Imagine your boss is going to be away on urgent business and you have suddenly been given the responsibility of making a vital presentation in 3 days’ time. How do you feel?

From now on the Global Communication School blog, I am going to give you step-by-step advice to improve your chances of success in a business presentation situation.

Using interesting and relevant content is a foundation of a successful presentation. To help you achieve this, here are two steps:

1. Brainstorming

2. Selection

1. Brainstorming

Write down any and all information and ideas connected with your topic on a large piece of paper. Use a loose format- feel free to use several methods for recording your ideas such as lists, drawing, shapes, colors, and sticky notes. Do not focus on good ideas. Instead emphasize any ideas: good, bad or crazy. In this way, you increase the chances of generating interesting content.

2. Selection

Once you have generated as many ideas as you can, the selection of content you will actually use in your presentation begins. The important thing to focus on when you select are the needs and interests of the audience to whom you are going to present.

Let’s suppose your company is launching a new product. If you are presenting to potential customers, highlight the unique selling points of your product. In a formal presentation to executives, concentrate more on the basic financial information surrounding the new product. Be aware that many audiences may be hostile to a presentation that tells them information that they already know. Include more or less content depending on the existing knowledge of the audience.