“Hey, John! I’ve got a favor to ask you. Would you mind giving the keynote presentation at the upcoming conference? It’s two weeks from yesterday.”
“How long will it take to gather all of the information I need back up the claims I plan to make in this deck?”
“When should I start rehearsing the presentation?”
“How much time do I actually get to speak my piece?”
Time. A presenter’s best friend is always – and will forever be – time. And the fickle beauty could either work for or against you in any given situation. The amount of time you receive or carve out for certain portions of the presentation creation process impacts the quality of your performance.
Here are the 3 instances throughout a presentation’s design and a presenter’s delivery that require an adequate amount of time:
1. Discovery and Research
During this phase of a presentation, a presenter establishes the foundation for the main points he or she will discuss. How much time you ultimately spend researching your topic and corresponding ideas and thoughts depends on many factors.
- Are you touching up a recycled presentation?
- Is the information you need accessible through internal databases?
- Will you have to conduct an extensive Google search?
- Does over 50% of your presentation consist of data points, charts, and graphs?
If you are starting from scratch and intend to represent your data points visually, allocate sufficient time to complete this task thoroughly.
2. Preparation and Practice
The next stage of creating your presentation will likely include rehearsing the content and nailing down the verbal execution of each point. A presenter who is naturally confident and not easily flustered may not need as much preparation and practice as a presenter who is timid and rigid in front of an audience. Assess your current presentation state by asking yourself the following questions:
- Could I deliver this presentation without a script or speaker’s notes?
- Would I be composed under intense scrutiny?
- Will be able to make my point in the time alloted to me for this talk?
- Does my voice sound crisp, clear, and confident when I speak?
Consider these questions as you plan out your presentation schedule.
3. Performance and Response
In this final presentation stage, a presenter must pay attention to the section’s time slot. A presenter must have rehearsed so much that they can know at any point in the course of a speech the amount of time they have left to speak. It is in this stage that presenters finesse the timing of their hand gestures and facial expressions with their words – in the hopes of achieving maximum impact. After giving your presentation, ask yourself these questions to evaluate your performance:
- Did my audience respond appropriately to emphasized points?
- Was I liked or enjoyed by the crowd?
- Did I go over the prescribed time?
These questions will start a beneficial internal conversation and inspire improvement. To get a more detailed and nuanced view of your presentation personality, take our proprietary presentation assessment.
A presenter’s best friend will continue to be time until the end of time, probably. Check out the following posts to learn ways to become a more efficient and effective presenter.
Presentation Persona Spotlight: Susan Cain
Season 2, Episode #010: The Science of Presentation Personas
