Creating a presentation for stakeholders.

 This reading provides tips to consider when creating a presentation for stakeholders.

As a reminder, presentations are a great way to share research insights with people in your organization and external parties. There are many digital tools you can use to create a presentation, like Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Apple Keynote. 

Provide an overview 

Include a short roadmap or "table of contents" at the beginning of your presentation, so your audience knows what to expect throughout the presentation. Your roadmap should almost be like a checklist that the audience can follow along, so they have a vision for how much content is left to cover. 

In addition, one slide should feature an overview of the content you’re presenting, also known as an executive summary. It’s kind of like sharing your conclusion or biggest takeaways at the beginning of the presentation. Be sure to discuss how your research impacts the big picture, like how the product would support the company’s goals and objectives. When your audience understands the overall goal of the presentation and your product from the start, they’ll have a better context for specific details and stories you provide later. 

Show numbers

A powerful image often communicates information more clearly than words. Use data, graphs, and charts to illustrate your most important insights. Your goal is to keep the attention of your audience, so let the images and data you show speak to your audience and strengthen the story you’re telling.

Less is more when it comes to text

Keep the information you present short and to the point. Your slides should only include high-level details that answer questions like why, what, and how. Try to include minimal text on your slides so that the audience doesn't spend time reading while you're presenting. If necessary, you can add additional resources in the appendix of your presentation for the audience to review later.

Provide recommendations for next steps 

End the presentation with a list of recommended next steps based on the insights you presented. Your recommendations might include changes to make to the product designs, additional research to conduct, or future meetings to schedule. This step helps gain support from stakeholders and will put the pieces in place to move forward in the design process. It's a best practice to clearly state your recommendations on a single slide. 

Leave time for questions 

At the end of your presentation, be sure to leave a few minutes so your audience can ask questions about the material you presented and for you to clarify any points. This is also a great opportunity for you to provide more details covering areas that your audience is interested in learning more about.

And that's it! With these tips in mind, you're ready to create your very own research presentation and deliver it to stakeholders.