KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION (Part 1 of 4)

DEVELOPING A KEY MESSAGE

When developing a speech or workshops, there are so many places to start, and you may not know where to start. In the next few weeks we'll be covering the KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION in a four part series. These concepts have been developed to help make speech writing easy and we hope you'll let us know how they work for you by emailing us at parallel49strategies@gmail.com!

When asked to present a keynote or workshop, the first question should always be - What topic would you like me to cover? By asking the coordinator or advisor what topic they would like covered, it gives you beginning direction for what you will cover in your presentation.

Second, it's vital to the success of your presentation that you ask who the target audience is. If you're at an FFA banquet are you trying to reach the supporters or the members? If you're at a CTSO meeting is it the advisors or the officers? Once you know who your target audience is, you can begin developing stories to connect with them.

Main point? Check. It's now time to break it down into two or three points that you can expound upon. Take for instance a speech on "Service Leadership." The first thought would be to take each word - service and leadership, and talk about each, and then bring them together at the end. Another example might be a presentation on Taking Advantage of Opportunities - a common theme. It would be good to talk first about the opportunities that are available - then talk about why participating in them is so important. In Part 2 we'll break these points down, focusing on developing each point more in depth. But for now, we'll stick to the key points of your presentation.

Nothing is worse than a dry speech. You know, the ones that people stand up and ramble on and on about how their cat taught them about leadership. It's important to find ways to draw in the audience in ways that are exciting. What are some stories that the audience can relate to? How have your experiences shaped who you are? What life experiences can you draw off of to back up your points? Stories are what makes a compelling presentation - if you do not have personal stories that relate, try looking online. The World Wide Web has infinite potential in your search, however some of the best stories are found in good ole' fashioned books. Some of my favorite are: Tuesdays with Morrie, The Last Lecture, How Full is Your Bucket?, The Maxwell Daily Reader. It is always safe to have at least two stories for a two point speech, and for a three point speech have at least three. I recommend using stories that hit different platforms as well - try a local success story and a well known historical story. By having different stories in different time periods and locations you begin to add depth to your presentation.

In Part 2, we'll focus on developing each story and putting them into an effective formula for speeches and workshops. Keep checking back as we'll be posting Part 2 shortly!