Have you ever been to a presentation that you consider was handled tardily? It is quite possible that the presenter did not know which way he or she was headed and tried to pass by believing that the presentation would be accepted. The individual may have wasted everyone’s time but accomplished nothing. It can be a painful experience especially if you have to make a presentation yourself without having a direction of which way you are headed.
Presentations are crucial for the sales and marketing industry, and unless you have a strong presentation, you are unlikely to make any headway. In such cases wouldn’t it be more beneficial for you to have a presentation agenda in your possession before beginning the presentation?
When you are scheduled to or are planning to make a presentation, it is critical for you to prepare a presentation agenda because it can set the tone for your presentation. The planning for the presentation is similar to having an important meeting where all matters to be discussed in the meeting are noted down for the benefit of attendees.
A presentation agenda is also a list of crucial issues that you plan to discuss, but it is essential for you to have the planning on paper before the actual presentation. Any errors in this regard will leave you in a position which would not reflect well for you.
A presentation agenda provides you with all the information you require for the subjects that need to be discussed and prepares you for the task. How you present the agenda will depend upon the kind of subjects you are going to discuss and the impetus of making the discussion interesting will be your responsibility. The presentation agenda will be the guiding force behind your presentation and make you appear convincing before the attendees.
An agenda for presenting a list of items is usually prepared for a group of people that are invited for the presentation, and the subject you are going to discuss will determine the type of agenda you should prepare. Therefore, you must consider the kind of attendees you plan to invite and prepare an agenda which will be suitable for all.
Presentation agendas must be prepared by people who are either going to make the presentation themselves or with the individuals that are designated as the presenters.
Points to consider while drafting Presentation Agendas
- The primary sections of the presentation including the introduction, the issues to be discussed in numerological order, a question-and-answer session and conclusion.
- The key talking points for each issue which need to be discussed must be mentioned in each section.
- The day, date and the location of the presentation must also be provided.
- A reasonable timeline must be determined for the completion of the entire presentation.
Copies of the presentation agenda can be handed out to the attendees or act as personal notes for the speaker to ensure he or she does not waver away from the subject.
Example of Presentation Agenda 1
[Date:]
Business Case Presentation Meeting Agenda
[Location: Name of the Location],
Business case presentation meeting for competitive dialogue procedure
Task area — PBS 23.02 diverter remote handling system.
Objective — presentation of the business case technical specifications.
Location — fusion for energy, Madrid.
Participants — names of all participants attending the presentation.
Agenda.
9:30 AM to 9:45 AM — welcome and introduction.
9:45 AM to 10:15 AM — overview of the competitive dialogue procedure.
10:15 AM to 10:30 AM — coffee break.
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM — description of the business case technical specification.
12:30 PM to 1 PM — time for questions.
1 PM to 2 PM —lunch break.
2 PM to 2:45 PM — further time for questions if needed.
2:45 PM to 3 PM — wrap up and conclusion of the presentation.
Example of Presentation Agenda 2
Presentation Skills Agenda
[Date:]
[Venue]
Agenda
7:30 AM — Breakfast.
8 AM — Welcome and introductions.
8:15 AM — why these skills matter?
8:30 AM — common characteristics of all defective speakers.
8:50 AM — what I wish I should’ve known about oral presentations.
9:10 AM — effective power pointing of dos and don’ts in presentations.
9:30 AM — break.
9:45 AM — top 10 errors in medical writing.
10:05 AM – workshop on presentations.
10:45 AM – oral presentations [5 attendees making presentations for eight minutes along with a feedback session of five minutes]
12 PM — lunch break.
12:20 PM — what we look for in presentations?
12:50 PM — oral presentations [8 attendees].
3 PM — break
3:15 PM — oral presentations continued by five attendees.
5 PM — questions and answers.
5:30 PM — wrap up and conclusion.
Every individual needs to understand that presentations have to be customized according to their requirements after considering the options and insights of how they can structure their agendas. They can observe how the presenters in the examples have structured their key points and what are the details they have considered.
The writer assigned the task of writing the presentation agenda can certainly make use of some simple outlines which are commonly used during sales presentations and other functions which may be held.