Arguably, presentation can be very difficult and frustrating if good preparation in carried out, especially for those individuals who are not inclined to public speaking. As a matter of fact, individuals who are poor in public speaking can potentially prepare an effective presentation, regardless of the number of audience. The main strategy to achieving it is preparing an effective presentation outline. Preparation of an effective outline for a presentation has to undergo six stages. Each stage play a tremendous role in ensuring that an effective outline for presentation is prepared (Buchan, 1997).
The first stage in preparation of effective presentation outline is to identify the overall purpose. There are various reasons for presentation which include inspiring, educating, convincing, entertaining, as well as informing. This stage is crucial because it gives directions on how to determine the topic, method and structure of delivery (Lull & Coopman, 2011). The next stage is to determine the type of audience. The ascertaining of audience age, education level, sex, and background help in streamlining the topic towards audience demands. Additionally, it is an important stage because it helps in determine what the audience knows and what they do not.
The third stage is summarizing and writing the speech. In this stage, it is worth to make a summary of the presentation by organizing an introduction, body and conclusion. This will help you to follow the presentation, and help the audience follow the flow of the presentation. The fourth stage is to add color and flavor of the presentation. Once a summary has been developed it is crucial to include vocal variation, gestures, staging, jokes, factual details, as well as quotations. This is crucial because it engages the audience, and captures their attention (Lull & Coopman, 2011).
The fifth stage is the adaptation, practice and solicits feedback. In addition, this stage entails tailoring the outline into particular needs. Reading the summary directly and adopting the outline. Perhaps, this stage increases confidence and makes one a master of the outline and it content (Hamilton, 2011). There are many benefits of rehearsing and mastering the content. It is advisable to use own method of rehearsal and content adaptation. The final stage is testing the length of the outline and self-critique. The test of length will ensure that the outline is up to par in terms of content and time.
References
Buchan, V. (1997). Make Presentation with confidence. New York: Barrons Press
Hamilton, C. (2011). Essential of Public Speaking. Boston: Wadsworth
Lull, J & Coopman, S. (2011). Public Speaking: The Evolving Art. Boston: Cengage
