Presentations push people outside of their comfort zone in a way that is unique to most assignments. People who are too nervous to do karaoke become public speakers, those with no eye for design become designers, and employees who struggle to write a long email become writers.
What part of a presentation do you struggle most with? Where does your comfort zone end, and your discomfort begin?
If you have a blank PowerPoint template open in front of you for your next presentation, one of the hardest things to do is start. Let us help you get inspired. Below are 5 questions that we commonly ask our clients before the start of a project. Using a piece of scratch paper or a blank document, use these questions as a starting point to brainstorm your content and fill in your storyboard from the beginning. These should give you plenty of ways to start formulating a rough outline, and at least decide on a content direction.
1. What are my three main takeaways?
Don’t pile facts, collect quotes, make a ton of charts, or start writing a bullet point list. Just start with three takeaways which answer the question, “what do I want my audience to remember when they leave the room?”
2. How do I want my audience to feel?
This high-level question is about all about emotion. Do you want them to feel like they’ve been informed? Do you want them to feel moved by your content? Getting the tone right starts here, by deciding on the emotional impact you’d like to create.
3. What does my audience already know?
If your team is versed in technical jargon or your backstory, then why deliver it? Don’t start your deck at the very beginning of your journey if they have already travelled alongside you. Only include the information that they don’t have, and edit out the rest.
4. Where am I leading them to?
If you aren’t sure where to begin, start at the very end. Decide on the final slide or at least your general call to action, and then build your content backwards to fill in the rest of the details. Even if you make changes along the way, your end goal will always be the same.
5. What’s the story behind the scenes?
If you’re struggling with creative ideas, then go behind the scenes of the presentation. What is your origin story? What is the motivation behind the presentation itself? Writing down a personal story may help remind you of the core reason you are delivering the deck, thus inspiring some creativity.
Once you’ve answered these questions, you should have enough content to start formulating an outline. Highlight your best answers or brief phrases throughout your work, and then find a way to incorporate them into the outline of your presentation. Since answering a questionnaire is often easier than starting with a blank template slide, we hope that this has given you the creative “kick” you need to begin!
Want to learn more about how to use a PowerPoint template with an extra dose of creativity? Check out these related articles:
Using a Template As Your Storytelling Canvas
