Applying Project Management Principles to Presentations

The essence of Project Management is "Plan the work, and then work the plan". The end result of a project does not happen by accident. Neither a successful nor failed project happen by accident. Actions taken during the project deliver a result.

How does this essence help presenters? Well, successful presentations don't just happen by accident either. Your memorable presentation is a result of actions that you have taken at appropriate times. In order to deliver a powerful presentation, you must have decided on the content for your presentation, created PowerPoint slides that fit your message and rehearsed your presentation. You probably confirmed the date and time of the presentation and tested your equipment before the audience walked into the room.

How do you keep track of everything? How do you remember to send your introduction a week before the presentation? Do you even know who to send it to? The easiest way to deliver powerful presentations every time, is by creating a simple project plan of the work to be done, and then working your plan.

In this podcast, you can learn "How to use Project Management Principles to plan your next presentation".

In short, here are the steps to take:
1. Put the date of your presentation at the bottom of a new Excel spreadsheet.
2. Working up the page, and back from your presentation, create interim target dates. For example, make a note of the date that you must send your introduction, and the date that you must deliver your PowerPoint slides to the meeting planner.
3. Add to your plan, as you uncover more work that needs to be done.
4. Keep your plan for your next presentation , and improve on it as you move forward.