7 things you need in advance before an important executive presentation ๐
Let me start off with some numbers (because they always tell the truth).
50% or more (perhaps even 80%) of success comes from preparation.
You see, a presentation is an honour, not a chore, so you shouldn't treat it as such.
You have to prepare yourself in the best way possible to deliver & get the chance to do it again in the future.๐คท
You are an experienced, high-level executive. Thorough preparation is essential & others (including your boss and company stakeholders) can see it.
They can also clearly see if you come unprepared without giving much prior thought to the details.
Let me help with this! ๐
Today, I gathered the ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ-๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ.
This is not an exhaustive list, but my year-long experience with top-notch executives helped me narrow down the essentials as follows.
โ๏ธ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ. The better you know who will attend, the more you can tailor your presentation to their needs. Demographics matter, as well as the specific goals, needs, or challenges the audience has.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐น. What do you want to achieve? What action do you want to trigger? Be as clear and realistic as possible.
โ๏ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐. Itโs often given to you by your superiors or decided by the dynamics of your work. However, you can decide on the perspective and perhaps a twist that will help you achieve your goal.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐. The more you know about the size of the room, seating, the equipment you will use, or other arrangements, the more in control you will feel (hence much calmer).
โ๏ธ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐. Morning dynamics are much different than evening ones, and they can help you customize your presentation to cater to the specific needs of your audience at that specific time.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต. How much time do you have to deliver? 20 minutes may be more than enough. Shorter presentations are going to be a stretch. Longer ones may need more creative material to keep your audience.
โ๏ธ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น. You may need to have extra material, like data, charts, or graphs, to support your sayings & slides. Be one step ahead to avoid awkward situations.
Having covered all these points will make you feel in control of the presentation & help you anticipate potential issues to address.
Itโs a matter of caring about your performance & the impression you give to others & respect for your audience. ๐
Next time you have a presentation scheduled, make sure to go over this list well in advance.
In the meantime, contact me for any questions or help you need with your presentations.
No robot or automation there, just me, #theRealCecile, ๐ to respond to your message as soon as possible & connect.
#presentations #presentationskills #communication #speak4impact #leadership