Making A Great Presentation Out Of A Good One!
by BOL Guru Dana Turner
There isn't any mystery about delivering a powerful, dynamic and
informative presentation, regardless of the topic. Following the
time-tested suggestions outlined below will help you to develop and deliver
a memorable (for all of the RIGHT reasons) presentation.
Presentation Guidelines
Your presentation should always supplement -- not replace -- your workbook
materials. Consider structuring your presentation according to this
format:
In opening -- introduce yourself and give the participants a 30-second
overview of your experience that qualifies you teach them; tell them about
the bullet points that you will address; and tell them about anything else
that they might expect from you (e.g., interactive exercises, training
style, audio or visual aids);
Be yourself -- use YOUR personal style, YOUR vocabulary, YOUR examples and
YOUR "clean" sense of humor. Avoid jokes at all costs. Be as comfortable --
and as professional -- as you want the participants to be;
Be accurate -- write and deliver your material factually -- and in such a
way that it appropriately reflects your point of view. Be prepared to
justify or validate the sources of your information and encourage
discussion;
Be contemporary -- use "industry-standard" language and practices as you
describe issues and your proposed solutions. Emphasize a global viewpoint
-- instead of just what your institution or company practices;
Be aware -- if your presentation is part of a multi-speaker event, review
the event's schedule of activities for a listing of other segments and
instructors. If you can, tell the participants where and how your
information "fits" with the other segments;
Be sensitive -- write and deliver your material in consideration of the
varying levels of education, experience and standards of professionalism of
the participants. Leave unspoken any remarks that could be interpreted as
rude, discriminatory, sexist or profane;
Be interesting -- write and deliver your material in a logical,
entertaining and structured way that challenges participants to ask
questions and to engage in dialogue with you. Instead of asking
participants if they understand, ask them how they will apply your
information to their situations;
Be on time -- start your presentation on time, stay focused and allow time
for questions and the moderator's comments. For example, plan a 90 minute
segment to include 75 minutes of information delivery and 15 minutes to
address the participants' questions and comments; and
In conclusion -- briefly review what you told the participants; suggest
sources for additional information about your topic; tell them how they can
contact you later for questions if you feel it's appropriate and thank them
for their participation.
Workbook Material Guidelines
Your workbook material should always supplement and reinforce -- not
replace -- your presentation. Consider structuring your workbook material
according to this format:
Reason: Clearly state your reason for believing that this information is
valuable to the participant (e.g., "The information contained in this
segment is critical to helping the Security Officer understand the
procedures necessary to comply with the Bank Protection Act and Regulation
H.").
Purpose: Clearly state your goals for the participants (e.g., "The purpose
of this segment is to identify and describe the most current security
regulations and to propose methods for complying with those provisions.").
History: Describe this topic's history that makes this a critical issue
(e.g., "The Bank Protection Act has undergone several revisions within the
past few years, in an attempt to combat the changing tactics used by
offenders Those changes include . . .").
Critical points: Use blocks of text and related bullet points with
descriptive text that describe what the participant may have to anticipate,
prepare for or act upon (e.g., "Insure that your institution has these
critical security procedures in place . . . ").
Summary: Include a brief summary of your segment and give the participant
an idea of what you believe are related issues that the reader may
investigate (e.g., "Security program requirements will continue to change
as offenders continue to change their tactics. The reasons and the
anticipated changes include . . .").
Structure your printed workbook materials and visual aids for easy,
interesting reading:
The average amount of text material varies from 5 to 15 pages for every 90
minute segment that you instruct;
Use blocks of text for reference use later -- accompanied by bullet points
that correspond to your visual aids;
Consider including at least one written case study or example -- and
reference it during your presentation;
Spell- and grammar-check both your workbook text and your visual aids;
Have another person spell- and grammar-check both your workbook text and
your visual aids;
Include emphasized text (e.g., different typefaces, bold or reversed print)
to indicate a main point;
Include statistics and their source(s), if it's appropriate; and
Include quoted references and their source(s), if it's appropriate.
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