One of the key reasons many presentations or public speeches fail to hit the mark is because the presenter has spent insufficient time planning the content and structure. The tendency is to rush in to writing a script or preparing a PowerPoint presentation without first stepping back to analyse what’s needed and what’s going to work best.

This article outlines six key questions which, if carefully considered and acted upon at the planning stage, will improve the effectiveness of any presentation.

What

The first thing to clarify is what you are talking about. Whilst the subject matter is often clear from the outset, it isn’t always. Titles and expectations can be ambiguous and it’s important to clear up any ambiguity at the start.

Who

Before getting down to detailed planning, it’s important to understand your audience.

Who are you talking to? What is their level of knowledge and interest? What are their expectations? How many of them will there be?

Many people approach presentations back to front. Their starting point is ‘what do I want to tell them or want them to know?’ Effective presenters, however, put themselves in their audience’s shoes and ask themselves

• Why are they here (and are they volunteers or press-ganged)?
• How much do they know already?
• How much do they think they know? (this may be different from how much they really know and need to be addressed sensitively)
• Do they want to be informed? Persuaded? Entertained? Or is it something else? Or possibly a combination of some/all of these?
• What’s in it for them?
• Why would they be interested/what would catch their interest?
• If there’s just one message I’d like them to take home and act on, what is it?

If you spend time considering and answering these questions, you’ll have some very useful information to help you decide on the detailed content and how best to present it.

Why

Considering your audience, while vital, is only part of the equation. Ask yourself ‘why am I giving this speech or presentation?’ Note, the question here is not ‘why is this presentation happening?’ It’s why are you, rather than anyone else, giving it. Having established that, ask yourself:

• What is my objective?
• What impression do I want to leave the audience with – of me, my product, service or company?
• What action do I want them to take as result of listening to me?

Do you want to

• Inform
• Persuade
• Entertain

them? Is there another purpose? Or a mix of some or all of these? What/s most important?

Now put this alongside the information you’ve already gathered – how do the two compare? What adjustments might you need to make to ensure that you take proper account of the needs of both your audience and your own objectives?

When

You’ll also find it helpful to consider some questions about time.

For example, when and in what context is the presentation taking place? If it’s straight after lunch (often referred to as ‘the graveyard slot’), for example, you’ll want to pay even more attention than usual to how you grab and keep people’s attention.

If it’s part of a conference programme, then you’ll find it helpful to consider how it dovetails with other elements of the agenda. If it’s an after dinner speech you may wish to keep it relatively brief and upbeat though this will, of course, depend on the wider circumstances.

And, of course, you’ll want to be absolutely clear about how long you’ve got, and whether that includes time for any questions/discussions that may follow.

Where

As part of your planning, it’s important to consider where you are giving the speech or presentation – its size, facilities and how much flexibility there is with regard, for example, to seating arrangements.

If, for example, it’s a large auditorium, then you’ll almost certainly need to use a microphone and, if possible, should ideally practise with this first. You’ll also want to consider how you use the stage – or whether you’re going to stand at a lectern and use powerful visuals centre stage, to help you tell your story.

If you want to include a demonstration, then you’ll need to be satisfied that everyone will be able to see/hear easily.

Whatever the size of the venue, it’s always wise to check what facilities they have and that any planned equipment or other aids are available or can be safely accommodated.

How

Once you’ve got clarity about the five previous questions you’re be in a good position to decide how to structure your content, and how best to deliver it. Would it be helpful, for example, to include a demonstration or some ‘hands on’ practice? What, if any, audio-visual aids would enhance your overall effectiveness – or can you, as is often the case, do just as well without?

If you keep these six questions in mind when planning your presentation you’ll find it easy to decide what to leave in, what to take out and how to deliver it for maximum positive effect.

I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who.

From: The Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling

During election season in the U.S., one of my clients, the CEO of a nonprofit organization, was invited to film an endorsement for a candidate’s television commercial. Her role was to introduce herself and her organization and explain why she supports the candidate. She was happy to participate because she is a big supporter. However, the challenge was that she only had 6 SECONDS to communicate her message!

I’ve written and spoken frequently about the importance of communicating your message within the time limit. And as means of practicing that skill, I’ve shared the improv game of Half-Life, where 2 people act out a scene in 64 seconds and then they repeat the scene in half the time – 32 seconds – and then again in 16 seconds and finally down to 8 seconds. The 8-second scene is usually hysterical and demonstrates that you can communicate a lot in a limited amount of time if you cut out the extra material and focus on the essentials.

On the other hand, communicating a complete message – especially a coherent and persuasive endorsement message – in 6 seconds is very difficult!

My client was able to do it (and in very few takes) because she prepared and practiced. Her endorsement was combined with other 6-second endorsements into a powerful short commercial.

While it’s unlikely that you’ll ever have only 6 seconds to give your entire presentation, taking the 6-Second Presentation Challenge can help you become a more effective presenter. The next time you have to give a presentation, challenge yourself to state your message in 6 seconds.

And “your message” is defined as the one sentence that summarizes the point of your presentation, the one thing that you want your audience to remember. Yes, all the supporting details and data help, but there should only be one core message. You can also think of it as a newspaper headline or a billboard.

Why is this helpful? Well, if you can say your message to yourself in 6 seconds, then you really understand it and will be able to organize your material around it. And that means that your audience will find it easier to understand your point because they won’t be distracted by unrelated information, extraneous material or confusing organization.

While you may take a little bit longer than 6 seconds when actually saying the message to the audience during your presentation, it shouldn’t take much longer.

The 6-Second Presentation Challenge can also be applied in a networking situation. For example, what do you say at a networking event when someone asks, “what do you do?” Rather than rambling on, can you prepare and practice a 6-second statement to introduce yourself clearly, concisely and confidently?

Take the 6-Second Presentation Challenge and let me know what you come up with and how it helps you become a more effective presenter.

(To read more about Half-Life, check out my blog post – http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2010/01/using-improv-comedys-half-life.html )