By Joanne Chow
On May 9th and 10th, our contingent took part in a Sharing Session in Kuching with the local Scouts and City Officials. Our presentations were successful and the experience was rewarding. All our hard work that was put into developing the presentations has paid off in the past five months.
As a presenter myself, I can tell you that creating a presentation from scratch is not easy. In preparation for this Sharing Session, I have met up with our team several nights and participated in three formal rehearsals. Looking back, I can say that I have mastered the skills to create a presentation. Let me share with you some of my tips in developing a presentation. These tips apply to all types of presentations: PowerPoint presentations, poster presentations, you name it!
- BEFORE DEVELOPING THE PRESENTATION:
1) Know why you are there to present, as well as why the audience is there to listen. What is the purpose?
2) Know your audience: how many people are you expecting? What is their age range? What is their language proficiency?
3) Define your presentation’s objectives, scope, and time limit. This will be a useful checklist or guideline when you develop the content.
4) Always remember that pictures speak a thousand words. You want the audience to focus on what you as a presenter has to say; try to minimize the text on your slides. Elaborate on pictures, display key words, and avoid blocks of text.
- AFTER DEVELOPING THE PRESENTATION:
1) Does your presentation flow? You will lose the audience’s attention if your presentation does not flow. Make sure one slide leads to the next slide, and that the content contributes to achieving the presentation’s objectives.
2) Make a script on what you want to say for each slide. Practice your presentation out loud on your own a few times such that you are comfortable with speaking about the content.
3) Rehearse with your friends and peers as the audience – this is the best way to get honest feedback. Write down their comments (these may be harsh criticism, but take it in!) as these become a checklist for you to make changes and improvements to your slides and script.
4) Be prepared to make several revisions – remember, no presentation is perfect! Repeat the first two pointers above until you and your audience are satisfied with the presentation. For my presentation, in total I have created three revisions (one revision after every formal rehearsal).
With these tips in mind, you will be able to create a presentation easily. Let me know in the comments below if these tips work for you, or if you have additional tips to contribute!
2 replies on “Day 8: The Process of Developing a Presentation: Challenges and Lessons Learnt”
Make your presentation fun and humorous. That’s what the audience love to see, and they will remember you for a long time 🙂
Thank you for your great feedbacks. We’re so excited and the audience really enjoyed and learned form the presentations, and everyone could share their experiences with one another.