The Presentation Planning Checklist

This presentation planning checklist* will help you to deliver successful presentations.

Presentation

• Does your introduction grab participants' attention and explain your objectives?
• Do you follow this by clearly defining the points of the presentation?
• Are these main points in logical sequence?
• Do these flow well?
• Do the main points need support from visual aids?
• Does your closing summarize the presentation clearly and concisely?
• Is the conclusion strong?
• Have your tied the conclusion to the introduction?

Delivery

• Are you knowledgeable about the topic covered in your presentation?
• Do you have your notes in order?
• Where and how will you present (indoors, outdoors, standing, sitting, etc.)?
• Have you visited the presentation site?
• Have you checked your visual aids to ensure they are working and you know how to use them?

Appearance

• Make sure you are dressed and groomed appropriately and in keeping with the audience's expectations.
• Practice your speech standing (or sitting, if applicable), paying close attention to your body language, even your posture, both of which will be assessed by the audience.

Visual Aids

• Are the visual aids easy to read and easy to understand?
• Are they tied into the points you are trying to communicate?
• Can they be easily seen from all areas of the room?

* Adapted, in part, from Rouse/Rouse, Business Communications: A Cultural and Strategic Approach (ISBN: 9781861525444). © 2002 Cengage Learning