Whether you are giving an in person presentation or you are leading a webinar, a few key items can help you structure your presentation for clarity and impact. In yesterday’s post, I shared three items to keep in mind – including people remember the start and end of things, less is more and make it about your audience.
In structuring your presentation it can be useful to keep in mind a simple structure – open, body, close.
The opening of any presentation should not only capture people’s attention, but also encourage people to connect with the topic. Helping your audience consider “What’s in it for me?” or the connection point will engage people right away. In the opener, you will also want to highlight where you are going and possibly your main points.
The body of the presentation is the core. Consider the use of visuals to support what you have to say and make sure your points are crisp ad relevant. As I wrote yesterday, we often try to fit too much in. Less is more. What are the key main points? Stick to these. What graphic swill support this?
The close of any presentation should summarize where you have been and once again, what the main pints are. Notice how people have now had the main points reinforced three times – during the open, throughout the body, and during the close. Remember , people will be more apt to remember the start and close, so end it with a punch! What is your call to action and what action do you want people to take?
In terms of how much time to spend on each one – consider the 10/80/10 rule. A max of 10% of your presentation time for the open and close (each) and the bulk in the body.
Enjoy!
Jennifer Britton
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