When giving a presentation, structuring your talk around “the great unveil,” saving key findings for the end, is tempting. But the last-minute nature of the unveil means your audience doesn’t have time to fully understand the information, so they won’t be prepared to discuss it. An unveil can also create problems if you’re surprising people with a new idea – especially if it’s controversial. Instead, structure your presentation to invite discussion and participation. Draft your talk in partnership with important members of the audience. Getting people involved early helps identify problems that need solving and solutions that have been tried. Send out pre-reading materials so people aren’t absorbing your findings as you say them. And appoint facilitators to draw out questions and comments from the group after you’ve finished presenting.
Adapted from
“Create a Conversation, Not a Presentation,” by John Coleman.
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