Creating a great PowerPoint content structure is easy when you follow these simple steps.
In my last few videos I’ve talked about
How to set your presentation objective, get your mindset right about being a salesman and grouping your content in small groups of topics ready to create the overall structure of your presentation.
Now look at these groups and what information needs to be discussed first?
Creating an awesome PowerPoint presentation starts with great content structure
Last time I spoke about putting yourself in the Audience’s shoes, thinking about your content structure and what they need to know in order to say yes…looking at your proposal from their perspective. When you are presenting, supporting you is a powerpoint presentation with a logical content structure that has an engaging narrative on top of it being beautifully designed of course.
I also spoke about writing each question on a post-it note, then grouping those questions into categories and to see whether the answer to one could actually answer several, allowing you to reduce the total number of questions.
Why post it notes are your friend
You should now have 4 – 6 groups of questions, all written on post it notes. Give these groups a name that represents what they cover…like cost, risk reduction, quality control, impact…it will vary depending on your particular project and presentation outcome. Really try to keep the groups to 6 or less. If you have more, see if you can edit it down – why this is important we will talk about in an upcoming session.
Now, we need to get these into some sort of content structure, a logical order that allows the audience to follow your narrative.
Now look at these groups…what information needs to be discussed first?
What needs to go first?…in other words, they won’t really be able to understand point C until we have discussed A. Obviously A goes first, can they now understand C? or do you need to discuss B? If there is no need to understand B to understand C, then the order doesn’t matter, either can go first.
Now, before we go any further, it’s important that you consider the “no” case, the argument against proceeding.
Why? Because there is considerable research that shows people who are the first to raise their counter arguments are seen as more credible than those who don’t. Also, if you don’t, you risk someone in the audience doing so and you’ll lose control of the presentation.
So again, using post it notes, start to put together a list of “no” reasons. Look at these, can these be grouped? These should fall under the same groups as the questions we mentioned before…if not, review your questions, you may have missed something. NOW you can open PowerPoint!
If the version you use lets you use sections, create section headers and write the question on a new slide. You should now have the broad structure of your presentation, correctly structured, outlining what you need to cover.
In our next video…matching your evidence to those questions!
Bye, for now.
Lee Featherby (@mrpresentations)
