Presentations

INTRODUCTION

A presentation is a live occasion in which information is transferred from a speaker (or presenter) to an audience, whether it is through a projected screen in the same room as the audience, a webinar, a phone line, or a simulcast over various rooms. The options for presenting information are expanding in both channel and format. New formats (e.g., TED Talks and rapid-fire presentations, such as PechaKucha and O’Reilly’s Ignite) are becoming more popular, and new conferences are being formed. As a result, audiences are becoming more sophisticated. As a presenter, it is more important than ever that you take the time to understand your audience, get your story straight, and rehearse before giving a presentation. If you are speaking to a more technically savvy audience, you may also want to explore the latest channels, software, and formats.

You should first know the who, what, why, when, and where of your presentation, preferably in that order. Who are you presenting to? What will your content be? Why were you asked to present? When will you be speaking? Where will you be speaking? If you have these five areas scoped out well, you are much more likely to have a fabulous speaking engagement.

Why are you speaking? When you were asked to speak at a conference, pitch event, request for proposal (RFP) situation, or other occasion, there was a specific reason the event curator or potential client thought of you instead of someone else. That person may have preset expectations of you; find out what those are. You should also find out what the preset expectations are of the entire event. Here are some possible questions to ask an event curator or potential client:

Event curator: Can you tell me more about the event? What are the core messages of the day? How do I fit into the core messages of the day? Why did you pick me as a participant? What do you want me to share with your audience? Do you want me to convince the audience of something specific? Do I need to sway the audience emotionally (whether to energize, empower, or calm down, etc.)?

Potential client: What are the goals of the potential project? Why did you ask me or my company to pitch? What already attracts you to me or my company?

Who are you presenting to? It is