Preparing your presentation

Creating a clear and coherent presentation is a key skill you will need when managing and delivering a major project. In this section you will be introduced to some tips for providing clear, engaging and concise presentations.

Structuring a presentation

After planning your presentation, the next step is to begin to structure it.

You might find the steps below a useful process to follow:

1. Identify your main points

Decide on the most important and relevant concepts you would like to present. Consider the task when deciding what to include.

2. Identify supporting materials

Consider the information and materials you will use to make the main points. Select examples and information which support each point you are making.

Designing your presentation

Now you are ready to design your presentation.

You might find these guidelines useful:

• Leave plenty of space between lines of text or bullet points.

• Use images, diagrams and figures to illustrate key points but avoid cluttering the page. Images should be relevant, clear and positioned to accompany text on each page.

• Make your slides clear. Try to limit the text you include by using it to communicate key words, technical terms or difficult concepts, so the audience can make note of these.

• Use a clear and large enough font that is easy for your audience to read: a font size of 24pt is recommended in most cases. If you are using headings in your presentation these should be a different size to the main body of text.

Coming up...

In the next section you will learn how to submit your presentation.