For A Truly Outstanding Presentation Don’t Start With Powerpoint

No this isn’t another rant about how bad PowerPoint is, its a useful article about how to develop your content before you turn to presentation tools like PowerPoint….

I’ve blogged before on the importance of getting clear about your outcome before putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard so this time I want to talk about the next step, developing your content.    In my experience, a great first step is to brainstorm all the possible content areas then sit back review them.   The second step is to  look again at your outcomes and the time available and then  choose what you are actually going to cover in your presentation from the mass of possibilities you have generated.

One great tool to help you do this is a piece of software called mindmanager (other mind mapping software packages are available!).   Mindmanager allows you to generate ideas, capture them electronically in a brain friendly format, and then to reorganise them into a logical flow for your presentation. 

As you can see from the image.  Mind maps differ from traditional note taking techniques in that you start in the middle of the page with your topic and then radiate out from it, with main branches that cover the core theme areas and sub-branches that cover the ideas that relate directly to those theme areas.

Once you have your initial mindmap, leave it to settle for a while and then review it.  Have you got everything?  Are there any core areas missing?  Add in any missing bits then consider your outcome and timing.   Which of the bits of information present best support the action you desire from your audience.   In my experience most presentations should not have more than four main themes and preferably only three.    

Delete the irrelevant material and focus in on the core areas.   What information do you need to support them?   What examples, case studies etc can you use to support your arguments?    Now add two more branches. An “introduction branch” and a “conclusion branch”.  

Your introduction branch should cover the following areas.

1. The context or setting for the presentation
2. The role of the audience in this context (remind them who they are e.g. project managers or sales reps etc.)
3. The problem they are facing (e.g. the scepticism and boredom of audiences turned off by so many poor presentations)
4. The desired end result they want (A new way to enthuse and engage their audience that is fun for the presenter too)
5. A brief summary of the solution (i.e. adopt the approach I am going to outline tonight and success is a foregone conclusion)

Your conclusion branch should cover the following areas:

1. A reminder of the problem and the desired result (We simply cannot afford to continue making dull and boring presentations.)
2. A quick recap of the actions recommended  (Craft your presentation as a story that flows, eliminate most of the text from your slides and replace it with appropriate images, finally learn to deliver it with passion, enthusiasm and conviction.)
3. A call to action (I challenge you to adopt this approach and be prepared to be amazed at the difference it makes)
4. Any questions?

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