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Getting started...

OK, so you've got a presentation to prepare...

There are a few fundamental steps you should take before standing up in front of an audience & telling them your story.

Step 1 - Establish Aims

What exactly are you looking to achieve with this presentation? (Tip - if you don't know, there's probably little point in carrying on!)

Step 2 - Storyboard

Take time to plan out how you're going to guide your audience through the vagaries of the subject matter. Click here for a useful paper template to help gather your thoughts & bring some structure to your presentation.

Step 3 - Content

Now you know where you & your presentation are going, you can create content that will help you get there. Start thinking about the key statements, the look & feel of the slides, the artwork & any graphs that will help support your message.

Step 4 - The Flourishes

Depending on the type of presentation & audience, you should think about those "X Factor" elements that can be added for extra impact. Use of Macromedia Flash? Music? Video?

Step 5 - Edit, edit and then edit again!

This is possibly the most important stage in the whole process of creating a powerful presentation. Key things to look out for:

Too many words (is it reading like a script?)
Too many bullet points (can a picture tell the same story?)
Too many "wacky" animations & transitions (are you in danger of giving your audience a migraine?)
Too many slides (keep them down to a minimum - remember, the slide is a tool to support & assist your message, not re-emphasise every single word!)

Step 6 - Rehearse

If time allows (and it really should if you're going to make it a success), run the presentation past a colleague & ask for their honest opinion. Following this, return to Step 5 & repeat as many times as necessary...

For a more detailed step by step guide to creating presentations, click here.

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