5p - Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance 

Consider the following when thinking about your presentation: 

Purpose 

Always identify the purpose of your presentation. Often the real purpose will be to do with 
persuasion. It often helps to ask the question, "What's the one thing I want them to take
away with them?" The answer is usually more complex than this, but trying to identify one 
thing will help you to prioritise your objectives.

People 

Think about the people at your presentation. What do they know? What can they do? How do
they feel? Think about what they want from your presentation, and about what you need to
give them. You will probably want to do some homework on this. Talk to colleagues who
have worked with these people in the past, talk to the organiser, talk to the participants
themselves. 

Problems 

Ask yourself what can go wrong with your presentation, and have contingency plans to help 
you cope and to boost your confidence. It may be that the OHP bulb blows - what will you do? 
It may be that numbers are not what was expected - what will you do? It may be that people
turn up late - what will you do? It may be that they already know all about your topic - 
what will you do? 

Professionalism 

One of your main purposes is likely to be to present yourself as a thoroughly competent and
professional person. Think about how you can do this, and don't restrict yourself to the
presentation itself. Perhaps you could put a decent sign on the door. Maybe you could make
an OHP out of your audience's crest or logo. You might customise your handouts. There are
all sorts of things you can do, but do think about it. 

Patterns 

Try to find patterns or shapes to your presentation that will help your audience to remember
what you say. People understand things more easily if they fit in some way with what they 
already know, and the way in which information is structured is a key factor in how easily 
people can absorb it.