How do you plan and structure your presentation to achieve your goals and meet your audience's needs?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start preparing your presentation, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. What is the main message you want to convey? What action do you want your audience to take? How do you want them to feel? Knowing your purpose will help you focus your content, choose your tone, and design your slides. A useful exercise to define your purpose is to write a one-sentence summary of your presentation that answers the question: What is the point?

2 Know your audience

Another key factor to consider when planning your presentation is your audience. Who are they? What do they already know about your topic? What are their interests, needs, and expectations? How can you relate to them and engage them? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your content, language, and style to suit them. A useful exercise to know your audience is to create a profile of your ideal listener that includes their background, goals, challenges, and questions.

4 Know your delivery

The final step to plan and structure your presentation is to practice your delivery. How you deliver your presentation can make a big difference in how your audience perceives you and your message. You want to be confident, clear, and engaging. You also want to use your voice, body language, and visual aids effectively. A useful exercise to know your delivery is to record yourself giving your presentation and watch it back. Look for areas where you can improve your eye contact, tone, pace, gestures, and slides.

5 Know your feedback

One of the best ways to improve your communication and presentation skills is to seek and receive feedback. Feedback can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, learn from your mistakes , and celebrate your successes. You can ask for feedback from your colleagues, your manager, or your audience. You can also use self-assessment tools or surveys to evaluate your performance. A useful exercise to know your feedback is to use the STAR method to reflect on your presentation. Think of a specific situation, task, action, and result that you experienced and write down what you did well and what you could do better.

6 Know your growth

The final tip to improve your communication and presentation skills is to keep learning and growing. Communication and presentation skills are not fixed or innate, but rather dynamic and learnable. You can always find new ways to enhance your skills, such as reading books, watching videos, taking courses, or joining clubs. You can also set yourself goals and challenges to stretch yourself and measure your progress. A useful exercise to know your growth is to create a personal development plan that outlines your current skills, your desired skills, and the steps you will take to achieve them.