Some hints for a successful presentation

Read the text and answer the following questions

PRACTICAL TRAINING

1. Why did David Arnold start making critical comments about Marks & Spencer in his talk?

2. How did the audience react?

3. How did he interpret the audience's reaction - and respond?

4. What 'awful error of judgement' did the senior director bring to his attention in the

5. coffee break?

6. How did David Arnold respond to this piece of news'

7. With hindsight, what was the true significance of the audience's body language?

8. What was David Arnold's 'biggest mistake'?

9. What did David Arnold learn from the experience?

PREPARATION

1. Plan your presentation carefully. Thorough preparation will make you more confident and help you to overcome your nervousness.

2. Think about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming to inform, persuade, your audience?

3. Think whom exactly will you be addressing? How many people will be attending? What do they need to know? What do they already know? What will they expect in terms of content and approach?

4. Brainstorm your ideas first. Then decide which are most relevant and appropriate to your audience and to your objectives and carry out any research that is necessary. Be selective! Don't try to cram too much into your presentation.

5. A good rule of thumb is to 'tell your audience what you're going to say, say it, then tell the audience what you've said'. Try to develop your key points in an interesting and varied way,

drawing on relevant examples, figures etc. for support as appropriate. You might also like to include one or two anecdotes for additional variety and humour.

6. Think about how you will organise your content. Your presentation should have a clear, coherent structure and cover the points you wish to make in a logical order. Most presentations start with a brief introduction and end with a brief conclusion. Use the introduction to welcome your audience, introduce your topic/subject, outline the structure of your talk, and provide guidelines on questions. Use the conclusion to summarise the main points of your presentation, thank the audience for their attention, and invite questions.

7. Visual aids . If you have a lot of complex information to explain, think about using some charts, diagrams, graphs etc,, on an overhead projector or flipchart. Visual aids can make a presentation more interesting and easier to understand, but make sure they are appropriate and clear- don't try to put too much information on each one.

8. Rehearsal . Allow time to practise your presentation - this will give you a chance to identify any weak points or gaps. You will also be able to check the timing, and make sure you can pronounce any figures and proper names correctly and confidently.