Self-Study Workbooks - Prepare a Presentation | Page 4

Prepare a Presentation
Some of the main reasons that presentations fail to make an impact or achieve their objective are
given below.

Purpose
• Lack of clarity
about intent
• Not beneficial to
anyone

Content

Structure

• Not pitched
correctly for the
audience
• Too much/little
detail

• Content not
organised
logically
• Content doesn't
'flow'

Delivery
• Lack of impact
• Poor use of visual
aids
• Lack of
connection with
audience

This Power Hour self-study guide aims to provide you with tips and techniques to stop you from
making these same mistakes.

Purpose: What is the Presentation For?
Every presentation has a point, or a purpose…if not, why are you making it? All presentations can
be put into one of two broad categories. They aim to either:

PERSUADE/MOTIVATE
OR
INFORM/EDUCATE
It is important to be clear about the over-riding purpose of your presentation, as this will affect
the way that you plan the content, structure and how you present it.
A presentation designed to inform will be
logical, factual and practical. A presentation
designed to persuade will be more emotive
for example. Consider each of the following
types of presentation, and how their
underlying purpose differs.

Power Hour – Prepare a Presentation
www.power-hour.co.uk

Self Study Workbook

Page 4
Copyright Power-Hour 2012