Start Here: The Three Planning Steps That Will Make Your Presentation Persuasive
This is the call I fear:
“Hi, I need help with my presentation. I already have my slide deck sorted.”
What you need to know is that poor pre-planning will result in a bad presentation.
Here are three things you need to do before you even think about opening PowerPoint.
What
What is the outcome you would like to see from this presentation?
Your first job is absolute clarity on purpose. Many people tell me, “Oh, I’ve been asked to talk about X, Y, Z,” and my clarifying question is:
“If you could wave a magic wand, what would you like to see happen as a result of your presentation?”
If you want to be persuasive, you must know the action or behaviour you want to see.
Who
Who are you trying to persuade?
Consider your audience and develop an understanding of what level of information they need in order to make a decision and take action.
Pitch your information at the right level so you do not overwhelm them, but be ready to go deeper if asked.
Persuasion is not about dumping everything you know; it’s about giving them what they need and want.
Why
Why should they care?
Everyone has competing priorities. Why is this important for them to act on now?
This is where you bring in the persuasive elements that help them see the relevance, the urgency, and the benefit.
Your job is to make it easy for them to prioritise your request.
Once you have tackled the what, who, and why, you have the beginnings of clarity and structure.
There are more steps to work through before you open your laptop and start punching out slides.
These are the steps I cover in my 10 Steps to a Persuasive Presentation.
Always happy to chat if you’d like to know more.
- Giving birth to a business - September 3, 2026
- Everyday persuasion #4: Social proof in action - August 14, 2026
- The Rules of Attention - July 31, 2026
