Presentationstructure.doc

Presentation structure

Introduction:

The introduction to your presentation is very important. This your chance to get the audience interested in what you have to say. Try to keep your introduction clear and concise, you don’t want the audience to get bored before you have started the presentation properly.

Give a brief outline of what you want to say and how you are going to say it.

For example: “Hello my name’s James and today I will be talking to you about presentations. Firstly I’ll discuss presentation structure and then cover; content, delivery and the use of visual aids. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation.”

Or you can start with an opening statement. Such as:

“In the business world today the use of presentations has become increasingly important. The difference between a good presentation and a bad presentation can cost companies thousands of dollars. Today we’re going to highlight what makes a good presentation and the things you should and shouldn’t do when giving a presentation.”

Don’t rush your introduction, take your time, its ok to talk quite slowly in a presentation and make sure that everyone can hear you. Be careful not to talk too slowly or too loudly – it’s a balance!

Main body:

This is the middle part of the presentation and should contain all of your information. This will be the longest part of the presentation and it is up to you how you give the information. I would recommend that you put all your points in order and talk about them one by one. It’s not good to keep changing topics and going back and forward, this may confuse your audience and they can loose interest.

In the main body of the presentation it is good to use ‘linking phrases’ to connect different topics and ideas. For example:

o “moving on to my next point….”
o “the next important thing is…”
o “other useful information is…”
o “lets look at the next item…”
o “I’d like to change topic for a moment and talk about…”

The main body is also the place in the presentation when it is a good idea to use visual aids or handouts. These can be very effective and help to reinforce your ideas.

Again, in this part of the presentation, speak clearly, maintain eye contact and use body language appropriately.

Conclusion:

This is the final part of your presentation, be careful here not to give any new information. The conclusion is just to summarise what you have already said. Like the introduction it needs to be quite short and clear as this is often the last thing people remember when they leave the room. Make sure people know the presentation is coming to an end by using phrases like:

o “to summarise I would say…”
o “in conclusion…”
o “the final point I’d like to emphasise is…”
o “the main point I’d like you to leave with today is…”

The final thing to do is to thank your audience for their time and patience and that you hoped they enjoyed the presentation.