Prepping for a Presentation

I was asked (told) on Monday that I will be giving a presentation and demo on an online documentation system I've been working on.  I spoke a bit about what I've been doing in a previous post and now its time to show it off.  I'll be giving this presentation to members of the IT Department and the IT Security Group including the Director of IT, the CIO and the CISO.

Its easy for me to show things I've done, especially if I'm involved in building a system from the ground up.  But the stakes are a bit higher for this presentation since I did everything including picking the tool to use to create and store policies and procedures.  So I have this badass system in the works and I need to make sure that I am ready to unveil it the right way.

Use a script

I have to admit that most of my presentations are off-the-cuff.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  However, this time I will be using a script.  The system is feature rich and I want to make sure that I point out and explain the benefit of every feature built into the system.  I've also built in some collaboration workflow and want to provide example scenarios, and they need to be flawless.  I want to show the immediate benefit to the company as a whole, as well as the Team Members who will be using the finished product.

Practice

Don't use your script to totally run your presentation.  Use it to help it flow. Your script must work well with demo examples and it MUST tell a story.  You must coordinate your script with your demo.  Sounds logical right?  Well its much harder than you think.  Write the story and stick with it.  If you get off track, you'll only provide part of the picture (in bits and pieces) and people will be more confused than before you started speaking.  Blending the demo and your script takes practice.  Practice it over and over again until you feel comfortable.

Don't deviate

The demo tells a big part of the story.  Run through your demo over and over again.  Create the road map you'll follow.  Make sure that what you are showing works!  How many times have you said "Watch this!" and find out that what you are trying to show isn't working.  Maybe you forgot to do something first?  If this happens, it appears that you are not prepared, or that the system is not working the way you say it will.  Plan your keystrokes and your mouse clicks. Make sure the correct information appears.  Regardless of whether or not every feature works correctly, it will be the "flaw" that people remember.  Don't deviate from your road map and ensure that it works.

Anticipate questions and be quick with your answers

As you write your script and blend it with what you want to demo, you'll quickly be able to anticipate what types of questions you'll be asked.  Don't be caught off guard.  If you built the system, you better be quick with answers to any questions about it.  Don't focus on the inner workings of the system.  Focus on the benefit to the company.  Your answers should all relate to how the system is filling a need.  Noone cares how you built it.  They want to see the benefit of paying you to build it.  People want instant gratification and your answers should not leave them bewildered, but rather wanting to know more!

Show your plans

The game doesn't end when the presentation is over.  Wrap it up with insights as to what your are currently doing and what you will be doing days, weeks, or months down the road.  Don't go into detail, but rather focus on the upcoming as well as immediate benefits.   Lets face it...a presentation is really being used to ensure that dollars are being well spent and to legitimize the project.  Keep that in mind during every part of the presentation. 

I hope that some of these suggestions might help on your next presentation. Mine is a week away. I'll let you know how it goes.