The main content

This is the most important part of the presentation when you will give the audience the vital information about your subject. You should make the subject as clear and interesting as possible for the audience. State your most important points in a logical order and always give examples and evidence to support your opinions.

Presenting a problem it is essential to identify the main points, to lay special emphasis on the root of the problem, to use only real facts relating to the problem, to get arguments and figures into the best order possible. There is no need to give details: if you are talking to people who know nothing about the problem, details will not help, they will confuse the matter. If the audience knows a lot about the subject, details will only annoy them. If the problem is really complex, it needs detailed handouts.

Presenting possibilities opens to the audience the ways of solving the problem. Considering all the alternatives the following tactics are preferable: positive factors come before negative, and then the positive factors are related to reinforce the argument. After it start tentatively urging the audience to go for the options of your choice, i.e. the target of your presentation.

The next stage includes stating a proposal, making it absolutely clear to the listeners, giving the reasons why you think the recommended solution is true or correct. When recommending a course of action it is particularly important to emphasize the right or even ideal solution as you see it rather than criticize the alternatives. It seems appropriate to suggest that now is the time for action.

Conclusion

A conclusion may contain a different number of sections, two at the minimum, more often – three: summary, handouts, closing courtesies. There might be two version of summarizing: either a summary of all the main points (the new factual information which has been presented, the options considered and any proposal made) or a summary of the proposal/ the recommended course of action.

When you have finished the main part, you should then summarise your presentation.

The closing lines should convey the same message as the outline that introduced your presentation but be expressed differently. Try also to end on an interesting point so that the audience will feel positive or inspired at the end of your presentation.

Your summary should:

• briefly remind the audience of what has been said

• re-cap all the main points of the presentation

• be memorable. (These will be the last words of your presentation.)

• say or suggest what you expect your audience to do, believe or know, etc. as a result of your talk. (The purpose.)

Do not summarise a very short presentation, it will seem repetitive.

Conclude the presentation by thanking the audience for listening and invite them to ask questions.

Dealing with questions

You can find out whether the audience has understood what you have been talking about in your presentation and whether you have covered all they need to know by the way they respond in question and answer sessions.

If you know something about the audience and their needs, you can try to anticipate any possible questions they might ask. You can prepare your answers or cover those points in your talk.