Chapter 2: Develop Your Presentation
Page Index
2.1 Develop Your Presentation Structure
Use these steps and suggestions to clarify and organize the content of your presentation.
2.1.1 Brainstorm Your Main Ideas
By reviewing Chapter 1 you have analyzed your audience and developed your presentation objectives. Now it is time to identify and prioritize the specific topics that you need to present to achieve your objectives. Brainstorm the ideas that came to mind as you analysed your audience and identified objectives. These will guide the content of your presentation. Write them down and prioritize them from most to least important.
2.1.2 Develop a Presentation Outline
After you brainstorm your main ideas, develop your outline. Here are the steps to consider:
- Write down each of your main ideas/topics leaving space beneath each.
- Under each idea or topic, write out the main message you want to convey.
- Under each main message write the key points to include in your presentation. These should state:
- Why the message is important to your audience.
- How it will benefit them.
- Determine what supporting data is required to emphasize or communicate your messages.
Remember to keep things simple. This is especially important when presenting to an audience for whom English or French is not their first language. Aim for greater organizational simplicity than used for standard presentations. Focus on your top three to four ideas only. This will help ensure that your message comes through with clarity and is remembered by your audience. Don’t try to cover the entire territory, only what is essential to achieve the stated objectives and of interest to your audience. Realize that you may need several presentations over time to achieve your final goal.
2.1.3 Sample Presentation Outline
Following is a simple outline that may be used to guide your presentation. It will ensure that your presentation message is concise and clear.
Name your main idea/topic:
- Define key message:
- State why this message should be important for your audience:
- State the benefits of your product or service:
- Identify data (reports, evaluations, testimonials, etc.) to support your message:
2.2 Add Supporting Data
Supporting data will enhance the strength and credibility of your presentation. The evidence or supporting data you will need to convince your audience will vary depending on your audience. Different cultures respond to different information. It is important to understand these differences and to adapt your presentation accordingly.
A CASE OF CULTURE
It is important to acknowledge that in any country or culture your market audience will be composed
of participants with a variety of learning styles. Some will respond to your presentation based on
"gut feeling", others will be gathering and storing a wide range of information, while others still,
may be searching for data synthesized into a concise, logical form. Your presentation should deliver
content in a variety of formats to appeal to a variety of learning styles. You should consider using
anecdotes, supporting quotations and testimonials as well as known facts and reported statistics.
There are therefore two approaches to developing your ideas and data:
- Logical – ideas and supporting data are rational, clear, direct and overt.
- Psychological – ideas and supporting data are feeling-oriented, covert and indirect.
Your presentation should incorporate both approaches to appeal to a variety of learning styles.
Tips for presenting supporting data:
- Limit what you present; don’t share all the facts and figures. Choose to include only the largest, latest or most important.
- Plan to cover less material in international settings.
- Speak slowly to an audience whose first language is not your own.
- Raising your voice does not increase comprehension. Use concise, complete sentences.
- Use the rule of three: people remember groups of three ideas or points.
- Make information relevant to the listening audience.
- When using acronyms or analogies ensure they are meaningful or relevant to the local audience.
2.3 Ensure Your Presentation Structure is Effective
The order of ideas and information in your presentation is crucial to ensuring the audience understands what you are talking about. Create a clear roadmap for the audience by paying special attention to the structure of the presentation. In addition keep in mind that presentation structure can be influenced by culture.
A CASE OF CULTURE
In some cultures, such as mainstream North American business culture, presentations are usually
structured in a linear format with information proceeding directly from beginning to end. Presentations
usually begin with some rationale or theory followed by a summary of facts and data to build a case in
support of the rationale or theory. Presentations end with a summary and conclusion, often restating the
opening position. Presentations of this nature follow chronological, sequential or categorical structures.
In contrast, other cultures may take a more diffused approach to structuring ideas and information in preparing a public presentation. A presentation by a businessperson from such a culture may seem to begin in what appears to you to be the middle or to proceed in a roundabout fashion without ever reaching a clear conclusion. The presentation is made "relative" to the audience, the season or perhaps even the presenter. In the same way that some Canadians might feel that such a structure is unfocussed, the linear approach may seem aggressive or simplistic to other cultures.
2.4 Create a Structural Roadmap
The key to an effective presentation is to make the pattern of organization crystal clear to the audience – to create a roadmap for the audience. Research has shown that audiences hear what they expect to hear, not necessarily what is presented. Adhere to this expression: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you’ve told them.” Thus even if your presentation does not follow a structure that is familiar to your audience, they will know where you are going.
Here are some tips for structuring your presentation:
- Use the same pattern of organization throughout your presentation.
- Use visual aids to help orient your audience. Include a written handout outlining the presentation objectives and agenda.
- Imply or state what is to come next.
- Make clear transitions between sections or phases.
- Use enumeration: “Five reasons why….”or use enumeration combined with alliteration: “The Four P’s of Marketing: Product, Price, Place, Promotions”.
- Build bridges from familiar territory to unknown, from simple ideas to complex.
- Present accepted ideas before controversial ones.
- Provide frequent summaries to help cement key points in your listeners’ minds.
- Repeat key points at the beginning, middle, and end of your presentation to accommodate differing cultures: some expect big ideas to be presented first, others, last.
2.5 Be Flexible
Be prepared to adapt and restructure your presentation before or as you deliver it if necessary. What could happen? For example, a key member of your audience may be called away from the presentation. Or, it may be locally acceptable for an audience to arrive 20 minutes late, leaving you just 15 minutes to present instead of 30. Having a clear and flexible structure will help you meet these challenges.
Finally, whether you are presenting new material or modifying an old presentation, it is essential that you customize your material for the local culture. A good rule of thumb is to modify one fifth of your presentation to suit a particular situation or audience.
2.6 Develop Effective Opening and Closing Sections
Presentation openings and endings put the head and tail on your presentation. They are where first impressions are created and lasting ones are reinforced. Openings and endings are also when your audience’s attention level is often highest. Therefore it is important to invest time and effort to make them successful.
2.6.1 Create Effective Openings
Effective openings accomplish three things:
- Secure audience attention and establish rapport.
- Set clear expectations by stating the theme and scope of the presentation.
- Establish your credibility.
Secure Audience Attention
Know your audience. Start your presentation by connecting with them. One way is to begin in their language, even if all you can manage is a simple: “Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen.” Mentally check every possible introductory idea from the perspective of your audience. Is there a significant current local event that you can mention? Can you tell a personal story or describe an incident that relates your theme or topic to the audience or their country? Stories, if told properly, can be universal. They also help establish a personal connection with your audience and can create intimacy.
Choose carefully, however – be culturally aware and sensitive as to what will get your audience on board without offence. Sharing an observation you have made since arriving in the country may be a unique entry point for the opening of your presentation. You may ask the audience to assist you in “understanding” the rationale behind the action you have observed. This approach has a number of benefits: it establishes the fact that you are genuinely interested in the country and people you are with, it demonstates your openness to learning and it establishes a “two-way” communication relationship. Remember though, you are sharing an observation, not judging an action.
Keep in mind that an approach that works in Canada may fall flat in another country. In Canada and the United States, where communication can be direct, you might open your presentation by simply telling your audience why they should listen to you. Other audiences might see this as arrogant. Whatever your approach, your audience is more likely to respond if they know you’ve taken time to learn something about them or their country.
A CASE OF CULTURE
In a country where history is particularly valued, one successful international presenter captured the
audience's attention by talking about past successes. In contrast, when in the United States, the same
presenter emphasized prospects and future potential.
Set Clear Expectations
Your opening should create clear audience expectations. Early on, tell the audience what you plan to talk about and introduce the theme and scope of your presentation. State the essence of your presentation in one clear sentence. It will also help to provide a visual outline of your presentation.
Establish your Credibility
Carefully crafted openings help establish your credibility. What makes an individual credible in one culture may not in another. Audiences in different countries accord status based on different criteria. These include:
- Achievements
- Track record
- Age and experience
- Social connections
- Family
- Gender
- Education and professional qualifications
- Profession or rank (i.e., engineer, CEO)
- Company or personal reputation
Know which of these is most valued where you are presenting and emphasize the qualities about you or your organization that will be most respected by your audience. Don’t merely say that you are the director, but explain which department you direct (i.e., finance, marketing, operations). How well your presentation is received may depend on whether your audience feels that you have a high enough status within your company.
A CASE OF CULTURE
A Canadian consultant introducing herself to an audience overseas emphasized her personal experience
and education. In doing so, she failed to maximize her professional credibility. In some cultures, it is
important to tie your status with your company. Her credibility as an individual was less important as
compared to the reputation of her company and the role she played within it.
Finally, be careful about how much you talk about yourself. Self-promotion is frowned upon in some cultures.
2.6.2 Develop Solid Endings
Effective endings accomplish three main things:
- Summarize key points to reinforce your message.
- Help the audience draw specific conclusions.
- Offer a call to action.
Summarize key points
A summary gives you one final opportunity to convey your key message. Restatement is often a fundamental aspect of learning and becomes even more critical across cultural and language barriers. Use your ending to reiterate your main points and theme. An effective way to do this, particularly with a foreign audience, is to use a visual summary chart.
Help the audience draw conclusions
After restating key ideas, successful presenters often close by providing their audiences with specific conclusions. Be aware that some cultures may be uncomfortable with your synthesis or bottom line and will want to draw their own conclusions. During the conclusion to your presentation, consider asking an audience, “What stood out from the presentation?” or “What did you learn?” This provides you with an opportunity to engage your audience and to measure the impact of your presentation. Remain sensitive to the local expectations and style of your audience and be subtle when appropriate.
Offer a Call to Action
Effective presentations in Canada frequently end with a call to action. This means asking something specific of the audience, such as their support or their business. In foreign cultures you may need to modify your call to action. Whereas in Canada you might simply ask your audience to give you the business, in countries where communication is less direct this may be viewed as too aggressive. In countries where business relationships are established over months and years, such a statement would be considered both presumptuous and premature unless the presenter was extremely well known to the audience. Whether your call to action is direct or subtle, it is important that you try to move your audience to a next step or objective. This may involve simply getting them to consider the information you have presented and to discuss it at a future meeting.
2.7 Rehearse your Presentation
People often spend all of their time preparing their presentation and leave no time for practice. The result – if your rehearsal was simply a mental “dry run” during your flight – can be disastrous, particularly when presenting to an audience with a language and culture different from your own.
Rehearse your presentation several times using your visual aids. This will streamline your ideas, polish your delivery, and ensure that you are within your allotted time.
Find a key informant, a businessperson with experience in the market or a cultural interpreter who understands your audience. Ask one or more of these people to observe your presentation in its final form and to provide feedback. Although a challenge and time consuming, this is the best way to ensure your presentation is culturally appropriate in content and is effective in delivery.
2.8 Are You Ready? A Checklist
- Brainstorm and prioritize presentation ideas.
- Develop a clear outline using main points and sub-points.
- Ensure your supporting data is culturally appropriate.
- Limit presentation content and simplify data.
- Create a clear roadmap that the audience can easily follow.
- Develop an opening that incorporates relevant current events or a personal story to get the audience on board.
- Use appropriate credentials and company title to establish credibility.
- Summarize key points after each section and at end of presentation.
- Ensure ending contains an appropriate call to action.
- Rehearse your presentation using your visual aids. Practice before a small, informed audience.
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