Planning a presentation is like packing your bags to go on holiday

Aug 03, 2015 by Wilson Hull

Planning a Successful Presentation

Why planning a presentation is just like packing your bags to go on holiday.

You plan to be on holiday for a week. You start packing your suitcase and end up including every item you could possibly need till it threatens not to close.  On returning home you realise you only really needed half the things you took with you.  Been there, done that!

Working with clients I often see the same principle being applied to developing content for presentations.  There is a strong temptation to cram in as much information as possible.  Why? Because you don’t want to leave anything out - just in case it’s that one critical piece of content the audience needed to hear or it’s super-interesting.

The end result is that the final presentation is likely to be delivered at breakneck speed to get through it all in time. As a result you run the risk the audience disengages and you fail to get any of your messages across.  Using PowerPoint to cram it all in is not the solution either – especially when served up in a dimly lit warm room, which is only a cure for insomnia. 

In his book Pitch Perfect, Bill McGowan*, renowned media coach, talks about the Pasta-Sauce Principle. McGowan describes how to “cure boredom by boiling down your message, making it as rich and brief as possible. When in doubt, cut more out. If people want more, they’ll ask for seconds.”  

The less you say, the more people hear and remember.

So how do you boil it down to create as Bill says, a rich and brief presentation?

• Create a decisive start for a confident first impression and a crisp finish with a sense of purpose

• Decide which parts of the presentation can be expanded or collapsed to keep totime or if the audience is not responding

• Identify and then cut out content that you are emotionally attached to but is not actually that important or relevant to the audience

• Get to the main point immediately – don’t take the scenic route to key message(s)

• Practise (i.e. rehearse, rehearse and rehearse). Steve Jobs was a great presenter because he put considerable time into rehearsing – and boiling down his message to make the most of the time

• Always leave them wanting more – so they want to hear you again.Allude to other advice or information you are not covering today.Just like realising there are too many great choices on the restaurant menu and a second visit is in order.

Next time you are preparing that important presentation check - are you are using the Pasta Sauce Principle? 

Buon Appetito.

* Pitch Perfect – How To Say It Right The First Time, Every Time. Bill McGowan and Alisa Bowman

Harper Collins Publishers 2014