Creating and Delivering a Winning Presentation

Presentations are a crucial way to share ideas, propose a plan and deliver specific tactics and messages to a group of people. Everyone learns how to give and create presentations as early as elementary school, but the art of creating and delivering a winning presentation in business can be a bit more complicated because the stakes are higher. Here are some tips on how to deliver a winning presentation at work.

• Set-up the room ahead of time. The room configuration for your presentation can impact the presentation itself. Head to the conference room at least 15 minutes early to arrange the room how you’d like. If needed, use place cards to assign seating to ensure decision-makers are in the best position to view the screen. Additionally, double check that the tech is in order and do test runs to ensure the production will run smoothly.
• Keep messages simple. In any presentation, be straightforward and to-the-point. Only include headlines on the screen and use images to bring your points to life while you explain them verbally. Use the notes section of PowerPoint as your guide for what to say, instead of relying on on-screen text.
• Understand your audience. Know who you are speaking to and adjust your presentation for the audience. If you have an analytic audience that will require more information than is appropriate for the screen, plan hand-outs. For more creative-driven groups, weave in multimedia to keep them intrigued. It’s also important to read the room. Stop and explain things if you sense people aren’t understanding or move more quickly if you are losing attention.
• Bring back-ups. Technology can always fail at the last minute, so be sure to print and bring hard copies of your presentation. Attendees will appreciate printed pages so that they can take notes and better follow along throughout the presentation. Use Boise POLARIS® Premium Laser paper for crisp, bright paper that make your colors pop. And for the perfect finishing touch, give the presentation a binding for a professional look.