{"id":12182,"date":"2013-06-14T12:21:21","date_gmt":"2013-06-14T16:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/blog\/speaking-up-how-to-prepare-for-a-presentation-step-by-step\/"},"modified":"2025-01-31T02:22:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T07:22:03","slug":"speaking-up-how-to-prepare-for-a-presentation-step-by-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/blog\/speaking-up-how-to-prepare-for-a-presentation-step-by-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Speak Up! Ten Steps for Developing a Memorable Presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\">If you\u2019re interested in sharing your services as a coach with a larger audience, adding speaking engagements and larger-scale seminars to your slate of service offerings can help enhance your practice. In addition to meeting a growing demand in the marketplace, a well-crafted and \u2013delivered presentation can be your best form of advertising, driving new clients your way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Although coaches are well-versed in the art of effective oral communication, successfully developing and delivering a presentation to a larger audience might require you to tap into new or less-used skill sets. Like becoming a great coach, becoming a skilled presenter takes discipline, hard work and the willingness to rehearse until your delivery comes just as naturally as a one-on-one coaching session. Here are 10 steps to help you develop and deliver an effective, engaging presentation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Get to Know Your Audience<\/strong><br \/>\nJust as you serve your clients through coaching, you must serve your audience with your presentation. The more you learn about your audience, the more you can tailor your information to inspire, motivate and persuade them. Go beyond superficial qualities, such as age, gender and professional affiliation, and dig for deeper insights. Ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are they like?<\/li>\n<li>Why are they here?<\/li>\n<li>What keeps them up at night?<\/li>\n<li>How can you solve their problem?<\/li>\n<li>What do you want them to do?<\/li>\n<li>How can you best reach them?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2. Find Common Ground<\/strong><br \/>\nDeveloping a rapport with someone can make all the difference in the way your presentation resonates with them. Think about the last presentation you sat through. How did it make you feel? Now think about how you felt after the last conversation you had with a good friend. There is probably quite a difference. When you have things in common with a person, you feel like you are on the same team. You\u2019re more likely to be relaxed and receptive. The more you can make your presentation feel like a friendly conversation, the more engaged your audience will be. Further consider your audience to identify what you have in common.<\/p>\n<p>Some commonalities to consider include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Shared experiences.<\/li>\n<li>Common goals.<\/li>\n<li>Aligned beliefs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>3. Define Your Big Idea<\/strong><br \/>\nYour Big Idea is the crux of your presentation. It states a clear opinion on the subject, as well as what\u2019s at stake if your audience chooses not to adopt this stance. For example, \u201cCoaching Women Leaders\u201d might be your presentation topic. A Big Idea would be, \u201cYou must invest in coaching women leaders or risk jeopardizing the health of your organization.\u201d The Big Idea should be a complete, concise sentence that includes two components:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your point of view (i.e., your unique perspective on the topic).<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s at stake (i.e., why the audience<br \/>\nshould care).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>4. Define the Audience\u2019s Journey<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen you give a presentation, you\u2019re usually asking people to change their behavior or beliefs in some way. The more clearly you define what you want your audience to believe and how you want them to act as a result of your presentation, the more easily you\u2019ll be able to plan the path to get them there. Before you begin developing your presentation, map your desired audience transformation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Move from (what the audience currently believes and how it currently acts) .<\/li>\n<li>Move to (what you\u2019d like them to believe and how you want them to act moving forward).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>5. Generate Content to Support the Big Idea<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen you\u2019re planning a presentation, it\u2019s tempting to build your slides first and use them as an outline for your talk. However, it can be helpful to take a step back and \u201cgo analog.\u201d Grab a stack of sticky notes and start brainstorming. Begin by gathering existing content. Then, build on it. Finally, create new content.<\/p>\n<p>Use the sticky notes to map out how the content you\u2019re generating will help support your big idea. This tactile process will help you avoid two common traps of depending on presentation software: overly linear thinking and cluttered, disorganized slides. Stepping away from the computer will also eliminate distractions and help you focus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Anticipate Resistance<\/strong><br \/>\nAsking audience members to change their behavior or beliefs in order to adopt your Big Idea is a big deal, and some listeners might object to your premise or argument. Think about why and how your audience might hesitate to adopt your message, and be ready to overcome potential arguments. Consider how they might demonstrate the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Logical resistance:<\/strong> An audience member might resist your argument by reasoning through why the budget doesn\u2019t add up or timing doesn\u2019t work. She won\u2019t buy into your idea if she perceives holes in your argumentative structure or the way you made your case.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Emotional resistance:<\/strong> Some audience members will object to your argument on the basis of a specific emotional response (such as fear, anger or guilt) or an ingrained aspect of their personality (such as their desire to go along with the crowd).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical resistance:<\/strong> Barriers such as money, time and geography can all limit an audience member\u2019s ability to make the changes you\u2019re calling for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When you acknowledge your audience members\u2019 logical objections, apprehensions and limitations, you give them confidence that you\u2019ve taken the time to consider their needs and desires, helping them trust that you have their best interests at heart.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7. Amplify Your Message by Contrasting<\/strong><br \/>\nCapture your audience\u2019s interest by highlighting the differences between two concepts. This creates suspense and provides context for your idea.<\/p>\n<p>Some types of contrast include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Past vs. future.<\/li>\n<li>Speed vs. endurance.<\/li>\n<li>Sacrifice vs. reward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Contrasting is particularly useful when it comes to selling the audience on your big idea: By emphasizing the differences between the idea you\u2019re presenting and a competing point of view, you can better prepare the audience to accept your conceit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8. Create a Solid Story Structure<\/strong><br \/>\nUse a three-act structure with a clear beginning, middle and end.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Beginning:<\/strong> Describe the status quo (I call it the \u201cwhat is\u201d) and contrast it with your idea of the future (aka the \u201cwhat could be\u201d). The disparity will keep the audience engaged.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Middle:<\/strong> Toggle between \u201cwhat is\u201d and \u201cwhat could be,\u201d using supporting content to show why your Big Idea is more desirable than the status quo and move the audience toward your vision of \u201cwhat could be.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>End:<\/strong> Clearly state a call to action, emphasizing how bright your audience\u2019s future will be if they heed it (I call this the \u201cnew bliss\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This structure is present in some of the best films, literature and speeches in history. Take advantage of its power for your presentation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9. Add Emotional Texture<\/strong><br \/>\nA good story elicits visceral responses: It can make our pupils dilate and our hearts race, prompting us to show our response through laughter, tears or applause. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of most presentations. By incorporating emotion, however, you can better capture your audience\u2019s attention and make your message more memorable.<\/p>\n<p>To forge an emotional connection with your audience, incorporate STAR moments (an acronym for \u201csomething they\u2019ll always remember\u201d) into your presentation. Examples of STAR moments include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Emotive anecdotes.<\/li>\n<li>Shocking statistics.<\/li>\n<li>Evocative visuals.<\/li>\n<li>Memorable demonstrations.<\/li>\n<li>Repeatable sound bites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use STAR moments at points in the presentation where you really want your audience to remember what you said and chat about it at the water cooler afterward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10. Practice, Practice, Practice<\/strong><br \/>\nBeing prepared will give you confidence and improve the quality of your presentation before you ever step onstage. When you know your material inside and out, you\u2019re able to relax and focus on connecting with the audience. As a result, you come across as prepared and conversational. In the weeks leading up to your presentation, leave plenty of time to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get honest feedback from a fellow coach or<br \/>\nskilled presenter.<\/li>\n<li>Prepare a short version of the presentation in case of unexpected time constraints.<\/li>\n<li>Fiddle with your slides and adjust the body of the talk appropriately.<\/li>\n<li>Practice in slideshow mode, running through the speech at least once without peeking at your notes.<\/li>\n<li>Videotape yourself and review the replay.<\/li>\n<li>Remember Duarte\u2019s Golden Rule: Never deliver a presentation you wouldn\u2019t want to sit through.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re interested in sharing your services as a coach with a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":12378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Step-by-Step: How to Prepare for a Presentation","_seopress_titles_desc":"Deliver memorable presentations with a step-by-step guide on how to prepare for a presentation. Master each stage of preparation in our ICF coaching blog.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"audience-type":[118,121,124,120,125,117,113,114],"display-option":[],"post-type":[128],"topic":[64],"_person-tax":[1223],"class_list":{"0":"post-12182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"audience-type-experienced-coaches","8":"audience-type-external-coaches","9":"audience-type-icf-chapter-leaders","10":"audience-type-internal-coaches","11":"audience-type-mentor-coaches","12":"audience-type-new-coaches","13":"audience-type-professional-coaches","14":"audience-type-team-and-group-coaches","15":"post-type-blog","16":"topic-business-development","17":"_person-tax-1223","18":"not-partnership-post","29":"_person-tax-6252","30":"has-featured-image"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12182"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14288,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12182\/revisions\/14288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"audience-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience-type?post=12182"},{"taxonomy":"display-option","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display-option?post=12182"},{"taxonomy":"post-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-type?post=12182"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=12182"},{"taxonomy":"_person-tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_person-tax?post=12182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}