Corporate Multimedia Presentations

Writing and Producing Business Presentations

When producing a business presentation, you need to first spec it before getting into presentation design or content. Determining, upfront, the goals of the presentation, how it will be presented and the target audience for the presentation will help you create the most effective and appropriate presentation for your specific needs.

     

Know your objective – focus your business presentation

Determine the goal of your presentation. Do you want to demo a product, convince investors of your company’s viability, or attract leads at a trade show? What do you hope to accomplish? Until you know your objective, your content will have no structure or purpose, so having clear goals is the first key step in creating your presentation.

Know your audience - target your marketing or sales presentation

Who is the audience for your corporate presentation? Is your audience consumers or is your audience other businesses? What are the job titles? For example, are they C-level executives or your sales team? Knowing who your audience is will help you in determining the appropriate language, level of detail, primary focus. Who will be viewing your presentation should even influence how the information is presented –whether you choose flow charts and graphs or visual imagery and metaphors to get your message across.

Know your time budget – timing is everything

How long is your presentation? Are you a speaker at an event with a firm time limit? Or is this an internal company presentation that can be more open ended when it comes to time? Even if you have no external time constraint you should set a time budget based on how long you can keep your audience engaged. When timing your presentation a good rule of thumb is to budget 1 to 3 minutes per slide. And always remember to leave time for Q&A, introductions, and breaks (if necessary)!

     

Know your medium - tailor your presentation design

How will your presentation be viewed? Will it be viewed on a large projection screen or on a small computer monitor? Will it be printed and handed out or distributed on a CD? These factors affect resolution, multimedia components being included or not, types of animation that may be appropriate, even the color palette. Considering these factors upfront, will streamline your presentation design and make it more effective.

Know your presenter – presentation delivery is key

How will your presentation actually be presented? Live with a speaker, or automated at a kiosk or on disc? Choosing a live, narrated presentation or an automated presentation will affect items like navigation, level of slide detail, and whether or not you use a voice over or music in the background.

Conclusion: Always Plan Ahead!

If you consider these factors in advance and properly plan your presentation, you will save yourself time, money, and headaches. More importantly though, invest the time up front, and you’ll have a more effective and successful presentation in the end.