Job Aid

Presentation Preparation Worksheet

This job aid will help you do some early preparation for your presentation.

Knowing the Five Ws

Whom are you presenting to?________________________

What are you presenting?___________________________

Why are you presenting (what does the audience want)?________________________

When are you presenting?________________________

Where are you presenting (what are the facilities and equipment like)?________________________

Making Your Points

What are the main points of your presentation? What do you want the audience to walk away with? List at least three but no more than five. These points make up the body of your presentation.

1._______________________________________________

2._______________________________________________

3._______________________________________________

4._______________________________________________

5._______________________________________________

Fielding Questions

Most of the time, you can anticipate the questions that an audience will ask you. Take the time now to brainstorm the top five questions you think you will get asked. Write them out here and formulate your answers.

1._______________________________________________

2._______________________________________________

3._______________________________________________

4._______________________________________________

5._______________________________________________

Choosing Visual Aids

Consider the following questions before you choose the visual aids to use in your presentation.

What is your budget?____________________

What equipment to you have access to (television, flipcharts, projectors)?__________________

What is the size of the audience?________________

Is this a formal or informal event?________________

What are your technological abilities?______________

With these answers in hand, look at the below list of visual aid options. Each visual aid has a list of pros and cons that will help you choose the best options for your presentation.

Flipcharts

Pros: inexpensive, can capture audience ideas, useful for charts and graphs, good for small groups.

Cons: not appropriate for larger groups, requires good handwriting, not very formal.

Slides

Pros: good for most audience sizes, good for formal and informal presentations, software is accessible, easy to use.

Cons: can become a crutch, can easily be done poorly, provide no flexibility.

Videos

Pros: capture audience attention, good for small groups, a dramatic way to make a point.

Cons: time consuming, not appropriate for larger groups, can be expensive, require special equipment.

Handouts

Pros: inexpensive, easy to create, save the audience from taking extensive notes, appropriate for an audience of any size.

Cons: can be distracting to the audience, tell the audience where the presentation is going.