Setting a goal for your presentation is an important first step in making any presentation. While you may think that you have this covered, you might be surprised. Once people try, they find out that stating a clear goal is a bit harder than they first thought. It is the bedrock of you presentation and it determines how successful it will be as well.
Your Goal Should Be More Specific
When asked about the purpose of a planned presentation, most presenters know exactly what outcome they want. But, most of them don’t know how to achieve that outcome through a presentation. For example, your goal for the presentation might be to win new clients. Your strategy, to appeal to the clients by promoting how it solves their problem. That strategy then becomes the purpose of the presentation instead of simply throwing everything at them.
Broad goals are not very useful. Making a presentation with that goal alone probably won’t win you many clients. So, we need to be specific to the needs and expectations of the audience.
Take it One Step Further
Of course, the purpose of the presentation might be as simple as reporting sales and announcing changes. But, you can take it one step further, by reporting sales and asking for a favorable response in a realistic way. Or, announcing changes, and fostering support for the changes.
Why is a New Goal Important?
The goal is important because it dictates how you design the presentation. Look at the first answer and decide if it is a realistic goal. If it is too broad to be achieved, then you should be more specific and choose something more realistic. Think about what you want the audience to do. Just informing the audience is not enough. You need to think about what you want the audience to do with that information.
Image: [CC BY-SA 3.0 NY] via jphotostyle
Leave a Reply