Here’s Your Treasure Map – 3 Simple Methods to Structure Your Presentation
Having a clear, compelling and coherent structure is a fundamental pillar to a successful business presentation. For most of us, having the content to deliver is not a problem. There is usually a presentation objective or purpose – we can dive into our knowledge bank and emerge with plenty of content to deliver. We hit a snag, however, when trying to arrange and structure these details. Should we start with that startling statistic or a bright graphic? Would a story at the start be too out of place for the presentation?
Learning to structure your presentation is an important step in being an effective communicator. Your presentation structure is like a scaffold. While your content may change from one presentation to another, your structure may apply to more than one of your presentations. In this sense, having an effective and adaptable template will go a long way in helping you develop your presentation prowess. No matter what your content or presentation objective, simply place the information into your ready structure and shine for your presentation!
In helping you to tailor that perfect template for you to apply, we will share three simple structures you can start with for your presentations!
Structure #1: Clear and Concise – Signposting and Structure
Giving a powerful presentation does not mean designing a complicated or confusing set of slides. Instead, it may be more prudent to go back to basics by looking at whether the structure of your presentation is clear and easy to follow. From the planning phases, designing a structure is not a tedious task. Start by arranging your content in a logical flow such as chronologically or sequentially. Beyond helping your audience to understand your presentation, a logical flow also aids your ability to memorise your content.
One underrated technique to structure your presentation is signposting. Signposting involves the addition of guiding words or language to tell your audience where you are at in your presentation. Start by identifying portions of the presentation that require signposting. For example, pick out the “and also” portions in your script. There is a tendency to continue your points in your presentation by adding “also”. Instead, replace the “also” with a signpost (e.g. First, Second, Third …). Supplement the signposting with a broad overview at the start to set out a roadmap for your audience. With a structured approach, you can help your audience navigate the nuances of your presentation!
Structure #2: Once Upon a Time – Starting With a Story
We have reiterated this before, and it is worth emphasising again – it never hurts to add a story into your presentation. No matter the theme of your presentation, a story will turn it into a dynamic and multi-layered experience! We have gone through aspects of the story-building process in our previous articles. Today, we will zoom in on a specific aspect of story-building – relevance.
Especially for a high-stakes business presentation, your story needs to be relevant. This means that there is a connection or coherence between the content you are sharing and the story you incorporated into the presentation. It is important to understand and appreciate the context of your presentation when deciding the type or even the length of the story to include. For more technical presentations, the stories tend to be shorter and direct to the point. These stories buttress or even boost the audience’s understanding of the technical aspects. For presentations involving a personal touch, detailed stories can help bring your audience through that personal journey. Not every good story starts with “once upon a time”, but every good story should end with applause!
Structure #3: This Is Too Long – Planning for that Long Presentation
The challenge most communicators face is duration management. Most of the techniques apply well to typical speech lengths of 5 – 7 minutes (or even 10 minutes). The challenge comes when you have to plan for that long presentation (such as a half-day seminar or a keynote address). The longer the duration of your presentation, the more significant the need for proper planning beforehand. Instead of trying to find more content to add into your presentation scaffold, try to incorporate a variety of content/format instead. Remember, quality over quantity!
This concept of variety is embedded in the technique of pattern breaks. This technique involves managing your audience’s attention span by incorporating fruitful breaks in the presentation. This goes beyond a toilet break to even a change in format, such as an interactive element (quizzes) or adding a story in your presentation. While it is not advisable to plan every single second of your presentation, you should have a clear, general idea of the type of pattern break activities suitable for your presentation. Give your audience a break so that they can withstand that long presentation!
Final Thought:
Plan, Plan and Plan!
The three structures above are just the starting point. By building on the foundational aspects, you can construct a tailored approach suited for your industry. The key point is to maintain the flexibility and fluidity in the design of your presentations, especially to account for unforeseen changes during the presentation itself. Start planning your winning presentation today!
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