A simple way to structure your presentation is to divide it into an opening, main body and ending. In the opening of your presentation, your challenge is to engage your audience and encourage them to respond positively to you. Here are the first 2 things that help you do this in your opening structure:
1. Greeting
2. Self-introduction
1. Greeting
You are going to begin with an expression such as “hello” or “good morning”. Use this as an opportunity to make an initial connection with the audience by leaving a gap for them to respond. If they do not respond, do not be afraid to repeat your greeting so that they do. By doing this, you set the audience up to actively engage with your upcoming content.
2. Self-introduction
In your self-introduction, you have to convince the audience that your background makes you worth listening to. Apart from your name, you can emphasize your experience, abilities and achievements. Do not undersell yourself, but at the same time you should be careful not to appear boastful. Sort this these self-introductions into 3 categories: underselling, overselling and just right.
a) My name is James Dryson and I have been the most productive employee in this company for the last 20 years.
b) My name is James Dryson and work in this company
c) My name is James Dryson and I have been trying to find ways to be a more productive employee for the last 20 years.
But, how would you handle your self-introduction if you did not have so much experience?
If you do not have much experience in your current position, make this a benefit by stressing how this enables you to have fresh eyes on your topic. Alternatively, talk about how you can benchmark the little experience you have had with more extensive experience in a previous role/ position/ industry.
