What are presentations for and how this can make things easier for you?

This may seem at first sight like an obvious question, but one I think worth exploring. You may say, the purpose of a presentation is to present information on a particular subject. Is it really just to present information? If it was would a report do? Everyone would then have the information. But would they remember any of it and would they be inspired to act on the material in front of them? 

I suggest that the purpose of a presentation is to persuade and engage your audience as well as impart information to them. If you persuade, engage and perhaps even entertain your audience then they are more likely to remember the salient points. 

 

The obvious difference between a report and a presentation is that you have real live people in front of you (or in front of a screen). I know this can cause anxiety for some but if you could view it as an opportunity to get your message across with much more impact than a report then maybe you could regard it as an opportunity. 

 

One of the first things to consider when you are thinking about your presentation is what exactly is your presentation for? What is the key message or messages you’d like your audience to take away with them? 

 

Research has shown that audience members retain about 50% of what was said ten minutes after a presentation, 25% the following day and around 10% a week later. With this in mind, you need to consider what 10% of your presentation do you want your audience to remember? 

This will help you work out your key message and can make things easier for you. Rather than believing you have to know everything there is to know about a topic and somehow convey that to everyone sitting in front of you, you can focus on building your presentation from your key message. This may take away some of your anxiety as you are presenting your take on the subject not everything about it. 

 

And this, my friends, is what the audience want to hear. 

 

You’ve got this!