Your boss is never satisfied with your presentations. How can you make them better?

1 Know your audience

Before you start working on your presentation, you need to understand who you are presenting to, what they expect, and what they care about. Your boss may have different goals, preferences, and perspectives than you or other stakeholders. For example, your boss may be more interested in the big picture, the bottom line, or the risks and opportunities than the details, the process, or the technical aspects. To tailor your presentation to your boss, you need to research their background, interests, and priorities, and use them to guide your content, structure, and style.

2 Plan your message

Once you know your audience, you need to plan your message. Your message is the main point or the key takeaway that you want your boss to remember and act on after your presentation. Your message should be clear, concise, and compelling, and it should answer the question: why should your boss care? To plan your message, you need to define your purpose, your objective, and your call to action. Your purpose is the reason why you are presenting, your objective is the outcome that you want to achieve, and your call to action is the specific action that you want your boss to take.

3 Design your slides

Your slides are the visual aids that support your message, not the message itself. Your slides should be simple, relevant, and attractive, and they should enhance your verbal communication, not distract from it. To design your slides, you need to follow some basic principles of visual communication, such as using contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity to create harmony and hierarchy, using images, charts, and graphs to illustrate and emphasize your points, and using fonts, colors, and animations to create interest and mood.

4 Practice your delivery

Your delivery is the way you speak and present yourself during your presentation. Your delivery should be confident, engaging, and professional, and it should convey your passion and credibility. To practice your delivery, you need to rehearse your presentation several times, preferably in front of a mirror, a camera, or a friend. You need to pay attention to your voice, your body language, and your timing, and make sure that they match your message and your audience. You also need to anticipate and prepare for possible questions, objections, or feedback from your boss.

5 Get feedback

Feedback is the information that you receive from others about your presentation. Feedback can help you improve your presentation skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and adjust your presentation to meet your boss's expectations. To get feedback, you need to ask for it from different sources, such as your colleagues, your mentors, or your clients. You need to listen to the feedback carefully, thank the feedback giver, and use the feedback constructively. You also need to give feedback to yourself, by reviewing your presentation and evaluating your performance.

6 Learn from your mistakes

Mistakes are the inevitable and valuable part of learning. Mistakes can help you grow, improve, and innovate, as long as you learn from them and avoid repeating them. To learn from your mistakes, you need to acknowledge them, analyze them, and act on them. You need to admit when you make a mistake, understand why and how you made it, and take corrective and preventive actions to fix it and prevent it from happening again. You also need to forgive yourself, move on, and focus on the positive aspects of your presentation.

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?