Great presentations do not start in PowerPoint. Iskender Dirik’s framework has three stages: first set the foundation by defining audience, goal and core message; then create the storyline, the story and the fine-tuning; and finally prepare intensively, because preparation is the decisive differentiator. Rehearse, record yourself and present to friends and family.
Inspired by a LinkedIn post of Dr. Valerie Kirchberger, sharing some learnings from my COUP Presentation Skills Course, I decided to present to you my framework to create and deliver an outstanding presentation:
One of the biggest mistakes people make when creating a presentation is starting their process in PowerPoint/Keynote/Google Slides/etc.
Before opening your presentation program, you need to set the foundation of your presentation:
- Audience: Who is your audience that will listen to you? What are their profiles? What do they already know, what are their pain points, what are they interested in? You always need to start by understanding your target group. A presentation is a product for your audience. You can’t build a great product when you don’t know your buyers inside out.
- Goal: a) What is your goal? What do you want to achieve with the presentation? b) What is your goal for your audience? What’s in for them? How should they benefit from your presentation?
- Core Message: What’s the core message of your presentation? In other words: If you’d need to summarize the main message of your presentation into one simple sentence, what would it be? Only when you know what your core message is, you could create a presentation that conveys that message.
Only after setting the foundation, you start the main creation process:
- Storyline: This is about the architecture of your presentation. Define the main pillars of your story and the flow of it, based on your core message and defined goals. You do this in a note editor, in Miro, on a whiteboard, etc. – but not your slide program.
- Story: Now you can start on working on the details: copy, images, etc. Yes, now you are allowed to open your slide program and create slides. But not earlier.
- Fine-tuning: This is the stage I like most. You did 90% of the creation work. Now it’s about optimizing and fine-tuning everything you came up with. Test your presentation with your friends and family, tweak images, wordings, etc. based on your learnings.
Finally, we get to the third stage that is heavily neglected: Preparation.
I’m afraid, you don’t want to hear it, I know, but the main success factor of a presentation is the time and effort you put into preparing for it. Preparation is not a nice-to-have. It’s THE decisive differentiator. If you want to be outstanding, you need to prepare a lot: Rehearse as much as you can, record yourself while doing, present in front of family members and friends, simulate the presentation situation in your mind, etc. Put in the hours.
That’s it. The framework you need to become a 1% presenter.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start when creating a presentation?
Not in PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides. First set the foundation: understand your audience, define your goal and the goal for your audience, and summarize your core message in one simple sentence.
How do I build the storyline of a presentation?
Define the main pillars of your story and its flow based on your core message and goals, in a note editor, in Miro or on a whiteboard. Only then open your slide program to work on copy and images.
How much should I prepare for a presentation?
A lot. Preparation is the decisive differentiator: rehearse as much as you can, record yourself, present in front of family and friends and simulate the presentation situation in your mind.
