{"id":4399,"date":"2020-08-19T07:30:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T07:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/?p=4399"},"modified":"2025-05-03T04:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T04:03:09","slug":"how-to-structure-a-presentation-to-enagage-your-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/how-to-structure-a-presentation-to-enagage-your-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Structure a Presentation to ENAGAGE your Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we present, we want our audience to listen, understand and learn, and leave knowing more than when they arrived. We need to guide them through our presentation, so they don\u2019t feel lost or confused \u2013 this is why it\u2019s so important that your presentation<\/a> has a clear and effective structure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The 3 key elements<\/strong><\/h5>\n

An effective presentation<\/a> needs an introduction<\/strong>, main body<\/strong> and a conclusion<\/strong>. Let\u2019s consider each of them in more detail:<\/p>\n

1) Introduction<\/strong><\/h6>\n

At the beginning of a presentation, both the presenter and the audience are nervous! However, a good start can work wonders, so the first thing you need is an effective INTRO<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Get the audience interested<\/strong> right from the start! Begin by showing an amazing picture or short video, or sharing an interesting fact or anecdote: \u201cDid you know that last year, in the UK alone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Point out that they need<\/strong> to know what you\u2019re about to tell them \u2013 your presentation will enable them to do this, or give them the following skills…<\/p>\n

Tell them about the timings<\/strong> and how they can respond<\/strong> to your presentation, i.e. state your question policy: \u201cThis presentation will last for about half an hour and I\u2019ll be answering any questions you may have at the end\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then, clarify your objective<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m here today to bring you all up to speed redevelopments in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

2) Main Body<\/strong><\/h6>\n

This will be the largest part of your presentation. There are various options here for ensuring a smooth presentation flow. If you\u2019re telling a story, e.g. the history of the company, then chronological order is the way to go. If there are several sub-topics, give them equal billing and cover each one in a logical order.<\/p>\n

3) Conclusion<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Finally, your conclusion should provide an effective recap of the key points. If your presentation is a proposal, you will add your recommendations here regarding a course of action supported by the information presented.<\/p>\n

Primacy & Recency<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Another reason for creating a structure like this is the concept of primacy and recency<\/strong>. It\u2019s all about the human memory<\/a> (for example think about the last film you saw) \u2013 we can remember the beginning (primacy), and we\u2019re good at recalling the end (recency), but our memories of the middle part are rather hazy! So, to reinforce the main body, in the introduction we tell \u2018em what we\u2019re going to tell \u2018em<\/strong>, in the main body we tell \u2018em<\/strong>, and in the conclusion we tell \u2018em what we just told \u2018em<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Language<\/strong><\/h5>\n

When planning a presentation<\/a>, some people write out a Hollywood-style script. Please remember to use spoken <\/strong>language, not written <\/strong>language, because you are going to be saying it! The language needs to be easy for the audience to understand and relate to, otherwise they will keep asking you to repeat yourself because they didn\u2019t get it the first time!<\/p>\n

Signposting<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Signposting helps you move through your presentation, making a smooth transition from one topic to the next. For example, you could begin with a rhetorical question: \u201cSo, what happened in 2010? Well, this was when\u2026\u201d To signpost the end of your presentation, you simply say \u201cto conclude\u201d or \u201cin summary\u201d, letting the audience know that you\u2019re about to finish. Also, if you\u2019re using PowerPoint slides, the titles at the top of your slides act as signposts \u2013 the audience will know what\u2019s coming next.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong><\/h5>\n

To be properly structured your presentation needs an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Tell \u2018em what you\u2019re going to tell \u2018em, tell \u2018em, and then tell \u2018em what you just told \u2018em!<\/strong> When preparing content, use spoken not written language, and use signposts to guide the audience through the presentation.<\/p>\n

A good structure can make all the difference. Happy presenting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we present, we want our audience to listen, understand and learn, and leave knowing more than when they arrived. We need to guide them through our presentation, so they don\u2019t feel lost or confused \u2013 this is why it\u2019s so important that your presentation has a clear and effective structure. The 3 key elements […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[633],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-professional-development"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4399"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5276,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4399\/revisions\/5276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}