Page 86 - 4126

“The good, the bad and the ugly”
“Blood, sweat and tears”

Think about it – if there are only three points that you would like to
leave the audience with, what would they be? These three points
should form the middle of the presentation.

All you now have to do is to think of ways of illustrating these points
and then you have the bulk of the structure of the presentation.

The end

The end is more important than the beginning. This is because of the
recency factor – put simply, people are likely to remember the last
thing they are told much more than the points made earlier in a
presentation. This particularly applies to lists.

So a good ending to the presentation is essential. There are a number
of techniques that can work well, but they should link in to the main
structure of the presentation.

Relating the end back to the beginning can be effective. If you opened
with a funny story, remind the audience of the punchline and the point
you sought to illustrate in telling it. If you brought an unusual object
on stage to create suspense, then tell the audience why it is there.

If you are really struggling for ideas and want to play it safe, you
could simply recap the three main concepts that you put forward in the
middle section.

In many business settings a presentation ending would also benefit
from a call to action. Tell the audience where they can find out more
about you or your business. Offer contact details so that anyone with a
question or enquiry can easily get in touch. If the audience has
enjoyed your story, they may well want to hear more.

86