How To Give Effective Community Presentations  
 
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An effective public affairs program requires an ongoing relationship with the communities directly affected. Presentations can be one of the most effective methods of conveying your messages and addressing community issues. Here are some ways to make your community presentations interesting and effective:
  1. Know your audience. Understand who they are and their concerns. What matters to a group of seniors will be different from what matters to a PTA group. This will require some research and will determine everything about how you prepare the presentation.
  2. Customize your materials to suit your audience. Some audiences respond better to a slide show, others to charts and graphs.
  3. Time is of the essence. Keep your presentation as short as possible and never, never, never go over your allotted time.
  4. Avoid being too technical. Keep in mind that in most cases, you're much closer to the issue than they are. Your presentation is likely being done to familiarize and educate a group about issues that most directly affect them. Make the presentation understandable to an eighth grader and save the more technical explanations for one-on-one meetings.
  5. Leave it to the experts. Once you've determined what is going to be presented, make sure it is going to be presented by a credible source.
  6. Prepare an outline. Your points are most effective if made in an orderly fashion. Good outlines keep you from skipping important points and prevent you from rambling.
  7. Practice, Practice, Practice. Schedule a practice run at least two days before the presentation. This will leave enough time for any changes or adjustments that may need to be made. All people involved in the presentation should participate.
  8. Be Flexible. Sometimes the audience wants more or something other than what you've prepared. Go with the flow.
  9. Anticipate questions. Start by writing out a list of questions you're likely to be asked, then ask others to help you practice. Make sure you know the answers. If you don't know the answer, be honest but get back with an answer ASAP.
  10. Don't let all of your preparation go to waste. Make sure that you have the equipment necessary to present your materials. Be sure you bring and test overhead projectors, VCRs, outlets, easels, extra light bulbs and batteries if they aren't going to be provided.
  11. Leave them with something they can reference. Bring handouts of material presented.
  12. Follow up while the issue is still fresh in their minds. Be certain that any requests for additional information or contacts are immediately returned following the presentation.

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