Delivering a presentation of a project can be stressful. Even if you are confident in the content of your project itself, the success might depend on the delivery of your presentation or the way you answer questions in the post-presentation Q&A. In this blog post, we aim to help you deliver an impactful presentation that will allow your project to be exhibited in the spotlight it deserves. Here are answers to commonly asked questions.
1. Should I be brief or should I include as much information as possible?
“If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.” —Woodrow T. Wilson
Be brief and concise.
This is an undervalued tip that presenters often forget about. When presenting, your goal should not be to deliver every single figure and fact out there. This type of information delivery is oftentimes clustered and unclear. There is no such thing as a limit of words though. The general rule of thumb though is to limit yourself to the words that are necessary, but no less than that.
Emphasize your crucial points with phrases such as:
“It’s crucial to note that…”
“What matters most is…”
“A significant point is…”
Highlight your key points with:
“The key takeaway is…”
“The most important aspect is…”
“In essence…”
These will help you make sure that your delivery was clear in terms of takeaways.
2. How do I deal with a Q&A session?
Our first tip is to anticipate follow-up questions beforehand.
In it, provide complete information in your answers, trying to cover all aspects of the question to prevent follow-ups. (Doing this but still staying concise and brief might pose a challenge.)
You can encourage further inquiry and invite the asker to ask more questions if they need further clarification.
Furthermore, state your main points clearly by indicating the number of points you will cover.
Let’s imagine that someone asked you how to improve your writing skills.
An example answer might be, “I have three main suggestions for you.”
Next, explicitly mention the number of each point.
“First, you should read regularly. Second, practice writing daily. Third, seek feedback from others.”
The next tip is to use headings for clarity. Yes, this is also possible in speech.
Introduce each section by stating the topic before diving into details.
Example: “Let’s start with the importance of reading regularly.”
Transition Between Sections: Use transition phrases to move smoothly from one section to another.
Example: “Now that we’ve covered reading, let’s move on to practicing writing.”
Let’s have a look at a complete answer.
Question: How can I improve my writing skills?
Answer:
“That’s a great question. I have three main suggestions for you:
First thing you could do is read regularly. Reading a variety of materials will enhance your vocabulary and expose you to different writing styles. For example, try reading both fiction and non-fiction to see how different genres handle language.
Second thing is practicing writing daily. Writing every day, even if it’s just a short journal entry or a paragraph on a random topic, helps you develop your skills over time. The more you write, the more comfortable you will become with expressing your thoughts clearly.
Third, seek feedback. It’s crucial to have others review your writing. Feedback can highlight areas you might not notice on your own and provide new perspectives on how to improve.”
3. How do I structure my presentation?
Well, the answer to this is layered. Let’s consider the following example provided by Nancy Duarte in her book „Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences.”
Example # 1
„Welcome, everybody, to the Q3 update. I just want to let you know that the Q3 revenue was down. The rumors are true. And you guys were able to turn out some new products this quarter, and I’m really proud of you for that. The numbers are down. But hey, we’re up 15 percent in number of new clients. That’s good. Good job, everyone. Our market share is also up, so that’s not bad. We’re not doing too bad compared to our competitors. All this happened in a quarter in which the analysts predicted we’d be down, so it was expected. Thanks for coming today, and have a great day. „
This example is demotivating and provides little motivation for the audience to believe in its success.
Here’s an altered version:
Example # 2
„Welcome, everybody, to the Q3 update. When the forecasters looked at this quarter, they said our industry—our company in particular—was the little engine that couldn’t. They said we wouldn’t be able to make the climb. But how did we do compared to our competitors? SuperCo is down 12 percent. DuperCo is down 8 percent. How far down are we? We are down only 2 percent. In spite of that, we have shaken up the market in a down economy! Our newclient wins are up 15 percent over last year. In fact, four of the new clients are large multinational organizations that have been on our target list for over three years!”
Notice, how the changed version starts with the negative of missing the Q3 forecast. Positive buildup can be created; all of this just with a switch of order. In this case, there should be a move from uncertainty to confidence. Not the other way around.
For more tips and advice on how to effectively present a project, check out our latest course Business Presentations in English.
Also check out our blog post How to present effectively in English using the STAR method.