Struggling to get started with your presentation? We’ve all been there. Especially for the more nervous among us (*stares in fidget spinner*) it can feel like a mammoth task to begin a presentation, never mind structure it, plan it, and deliver it. At Present Pal we’re pros when it comes to creating presentations in an accessible way, and so we’ve learned a few tricks over the years. Here are three ways to kickstart building your presentation, and overcome that procrastination temptation.
Define your goals
There’s no point hurtling full force into presentation-writing-mode unless you have a really clear idea of what your presentation is going to be about, and why. Defining your goals is a great first exercise and will help you stay focussed during the process of building your presentation.
Take a look at the brief that you were given, and ask yourself the following: Why am I doing this presentation? Why does this subject matter? How will this task benefit my studies? What new or interesting information can I personally bring to this and why?
Once you’ve identified your goals it will be much easier to create a plan of action.
2. Break your tasks into bite-size steps
Don’t overwhelm or pressure yourself into completing a perfect presentation in the speed of light, taking the time to process your task and breaking it into manageable steps will ensure greater chances of success.
Here are some suggestions for steps, you can alter these or add your own, whatever best suits your learning style:
Create a structure: break your presentation topic into three major areas
Take each area at a time, identifying key points for each
Work out how you learn best - .e.g are you a visual learner or a verbal learner?
Decide what style and tone you’re going for
Create a realistic timeline for completing tasks
Factor in time for corrections, rehearsals and reviews
Jump into the Present Pal app to start creating your notes and building your presentation. You can also listen to past rehearsals and set target times. Present Pal will also guide you through your presentation and help you stay on track by allowing you to check off each talking point as you go, and connect to PowerPoint or Google Slides.
3. Promise yourself a reward
One of the best ways to keep motivation levels high is to incentivise. Who else remembers the absolute glory of getting a gold star at school for completing a task? Well, it works the same way in your adult life.
After you’ve broken your presentation building plan into manageable day-by-day steps, you can plan rewards for yourself once you’ve completed X amount of steps. Not only will this make the process more bearable, it can actually increase your productivity and motivation. For example, if you managed to plan a structure for your presentation that day, reward yourself by buying an iced vanilla oat milk latte or pampering yourself with a facemask and hot bath.
Interested in more presentation advice and hacks? Read and watch them here.