5 Things You Should Do Before a Presentation

Upper lip sweats appearing out of nowhere, cracking inappropriate jokes that no one laughed at, and finishing the talk with half the room looking at their phones—we’ve all been there.

Whether you are talking about your course project as a university student or presenting before the board of directors at your company—it seems like we have been presenting our whole lives! Luckily, giving a good presentation is not impossible; the key to it is preparation.

Let’s look into 5 things you should do before a presentation that might help you nail your next business presentation.

5 Things You Should Do Before a Presentation:

Understand Your Topic
Know Your Audience
Write it Down
Keep it Simple
Record Yourself

1. Understand Your Topic

Research. Research. And research! The thought of doing research will fill anyone with dread.

However, we do research before doing even the most mundane of things. For example, if you want to bake a moist chocolate cake but do not have any experience, you will look the recipe up on the internet to find out the ingredients and the necessary steps in making that perfect treat. Once you gather enough information, you can approach it in a systematic way—you don’t want that cake to come out completely burnt or have a funky taste!

Similarly, you want your presentation to have depth, meaning and a clear objective. The only proviso is to cite credible sources such as verified audit reports, industry experts or well-established and acknowledged information sources such as legal acts and the likes. Cover enough grounds and you will leave the audience full and satisfied—just like that yummy cake.

2. Know Your Audience

If you’re dealing with engineers, you will need to use technical terms. If you’re presenting to lawyers from the legal department, you will need to understand and explain legal acts. If you’re presenting to the Board of Directors (BOD), your tone of voice and mannerisms must be professional even if you know them well. Clerks on the other hand may appreciate a simple and straightforward presentation that outlines what it is that needs to be done to ensure that operation runs smoothly.

It is important to know who will attend so you can adjust the tone and language used for your presentation accordingly. Studying your audience will help build common ground between you and them, so aim for that h uman touch. Don’t be afraid to be lively and expressive to convey your message—it keeps people interested in what you have to say.

3. Write it Down

So you did your research and now know exactly what to cover in your presentation. The next step is putting it down in words to give it structure. The notes you prepare can be used later when presenting.

Understand that it is okay to speak in public with a paper in front of you as it serves as your point reminders. Ministers, ambassadors, people in United Nations conferences, judges in Court—all use paper scripts when they speak in public (some heads of state even use teleprompters too).

Know that you are measured by the points you’re trying to make, not by how smart you sound. You wouldn’t want to end up stuttering or, even worse, forgetting what to say entirely.

So, identify your points, then organise them. You can also put them in little cue cards to give your presentation a smooth flow.

4. Keep it Simple

Avoid having too much text in your slides. Remember that your audience should be listening to you, not reading the slides (it is called a presentation after all!). If you do need words in your slides, use short phrases or sentences.

Also, group your points together if they are related so your presentation appears thorough, thoughtful, and well-designed. If you are using PowerPoint, use graphics to help clarify numbers/statistics and to make comparisons.

The words that you say should be simple too—interpret the stats by translating them into human terms.

Besides that, don’t get distracted. Finish your point, then move on to the next without backtracking to the previous one. Remember this saying, “If you can’t explain it simply, you simply don’t understand it enough”.

By focusing on real-life English, Brican has helped many students speak the language confidently. Learn how you can communicate effectively by joining our course specially designed for the working adults.

5. Record Yourself

Are you pronouncing the words correctly? Do you speak too fast? Is your body language and posture relaxed or stressed out? What about your facial expressions—do you give off a friendly vibe?

Rehearse your presentation to see how you appear to an audience member. Although your notes will help you prepare what to say, words alone do not guarantee you will deliver a point home. That said, grab a video recording device (be it phone, camera, or iPad) and record yourself giving the presentation.

One of the perks of working from home is we already use Zoom, Google Meet and Skype for our teleconferences. Luckily, these applications come with its own built-in recording feature too, so you can record using your laptop. You can even do a full-dress rehearsal to give you an idea of what to wear on the actual day.

Another good thing about recording yourself is you can know the duration of your presentation.

Anticipate Questions

People ask questions for clarification—because they don’t understand! Although, answering them can be difficult especially if we’re caught off guard.

Before starting your presentation, make it clear whether you prefer questions to be asked as you go along or at the end of the presentation.

Some are okay dealing with questions as they arise during the presentation, but it is very easy to lose your train of thought if you do this. Alternatively, questions will accumulate if you prefer your audience to keep them at the end—causing the presentation to drag on longer than it’s supposed to be.

Keep this in mind before starting your presentation and advise your audience accordingly.

If you’re afraid you can’t answer them on the spot, come up with possible questions you may be asked about and prepare the answers beforehand.

Asking your colleagues to give impromptu questions when you’re rehearsing your presentation is another good rule of thumb!

Written by Arif Norkulis

Feel stuck when trying to speak in English? Click here to learn how to speak English confidently in meetings and presentations in just 4 months!