How to Prepare a Presentation — Four Questions to Ask Yourself

As you begin the preparation for your presentation, do not turn on PowerPoint and start creating slides.

Sit down with a pad and pencil and answer these four questions:

1. What do you want the audience to do as a result of your presentation? (Use action verbs.)

For example —
I want people to give more effective presentations.
I want people to approve my proposal.
I want people to invest their money wisely for retirement.

2. What does your audience need to know in order to do that?

For example —
To give more effective presentations, people need to know these seven strategies…
To approve my proposal, people need to know the problem we are facing, what’s causing it, and how my proposal will solve it.
To invest their money wisely for retirement, people need to know the benefits of doing so, the importance of diversifying their investments, and the best way to select an investment advisor.

3. What does your audience need to feel in order to do that?

For example —
To give more effective presentations, people need to feel confident.
To approve my proposal, people need to feel motivated.
To invest their money wisely for retirement, people need to feel hopeful.

4. Why would your audience want to do what you want them to do?

This is the most important question to ask — and the hardest to answer.

• Avoid the temptation to say, “They should care.” Figure out why they do care. How will your presentation improve their lives? Will it help them get ahead at work? build better relationships? make more money? make better use of the money they have? be happier?
• Until you know why your audience will care about what you have to say, you don’t have a speech.
• Put yourself in their place. Find out as much as you can about them, their background and interests.
  For example —
  Giving more effective presentations will gain you respect and make you more valuable at work.
  Approving my proposal will save our company $30,000.00 this year alone.
  Investing money wisely now will guarantee you a secure and comfortable retirement.

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Check out “How to Plan a Technical Presentation.”

Chris Witt, a coach based in San Diego, works with executives and with technical experts who want to give more effective presentations. If you’re interested in learning more about how you could benefit from his coaching, contact him for a complimentary call.