Selling the Steak -- How to Research Your Presentation Topic

WIIFM is not the call letters for a radio station, the key to a secret code, or an acronym for a new government agency. It's a question that's in the minds of every audience. The question? WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

The answer to the question is in your program content. The key to valuable content is your research. If you research properly, you'll develop meaningful content and satisfy your audience. Here are some strategies for researching your topic.

Research Your Audience

This is your most important step. You must know what information your audience wants or needs to get, or what problem they need to solve. Try to find this out from the meeting planner.

Get the names and contact information of a few key people who will be in your audience. Contact them and find out their needs. What result they would like to have because of your presentation.

When you have this information, your assignment gets a focus. You know what you need to do. You know the definition of success. Your next step is to document what you know about the subject.

Document What You Know

Many presenters overlook this rich resource -- their own knowledge and experiences. Using what you know about the subject has advantages.

First, you don't have to do any searching or go anywhere for material. All the information is in your memory.

Second, your experiences are rich sources for anecdotal material to support your ideas. Use them to illustrate your points.

Third, you save time. It takes a lot less time to document what you know about a subject than to document what others know.

After you write down what you know about the topic, decide if you need more information. If you need more material, use the Internet to complete your research.

Develop and Tap Web Resources

The Internet is your powerful research ally. It places the world's libraries and other information resources at your fingertips, and you don't have to leave your computer.

Set up a folder in your web browser for listing resource sites. For example, if you use Internet Explorer, create a folder called "Research Resources" and put it in your "Favorites" list.

Create sub-folders to house links to sites for sources of different information. You might have a folder for dictionary and thesaurus sites and another folder for quotation sites. You could have folders for general reference information and other folders for sites specific to your knowledge areas.

Next, tap into these web sources. Integrate this information into your documented, personal information knowledge base about your program topic. Now, you have your content, which you must organize into a cohesive presentation.

There's a saying that marketers and advertisers use -- "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." It's true that people are motivated when their emotional hot buttons are pushed. In business presentations, "sizzle" is not enough. You must also "sell the steak" -- have value-added content, fueled by effective research.

So conduct your research by knowing your audience and their needs, tapping into appropriate Web resources, and using your experiences and knowledge of the topic. When you do this, your content will satisfy that ever-present question in the minds of your audiences, "What's in it for me?"

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