Read These Tips
Before Your Next Presentation
By Kathy Villella
Of course, content—what you have to say—is king when it comes to presentations. But how you say it and consistency are also critical to get your message across.
Consistency is the hallmark of a professional presentation, which should reflect the overall look and style of all your other marketing materials and communications. The starting point for consistency is to develop presentation templates with defaults for text, colors, format, and layout. This foundation will help you achieve adherence to your firm’s branding.
Here are a few tips to get you thinking about consistency in how you write the text for presentations.
Use a single style of writing. Most business writers use the narrative style. The point of view may be third person or first person, but that shouldn’t change halfway through the presentation. Be especially aware of writing styles when more than one person contributes to the presentation. Make a point of checking the text to be sure you use only “one voice” throughout.
Be consistent in the use of names and titles. Look at this sentence, for example: “George met with Mr. Harry Dobson and Dr. Jerrod Robards, PhD.” George may or may not be as accomplished as Mr. Dobson and Dr. Robards, but the way he is mentioned is somewhat diminishing.
Avoid classifying people by their titles. Unless a specific sequence or hierarchy is required, list groups of people in alphabetical order. This practice safely sidesteps potential political situations.
Don’t split names in a sentence. Keep title (Mr., Mrs., etc.) and first and last names together on a text line. Also, decide how you will refer to someone who is mentioned more than once. For instance, you might use Dr. Mary Whitaker the first time you mention her, then Dr. Whitaker or simply Whitaker from then on. Whatever convention you choose, stick with it for everyone’s name.
When it comes to place names, keep multiword names together on text lines. For example, keep “San Francisco” together, but you can let “California” flow to the next line.
Use acronyms only after you have explained them. Don’t assume that everyone in the audience understands acronyms for organizations, processes, and so on. Spell them out the first time they appear in a presentation, and then include the acronym in parentheses. If the term only appears once in the presentation, use the spelled-out version and don’t bother with the acronym—unless you think some listeners may only be familiar with the acronym.
Keep terms in the same order. If you are discussing “sales and marketing,” use that order consistently instead of switching to “marketing and sales” periodically.
Be consistent with punctuation and sentence structure. You should structure similar sentences in the same manner. In the example below, notice that the explanatory phrase is punctuated differently in each sentence:
- The project will impact all departments, i.e., Accounting, Sales, and Human Resources.
- We need input from everyone—e.g., Marketing, Operations, and Administration.
- Your suggestions must be in by the end of the month, including: Technical Support, Distribution, and Billing.
- Results will be reported by Division (e.g., Research, Business Processes, and New Products).
Maintain a consistent level of quality. An error-free presentation conveys that your organization takes care with details and is committed to quality. Proof your presentation to the highest standard of excellence.
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Kathy Villella is cofounder of PowerFrameworks. She has provided presentation development support for twenty years. For nearly fifteen years, she supported client engagement teams and supervised and trained others at McKinsey & Company. Visit www.powerframeworks.net to find out more.
You might also be interested in this article by Kathy Villella:
Are You Getting Your Point Across?
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