Pre-Presentation: What to Provide Participants with in Advance
One of the most critical components in delivering a successful presentation is engaging the audience. Many presenters spend a great deal of time focusing on how they engage audience members during the presentation, but engagement actually begins before the presentation even starts. Presenters should take the time to reach out to attendees and make sure they are providing them with essential information that will improve their experience. In order to ensure that participants are prepared for your presentation, here is some information you need to provide for them in advance.
Overview of the Presentation
Participants want to know what to expect before they show up to your presentation. Provide a brief description of your presentation and be sure to include a few of your main points. This gives participants a better understanding of what they will be learning about and they can better prepare for the presentation.
Time, Place, Location
Obviously these are critical pieces of information that every participant needs in advance. The sooner you can get this to your attendees the better because it gives people a chance to plan ahead.
Information About the Venue
You want to provide participants with any pertinent information they might need about the venue such as special parking instructions or specific instructions on how to find the venue once inside the building. You will also want to let them know if snacks or drinks will be provided or if they will eat lunch on-site.
Your Contact Information
You want participants to be able to reach out to you if they have any questions or concerns. Provide them with contact information including email, phone number, and social media handles.
Additional Resources to Reference
Participants will always get more out of a presentation if they have some prior knowledge of the topic. Whether you are promoting your presentation with a brochure, email, or social media page, be sure an include links to additional resources.
Incentives
A good way to boost attendance, and interest, is by providing participants with an incentive. You might offer a giveaway to the first 20 people who sign up or provide swag for each person who attends. Regardless of what incentive you choose, notify guests of these incentives in advance so they have something to look forward to.
