How to Prepare a Last-Minute Presentation Efficiently

There are times when you must scramble to get ready for a last-minute presentation. You might have been asked to step in for someone else. Or you may be asked to give an unexpected debrief or an update with only an hour's notice.

Whatever the situation, you still need to put together a solid last-minute presentation.

So, how do you make a presentation without time to prepare? Here are some pointers to help you prepare a last-minute presentation in record time.

1. Keep talking points simple.

"It's always a good idea to keep your message simple when giving a speech,” says communication coach, keynote speaker and author Dorie Clark, “because it's easier for the audience to follow.” 

Keeping your talking points simple is “especially important,” stresses Clark, “when giving a last-minute presentation because you haven't had much time to prepare! Keeping your talking points simple ensures that you're able to remember the flow of your argument and won't stumble because you're tried to do too much without adequate rehearsal time." 

To create a presentation when you’re pressed for time, limit the key points you’ll discuss to no more than five points and avoid including too many statistics, numbers and facts. 

To quickly create a last-minute presentation, it also helps to use slides, whether it’s PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, or Canva, to name a few. But the slides need to be simple, displaying keywords or short phrases that can help the audience follow your talk while serving as a teleprompter for you, allowing you to remember what you have to say. Simplify your slides by picking no more than two fonts. 

When you set out to create a presentation at short notice, you might also think about using software that creates your slides automatically, such as Canva, DeckRobot, or Haiku Deck.

"Keeping your talking points simple ensures that you're able to remember the flow of your argument and won't stumble because you're tried to do too much without adequate rehearsal time." —Dorie Clark, communication coach

2. Create a concise and timely presentation. 

Planning a presentation for a last-minute talk starts with creating a simple outline for what you want to say. 

To help you achieve this, write down the answers to these two key questions:

• What is the main message I want my audience to know? You should be able to articulate this in a few concise sentences. Then structure your talk around the main message you want them to remember.
• Why should they care? Some of the silent questions audience members ask themselves are: Why should I care? What’s in it for me? Why is this important? Again, craft a few concise answers on the benefits they will derive from your presentation.

Go easy on the details. Stick to the bare minimum you need to discuss to accomplish this goal.

What if you have no time at all to prepare for your last-minute presentation?

Let’s say someone has just stepped into your office and asked you to cover for someone at the eleventh hour. How do you create a presentation without panicking?

I posed the question to communication and body language expert Anne-Maartje Oud, CEO and Founder of The Behaviour Company: 

"When I help executive clients working on their presentation skills,” says Oud, “I teach the following:

• If you have no time to prepare a presentation, rehearse what you would say if you only had one minute.
• Identify key takeaways for the audience with just a few words. For example: after this presentation, I want my audience to know about effective communication, establishing trust, and open gestures.
• Then, very briefly, you write down the things you want to cover.”

An essential part of planning a presentation, especially a last-minute one, is timing the presentation.

Let’s say your presentation is for 30 minutes. Check your timing and edit ruthlessly until you are within 30 minutes. You can use a stopwatch or the timer in your presentation software to accomplish this.

Knowing your exact timing is critical to ensuring your presentation is short and simple. A well-timed presentation can also boost your self-confidence as it will help you stay in control of time and ensure that your presentation doesn’t drag on or feel rushed. 

3. Craft a compelling narrative for your last-minute presentation.

A story is a lot easier to remember than a bunch of facts, statistics, numbers or lists. That's because hearing a story fully engages our brains. 

We can usually recall a story about a situation we've experienced or are familiar with. And because we're already familiar with the subject of our story, we'll most likely be able to improvise and add details once we're on stage. This spontaneity will enhance your delivery and move you away from "presenter mode," where you might look like you're reciting facts.

And there are other benefits to using a story in your last-minute presentation besides helping you memorize your speech faster:

• A story will help to make your information more engaging. 
• Stories can hook and hold the audience's attention.
• Stories can also assist in conveying your message with greater clarity. 
• Above all, using a story will help your audience remember your message longer.

How can you quickly prepare for a last-minute presentation by using a story? I posed the question to communication coach and theorist Dr. Nick Morgan, president of public speaking consultants Public Words. 

"Think of a problem the audience has," says Morgan, "for which your expertise (the reason you were asked to speak) is the solution. 

"Now, think of a story that you experienced that illustrates how you solved the problem. A good story has conflict, so begin with that – what was going wrong, and how did you fix it, or see a solution, or help find the solution? Craft your story in terms of problem-solution, and you will hold the audience's attention every time." 

4. Include some audience participation. 

When preparing a last-minute presentation, consider involving the audience as much as you can. For example, when planning your presentation, identify opportunities in your material to ask the audience questions. 

“Remember," says Oud, “your audience is also full of good ideas. Tap into the great knowledge your audience possesses. Let the audience do the work for you. How do they define the topic you are talking about? For example: how do they define establishing trust? How would they establish it? Then, using your own knowledge and expertise, expand on their responses by having them consider things they have not thought of.

"Interaction with the audience creates a more vibrant environment and allows them to ask you those questions that are important to them and that they may have been reluctant to bring up.”

In addition to asking questions throughout your presentation, you can plan a question-and-answer session. Consider preparing a few quick slides to explain your point for potentially complex questions you haven't had time to rehearse. Note the numbers of these slides so you can go to them quickly while answering the question. You can say: "This question comes up frequently. I created a slide to help explain the issue better." Or, "I had a hunch this question might come up. Let me pull out a slide that will clarify the issue."

5. Practice, practice, practice.

"You may not have much time to practice your presentation if it's been assigned to you at the last minute,” says Clark, “but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. You don't want to freeze up in the moment because you're unsure what you want to say or you've forgotten the flow of your prepared remarks.”

Even a little practice, advises Clark, can help you feel more confident. It can make you “aware of tricky parts of the presentation where you'll need to especially concentrate. That confidence typically translates into a strong and more compelling presentation." 

And how do you prepare a presentation if you have no time at all to practice?

Even if you have just 10 minutes to prepare a presentation, use some of this time to practice the beginning of your talk. The beginning is a powerful part of the presentation because that’s when you make your first impression on the audience. A good start signals to the audience that the presentation is worth their time and will pique their interest. Above all, delivering a good opening statement will boost your confidence to carry you through the rest of the talk.

Examples of attention-grabbing opening statements include a story that leads you into your topic, a relevant startling statistic, or a current headline. Here are additional ideas on how to craft a compelling opening statement. 

6. Don't let them see you sweat.

You may be tempted to let the audience know you haven’t had much time to prepare for a last-minute presentation. But most public speaking experts say that’s not a good idea. For one thing, the audience may not notice, so why draw attention to it?

Also, if you look nervous and start speaking too fast – especially if you signal to your audience that you haven't prepared enough – you may create a self-fulfilling prophecy and see your presentation fall apart.

Instead, fake it till you make it. Create a good presentation and make it seem like you’ve done enough planning and have an important message to convey.

Above all, don’t let them see you sweat, and work on boosting your confidence and lowering your stress level before the presentation. To get expert advice on how to do this, I spoke with Joe Navarro, ex-FBI special agent and one of the world's leading experts on non-verbal communication. Navarro is now an instructor and private consultant to major corporations. 

Navarro shared this powerful tip to help you relax just before you walk into the presentation room:

"What I like to do and teach my clients," says Navarro, "is find a wall and place both hands on the wall shoulder-width apart, and with one leg back and one forward, lean into the wall as if holding it in place, straining the arms and shoulders muscles, just enough to feel the muscular tension. (It looks like a suspect under arrest.) 

"While in that leaning position, your brain can only handle one task – survival – and whatever insecurities you have about speaking are no longer a priority.

"While in that forward-leaning position – and it doesn't have to take more than thirty seconds – tell yourself something you will speak on that is true or an established fact you want to convey to the audience – just one. With the confidence of that one thing, whatever it is, as you walk out on stage, you will be able to more confidently and easily follow up with other things.

"After thirty seconds or so, stand normally, do a deep exhale, then head out to speak.

"The combination of light physical stress refocuses the brain's priority, and focusing on one well-established fact or truth will give your brain the confidence it needs in that moment."

Deliver Outstanding Presentations on the Fly: The Takeaway

Making a presentation on the fly can be daunting. Following these recommendations can help you walk into your last-minute presentation confidently.

1. Have faith in your capabilities. If you’re being asked to give a last-minute presentation, it means that people have confidence in your knowledge and expertise. They trust that you can pull it off. So, believe in yourself and the hard work you’ve done to get to that place where you’re trusted.
2. Fake it till you make it. Your audience doesn’t know the flow of your presentation. If you forget a point and remember it later, simply say: "There is one other item I would like to add," or "Let me digress for a moment to mention another point." 
3. Relax. Anxiety is a major contributor to losing your train of thought. Stretch your body before entering the room, take some deep breaths, take a glass of water to the room, smile, and get out of yourself and engage the audience. 

A version of this article was originally published on January 20, 2017.

Photo: Getty Images