Presentations @ Work

Whenever we hear that we have to do a presentation, there are either groans of dismay or excitement! Dismay because of your nerves or excitement because you love standing in front of an audience and showing off your skills. Regardless of your feelings, the structure of a presentation is the first thing which comes to mind.

Here is a short summary about presenting - there is obviously a vast amount of information on Presentations, but I have only taken a few important parts to expand on.

1. Get the meeting/presentation started:

So, you are all sitting around, having coffee and making small talk waiting for the meeting to start. Instead of using the normal:

Good morning/afternoon, everyone.

If we are all here, let's get started (OR) start the meeting. (OR) . . . start.

Good morning everyone. If we're all here, let's get started.

Here are some idioms you can use to get everyone’s attention and start the meeting:

Let’s get the ball rolling (OR) let’s get down to business

2. Introduction:

I call this section the BIG introduction. 

Why? Because this is the most important part of a presentation. This is where you will:

a)    Introduce yourself

b)    Introduce any guests or guest speakers

c)     Apologies for those unable to attend

d)    Housekeeping:

a.     Food/tea will be served?

b.    Breaks in-between?

c.     Show your audience where the toilets are (yes, this is important!)

e)    Introduce the topic

f)      State the purpose and outcome

g)    Tell your audience how long your presentation will take

h)    Let your audience know whether you want interaction throughout or at the end

i)       Let your audience know whether there will be a handout or they must take notes

I might have missed out a few of the parts but, as you have read, this is the part of your presentation which your audience want to hear. Depending on how interesting your presentation is, they might switch off and get bored but will remember when the lunch or smoke breaks are.

3. Body:

The main body of your presentation is the actual presentation itself. Before you start with it however, reiterate whether you are handing out notes and the length of your presentation. This is where you need to shine! Be energetic and focused. If it needs, add in some light relief and don’t forget visuals! Pictures, videos and sounds are great ways to grab your audience’s attention – don’t be afraid to use them.

4. Conclusion:

To conclude your presentation, you must summarise what you have said and show an outcome. Show the point of doing a presentation and the benefits it has for your audience. Thank your audience for being amazing (even if they weren’t) and remind your audience of the next date or to grab a handout on their way out.

Here are some phrases you can use to get everyone’s attention and close the meeting:

To wrap up, to sum up to recap – can you think of further expressions?

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