Whether it be workshops, project kick offs, weekly status reports or steering committee meetings collating data to input into presentations and chairing presentations is an integral part of a Project Managers role. There is no avoiding it so if you are not comfortable with either data collection, presentation creation & presentation giving, then project management may not be for you. On the other hand if you are willing to work at these skills and learn them then Project management may be something you should consider. Some important points on presentations are below.

• Know your audience – when drafting a presentation be fully aware of your audience and the level of detail they expect.

• For example most senior C-suite stakeholders want sound bites of information at a high level.

• But other stakeholders who are part of the day to day project team will expect more low level detailed information.

• Use company presentation templates when available, there is no need to reinvent the wheel and most likely these will be compulsory so that there is standardisation across business units and markets.

• Depending on the presentation being given content will be different but some slides will remain consistent across all presentation decks namely (1) Attendee list & role (2) Agenda and / or index (3) Review of Actions from previous meetings (4) Plan going forward (5) Appendices – content will vary.

• For slide collation Microsoft PowerPoint tends to be the most common package used.

• Excel, Power BI, Microsoft Project (online) and other tools can aid with reporting and information projection.

• Remember with the experience you gain from each presentation you prepare and give, it will help you to perfect the skill in the long run.

• Do not be intimidated by colleagues during presentation meetings, be confident in your ability and take control of the process

• During presentations do not come across as passive aggressive or do not be disgruntled by any comments or suggestions colleagues make – take them on board and note them in any notes & actions where needed.

• Keep graphics simple and do not blind attendees with the excessive use of colour.

• Slides should not be too busy and detailed as this will only make attendees lose attention and become disinterested

• Be concise and clear in the presentation delivery both in the text in the slides and in your tone and voice when speaking

• If some attendees are from a different jurisdiction and do not speak your spoken language as a first language then speak slowly and clearly.

• If you are chairing the meeting do let colleagues interject and give opinions but to do not let this impede the flow of the presentation.

• Repeated interjections that detract from the agenda are to be frowned upon – make sure attendees understand this.

• As a Project Manager it is your responsibility to make sure there is the right balance of slides and information to fill the allotted time slot and do not run over time as this will look unprofessional.

• For slides with data including analysis of projects progress whether that is costs, tasks completed etc do make sure the data is easy to follow.

• Make sure you understand all the data in the slides and where possible you can preempt any possible questions attendees could ask.

• Use dynamic interactive data and platforms where possible, static data like excel can be hard to decipher and understand especially if the target audience does not speak your language – excel spreadsheets can lead to more questions being asked by attendees.

• Make a decision of what slides should be included in the main body of the presentation and what should go into the appendices – this will be dependent on your audience and how long you have to present.

• Share slides after your presentation, they can be shared before hand too in the body of the meeting invite or sent by email to attendees.

• It can be useful to derive feedback from attendees, this is always helpful when tweaking your delivery going forward. For example, I have been told I speak too fast, so I am conscious during presentations I give to speak slower and more clearly so that I am understood by all attendees.