Business Administration Level

Develop a presentation

Understand how to develop a presentation

How not to create a presentation!!

Use of the colours

Think of your audience

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What are best practices?

Best practice is a method or technique that is used that has consistently shown better results than
others.

When looking at best practice for a presentation you need to consider the following:
 Appropriate size of font
 Use of colours
 Use of charts and graphics
 The right method.

The right method?

When delivering any presentation you must consider the right method to deliver your
message/information.
Is it more appropriate to use?
 Handouts
 Presentation software
 Memory?

Who and why?

When developing any presentation who and why needs to be consulted?

 Manager/team leader
 Whoever has requested that you develop a presentation must be consulted. You need to
know, and understand, their aims and objectives of the presentation. You may also need
guidance on organisation policy towards presentations.
 Subject matter expert (SME)

Development of a presentation requires knowledge, of the subject matter, but also necessary IT
skills if using presentation software. The SMEs in each case should be consulted to ensure the best
outcome is achieved. You should also consider discussing the development with your health and
safety advisor to ensure compliance with the necessary legislation.

Factors to consider

The development of a good presentation is incumbent on several factors:

 Specific aims and objectives
 Researching of the topic
 Key points to be delivered
 Relevant handouts.

5 ‘Ps’

When developing any presentation it is imperative, for a successful outcome, to follow the 5 ‘Ps’:
 Planning and
 Preparation
 Prevent
 Poor
 Performance.

Types of communication media

Communication media – a definition

The means to deliver or receive information or data.

Changes in communication types

Communication over the years has always changed, both in delivery and the types of
communication:
We started with:

And today we have:

Types of communication media

There are several types of communication media:

 Meetings
 E-mail
 Conference calls
 Reports
 Presentations.

Identify

Before planning any form of presentation there is a need to identify certain criteria

What is the purpose of the presentation?

Presentations have many purposes:

 Inform
 Enthuse
 Teach
 Support
 Guide.

Content

When developing a presentation your will already has the subject matter, now you must consider
the content. The following points need to be addressed:
 What are your key points?
 How will you support these key points?
 How will you make it easy to follow?
Styles

There are various styles of presenting; you must consider which is best for your presentation:

 Fast
 Slow
 ‘Lessing’ style
 Storyboard.
Timings

It is imperative that you identify the timing of a presentation as you only have a certain time limit in
which to deliver your message/information.

In order for the correct timing to be achieved you must:

 Practice
 Practice
 Practice.

Audience

When delivering a presentation you must consider your audience:

 The size of the audience
 Their knowledge
 Their motivation
 Their attitudes.
This is called audience analysis; the more you know about the audience the easier it will be for you
to target your presentation.

Communication media

When preparing any presentation you must select a communication media that is appropriate to
the:
 The nature of presentation
 The message you are delivering
 The audience.
 Types of communication:
 Slideshows
 Flipcharts with handouts
 Handouts only.

Structure of a presentation

Structure

The structure of a lesson can be broken down into five main areas:
 Introduction
 Main body
 Conclusion
 Questions
 Evaluation.
Introduction
A good introduction will achieve the following:
 Focus by the audience
 Will allow both parties to be at ease – the speaker and audience
 Will set out the aims and objectives
  Give an overview of the key points.
Main body
The main body of the presentation must be in a logical order and easy to follow.
Deliver the main body with the support of resources such as presentation software, handouts, etc.
However, make sure they are:
 Relevant
 Varied
 Memorable
 Interesting.
Conclusion
The conclusion of a presentation should:
 Reinforce the message you are giving
 Remind the audience of the key points of delivery.
 Do not add any new information at this stage as it will confuse the process.
Questions
 Allow time at the end of a presentation for the audience to ask questions.
 The audience may need to clarify a point or ask a supplementary question.
 Do not be afraid of being questioned; if you have done your research correctly the chances
are you will have the answer.
Evaluation
Always evaluate the delivery of your presentation, ask yourself the following questions:
 Did the presentation go well, if not why not?
 Could I improve anything?
 Delivery
 Facilities
 Resources

Audience’s needs

Depending on your audience they will all have their specific needs.
For example you may be delivering to your own business organisation on a new product range and
each department will have their own needs:
 Marketing – product range descriptions
 Production – delivery production date/amounts
 Finance – production costs
 Telesales – unit costs.
Each one of these departments will want different information from you at some point in the
presentation.

Timescales
When developing any presentation you must consider time:
Time to develop the presentation
Time allocated for delivery
Time to cover key points.
Organisational guidelines and policies
Most organisations will produce guidelines and polices in support of the development of
presentations.
These guidelines/polices may stipulate some the following:
 Materials to be used
 Resources available
 Master slides
 Organisational writing requirements.

Developing materials to support a presentation

Developing materials
When developing any materials for a presentation the following considerations need take place:
 Time
 Cost
 Copyright
 Currency.
Handouts
Consider the following if you produce a handout:
 Content
 Accuracy, spelling, font, graphics.
 Copyright
 Is there a copyright issue?
 Layout
 Allow wide margins etc. for the audience to be able to write in.
 Costs
 Handouts can be expensive to reproduce, consider greyscale/ black and white.
Activities
Consider the following when planning activities:
 Time to complete
 Is there sufficient time for learner to complete the activity?
 Costs
 Are the materials within budget?
 Ease of activity
 Is the activity sufficiently difficult for the learners to be stretched?
Data-specific material
When producing and material that is data specific consider the following:
 Currency
 Ensure the material is as up to date as possible.
 Content
 Ease of reading?
 Copyright
 Is there a copyright issue?