Sample of a Presentation Brief

In Nov 21's post I shared with you a tool called the Presentation Brief. This post shares an example of a filled Presentation Brief.

For every presentation we follow (or ought to follow) a similar process. We need to gather enough information about the presentation before actually launching into deciding the content and making the slides. I have invented this tool to bring some method into the madness. It will help you get a proper picture of the presentation.

This is how it works.
As soon as you are asked to make a presentation, the first thing you should do is to fill the Presentation Brief. Download the Brief by clicking here. As promised I am presenting a sample of a filled Presentation Brief today.

Sample Presentation Brief

A sales manager of a real estate company is going to make a sales pitch to a group of prospective buyers. He plans to sell apartments to these people. I have filled this brief in first person (assuming I am the sales manager who is going to make the sales presentation).

A. The Facts

1. Who is presenting?
I (the sales manager) along with 2 of my colleagues. My colleagues will only help me tackle queries.

2. Who is the audience?
Software engineers from Infogama. They live in Hyderabad, earn INR 50,000 per month and work in the Hi-Tech City area. They are only interested in properties within 5 kms from their work place. They are all highly educated but do not understand the terms (and jargons) of real estate industry. I have to educate them on some of the basics of how to buy a home and then pitch for our property. If I remove some old testimonials and replace it with testimonials of IT professionals they will get more interested.

3. Size of the audience?
5 of them have given us appointment. So I must carry atleast 5 brochures/leaflets and presentation handouts.

4. What is the duration of the presentation?
We have been asked to complete everything in 60 minutes. I shall keep 30 minutes for the presentation and devote 30 minutes to answer queries. If I talk for 45 minutes, we will not be able to convince them in just 15 minutes.

5. When is the presentation? How much time do I have to prepare slides?
The presentation is on Monday and today is Friday. I already have my presentation which I gave to Bank employees last week. I will edit it a bit and get it ready by Saturday. So I have only 6 hours to devote to this work.

6. Where is the presentation? How will it be delivered?
They have allowed us to present in their conference room. I saw the room, it accomodates 20 people. Has a good projector. I however need my own wireless presenter.

They might ask me for a copy of the slides. I will burn 5 CDs and go prepared.

7. Significance of the presentation?
This is the first time my company is presenting to Infogama employees. First impression will be crucial. We have to leave a great impression about our company and our project. Last week wen I presented at Vippo (another IT company) the case was very different. We already have 50 clients there and our reputation is good. But here at Infogama, we better get to know these guys well and build a good rapport so we can come again and present to their colleagues.

8. Is it a regular presentation?
Yes, it is. It is a normal sales presentation but there is one difference. Before selling the project, we need to sell our company and hence we need some more slides on the company, carry the brochure. I now think I should also get my boss into meeting. We may be able to then take these guys out for lunch.

B. The Story

1. What is the objective of the presentation?
We need to showcase our new project 'Andromeda' to these guys. All we want is to impress them so that they get ready to come for a site visit. Once they see the construction site, we can then make another presentation which share more details on the actual project. So this presentation will convince them of the company and give overview of the project. The next one at the construction site office will close the deal.

Given that Infogama is a good place to get future customers from, we should look at building good relationship with these 5 guys.

2. What are the key messages?
We have to drive home these message in order to achieve our objectives:
i. Our company is an old, trusted company known for its 'technological' edge
ii. We always deliver property on time and command a premium because of our unique designs
iii. Project Andromeda is the right choice for these IT professionals because of its price range and location
iv. The unique thing about this project which separates it from all other in town are its XYZ features

3. What is the audience expecting from this presentation?
They have the money and are buying a home for the first time. Good that I asked them about it over the phone. So they would like to know about the project and about the company. Anything else? Well let me call him now and ask what they are actually expecting? (It is better to ask than to assume)

4. What action should the audience take immediately after the presentation?
a) They should start asking more questions about the project (which means they like the project). b) They should be convinced about the credentials of our company c) They should agree to come and see the site. If they don't agree then chance of their conversions are low.

C. Presentation Specific Information

1. Do's and Don'ts for this presentation
a) We must be able to fend off question about our company. Which means we need to prepare better. Why not take our VP to the meeting so that he can tackle these questions better?

b) We must not discuss anything about our competition. As a company policy, we should never compare our projects to someone else's.

c) We must not go too deep into project details. It is the specialist on our construction site who is more adept at handling such questions. All we have to do it to get the prospects to our site.

2. RemarksI should start the presentation asking them about the kind of property they are looking for. In case Project Andromeda does not suit them, we can actually convince them to buy our upcoming Project Paradise. It is better if I call them now and ask this question.
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The more extensively you will think and fill this brief, the more it will help you understand the presentation better. You must fill this Presentation Brief in discussion with other people related to the presentation. This process will also help you create the presentation faster and easier.

This presentation brief aims to get you understand the presentation better. Once you are done with it, you can start planning the content and creating the slides. Try this tool and write to me with feedback. Together we can make it even better.