Discovering Effective Ways to Present Information

He took the stage at the Portland Business Journal event, waited for silence and then said something like, “My mother was a drug addict, I grew up poor and a red ball saved my life and now I’m here to change yours.”

In that one sentence, Kevin Carroll had my undivided attention and the attention of the other 200+ people in the room for the next hour. And when he’d finished his story, the entire room was different. A red ball really can change lives!

It’s amazing what can happen when you bring together the right audience with the right content. If what you say makes people think, act or begin to dialogue, then you can say you’ve found your red ball.

One key component to getting your message out to the audience depends on the type of presentation you choose to deliver the subject matter. There are multiple ways to deliver content. When you begin planning for your presentation, clarify your presentation objectives by considering these questions;

What type of information is being presented?  Is it a process or project? Does it involve multiple stakeholders?
Who is the audience? Are they familiar with the subject matter? What information might they be looking for based on their role in a similar process?
What information or knowledge would you like the audience to walk away with? Do you want them to feel informed? Heard?
How do you want to communicate with the audience? Are you looking for feedback? Do you want to discuss the project or process with them?

Once your objectives are clear, determine what presentation type will most effectively deliver your information and satisfy the objectives.

Discussion Panels

If you’re subject matter involves multiple stakeholders who’ve each played […]