Presentation Planning

Knowing the Details about Your Presentation

When it comes to public speaking every detail is important.  First of all, one must clearly understand the audience expectations. It is often a good idea to speak with the organizers of the event.  You also must know everything about the venue such as the size of the room, how many people are expected to attend and any information about the sound system and visual equipment.

Gather Knowledge about the Other Presenters

It is also important to know the names and topics of the other speakers.  You may have a need to get in contact with the other speakers and you should ask the organizer for their contact details.

If the presentation before your presentation is related to your topic, you should attend.  This will give you an opportunity to tie in or relate your presentation to the previous presentation. By referring to the previous presentation you flatter the other speakers and your presentation will appear more spontaneous and conversational in tone. One must strive for this conversational tone. By including a reference to something in a previous presentation you create an air of spontaneity.

Gather Knowledge about the Audience

Each audience will carry their own beliefs and interests.  It is the speaker’s duty to research the audience to the fullest extent possible.  You may want to speak with previous presentation givers and ask them about their experiences. Choose a speech topic that will benefit and interest the audience.

As a general rule, luncheon seminars for private companies are expected to be presented in layman’s terms.  For example, one might be giving an easy-to-understand presentation on tax planning tips for the employees of a company.  It is extremely important to avoid using jargon that is not commonly understood.  Lawyers in particular have a tendency to bore the audience with legal jargon that is not easily understood. Remember, your audience will most likely be in a haze even if you speak clearly.  You are pelting them with point after point of new information that takes time to digest.  By using jargon you are merely fueling “mental indigestion.”  Your credibility will come from clarity, not from jargon.  An expert can break a topic into the most essential chunks.  Listen to Bill Gates talk about software or Warren Buffett talk about investments and you will see that true experts can use language that even a high school student could understand.

However, the depth of your presentation will depend on your audience.  For example, if you are giving a presentation to a group of medical specialists such as a group of ophthalmologists, your presentation will have to be far more detailed than a presentation to the general public about the benefits of laser eye surgery. Again, avoid the temptation to recycle material as each audience is slightly unique.  The audience dictates the content of your presentation.

Timing the Presentation

Perhaps most importantly of all, you need to find out exactly how much time is allotted for your presentation.  You also need to know how much time has been allotted for the question and answer period.

During rehearsals, mark down all of the timings of your presentation.  Note that the timing of a rehearsed presentation is no guarantee of the length of a “live” presentation. Presentations that were recorded at 6 minutes can run as little as 4 minutes during the actual presentation.  It is also possible that a 6 minute recorded presentation runs 8 minutes when live.  Even if you practiced your timing you still need to monitor your time during the actual presentation.

Monitoring the Length of Your Presentation

When you stand up at the lectern you may want to make a note of what time it was.  You should then make another mental note at what time you have to finish or at what time you should be starting your conclusion.

To time your presentation you will either refer to a large clock or you will use a wrist watch or cell phone.  Of course you want to make the watch invisible to the audience.  If you use a wrist watch do not look at your watch during the presentation as the audience will do the same out of reflex. You might also want to write down suggested times on your written page. The average speaker talks at a rate of 100-125 words per minute.  A double spaced page of text will usually have 300 words and take about three minutes to present.