Using Presentation Trackers

The best presentations leave audiences nodding their heads in agreement and compelled to take action. Too often, however, information overload and poorly organized content leave people’s heads spinning and your message muddled. That’s no way to win business!

The truth is that presentation content can be complex, especially when you have a lot of information to get across in a short period of time.

The solution? Accelerate and enhance your audience’s grasp of your content by providing a framework. A framework is an outline, or roadmap, of the presentation in text or graphic form.

Providing a framework is a highly effective way to get your points across in a clear, compelling manner. You know how much an outline helps organize information when writing presentations. It’s even more powerful for an audience absorbing your material for the first time.

In fact, advance knowledge of what will be covered improves content absorption. When you help your audience “get it” at a high level, they’re prepared with a mental map to organize — and remember — the information that follows.

Where You Are and Where You’re Going

A simple way to provide a framework is a text outline or agenda at the start of your presentation. Even more effective is a custom graphic that is used throughout the presentation to remind your audience where they’ve been and where they’re going.

As an added bonus, creating a framework is certain to help you organize your thoughts and improve your own grasp of the material to ensure high-impact delivery.

Tips for road-mapping your presentation:

• Be Clear: Identify the key topics and messages — in your presentation and use these to organize and build your framework; for example, “Who We Are”, “What We Do,” and “Key Benefits.”
• Be Consistent: Present the framework upfront — in text or graphics —and continue using it throughout the presentation to remind the audience where they are.
• Collaborate: It’s sometimes more difficult to organize information when you’re in the thick of it. Find a colleague with a fresh pair of eyes to review your material for clarity and flow.

Remember: When your message comes across strong and clear, it’s more likely to make an impact on your audience, and yield results.