Whatever be your level, presentations are a part of a corporate life cycle. From presenting product details to sales targets, there will come unescapable situations and you’ll be handed the centre spot. Well, that spot is necessary for growth. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you’ll grow.

Presentation does not always mean holding a mic to an audience packed room. It also means a one-to-one presentation, a one-to-few presentation and of course a one-to-many presentation. Whatever your case maybe, use this reflection framework to make an impactful presentation, the one which may lead you to a standing ovation.

Ask yourself these 5 questions before every presentation.

1. Who is in the audience? Are they your team, colleagues, clients or bosses?
2. What is the key message you want to share? It’s all about the message.
3. Why is the message important, for you, and for the team or the client?
4. What do you want the team to do with the information (action)?
5. How will you deliver the message so it is crystal clear to the audience?

These questions ‘who, what, why, what, how’ are important ingredients in the preparation process. These are essential reflection points and have to be clearly outlined and explained.

Let me give you an example. A student of mine (read mid level employee) had an upcoming business meeting where he had to present an important client proposal. I asked him to start preparing for it using the above mentioned 5 prompts.

• What is your proposal? What’s the key message?
• Who is he? Is he the decision maker or the influencer?
• Why is it important? Not just to you, but more importantly to your client. Why should he care?
• What is the strong benefit for him that he will say a Yes?
• How will you deliver the message so that the client gets it easily and clearly? You will have limited time to present.

These 5 questions gave him the exact framework he needed and the starting point of his presentation. He made a concise, upto the point with everything covered presentation that not only got him the business but also immense confidence for his next business meeting. This is the power of reflection.

This exact framework can be used by you for your presentations. We all have the answers, just that someone has to get us on the right track. I am just trying and doing the same here. You can take my Communication Skills Coaching to up your game. Writing to me at t4tanya@gmail.com is a good idea to begin with. It’ll only be the ladder tilted up ahead.

Good luck and may you close all your business proposals!