The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters - Lifecycle Performance ...

78 / THE SEVEN STRATEGIES OF MASTER PRESENTERS
that the remaining 10 percent will be rich and valuable. In stage three,
the writer writes for his or her intended audience, and in stage four
the writer has produced something of great value both for himself and
for his intended audience.
The beauty of Bolker’s stages is that they not only hold true for
writing but also for developing a presentation. Think of the zero draft
as a way to get your ideas down on paper. The first draft, outline, or
mind-map can then be developed. At this stage, you are the audience
and you can jot down in the margin any thoughts whatsoever about
the presentation. Again, even if 90 percent of these thoughts are later
discarded, you will find that the remaining 10 percent will be rich and
valuable.
In truth you can begin the zero draft at any time before you do
anything else or after you craft your title. Developing a presentation
is really an iterative process. This means that you may develop a better
title or story or draft at any stage in the preparation of your presentation,
and although the elements are presented individually, they
really work together synergistically. An improvement in any one of
the elements can lead to an improvement in any of the other elements
and an improvement to the presentation as a whole.
In stage three, you rework your presentation with a specific audience
in mind, and in stage four you produce a presentation that has
great value both for your intended audience and for yourself. But it
doesn’t end here; you must practice and get feedback on your presentation
to fine tune both the content and the delivery.
Your Content Advisory Board
First, Master Presenter Ian Percy recommends that presenters of
all levels and abilities use a Content Advisory Board (CAB). The purpose
of the CAB is to give the presenter objective, pertinent, insightful,
and crystal clear feedback on where that presenter’s content is
working and where it is not. Sometimes the material is not appropriate,
sometimes the explanation is not clear enough, sometimes better
or more timely examples are needed. Just as the milk you buy at the
store has a “best before” date, so too does our material. No matter