Chapter 4

Preparation fundamentals

It was Benjamin Franklin who said that ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’, and those words are particularly true in the context of planning for, and delivering, a presentation.

We believe that failing to engage in effective planning and preparation is almost criminally negligent for a leader in today’s business environment. When the stakes are high and the outcome of your presentation is important, it is your planning and preparation that can make the difference between success and failure: it can be a critical success factor.

The importance of effective preparation is easier to relate to if you consider the cost of failure.

Exercise

Consider a few presentations you have given in the past ...

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