Editing a Business Presentation
The professional, highly experienced editors and proofreaders at WordsRU know that effective business presentations are the fastest way of engaging with your target audience, but to do this well you must understand why you are making a presentation and what it is you are presenting.
Knowing the answers to these questions will determine the way you approach the presentation. Are you looking to raise your personal profile or that of your company or both? Perhaps you are launching a new product or technical manual; marketing plan or introducing a sales training seminar. Knowing your objective—the end result you want to achieve — is vital. From this, you identify your audience. Think about who will be attending (or reading) your presentation; what are their job titles? Are they corporate executives, members of your sales team or your customers? Or do you want your business presentation to be all-inclusive? The answers to these questions determine not only the language to be used in your presentation, but the way in which it is structured.
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"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." |
WordsRU’s professional editors and proofreaders understand the role that effective documentation and business literature plays in any organization, whether it is a press release, annual report, training manual, speech, business proposal, or presentation. Among these, the business presentation is a crucial element in introducing your business or product, and then maintaining your organization and its services and objectives at the forefront of the minds of your colleagues, associates, service providers, and customers.
One of the most frequently overlooked areas is also the downfall of many presenters of an otherwise successful business presentation—timing:
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TIME IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. |
Nothing is more embarrassing or frustrating than running out of time with key points still not covered. Rehearse it and rehearse it again. Make sure you are fully conversant with the content of your presentation; if you are not, the audience will spot it immediately and tune out. Present your information in logical yet interesting ways – make a story of it; in other words, give it a beginning, a middle, and an end. Introduce some drama and relevant amusing anecdotes or highlights to hold the attention of your audience.
If you plan on using PowerPoint slides as an adjunct to your presentation, time it. And then time it again. Be sure you know how long it will take and that your equipment works. Be mindful that a PowerPoint presentation is not a business presentation, but is intended to support your performance — yes, it is a performance. Be wary of overusing bullet points on your slides for they can quickly become tedious to your audience. Effective graphics are more likely to keep your audience active and involved. It is also worth noting that some of the most memorable business presentations are often delivered without any visual aids whatsoever. However, to achieve this, you must be confident of holding the attention of your listeners by sheer oratory and control.
So, to summarize, here are a few key points:
- Know the reason for your business presentation.
- Identify your audience (or readership).
- Know how much time is available for your presentation.
- Thoroughly understand the content you will be presenting and tell it as a story.
- Remember that visuals are not the presentation, but a complement to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I know what I want to say but am not sure how to put it all together. Can you help? Yes, we will review your content, prioritize it, and assemble it for you.
- Can you write-up up a business presentation for me from a list of points? Yes, and the more detail you give us, the more comprehensive the document we will prepare for you.
- Can you look at my presentation and tell me if there are any weak areas? Yes we can, and we will also offer some suggestions on how to overcome them.
- What about the balance in my presentation – can you tell me if I have spent enough time on the various elements? Yes, and we will also tell you if you have spent too much time on any section or aspect.
- What about my PowerPoint slide presentation? Yes, we can edit your slides.
- Can you check that my slides are in sync with my presentation? Yes, we will assemble these so they are in correct sequence with your delivery.
- Afterwards, I will be distributing copies of my presentation to other interested parties. It will also be lodged with our branches and in our company’s library. Can you help me put it together so that is as professional a record of the event as possible? Yes, not only will it be edited for correct English usage, we will make sure that it is a coherent, persuasive stand-alone document that reflects all the elements of your business presentation.
We edit - you take the credit! |
WordsRU Business Services:
The professional editors at WordsRU are experienced in proofreading your business presentations to add that extra dynamism and polish to the impact of your words.
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