Don’t wing it. The more important your presentation, the more your must organize. Rambling thoughts send audiences’ minds rambling rather than paying attention to what you are trying to get across. We’ve all walked out of presentations wondering “What was the point of that?”

Whatever the content of your presentation, there are a few basic elements that give logic, interest and clarity.

Introduction:

o Attention-getting statement. You capture the audience’s interest, or not, within the first few seconds of your presentation. What story, bit of humor, quotation, etc. will engage them immediately? The attention-getting statement should be relevant in some way to your topic and audience.
o Purpose statement. Set your audience’s expectations right away.
o Overview. State your main points very briefly.

Body:

o There should be no more than a few main points in an average presentation. Choose your main points for maximum impact, using your Purpose statement as your frame of reference.
o There should be no more than two to three sub-points per main point. Keep it simple to keep the audience’s focus.

Conclusion:

o Summary statement. Review the main points.
o Closing statement. What memorable statement will keep the audience thinking about your presentation?

Using questions:

o Think about how you want to engage the audience. Do you want to ask them questions? Do you want them to ask you questions? At what points in your presentation do you want to interact? Questions are excellent tools to understand and connect with your audience. Plan how you will use audience interaction to enhance your presentation and still stay on track.