Four Cornerstones Of A Great Presentation

You may have the best idea, the best product or best proposal. However, if you cannot present it in a professional manner it may never be recognized as valuable. There are four simple steps for giving a successful presentation, called the four cornerstones methods:

1. Understand your audience

2. Understand your purpose

3. Understand the material

4. Understand yourself

Mastering these four areas will give you the skills needed to prepare and deliver a more effective presentation.

1. Understand your audience

Understanding your audience allows you to determine what and how you need to present. You are also able to address their interests in a tailored fashion. Take the first step by creating an audience profile that includes roles and responsibilities, age, knowledge Base, learning styles, culture, number of participants, purpose of attending or expectations. This will facilitate the preparation of appropriate content/material, incorporating all necessary learning styles, etc.

Gathering information about your audience does not have to be complicated. There are various ways you can gather the audience information:

• Arrive early to talk to members of the audience beforehand

• Distribute a survey before the presentation

• Talk with the organizer

• Review evaluations from past presentations

• Attend a presentation before yours to get a sense of what the group is like

• Request for information or written materials that describe the audience

2. Understand your purpose

It is essential to know your purpose for doing a presentation. Writing a simple sentence can be a means for defining the purpose. You may always ask yourself why I am doing this presentation? To provide information (create awareness) or to change attitudes (create emotion) or to build new skills.

3. Understand the material

One way to increase your confidence as a presenter is to know where your content information is coming from (understand your source). Tap into what you already know about the subject by reviewing content. To identify what you need to know by conducting literature reviews and searches using credible sources. You may also use data/statistics that is relevant to the audience, etc.

4. Understand yourself

Building confidence as a speaker starts with understanding yourself. This includes knowing “Your style”. For example: use humor, use stories, prefer to stand behind a podium, etc. Knowing “Your skills/strengths”. For example: ability to build rapport with audience, great graphical designer, etc. Knowing “Your weaknesses”. For example: use filler words, talk to soft, nervous in front of a group, etc.