Top 10 tips

A recent tweet from a colleague Edd Broad asked me for my top 10 tips on giving presentations to a large group. Being a man of a certain age, a certain musical upbringing and a certain literary experience, top 10s are always a challenge but I’ve put down a little list of what I consider top 10 tips.

top 10 tips
  1. A presentation is about what the audience needs not what the presenter wants.
  2. Write an elevator pitch that would persuade a potential audience member to change their plans just to come listen to your presentation.
  3. Identify a single, memorable message
  4. The best presentations have three steps within them.
  5. It is not a data download, they do not work.
  6. Construct a presentation that supports and explains that message but ensure that it comes in at 80% of the time available
  7. Use fewer slides to illustrate that message than you think you need.
  8. Be consistent in design
  9. Practise more and at least once without slides

These are my top 10 tips. The astute will notice there are only 9: less is more. What is your top tip?

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: Performance Skills for the Educator: Advanced Preparation - CriticalCareNow

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.