While my wife, the Chemical Engineer, insists I’m not a real engineer, my Virginia Tech diplomas do have the words “Industrial Engineering” on them. And while I haven’t had the word “engineer” in my job title for the last 20 years, I still see the world through engineer-colored (safety?) glasses. So, when I started teaching presentation design 16 years ago, I started with a formula taught to me by my major professor, Dr. Harold Kurstedt:

Audience + Purpose = Design

When you build a presentation, or any communication, you have to know your audience and the purpose of your meeting to effectively design your material. Seems obvious, but how many times have you:

· Developed a presentation when you didn’t know who would be in the room?

· Developed a presentation when you didn’t know who the decision-maker would be?

· Hosted a meeting where, 10 minutes in, someone asks, “Why are we here?”?

· Left a meeting with the decision you wanted, but then realized you didn’t ask for the resources you needed?

I thought so.

The Golden Rule Gets an Upgrade

When The Golden Rule was originally written, PowerPoint hadn’t been invented, people still used transparencies and overhead projectors (google it, millennials), and if you wanted to review your presentation with someone not in the room, you had to fax it. Today, we have digital projectors, Skype meetings with desktop sharing, and GoToWebinar training classes. So, I’ve added “Setting” to The Golden Rule and renamed it The Platinum Rule.

Design = 𝒇(𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞,𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞,𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠)

The Platinum Rule of Presentations in Action

The formula creates a framework for planning your presentation design. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you start your next presentation.

Audience:

· Who is the decision-maker?

· What do they care about?

· What context do they have?

Purpose:

· What are your goals?

· What do you need from your audience?

· What are the three most important things you need your audience to remember?

Setting:

· Will your audience be in person? Everyone?

· How much time do you have to present?

· What technology will you be using?

Use this as a checklist for your next presentation. I guarantee you it will save you time and, more importantly, increase your chances for success.