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Editor's Notes
State your goals immediately. Don’t surprise people about what they are here to learn.
Know your audience! Try to tailor your presentations for the right group. Ask ahead of time to find out who you’re presenting to. Etc. Etc. Low level versus high level, big picture versus narrowed in, specific information. Try to avoid repeating things that your group will already know. Undoubtedly, someone will know something from your presentation 80% of the time, or more. Aim to keep it that way, that at least 20% of your content is new to the group.
Intel Focal Presentation 2001
Tell a story and take your audience with you on that journey.
Storytelling is a way of presenting information about your company in a way that resonates on an emotional level with your audience. It’s also a way of turning an otherwise chaotic bundle of information into something more coherent, where the story arc gives direction as the reader is led from one idea to the next.
A good story must:
Be about a specific person or a small group of people rather than a whole company.
Draw out a basic human emotion such as frustration, hope or excitement.
Feature struggle, and require the character to change or learn something.
Embrace details (these set one story apart from another).
Humor is fun! It’s a great way to connect with people, because it illicits a positive response. You can also use drama, and amazement. If you’re able to share something that’s totally new to them, you may amaze them, and that’s useful information. (But do more than that: give them tools and information they can use!)
Use humor. Connect with your audience through a story that is relatable and easy to understand. Making your audience laugh can make a huge difference in the reception of your content.
When creating slides, be consistent. If you have titles in the left-hand side, keep all titles there. If you have your logo in the bottom corner, keep it the same on all of your slides.
This is also important in your online presence. Be consistent to gain trust.
They allow you to provide more detailed information than you would put on a slide. They give your audience something to take away from your presentation, to review later. They are one more way for your listeners to be reminded of you and your key messages. Handouts are especially useful if your presentation is highly technical or complex. They can further explain important information. For example, you may want to include in your handout supporting data that you chose not to include in your presentation, such as contact information, case studies, references, marketing literature, or other collateral materials. Your handout also can serve as a summary of your key points. In any case, your handout can include more detailed information than you may have had time to cover in your presentation, or which — for your own good reasons — you've chosen not to include in your presentation.
People don’t listen when you have a very text heavy presentation. They can read what you’ve written, which is usually prone to mistakes (because no one re-reads their presentations or proofs them for errors), and then they don’t listen to what you have to say!
Limit bullet point use. They can see what’s coming in your list, and they’ll read it, and then tune out.
In general, heavy text is bad. Make a hand out if you want to write a novel, or just write a novel!
Avoid reading your presentations, and avoid having your back to your audience the whole time. If you have lots of text you want to give your group, make a handout that will accompany your presentation.
How you stand says a lot about you, and can convey a lot of information to your audience. Maintain a pose that says you’re in control and that you’re powerful! You are more memorable when you are open and powerfully posed.
Before you go into a meeting, or a presentation where you’ll find you’re going to be nervous, or if you know how you are when it comes to stressful situations, practice power poses. Get yourself pumped up!
End of Intel story.
While entertaining and interesting are vital adjectives you want your presentation to have, you also need to provide something that they can take with them after they leave the presentation. These are actionable items that they can implement when they get home. Say you’re presenting on how to make an effective presentation: hopefully the tips we’re providing here are going to help you in your next presentation!
If the presentation is something you are comfortable sharing, and if it provides value and entertainment, it is wise to post it online!
Use this in your next presentation prep:
Be consistent!
Avoid those bullet points! They will kill your presentation, which is why they’re called bullet points.
Practice and use your power poses!
Utilize humor.
Identify your audience and tailor your message for them.
Provide actionable ideas and insights, so your audience can do something with what you’ve provided!
