HOW TO WRITE A PRESENTATION
Presentation software provides a series of slides used as a support for an oral presentation. This way, it is possible to highlight key points while speaking or show images like charts or graphs.
Before writing
- Identify the topic of your presentation.
- Do some research to find out graphs, tables, etc.
- Make notes of the main points you want to include in your presentation.
Structure and content
| 1 | Introduction | Introduce the topic and list the points you will deal with. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Main body | Choose a main point and structure everything around it. Do not give unnecessary information and keep it short. Provide simple explanations supported by graphs. Organise your presentation around WHAT, WHY and HOW. WHAT identifies the key message you want to communicate and the benefit for the audience. WHY provides a natural route because it answers a spontaneous question from the audience. This way, you will have the audience on your side immediately. HOW suggests the audience how they can act. |
| 3 | Brief summary | Provide a short summary of your presentation. |
| 4 | Questions from the audience | Think in advance of possible questions from the audience in order to be ready to answer. You could prepare a list of FAQs. |
Language
- Use a friendly tone and a simple structure.
- Develop short, concise sentences to keep the slides clean and easy to read. Remember, your slides should complement your oral presentation.
- Avoid typing long paragraphs into the slides.
- Use metaphors to aid understanding and retention.
- Use humour, but not jokes.
- Adapt the language to the audience (specialist vs. non-specialist).
Tips
- Make sure that the information is accurate, concise and specifically directed toward your intended audience.
- Use bullet points to list collective information.
- Limit your slides to no more than 15.
- Practise your oral presentation against your slides to ensure your timing. Avoid reading from the slides.
- Prepare yourself with the right information so that you are able to answer questions directly and accurately.
- Use visual materials to grab the audience's attention.
