Instructional Presentations for Work – Talking in Public

Instructional Presentations for Work

You are probably aware already that I do not recommend the use of screen shows such as Powerpoint and Keynote as a basis for a presentation. Of course there is an exception.

The exception is when you are using your presentation to instruct your audience in a particular technique or methodology. It might be a new process, revised procedural documents or a completely changed approach to the task being considered.

This type of presentation is far more “technical” in its content but it is still a presentation and should be prepared in the same way as any other public speaking exercise.

You need to prepare by really understanding your audience and the level of knowledge and acceptance of the information you have to impart.

It can be a trap to be so focused on the details of the information that you forget the audience may not have travelled the same path as you and therefore will not have the same level of understanding, commitment or even interest in the information you have to share.

What I suggest is that after you have considered your audience, think about how you would do the instructional part of your presentation if there was no power available at the venue. This will let you consider alternative ways of sharing the information without needing to rely on the electronic option.

It is easy to fall back on Powerpoint and Keynote assuming that it will be better for your audience to see what you are talking about. This is not always the case, as I have mentioned elsewhere – you need to cater for the different learning modalities that may be present in the audience. Some learn better by reading, some by hearing, some by seeing, some by doing. You need to try and have a few different modalities covered in your presentation so you can have your instructions received by the audience in way that works for them.

Preparation based on your audience is still the key to this type of presentation. You are presenting because you have the knowledge and skills for this “instruction”. You need to find the best way to transfer that to your audience so they can benefit from your expertise.

Instructional speech