PowerPoint for New Audiences
PowerPoint is a great way to get in front of new audiences. Whether you’re creating stellar presentations behind the scenes or presenting to groups outside of your normal range, you can go from unknown to having raving fans when done right. Either way, these tips for creating PowerPoints for new audiences will help you succeed with minimal stress.
Get to Know Your Audience
Start by asking a few questions. These can save you headaches and numerous revisions.
Is this audience accustomed to using particular acronyms? If you work in corporate – like I do – you know that acronyms are a language in and of themselves.
Are they familiar with terms that might be considered jargon elsewhere?
Is there a particular presentation flow they are used to? Do they start each meeting with a motivational quote or hold all questions for the end?
Asking these questions will allow you to create a quick draft that can save you a ton of time. It will also result in a presentation that is better received by your new audience.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Ask if there are templates or previous presentations you can model after. I’m all about working smarter not harder. Anytime I can start a presentation with a preexisting deck, I jump on it. Many times, I’ve spent hours creating a presentation only to find out I could’ve had it done in thirty minutes with a deck from last year.
Customize Imagery
If you’ve read any of my other blog posts, you know I’m always harping on the importance of adding images to your presentations. Seriously, I’m like a broken record. This is because it’s been proven that images improve audience engagement and recall rate dramatically. So, when it’s time to create a PowerPoint for your new audience you’ll definitely want to throw a few good-looking images in to keep things interesting. I assume you’ve used some images in previous presentations. Consider if these are appropriate for your new audience. If you normally present for leaders in your department and you’ve been asked to put something together for new hires, you might want to change things up. Make sure the images you choose will land with this new audience by looking for fresh images to use instead of pulling from your repository.
Related Read: How Using Images in Your PowerPoint Can Keep Your Audience Awake
Conclusion
I hope this post inspires you to raise your hand next time you have the opportunity to present to a new audience. It can be scary if you don’t know where to start but… Now, you do! If you found this helpful you can download the PDF version to refer to later. Simply enter your info below and I’ll send it over ASAP! Remember to let me know what you think of this post in the comments!
