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2. Components of an Effective Presentation

In order to craft an effective presentation, managers must spend enough time thinking about their plan, and the best way to present it to the audience. It is not enough for the managers to merely read their plan. Presentations must take into consideration the audience, the location, the purpose, and many other factors that will impact the presentation’s effectiveness. The main components of an effective presentation are as follows:

Oval: Text Box: Understanding of the Audience Oval: Text Box: Understanding the Objectives Oval: Text Box: Finding a Common Focus Oval: Text Box: Crafting a Structure Oval: Text Box: Composing Effective Conclusions

By following these steps, managers can ensure that their presentation is simple, focused, and targeted at the audience in such a way that the plan’s objectives are met. Each of these steps will be discussed in detail.

3. Understanding the Audience

The first critical component of crafting an effective presentation is understanding the audience. Each audience for a presentation will be different. There are different individuals, from different organizations, with different goals, tastes, time constraints, etc. In order to convey the project/program as effectively as possible, the manager must understand the audience, and what they are looking for. The following are some critical questions that should be answered when considering the audience for a presentation:

Who is the audience? – This may seem like a simple question, but it can be very complex. What kind of organization is the presentation be made to – a project/program capital organization, a bank, a grant foundation? Besides the type of organization, who are the individuals who will be present at the presentation? Will it be a large or small group? Have the managers met any of them? If so, what are their personalities? Are they outgoing and friendly, or all project/program?

What does the audience want? – Each audience will be looking for different elements in a successful project/program plan. Lenders will want to see that the managers are conservative and thoughtful, to ensure that their repayments will be paid. Investors want to see that managers have a vision, and the enthusiasm and drive to get there. Other audiences may merely need to understand the product and how the demand for it is compelling. Each of these audiences requires a different approach on a project/program plan.

What is the audience’s level of interest? – Often potential investors or lenders will ask for a presentation after the plan has already had an initial review. In this case, the managers know that the group already has an interest in the project/program concept. This means the managers can spend less time explaining the project/program concept and more time on the details. However, if the presentation is the audience’s first exposure to the project/program, then their interest level might be lower. This requires more time explaining the project/program and creating interest in the concept.

4. Presenters Needs and Beliefs

Not only does the audience have a certain set of dynamics and needs that need to be addressed, but also the presenters have their own set of needs and beliefs when assembling the presentation. The managers want to make sure what they craft meets their objectives, as well as those of their audience. The following are some key questions that must be asked:

What do the managers want from the audience? - There are many possible outcomes from a project/program plan presentation. managers may be trying to secure funding, or convince someone to serve on the board of directors. managers might be trying to get some positive press or buzz surrounding their project/program concept. Or, the presentation may be to an audience with hopes that they will recommend the project/program to their colleagues or friends. Whatever the objective, the managers must keep it in mind as they assemble the presentation.

What are the manager’s beliefs about the plan? – The manager must also consider what their beliefs are about their project/program plan. If the project/program is still in the concept phase, then what does the manager believe will happen? Are there certain areas that are more uncertain than other portions of the plan?

What is the manager’s level of confidence and dedication? - An equally important aspect of the presentation it the manager. As much as the manager is explaining the project/program, he or she is also selling himself or herself as the leader of this new project/program. Therefore, the manager must be confident about the chances of success for the project/program and have the required dedication to see it succeed. If not, it will become quickly obvious to the audience.

6. Crafting a Structure

Once a common focus and starting point have been determined, then the presentation’s structure must be determined. Many managers merely structure their presentations along the same lines as their written project/program plan. However, the presentation is an oral argument, not a written one, and should be tailored to the audience and environment that it is being delivered in. Without a strong structure, the presentation will seem to ramble and lack the organization and cohesion to makes the audience believe the manager’s conclusions. Two key elements of structure that managers should remember include:

· Structure is a road map for the audience: Again, the managers are trying to lead the audience from their own set of beliefs and needs over to the beliefs and needs outlined in the project/program plan. By creating a strong structure, managers can slowly construct the argument, leading the audience step by step to their said conclusions. Each elements of the presentation should build upon the one before, until the audience is delivered to the conclusions.

· Structure is the argument: Structure is essentially how the managers will make their argument. The structure determines the order of information. When ordered correctly, the audience will follow the presentation, absorbing the information, and conclude that the manager’s information, assumptions and conclusions are valid. A poor structure is essentially a poor argument. This can leave the audience confused, doubtful, and even frustrated by the manager’s lack of a cohesive argument.

In order to craft a strong argument, managers should outline the steps needed to take the audience from their set of beliefs to the beliefs stated in the presentation. Once these are determined, the managers can divide these steps into content for the presentation.

7. Effective Conclusions

Perhaps the most critical element of the project/program plan is the conclusions. The conclusions are where the manager’s research and arguments come together to form a statement about the current situation. This is the part of the presentation where the managers need to convince the audience that they want to act – in whatever manner the manager is seeking, whether its providing capital, providing contacts, serving on the board, etc. When crafting conclusions, managers should keep the following in mind:

Conclusions Answer Questions: The conclusions should answer specific questions that the manager has posed to the audience. These questions can even be put in the beginning of the presentation. For example, managers could begin by asking, “What is the opportunity presented by this new technology.” In the conclusion, they can answer that question and provide their vision for the product’s use.

Conclusions Summarize Key Points: Conclusions should not appear out of the blue. managers must be careful to provide the information and key elements that build to their conclusions. The conclusion should then be delivered as a logical summary of the key pieces of information that we conveyed in the plan.

Conclusions Show the Significance of the Presentation: Conclusions should be assembled and delivered with a sense of importance and reverence. After all, this is the point of the presentation where the manager is stating why their project/program should exist. Therefore, managers should impress upon the audience the importance and weight of the decision.

8. Text Slides

It is important to talk for a moment about presentation format. Most presentations are completed with some sort of presentation software. The most common of these is Microsoft PowerPoint, a software program that enables users to craft presentations and project them onto a screen. In addition, presentations can be made using slides and an overhead projector. Others may choose to use a flipchart or hand out printed slides. Whatever the format, the audience must be given some sort of visual guide to follow the presentation.

Beyond the presentation format, managers must also be able to craft the presentation in a way that is logical and easy to understand. In order to do so, they must understand how to best structure the information within each slide. The text slide is the most basic of presentation slide formats. Text slides provide information in a verbal format, and are used to support the oral information being spoken by the presenter. Text slides have two elements:

· A Slide Heading – These are short statements at the top of the slide that help the audience quickly understand the topic for that slide. And example of a slide heading would be “Background” or “Conclusions.”

· Bullets – Below the heading are bullets that contain information that elaborates the message heading. Bullets should be short and simple, and should not be complete sentences. For example, bullet text could include the following “Founded in 1999” or “Launch new product in Spring.”

Order of Information – When crafting text slides, order of information becomes important. The presenters must have presented their information in a rational way. Therefore, if an item builds on other information, then it should be placed after or below those items on the slide. In addition, when ordering bullets within a slide, often the most important bullets are placed first.

9. Graphs/Tables

In addition to text slides, graphs and tables are often commonly used to quickly and effectively convey information to the audience. However, each of these display types has their own set of challenges.

Graphs

Graphs can be an extremely compelling way of making an argument. Graphs turn information into a visual display, which can often be must more powerful than words or statistics. However, since presentations are fluid, oral deliveries, the audience will have little time to process the graph’s information. Therefore graphs must include the following:

· A Heading – The audience must understand what the graph is portraying.

· Simple – The graph must be minimally complex, so that the audience can interpret it quickly and accurately.

· Visual – The graph must be visually clear.

Tables

Tables are another effective means to look at information. Tables allow the comparison of data across multiple dimensions, making them very useful tools for crafting an argument. However, tables can also be complex and confusing. Again, the audience has minimal time to interpret and understand the table. Therefore, they should include the following:

· A Heading – Again, the audience must understand the purpose of the table.

· Four or fewer columns – With more than four columns, the table becomes too unwieldy for quick and accurate interpretation.

· Clearly Labeled Columns and Rows – Interpreting tables requires an understanding of the type of data included. This means that the columns and rows must be clearly marked and easily understood.

10. Common Mistakes

Presentations are not simple to assemble or deliver. In addition to the organizational skills mentioned in this module, the presenter also needs to have a practiced delivery that conveys the information in a professional and polished manner. These oral delivery skills are not discussed in this course. The manager would be wise to enlist the help of friends or colleagues who are skilled at public speaking to assist them in planning the delivery of the presentation. However, when writing the presentation, the manager can improve their likelihood of success by avoiding the following mistakes:

· Not using the Components of the Plan Properly – Many managers put the wrong information into their presentations. Or, they may try and include all of their information from the written plan in their presentation. Only the most important elements should be included. All other details should be left in the plan for the audience to read at their leisure.

· Not Keeping it Short and Simple – managers must provide a comprehensive and succinct summary of their project/program, essentially an oral version of the executive summary. By becoming too wordy or long, managers risk losing their audience to boredom or discomfort.

· Ignoring Slide Guidelines – By failing to follow the simple guidelines for slide design presented earlier, managers will assemble a presentation that is sprawling and not cohesive. The audience will be left wondering what the manager is looking for.

· Lacking Confidence – Presenters who lack confidence in either their results or their presentation, will limit the effectiveness of their efforts. The audience expects to hear a presentation from someone who believes in what they are talking about. Those who seem unsure or doubtful will weaken their message. No one wants to support a project/program of an manager who appears unprepared or unconvinced.

Assignments

#1 Matching the Columns

a. PowerPoint	1. The group that will be listening to the presentation.
b. Audience	2. The road map for the audience to follow the presenter’s argument.
c. Central focus	3. Convey information and support the oral argument.
d. Structure	4. Common presentation software
e. Text slides	5. Convey information in a simple, visual manner.
f. Graph slides	6. A mutually believable starting point

Answers: A-4, B-1, C-6, D-2, E-3, F-5

#2&3 Multiple Choice

1. managers are often asked to present their project/program plans to ___________:

A. Bankers

B. Investors

C. Judges

D. All of the above

2. A live presentation allows managers to show their ______________ about the project/program.

A. Enthusiasm

B. Doubts

C. Challenges

D. Audience

3. The first component of assembling a winning presentation is _____________:

A. Understand objectives

B. Understanding the audience

C. Finding a focus

D. Composing conclusions

4. Each audience for a project/program plan presentation will be _______________:

A. Interested

B. Challenging

C. Different

D. Small

5. Not only is the manager explaining the project/program, he or she is also ___________________:

A. Selling themselves as the leader

B. Asking for money

C. Showing presentation skills

D. Making the audience happy

6. The argument is conveyed through the presentation’s ________________:

A. Look

B. Length

C. Structure

D. Graphs

7. Graphs need to be all of the following EXCEPT:

A. Simple

B. Visual

C. Clear

D. Color

8. One of the key things that the presenter needs to have when presenting the plan is _____________:

A. Confidence

B. Cockiness

C. A long presentation

D. Eagerness

Summary

Often managers are called upon to deliver a presentation of their plan to an interested party. Translating a written project/program plan into an oral presentation is not an easy task. managers need to consider the perspective of the audience, and target a presentation that meets their needs as well as those of the presenters.

Module Test

True/ False Questions

1. Presentations bring excitement and immediacy to a project/program plan.

True False

2. The last step in composing an effective presentation is creating effective conclusions.

True False

3. The various audiences for a presentation, for the most part, are similar.

True False

4. managers typically only want money from their audience.

True False

5. The central focus should be something that supports the arguments made in the project/program plan.

True False

6. Structure provides the audience with a way to follow the argument.

True False

7. managers must convince their audience to act in the conclusions.

True False

8. Audiences do not always need a visual aid with a presentation.

True False

9. Tables should have four or fewer columns.

True False

10. Often managers make a mistake by keeping their presentation short and simple.

True False

Bibliography

Carsrud, Alan. “project/program Plan Writing: Presentations,” presented at The Anderson School at UCLA.

Glossary

PowerPoint – A popular computer software program that enables users to create presentations and project them onto a screen.

Structure – The argument in a presentation. The structure provides a logical path for the audience to follow through to the conclusions.

Central Focus – A mutually believable starting point that the manager uses as the basis for the presentation.

Audience – The group that will be listening to the presentation.
Learning Objectives

· To understand the need for a presentation, and why managers may have to conduct one.

· To understand the steps for transforming a written plan into a presentation, and the elements available to them in doing so.

Q&A

1. Why do managers make presentations?

There are many reasons that a project/program plan will need to be adapted into a presentation. Many managers choose to enter their project/program plans in competitions, where the winners are allowed to present their plans to project/program capital organizations. In addition, many investors or lenders who are interested in a project/program concept will request that the managers make a presentation to their group. This enables them to see the managers “in action” discussing their project/program.

2. What are the main steps in assembling a project/program plan presentation?

There are five steps in translating a project/program plan into an oral presentation. They are as follows:

· Understanding the audience – the manager must understand what the audience’s beliefs are and what they are looking for.

· Understanding the objectives – they must also understand what their objectives are.

· Finding a focus – managers must find a common focus that they share with the audience, and use this as the basis for the presentation.

· Crafting a structure – Building a structure is essentially crafting the argument for the project/program.

· Composing Conclusions – Once complete, the author can craft conclusions that are based on the common focus and spring from their argument.

3. What are some common mistakes managers make when creating presentations?

There are many mistakes that managers can make when turning their written plan into an oral presentation. First, they may use the components of the written plan improperly, putting the wrong information in the presentation. The may try to include everything, and create a presentation that is too long and complex. They may ignore the guidelines for creating slides. Or they may lack the confidence in their project/program to convince the audience.