5 tips to create an outline for presentations
Presentations, PPTs, Flash-based or any other multi-media presentation, are carved with creativity. This creativity is equally spread in textual contents, images, videos and animations, if any. But the fact remains that however appealing stories you weave into your presentation, however attention-grabbing images you use in it, however fascinating textual contents you write or however catchy graphs, diagrams or charts you insert in it, if you haven’t prepared a defined outline for the entire presentation, more often than not your presentation would fall flat by the standards of quality.
You can prepare an outline for every kind of a business-presentation by focussing on few significant points:
- Beginning: As they say, “well begun is half done”, you must put a big emphasis on the beginning-part of your presentation. Address the audience by You to involve them! Secondly, start with a question, story, or some fascinating numbers of some facts to engage your audience. A true story or strong factual numbers at the beginning of any presentation would keep the audience engaged right through.
- Crux: Come to the crux of your presentation just after the beginning! There is no point delaying it. The depth and difference of your main idea would make your audience curious adequately.
- Plans: Present your plans now to tell your audience how you are prepared to implement your idea!
- Products and services: Now when you presume your audience is sufficiently curious, you present before them a glimpse of your products or services and their uniqueness and specific utility!
- Conclusion: As they say, “all is well that ends well”, you have got to finish your presentation on an emphatic note. Summary in one sentence and then the Call-of-Action must be your template.
These points may help you in preparing an outline of your presentation in your mind. You must discuss them with your colleagues. But these points have to be backed up by strong inputs and apt multi-media tools at every juncture. When everything falls in place, then only the presentation becomes effective.