When you’re tasked with a presentation it can be a stressful scenario. If you’re like many of the presenters, we work with at Ethos3 you find yourself staring at a blank page wondering where to begin. The blank page causes your creativity to cease and desperation sets in as you randomly throw words on a page hoping some will stick.
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? If so, we have put together a few tips for where to start when it comes time for your next presentation.
Ask the Right Questions
When starting a presentation, it is important to have a strong base before you start developing your content. The best way to do this is to answer these three questions that will help spark your thoughts and get your creativity flowing.
Question 1: What am I trying to say?
Question 2: What do I want my audience to feel?
Question 3: What do I want my audience to do?
Answering these three questions will provide a foundation to build the remainder of your content around.
Spend Time Free Writing
Freewriting is the most basic form of brainstorming you can do. It is allowing your stream of conscious to run free as you write without editing. By starting your presentation creation with freewriting, you allow yourself to put all your thoughts on the page without second-guessing. Often starting this way will lead you to an idea you would not have discovered otherwise. Freewriting can be challenging as you fight to remain focused but spending just 30 minutes free writing could lead you to the best idea you have inside you.
Organize Your Thoughts
Once you have put all your thoughts on paper it is time to organize them so that you can further develop them. Start by creating three different buckets. Number each of those 1-3. Then start dividing your ideas in those buckets 1 being most applicable and 3 being least applicable. Put no more than 5 ideas in the number 1 bucket forcing yourself to narrow down your thoughts and only use the most applicable. An important note don’t get rid of the ideas in buckets 2 and 3 as they could be used as a backup or for a later presentation.
Starting a presentation can be a difficult task. The blank page can be overwhelming and leave many presenters stopped in their tracks. By implementing these three steps you will find your next presentation flows better, engages quicker and keeps your audience coming back for more.
Looking to learn more about how to create and deliver a great presentation? Contact us today to find out how we can help.
