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If asked to give a presentation, do not be so flattered that you automatically accept, only to find a few days later that you are panicking about the event.

First things first - make sure you know your subject and that you have something worth saying. Being clear on what message you want to put across makes planning your presentation much easier.

The better you know your intended audience the better you are able to pitch your presentation. There's little worse than having a learned group of people switching off while you go through the basics of a subject or confusing a novice group with overly complex ideas.

It is distracting to see a speaker rambling on obliviously while the audience can see that the chairperson is desperately trying to wind things up. So, plan for the time that you have, and run through it in private where no one else will hear your first efforts. Then practice in front of a critical friend or trusted colleague.

The structure of a presentation should be as simple as possible. For example, start with an introduction (which plots where you're going and why), followed by the content - two or three simple points or issues on which you can elaborate - and end with a conclusion, summary, or some upbeat closing remarks.

The content and structure should be clear and simple. Do not use abbreviations or jargon - you may know that Cats is an acronym for Community Alcohol Treatment Services, but your erudite points on home detoxification will be lost on those members of the audience who are thinking fondly of their furry friends. You can also make a presentation "visual" by painting pictures in people's minds. Good metaphors, stories, real life examples and images help give your message some "stickiness" (as they say in the advertising world).

Do you want questions? If so, it is probably best to take them at the end. So make this clear at the start so that an audience member with a pressing query doesn't interrupt your flow.

However, a question and answer session, which is more interactive, is less predictable and you need some techniques for handling things. For example, somebody beginning to make a lengthy speech from the floor or somebody trying to ask an awkward question or becoming aggressive.

Of course, if you don't like the question, try and move the answer onto more favourable ground, or answer the question that you wish the audience had asked. Or indeed have a well briefed person armed with your question. Either way, it is a good idea to try and predict any tricky issues in advance and have a response prepared.

The other unpredictability about leaving time for questions is the all too familiar possibility of an embarrassing silence. So, keep some time-filling extras back. Or ask a question yourself (of the "You may well be wondering what if...?" school). Or indeed, again, have a well briefed person armed with your kind of question.

If you are using visual aids, and they do make a difference and can help to keep things moving and interesting, make sure you have mastered these in advance. The audience do not want to see acetates going on the overhead projector sideways, upside down, and then back to front.

Remember, technology can fail. And thus will do so at the worst possible moment, so never rely on it and always have a back-up plan, for example, have hard copies of your material to distribute. It is wise to arrive early to look at the room and the equipment. Try everything out. You can guarantee nothing will be the same brand, size or specification as anything you have rehearsed from or ever used before.

Keep your visual aids simple. It is boring to have someone read back to you what you can see on a screen. Only headings, bullet points (but keep to six words at most) or basic diagrams are needed in visual aids; the detail of the subject is for you to talk about. The more text you use will inevitably reduce the type size and make it harder for your audience to read it.


If appropriate, handouts are really helpful. This gives people something to reflect on once your presentation is over and avoids relying on their memories. It will also release the audience of the pressure-cooker that is note-taking.

Do not give out handouts before or during a presentation if you can avoid it, as these will become fascinating to the audience who will stop listening to you and start reading them. It is better to let people know that you will give these out at the end. Which is a great place to finish.

Christine Doorly is regional manager, National Care Standards Commission; Sheena Doyle is programme manager, Children's Society; Kathryn Stone is director, Voice UK. Additional material by Des Kelly, director Bupa partnerships, and Mike Pinnock, policy, planning and performance manager, North Lincolnshire.

Top tips

Say it out loud to yourself and others.

• Rehearse it so well you could do it without notes (well, almost).
• Type your notes in a large type size so you can see the words easily.
• Avoid being distracted by those in the audience who don't appear to be listening or agreeing with what you say!
• Prepare a little biography for the chairperson so that you have a proper introduction.

Rubbish tips

• Always start or end with a joke. 
• Some people are natural presenters, others are not. The art of presentation can be learned. Some people may have more of a gift than others, but 90 per cent of it is training and practice.
• Be controversial to stir up the audience.

 "When I was

... at a national conference a high-flying (but now lying-low) director of social services spent the time during the previous speaker's presentation hand-writing out her overheads. She confessed to this saying she had been too busy to do so beforehand. As she hadn't been bothered to prepare, I wasn't bothered to listen.

... bashing on for months about the importance of professional presentations at meetings, it was hugely rewarding to hear a member of staff say, 'She was no speaker - she should have told us what she was going to tell us, told us, and then told us what she'd told us.' I had previously thought this member of staff belonged to the puzzled and bewildered school of presentation: write loads about vaguely-related topics, produce four times as many Powerpoint slides as needed and then talk quickly. She'll be telling me next that before I prepare anything I need to know the purpose of the presentation, who the target audience is, and what I want the outcome to be."