How do you determine the right level of detail and complexity for your presentation?

1 Know your audience

The first and most important step is to know your audience. Who are they? What are their backgrounds, interests, needs, and expectations? What do they already know about your topic, and what do they need or want to learn? How will they use or benefit from your presentation? What are their potential questions, objections, or concerns? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your presentation to their level of understanding, interest, and motivation. You can use various audience analysis techniques, such as surveys, interviews, observation, or feedback, to gather this information before or during your presentation.

2 Define your purpose

The second step is to define your purpose. What is the main goal or message of your presentation? What do you want your audience to know, feel, or do after listening to you? How will you measure your success or impact? Defining your purpose will help you focus your presentation on the most relevant and persuasive points, and avoid unnecessary or distracting information. You can use a clear and concise thesis statement, a problem-solution structure, or a call to action to communicate your purpose to your audience.

3 Structure your content

The third step is to structure your content. How will you organize and present your information in a logical and coherent way? How will you divide your presentation into sections, sub-sections, and transitions? How will you use headings, outlines, summaries, and signposts to guide your audience through your content? Structuring your content will help you create a clear and consistent flow of ideas, and make it easier for your audience to follow and remember your main points. You can use various presentation structures, such as chronological, topical, spatial, or comparative, to suit your topic and purpose.

4 Simplify your language

The fourth step is to simplify your language. How will you use words, sentences, and paragraphs that are clear, concise, and appropriate for your audience and purpose? How will you avoid jargon, acronyms, technical terms, or slang that might confuse or alienate your audience? How will you explain or illustrate complex or abstract concepts with examples, analogies, stories, or visuals? Simplifying your language will help you convey your message in an understandable and engaging way, and build rapport and trust with your audience. You can use various language techniques, such as plain English, active voice, parallelism, or repetition, to enhance your clarity and impact.

5 Vary your delivery

The fifth step is to vary your delivery. How will you use your voice, body language, and visual aids to support and enhance your content and purpose? How will you modulate your tone, volume, pace, and pitch to emphasize your key points and create interest and variety? How will you use gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions to communicate your confidence and enthusiasm? How will you use slides, charts, graphs, images, or videos to illustrate or reinforce your information or arguments? Varying your delivery will help you create a dynamic and memorable presentation, and capture and maintain your audience's attention and interest.

6 Seek feedback

The sixth and final step is to seek feedback. How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your presentation, and identify your strengths and areas for improvement? How will you solicit and respond to feedback from your audience, peers, or mentors? How will you use feedback to refine your content, language, and delivery for future presentations? Seeking feedback will help you learn from your experience, and improve your skills and confidence as a presenter. You can use various feedback methods, such as surveys, questionnaires, rating scales, or comments, to collect and analyze feedback from different sources.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?