Once your team has prepared for an important presentation, here are five steps to follow when ‘game day’ arrives to help ensure success as a team.
Use a high-impact opening.
Open with a bang! Immediately engage your listeners and set the tone for the presentation. For example, consider delivering a startling statement, such as a statistic or fact, that can get the audience’s attention and form the basis for your discussion.
Make introductions and review the agenda.
After your opening, briefly introduce team members and go over the presentation agenda so that everyone is on the same page. The team leader or the individual team members can provide the introductions, briefly sharing the respective roles of each member for the project.
Make smooth handoffs.
If your presentation will feature more than one speaker, practice “handing off” the topic to the next person as you prepare. Remember, a poor handoff can slow down the flow of your presentation and confuse the audience. Hold each speaker to a strict time frame, and use verbal cues to indicate when the next speaker is coming up.
Prepare for a team Q & A.
An effectively facilitated question and answer session will leave a lasting and positive impression on your audience. In your preparation, anticipate the questions or topics that might be raised and determine which team member will answer them.
Close powerfully.
End your presentation on a high note. Your closing will reinforce the message you want your audience members to take away with them or action you want them to take.