figuring out the “why?” before the exact “what?”
In my last post, I talked about the importance of thinking about your audience and opportunity before you start to prepare for any presentation you give. Imagine you are talking with high school kids about careers in your industry. Unless you have a budding Alex P. Keaton in the audience, talking to this crowd the same way you’d discuss your business with institutional investors would be steering your gig toward a big fail.
But, if you’ve started out on the right foot, and already have a clear idea of who you’ll be talking to, and at what kind of event, the next step is defining your objective. In other words, what is the purpose of your presentation, and what is your desired outcome? By defining this, you essentially determine why you’re giving the presentation in the first place. Failing to define your objective would be like setting out on a journey without a destination in mind, and a map to get there.
As with my audience and opportunity analysis, I always start by asking myself some questions. First, “what’s the one thing I want my audience to remember?” Second, “what’s the one thing I want them to do when I’m finished?”
Both these questions force me to get to the bottom line about what I’m trying to do when I get up to talk. I often find that if I’ve done enough thinking about my audience and opportunity, it’s not too difficult to answer these two questions. But, sometimes it can be a challenge to really hone my focus to one clear objective and outcome.
That’s OK. Remember, some thought is better than no thought and there’s no right answer in any of this. You may decide to have two objectives or outcomes. Or you may decide to go back to your audience and opportunity analysis for a bit more thought. The important thing is to have a framework in place to help ensure you’ve really considered your opportunity and have been able to identify what this opportunity holds in the way you define your objective.
If the purpose and outcome questions are too broad, ask yourself
- Why am I here to talk to this audience? To persuade / educate / entertain / inform / debate?
- Why does my audience want to hear me speak? Why is it important to them what I say? What’s in it for them?
- Is there something specific I want them to do / say / believe / act upon when they leave the room?
For example, if you’re giving a sales presentation to purchasing decision makers, an ideal outcome is that they want to buy something from you when you’re finished talking. Or in a job interview (which is just another form of presentation), you want your “audience” to think you’re the best person for the job and make you an offer.
But, unless you have an objective – a clearly defined reason to be there in the first place – you’re not going to have a shot of getting what you want out of the opportunity. Peter Drucker spoke some wise words on the subject of objectives and, while focused on the importance of setting them in the context of business strategy, I think they work just as well when it comes to the strategy behind presentations:
Objectives are not fate; they are direction. They are not commands; they are commitments. They do not determine the future; they are means to mobilize the resources and energies of the business for the making of the future.
Clearly defined objectives help us commit to our content and direct us as we prepare what we will say. As presenters, you should clearly state your objectives at the start of any presentation you give. If you’ve done your homework and know your audience, you may decide it’s appropriate to stand up and say, “I’m here today to show you why you cannot live a moment longer without this new widget.” It’s direct, to the point, states clearly why you’re there, and tells your audience why they want to listen and what they want to listen for.
Setting objectives for presentations is about identifying the way we’re going to use presentations to mobilize for action; as we prepare as presenters, and as we listen, as audience members. We’re all, by our very nature, selfish beings. So let’s remember that no one gives, or goes to, presentations just for the fun of it. We want to make something happen. Be prepared and possibility is more likely to become reality.
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