Planning Linear Presentations

When making a presentation one of the last things you should do is open your presentation software.

The important thing to decide upon is the what it is you want to communicate to your audience.

The next step is to research your topic, plan your talk, write your script and only then create the presentation. Next get feedback, improve and rehearse before you consider presenting to the audience.

Create a mind map of what you know and want to talk about.

Write each point on a single post-it note.

Put the post it notes in the order you want to tell the story in.

Try talking through the story using the post-it notes.

Does it make sense in that order?

Do you need to move things or not include any of the points because they are a distraction or irrelevant?

Is the talk too long or too short?

Once you have your final set of points in order, then it is time to decide what you will say, show or do for each point.

Do you need to find a picture, movie, music or sound?

Why not get one of your group to create a shared folder in Google Drive so you can all store your media in one place?

Do you need to do a little bit more research to flesh out that point a bit more?

Do you need to check the accuracy of the information?

Write out what you will say or do for each one of the points - this will be your script.

If you use a Google Document, you can share it with your group, so more than one of you can be working on the script at the same time!

When your script is finished and you have found the images you want to use... and only then....

It is time to open up your presentation software.

Create a slide for each post-it note, with the brief notes you made on it.

Copy and paste the script for each post-it note into the speaker notes section for the corresponding slide.

Delete any words on the slide you don't need, and add any pictures, movies and/or sound to the slide.

You should now have a finished slideshow.

Present your slideshow to somebody who will give you feedback.

Do it as you would do it if it was the final presentation.

  • Did the presentation make sense?
  • Did it feel natural as you presented it?
  • Did the slides help or were they a distraction?

Remember what we have learnt about Good Presentation...

Use the feedback they give to make improvements.

When you have made your final improvements, rehearse.

When you think you have rehearsed enough, rehearse it again.

And rehearse it again.