publishing: New York, NY.
Murray, Angela. (1999) Business Presentations. Teach Yourself Books: London.
Peoples, David A. (1992) Presentations Plus. Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons: New York, NY.
Templeton, Melody and Sparks FitzGerald, Suzanne. (1999) Schaum's Quick Guide to Great Presentation Skills. McGraw-Hill: New York, NY.
Weissman, Jerry. (2003) Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Woelfle, Robert M., Ed. (1992) A New Guide for Better Technical Presentations: Applying Proven Techniques with Modern Tools. IEEE Press: New York, NY.
Elizabeth Pass is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Technical & Scientific Communication at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She is also the Membership Chair for PCS.