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There are three types of presenters in the world: 1. Those who make things happen 2. Those who watch things happen and 3. Those who wonder what happened. If you want to avoid wondering what happened, then you better know why you are speaking in the first place.

But how do you achieve such wisdom? The traditional approach tells you to look at the function of your talk. Are you are trying to inform, persuade, inspire, or entertain? I don't find these distinctions particularly useful.

Because... Any effective presentation should accomplish all of those functions, and every good speech is ultimately a form of persuasion.

A more useful analysis can be made in terms of motivation - your motivation for speaking and the audience's motivation for listening.

Have you been asked to speak? Have you been ordered to speak? Do you want to speak? Does your audience want to hear you?

Remember: Your answer to this question is central to every decision you make about your talk. Yet most people answer it in the vaguest terms. "I want to be a hit." "I want to impress my boss." I want to get it over with."

Set specific goals Do you want to build credibility with your audience? Do you want the audience members to agree with your position? Do you want them to learn something at the end of the presentation? Do you want them to laugh? What do you want them to do?

The answer to this fundamental question is basic: No matter what type of presentation you have been asked to deliver, certain information is basic and essential.

However you slice the analysis, the purpose remains the same - you want to know why you are presenting. If you don't know the answer to this question, the answer will follow the question in the form of a failed presentation.

Source: Ronan Cohen link

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