At times, at work, you are required to produce and deliver a presentation, often accompanied by PowerPoint or some other type of visual media. It might sound simple, but mastering this art of presentation is not that easy.
This article features the necessary steps that can help you to deliver an effective presentation.
What Are the Steps in Producing a Formal Presentation?
In a work setting, your presentation is expected to be a formal one, which wears both comfortability and confidence. Your presentation should consist of questions that will engage the audience’s interaction.
Here are five crucial steps that every business professional should follow:
1. Planning Phase:
In this phase, you need to establish your goals and objectives based on the needs and interests of the target audience.
- You may begin by analyzing your target audience. Who will be your viewers and listeners? Will their age or positions in the company affect the way they will view your presentation?
- Set your goals and objectives. What is the topic you are covering? What do you want to achieve with this presentation? What do you think will change with your presentation?
- Once you have determined your purpose, select the key points that will help you achieve your goals. Find the ideal location for the presentation. Look for media tools that can support your presentation.
2. The Design Phase:
Once the planning stage is over, you must think about the main ideas that you wish to convey to your audience. Will you be using facts and figures? Or, opt for anecdotes?
Usually, it is strongly advised to write a presentation script, where you can outline the different strategies you will use. For example, what about the secret techniques of tackling questions from the audience?
Now, most often, in order to go ahead with your business presentation, you will need the review and consent of your superior. It might be an informal review, but it will help you to ensure you have not overlooked any crucial information. You will be analyzing things from only one side but your superior will be on the other side, representing the audience. And, therefore, with their comments, you will be able to view things from a new point of view and modify your presentation.
3. The Preparation Phase
After obtaining the permission of your superior and once your presentation has been approved, prepare your video and audio support materials. They represent critical elements that will support and enhance your presentation.
It might be a simple YouTube video or a conversation between two political parties. But, what you should keep in mind is that the videos and audios should not consist of anything vulgar, disrespectful or bias. Think about what your audience will imagine when looking at these videos and listening to the audio.
4. The Delivery Phase
Right before the D-day, try to practice as much as possible, as you know what they say, practice makes perfect. And, during this practice, your best companion and coach is the mirror. You can only master presentation skills when you can see yourself actually doing the presentation. Only then can you identify your own strengths and weaknesses. It will provide more room for improvement and make you feel more comfortable when making the presentation in front of an audience.
Now, the big day finally comes and you must be all set to rock the presentation stage. Don’t forget to circulate handouts and answer questions as they arise.
5. The Follow-Up Phase
This last stage is often neglected by most presenters. Your presentation might be a huge success but if you fail to reflect back on it and think about your weak points, you are far away from reaching the level of perfection.
You can produce an ‘action item” list where you note down all the questions and issues that you were not able to answer or resolve during the presentation.
Whether you have a small or large audience, presentation is not always easy, especially if you struggle with the public speaking fear. However, nothing is impossible and you can always strive to master presentation skills.
