Prepare for a Management Presentation
Managers must gather data about their department and present to superiors. It's common for managers to present to executives, stockholders and, occasionally, the entire company. Whether you are presenting a report or a new campaign, the way you present to your managers will determine its success. Each presentation must be well-written, succinct and backed with supporting data. Excellent presentation skills will increase your chances of a successful career. Learn how to prepare for a management presentation.
Steps
- Find out to whom you will be presenting. Keep your audience in mind while you write and rehearse your presentation.
- You will be able to create a more technical presentation for your managers than for other departments. However, you will want to present more financial data to stockholders than the people you manage.
- Write your presentation as a narrative. Then, choose data and charts that illustrate your story. It will be easier to give your presentation from memory if it has a beginning, middle and conclusion.
- Adjust your story for an executive audience. Your story should give background on a problem, then present a solution. At the beginning, explain a problem that your presentation will solve. Instead of using flowery speech, get to the point more quickly.
- Write a presentation script. Unless you are extremely good with off-the-cuff presenting, you will want to work off of a detailed script for an important presentation. As you get to know your material more, you can change it to make it feel more natural.
- Augment your presentation with visual aids. If possible, present your data in the form of charts and graphs and make large copies of marketing documents. Make a slide show to form a seamless visual with your presentation, adding in keywords that you want your audience to remember as you go through the material.
- Research supporting data. Even if you don't use the data, have it available during your presentation. It's likely that executives will ask to see supplementary information.
- Do a dry run of your presentation. You can present it to an empty room or a team member, but be sure to time your presentation so you know how long it is.
- Cut your presentation if it runs long. In fact, you may find yourself able to cut extraneous phrases and slides to streamline your message. Be sure to leave time at the end of your presentation for discussion and questions.
- One study asked executives what made presentations successful, and they said they wanted them to be "short and candid."
- Practice your presentation several times. You should be able to stop the presentation for discussion and resume it, if need be. Practice until you are confident that you can give it without looking at cards or slides.
- Arrive early to the presentation. You will have a chance to set up and ensure there aren't technical difficulties with visual aids. Being early will increase your confidence and look professional.
- Make eye contact during the presentation. This will show you are comfortable and confident about the information you are presenting.
- Evaluate your presentation after the fact. Take notes on what worked well and what can be stronger, so you can repeat your success and improve.
Things You'll Need
- Audience
- Visual aids
- Presentation script
- Supporting data
- Practice
- Eye contact
