The Main Message is Mainly Missing

How often do you spend time before planning a presentation to really think through why you are going to talk. What is your purpose, what is your goal? Do you have one :) ? Even if you're a student or your boss just told you to talk about something, you still have the purpose of showing that you know what you're talking about, or are generally competent... don´t you?

What many text books call your "Main Message", is only one item, not fifteen. Easily stated in one short sentence. It should shine through on every slide you show and every topic you take up. You don't have to literally say what it is. A good example is companies presenting for investors where they must show they are competent and trustworthy. But if it's not mentioned directly, then it should be the subliminal message throughout the presentation. It takes a bit of work, and it stops you from starting your slide production immediately, but it's always worth thinking seriously about, if only to figure out what you can leave out or include when time is short. This is the essence, or the main theme that holds your presentation together. So sit down a moment and ask yourself: Why am I giving this talk?, What do I want to achieve? What's my point exactly? What's the bottom line? If the audience only remember one thing, what should that be? Just keep asking the question WHY? until you get to the bottom of it.