Presenting well—in a way that captures attention and helps your team achieve its business goals—can be hard. It can be especially hard for new or junior team members who are put on the spot.
Fortunately, the keys to success are pretty simple:
- Choose outcomes beforehand — An intended outcome is the North Star guiding presenters through every other step.
- Consider the intended audience, and what’s important to them—connect the intended outcome to their priorities.
- Outline key message points—and make sure each one gets your presenter closer to your outcome.
- Avoid jargon or acronyms—keep language direct and easy to understand.
- Edit slides aggressively—edits must make your key points clearer, not more complicated.
- Minimize distractions in presenters’ speech and emphasis key points with verbal cues—make it as easy as possible for the audience to walk out with your team’s goal in mind.
Each one of these rules has complexities, of course. And each one requires thought and practice. But these six basic tenets will get you started, and following up with a cost-effective self paced course will have your team evolving into strong, compelling speakers.
