How to Prepare and Present a Business Presentation?

The attention grabber should do what its name suggests — grabs attention. A good attention grabber hooks the audience and makes them curious to find out more. It creates impact. Attention grabbers at a conference or a major company meeting should be so strong that people remember them for years. Similarly, It is often helpful to write the attention grabber after you have completed the text for your presentation.

When you announce your points, your audience sighs in relief. Announcing acts as a signboard for your audience: they know where they are heading, and that you are in charge. Knowing that you have three sections or four points will help your audience adjust their concentration levels. Conversely, if you had six points, but did not tell them because your audience may start wondering it how much more there is, worrying that there is a lot more, or just wander off, period. One to five words is a good discipline.

Now onto the body of your presentation. Take some time to develop the body so that you use your audience’s time well later. The body iBusiness Presentations where you restate and elaborate each point. Here's where you need to exercise your logic muscles. The Outline function in MS Word is a helpful tool to use at this stage. Viewing the logic at different levels helps you check for gaps. Similarly, check that the content within each point is conceptually and logically sound. There are many logical patterns you can use ­ chronology, aspects and comparisons being a few. Logical flaws have floored many a presenter. When one thought does not lead clearly to the next, your audience will try to connect the dots themselves (instead of listening to you). Or they may question or dismiss you.

Once your logic is tight, personalize the presentation. Make your points really mean something to your audience. Add examples, stories, anecdotes and data. You can even build in answers to your audience's key questions. Your objectives, analysis and length of presentation, all will help you to decide what and how much to say.

Now, put in connecting statements. Think of them as connectors in a flowchart or elevators to another floor. Use them to connect from the opening to the body — for example: "Let me move to the first point." Next, use them to connect within the body: "Now, the second point","Lastly, the third point". Finally, connect from the body to the close: To conclude..." or "Let me summarize..." Presenters often resist using connecting statements because these statements seem repetitive and too simple. People remember endings. People also remember repeated ideas. Use this principle at the close, for one last chance to carve the key points into your audience's mind. Restate and rephrase your attention grabber for obvious reasons. Then, restate your points. Move to the final words. Use your last words to ask your audience to do something. (Besides this request for action, avoid adding in any new idea). Don't spoil the close part with any unnecessary words. Pause after the request for action. Thank your audience. Pause again. Stop. Your audience has now heard the key items of your presentation for the third time, right at the end.