How to Prepare a Professional Presentation

Framing Your Story

1. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 1
   Narrow down the purpose of your presentation. What you want your audience to know, and what you want them to do with that knowledge, should be the purpose of your presentation. Every point of your presentation should relate back to that main purpose.^{[2] X Research source}

   1. To take a simple example, suppose you have created a widget and you want the people in the audience to buy your widget, as well as encourage their friends or colleagues to buy; every point of your presentation should present a specific reason why your widget is valuable and necessary.
   2. Keep the time you've been allotted in mind. You may need to expand, or narrow, the 'purpose' of your presentation to fill that time. For example, for a 15-minute presentation, you may only be able to focus on 3 reasons your widget is valuable and necessary. An hour long presentation, on the other hand, would give you more time to add 2 or 3 other reasons, or go into more detail about the original 3.
2. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 2
   Identify your audience. You can't convince people of the value of your product, or work, unless you understand their background and familiarity with your subject matter. Tailor your presentation to your audience so you don't alienate them.^{[3] X Research source}

   1. For example, if you're giving a presentation to fellow colleagues who are well-versed in the basics of your industry, you can assume they already have that knowledge and leave the details out.
   2. If you're presenting at a larger conference, look through the conference materials and website to get demographic information about your potential audience. You want to know the average age, education level, and work experience for typical conference attendees.
   3. Think in terms of what you want your audience to get out of your presentation as well. For example, if your aim is to get them to buy a product, you don't need to start with a history of the evolution of products designed to serve the same need.
3. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 3
   Choose the main points of your presentation. Brainstorm on the points you want to make through your presentation, then choose 3 or 4 that are the most important and can be explained clearly. These points should build on each other, taking your audience specifics into account.^{[4] X Research source}

   1. In a 10-minute presentation, you typically don't want more than 3 main points. For a longer presentation, you might be able to get away with 4 or 5 – just make sure each point can be explained thoroughly in the time allotted.
   2. To best identify your main points, you might ask yourself what 3 things you want members of your audience to take away from your presentation. For example, if you're presenting the widget you've invented, you might want your audience to know that your widget is reliable, portable, and affordable.
   3. Limit the scope of your presentation to points that can be conveyed in a concrete way, preferably with specific examples.^{[5] X Research source}
4. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 4
   Decide how you want to convey these points. Your points should be ordered in a logical manner so that they build on one another without making any leaps of logic that might leave your audience behind. Provide concrete examples to shore up each point.^{[6] X Research source}

   1. For example, suppose your widget is more expensive than similar products in the market that provide a solution to the same problem; you may still be able to prove its cost-effectiveness by showing that your widget is more reliable and more portable than competing products.
   2. To continue with the widget example, one point you would want to make is that your widget is reliable. You can demonstrate this concretely if you've done studies to prove that it continues to work for a long period of time. If it's made to be particularly sturdy, you might add a physical demonstration in which your widget is dropped from a height and doesn't break (just make sure it won't actually break, or this demonstration could backfire).
5. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 5
   Open your presentation with a good hook. If you open your presentation with a humorous anecdote or a compelling story about a problem, your audience will most likely be hooked and want to hear more of what you have to say.^{[7] X Research source}

   1. For example, suppose you invented a product that allows people to quickly and easily wash their clothes when they are away from home; you could open with an anecdote about being on a business trip and having your suit sprayed with street muck by a passing truck.
   2. Fill your hook with emotion to get your audience to empathize with you. Even if they've never experienced similar circumstances, they will react to the emotion.
6. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 6
   Use your main points to weave a story. People often think the standard presentation is boring, but the human brain is hard-wired to listen to stories. If you can create a story and use it effectively to present your main points, you'll maintain your audience's attention throughout your presentation.^{[8] X Research source}

   1. To continue with the previous example, you could easily transition from the embarrassing quandary of a mucky suit in a strange city to the need for a product that would quickly and easily clean your clothes. Such a product would eliminate the need to find a laundromat and wait for hours to get your clothes cleaned, or the need to use an expensive dry-cleaning service.
   2. Continue through your main points in a logical and coherent way, relating them in the same way you would tell a story. This could be through basic chronological order, or it could be that one main point raises a question that is answered by the next.
7. How to Prepare a Professional Presentation Picture 7
   Close your story by returning to the original purpose. At the end of your presentation, summarize your main points – the 3 main things you want your audience to take away from your presentation – and then provide them with a clear call to action so they know what you want from them.^{[9] X Research source}

   1. If you want them to buy your product, let them know where and how to get it. On the other hand, if your objective is to get them to invest in your innovation, you might point them towards a crowd-funding website where money is being raised to take your product to the next level.
   2. Keep your closing short and to the point. Don't introduce any new ideas in your closing, rather, summarize your points and close on a strong note.One way you can do this effectively is to refer your audience back to your original hook. For example, you might end on the note that your suit is clean for the presentation, thanks to the product you invented.