Here's how you can adapt your presentation style to meet the expectations of a new career.

Having transitioned from product to program to strategy roles, presentation was forever the constant. One thing that never changes is how you start preparing for any presentation. First piece is knowing whom you are presenting to. Senior leaders would like to see crisp summaries, elevators pitches for each slide and less verbose while tech/product leaders would love to see detailed funnels, progress updates, mitigation plans etc. For ex - a presentation on an AI product to a CIO, you may talk about the practical applications and ROI, while for a team of engineers, you might discuss technical architecture and algorithms. Regardless of the audience however, the key is to tailor the content ensuring maximum engagement and impact.

Know your audience is a way you actually show your commitment, thoughtfulness, professionalism, seriousness and intelligence that create powerful impression and strong connection with your target audience By knowing the 'Who' aspect we often get answers to the 'Why' i.e the objective/purpose as well

Research Industry Norms: Understand the standard practices and expectations in your new career field. Look at industry-specific presentations, watch webinars, and attend conferences to gauge the style and tone.

Knowing your audience is ‘half of the work done!’ The beautiful and delicious dishes are made in kitchen not where and when we order from! Hence you need to start working from backward! And keeping everyone engaged by knowing their background and interests.

In my experience, understanding your audience is the cornerstone of effective presentation delivery. When I take the time to research and understand the background, expectations, and professional needs of my audience, I can tailor my presentation more effectively. This not only captures their attention but also ensures that the content is relevant and engaging for them.

Craft Your Content: Adapting your presentation style to meet the expectations of a new career begins with understanding the preferences of your new boss or management. It's crucial to tailor your presentations to suit their requirements while ensuring clarity and simplicity. While cosmetic elements can enhance the visual appeal of your presentation, it's essential to prioritize clear and understandable content above all else. Experimenting with different formats and seeking feedback from your boss or management can help you refine your approach and create presentations that resonate with them. Remember, while small cosmetic details may matter to some, everyone values well-presented and informative content.

Understand Your Audience: Learn about your new audience’s preferences and level of knowledge. Tailor your content to their interests and expertise.

In my experience, crafting content that resonates with a new audience involves balancing thorough research with clarity and conciseness. I focus on aligning my message with the interests and challenges of the audience, ensuring that every piece of information I provide adds value and drives home the core points without overwhelming them with unnecessary details. .

Adjusting your presentation style for a new career involves honing skills in content creation, delivery, and meticulous preparation. Emphasize clarity, conciseness, and relevance in your message, ensuring it resonates with your audience. Strive for substance without overwhelming detail to keep engagement high. Thoughtfully incorporate visuals that complement the company's identity and preferences. Select templates, color schemes, and graphics that enhance your message's impact. Through thoughtful design, you'll bolster your credibility, captivate your audience, and ensure lasting retention of your message.

Professional Terminology: Familiarize yourself with the jargon and terminology specific to your new career and incorporate it appropriately to demonstrate your expertise.

Use more visualisations and less words on your presentation. Words tend to create a bore as humans tend to read when they are engaged in the presentation. Diagrams and pictures invoke more thought and are engaging to the audience.

One thing that can be done when entering a new position or field that requires presentation skills is to practice with those around you. For example, if you will have to present on the company services talk with friends and family who have limited to no knowledge of the product/company. Practice both with a visual aid and without. At the end of your practice have the listener tell you back what they remember from the presentation and how those services can be used. This allows you to see what you are focusing on when presenting. This is a great opportunity to also receive feedback on the "vibes" you are giving off and if there were any noteworthy moments in the presentation.

Practice practice practice. You have to conduct a number of rehearsals for your presentation before delivery even if you are a master presenter.

Customize Visuals: Adjust your slides and visual aids to fit your new industry. This might mean a more conservative design for a corporate setting or more creative visuals for a creative field.

Practice in front of a mirror. You'll see some of what you audience sees and make needed adjustments to you facial expressions or tone.

In my experience, the more interactive a presentation is, the more engaging it becomes. I make a conscious effort to incorporate questions, polls, and discussions that require audience input, which not only keeps them engaged but also provides me with immediate feedback on their understanding and interest levels. This interaction fosters a dynamic learning environment and makes the experience more memorable.

Revise Content Structure: Organize your information in a way that resonates with your new career’s audience. They may prefer data-driven presentations, case studies, or a narrative style.

Adapt Delivery: Depending on the industry, you may need to modify your delivery style. This could mean being more formal or conversational, adjusting your pace, or changing your level of enthusiasm.

One thing I have learnt over the years is that ,your audience play a key role when crafting the message for your presentation .

Solicit Feedback: Before your first big presentation, practice in front of a mentor or peers from your new career and ask for honest feedback on your style.

Always think of presentation as a story telling session. This means your story must have introduction, background, main agenda (purpose) and finally conclusion. Another tips that I learned from my experience is that always make sure that your presentation must be so clear that people from any line of work, even a cleaner for example, must be able to understand. Avoid assumption that people would understand something.

To adapt your presentation style for a new career, start by understanding the preferences and expectations of your new audience. Tailor your content to align with their interests and knowledge level. Practice delivering your presentation in a style that resonates with the culture and norms of the new industry or profession.

Adaptability in your presentation style is a critical skill within presentation skills. It requires one to predict the collective personality of the audience and consider how best to approach them with the presentation given the outcome desired to be achieved at the end of it. If you are aiming to inspire an audience to be informed and then take action, it requires a story telling approach that builds a vision and takes the audience on an emotional journey with you. In contrast if you are intending to convince and get agreement or alignment from an audience, you may choose to start with the end in mind and then build justifications to strengthen the argument and allow more time for discussion to get what you want instead.