How do I use props in my presentation?
Charities – how to connect with your presentation audience
Crafting and delivering an effective presentation that can inspire, persuade or motivate an audience is a crucial skill for anyone working and speaking in the charity sector. Whether you’re looking to secure funding, inspire volunteers, or influence policymakers, the key to success lies in knowing your goal. This key step guides the content you create, ensures your presentation is engaging and increases your chances of success.
In this post, we’ll explore why knowing your goal is so important and how to quickly find the goal for your next charity presentation.
Download the Charity Presentation Skills Guide here
What is a presentation goal?
A presentation goal is the clear, purposeful outcome you aim to achieve when addressing an audience. It usually includes what you specifically want your audience to think, feel or do after they have heard your message.
A presentation goal is a guiding star, shaping content, delivery, and engagement strategies. Your goal focuses your message and defines success.
A good presentation goal is specific and measurable.
Why is having a goal for your presentation important?
Working in the charity sector is multifaceted, involving diverse audiences and overlapping objectives. Without a clear goal for your presentation, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the temptation to share everything you know. However, trying to do too much at once risks diluting your message and confusing your audience.
A focused goal helps you prioritise what truly matters. It ensures your audience leaves the room understanding exactly what you need from them, whether that’s a financial pledge, a commitment of time, or support for a policy proposal. Think of your goal as the foundation of your presentation—everything else builds upon it.
The Risks of Not Having a Clear Goal for your Presentation
When your presentation lacks a defined objective, several issues can arise:
- Information overload: Audiences can feel overwhelmed by too many details.
- Confusion: Without a central message, your audience may struggle to understand what’s being asked of them.
- Missed opportunities: A scattered approach can make your presentation less persuasive, reducing its impact.
By contrast, presentations built around a clear goal are more likely to resonate, inspire, and lead to meaningful action.
How do I Set a Presentation Goal?
So, how do you keep your presentation goal-focused? Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. Define Your “Ask”
Start by asking yourself, What is the single most important thing I want this audience to do after my presentation? Your “ask” should be:
- Specific: Instead of saying, “We need support for our youth programme,” try, “We’re asking for a £10,000 donation to fund 20 scholarships for disadvantaged young people.”
- Actionable: Your audience should clearly understand what steps they need to take, whether that’s filling out a pledge card, signing up for a mailing list, or committing to a meeting.
Writing your “ask” down helps cement it as the core focus of your presentation.
2. Understand Your Audience
Tailoring your presentation to your audience is essential for making your goal achievable. Ask yourself:
- What does my audience care about?
- What motivates them to take action?
- What barriers might they face in supporting my cause?
By aligning your goal with their priorities, you’ll create a message that’s both compelling and relevant. For example, if you’re speaking to corporate sponsors, emphasise how their support will align with their CSR objectives and deliver measurable impact.
3. Tailor Your Content
Once your goal is defined, carefully choose your content. Every story, statistic, and visual should directly support your main presentation goal. Consider:
- Storytelling: Personal stories create an emotional connection. Choose anecdotes that highlight the impact of your charity’s work and tie them directly to your goal.
- Data: Use concise, relevant statistics that underscore your need. For example, “Our youth programme increased graduation rates by 30% last year, but we need funding to expand.”
- Visuals: Avoid cluttered slides. Use imagery and charts that simplify complex information and reinforce your message.
4. Create a Narrative Arc
Your presentation should have a clear beginning, middle, and end:
- Beginning: Introduce your cause and establish why it matters.
- Middle: Present evidence and examples that lead naturally to your goal.
- End: Make your “ask” crystal clear and inspire your audience to act.
Structuring your presentation this way ensures a logical flow and keeps your audience engaged. A logical order of information is easier for your audience to understand and remember.
5. Stay on Track
As you draft your presentation, review it regularly to ensure every element serves your goal.
Ask yourself:
- Does this slide or point support my presentation goal?
- Am I repeating information unnecessarily?
- Is there anything that could distract from my main message?
Simplicity is key—cutting out unnecessary details helps your audience focus on what really matters.
How does a clear goal help a presentation?
When your goal is clear, your presentation naturally becomes more concise. Instead of trying to cover everything, you’re free to focus on the most important points. This approach benefits both you and your audience:
- For you: It reduces the stress of over-preparing and ensures your message is easier to deliver.
- For your audience: It creates a more digestible, memorable experience, increasing the likelihood of action.
Remember, your audience’s attention span is limited. A focused presentation respects their time while driving home your key message.
Takeaway: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
A presentation with a clear goal is like a well-signposted journey: your audience knows exactly where they’re going and how to get there. When you define your objective, it becomes much easier to streamline your content. By focusing only on the information and stories that directly serve your goal, you ensure your presentation stays concise and to the point.
This clarity not only prevents overwhelm but also makes your message more powerful and memorable. A clear goal doesn’t just shape your content—it helps build confidence in your delivery because you know exactly what you’re trying to achieve.
Whether you're fundraising, recruiting, or influencing policy, knowing your goal ensures every word and slide drives action. When you know your goal, you’re not just presenting—you’re inspiring change.
Explore more Charity Presentation Skills advice!
This article is a part of our complete guide to Outstanding Presentation Skills for Charities and Purpose-Driven Organisations (it’s a catchy title, isn’t it?!).
The guide shares top tips, tricks and techniques to make all aspects of your charity presentations super effective. It is completely focused on helping you to highlight the impact that you are making and to achieve your charitable goals.
You can view all of the articles within the guide at the links below, or download a quick guide here.
- How do I measure my presentation success?
- How should I start my presentation?
- How do I connect with my presentation audience?
- How do I be concise in a presentation?
- How can I tailor my presentation to the audience?
- How do I highlight impact, within my presentations?
- How can I make my presentation truly compelling?
- How should I use emotion and logic in a presentation?
- How can I add audience participation into my presentation?
- How do I write a clear presentation Call To Action (CTA)?
- How do I successfully use technology in a presentation?
- How can I use a story structure to make my presentation more engaging?
- How do I use visual aids in a presentation?
- How do I use props in a presentation?
- How do I include testimonials in my presentation?
- How should I rehearse my presentation?
- How to prepare for a Question and Answer (Q&A) session?
- How do I improve my presentations?
Meet your charity public speaking expert...
Hi!
I’m Rich Watts and I design and deliver presentation skills training for charities (and a host of other organisations too!) that need their people to inspire, persuade and motivate audiences. I am fortunate enough to have won the UK Business Speaker of the Year competition way back in 2012, and since then I have been using all of my geeky knowledge and Third Sector experience to help charities like yours.
