Make your presentations more professional and polished!  This is the second in our series of pointers that will help make it easier for you to prepare your presentation and present it with confidence and impact.  There are several steps in preparing and delivering your presentation.  It is important to start at the beginning and work through each step.  In each e-Line we will give you another step in the process.  If you can’t wait until we’ve published enough newsletters, see the note at the end of this section for how you can fast-track your learning.

Step 2 - What is the purpose of your presentation?

This may seem obvious.  And the answer is not "because someone asked me to".  Get clear in your mind what you want the audience to do or think as a result of listening to you.  This is the outcome and it will drive the structure and content and, to a certain extent, how you deliver your presentation.  Ask yourself the following questions and make sure you have the answers - if you don't know, ask someone who does.  Otherwise you can really make a fool of yourself!

Why are you doing the presentation?

• to impart information only
• to sell an idea
• to make recommendations
• to get a decision from some members or all of the audience

What do you want the audience to do?

• make a decision
• go away and think about your message
• do nothing
• change their view about your subject

In our next e-Line we will bring you more tips for preparing your presentation. 

These tips are prepared by Linda McDonald of Corporate Learning.  If you can't wait for more e-Lines and need help with your preparation and delivery of presentations now, send an email to info@corporatelearning.com.au with your name, position, organisation, suburb and email address and we’ll email you the full document. 

Rudolph Giuliani was Mayor of New York at the time of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001.  He had been Mayor for eight years and took the city from the crime capital of the US to being a safer and easier city in which to live.   That takes leadership!!  “Giuliani Leadership”, written by Rudolph Giuliani and Ken Kurson, espouses Giuliani’s 15 Principles of Leadership.  Principles No. 1 and 2 were in our February '05 e-Line.  Here are Principles No. 3 and 4:

3.        Everyone’s accountable, all of the time.  “I recognised that unless individuals held themselves accountable for measurable results in their area, performance goals would never be met.”

4.        Surround yourself with great people.  “The fundamental part of choosing great people is analysing your own strengths and weaknesses.  Seek a balance between your weaknesses and the strengths of others.  This is crucial in determining who is best equipped to help you be a great leader.

We will publish the remaining Giuliani principles in subsequent issues of e-Line.

“The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership-Powered Company”  is an invaluable book for organisations, small and large.  The book, written by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter and James Noel demonstrates an easy to understand and use approach that allows organisations to keep their leadership pipeline full and flowing.  In this day and age when one of the key aims of businesses is “to attract and retain good people” filling the leadership pipeline is critical to business success.

The authors use the natural hierarchy of work in most organisations and focus on the managerial-leadership work rather than technical or professional work.  Their hierarchy has six career passages or pipeline turns.  Each organisational position, which is a different level and complexity of leadership, involves a major change in job requirements, demanding new skills, time application and work values.

The book explores the six leadership passages in detail, identifying the skills, use of time, and work values unique to each passage. A highly recommended read!!   

“The Leadership Pipeline”  is $49.95 from the AIM Bookshop in North Sydney, tel. 9956-3999.  Corporate Learning clients who mention this e-Line will receive a 10% discount.