Presentations are difficult as the presenter has so many things to consider and get right – content, design, and delivery. On top of it, there are deadlines to adhere to.
Club it with other office reports and meetings – and you will find yourself sitting on a haystack of work – with needles at your disposal.
Depending on the type of presentation, it can sometimes be a task to stay on track and deliver within the time limit. If this is something not alien to you, worry not, as we have you covered!
This article sheds light on presentation deadlines and how to manage them.
Tips to Manage Unexpected Delays/Setbacks and Meet Deadlines
Deadline for a presentation means the time frame (date) within which the presentation is to be completed. Mentioned below are some tips to help you overcome general issues in meeting and managing presentation deadlines.
1. Be Clear With Your Planning
There is no second way to do it. Good planning will ensure a smooth process and not let you bleed later. Map out all the tasks needed to finish your presentation – from researching to practicing the delivery.
Allocate time slots to each aspect and plan for any potential obstacles you could face. Anticipating challenges will give you extra time to deal with everything amicably without changing your schedule. Keep a buffer time for unforeseen delays and refinements.
Also, ask for instructions from people responsible (event people, boss, client) if they have specific expectations for the presentation. It will ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the outcome, saving you from issues down the line.
2. Prioritize Your Work
Prioritize your tasks based on their importance. Focus on getting your core right before moving on to design elements. You can’t multitask and juggle between design, aesthetics, and content – all at once. It will only delay your progress and deviate you from achieving the goals.
Getting clarity on what aspects of your presentation will have the most impact on the audience will ensure that you prioritize work and allocate time more efficiently.
By working like that, you will ensure that even in a limited time, your audience can get all the important information they need to make a decision or take action.
3. Delegate if Need Be
If it’s a team presentation, the best would be to delegate tasks to work around tight presentation deadlines. Identify each member’s strengths and schedule tasks accordingly. That way, you will be focused on aspects you are either good at or require more attention.
Also, delegating doesn’t mean giving up control or accountability – it’s to maximize the team’s efficiency by allocating work that people are naturally good at without having to worry about the timeline.
You can also ask people to keep you updated regarding their progress. Engaging others like this will help you stay on track and seek valuable guidance if needed.
4. Be Flexible and Adjust/Improvise Plans
Flexibility is what will help you sail through unfavorable scenarios when working with strict presentation deadlines. There are always unforeseen issues that even the best-laid plans can’t fathom.
Staying flexible will let you recalibrate strategies and timelines, re-evaluate concerns and priorities, seek assistance, simplify parts, and even change the basic content. You can respond to feedback better and make the necessary changes to ensure a successful presentation.
Note – However, make sure that the revised plan is achievable and can be completed in the remaining time without compromising the quality of your work.
5. Use Tools and Pre-Designed Templates
Proper use of presentation tools and templates can save you from repetitive tasks, automate work, manage time, and help you with organization and collaboration.
For instance, software like Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides can assist you with inbuilt design templates to accentuate the aesthetic appeal of your slides.
Whether it’s image editing or collaborating for team input – familiarizing yourself with these tools will enable you to keep them at your disposal – when delay hits.
Also, by streamlining the process of deadline management through presentation tools and readymade PowerPoint templates, you can focus more on other crucial aspects, like content and delivery.
6. Break Down Your Work into Smaller Tasks
A 100-page chapter might feel difficult to memorize, but when you cut it to 10 pages at a time, it’s very much doable. Anything small doesn’t seem daunting and scary to accomplish. Do the same with your presentation.
Divide it into achievable, manageable tasks and create micro-deadlines around it, which are still easier to meet. You will not have the stress of meeting the bigger deadline (in one go), can track your progress, and quickly get back on track (rectify) if you miss any smaller deadlines.
7. Reward Yourself
Divide your presentation into milestones. Whenever you finish a part before or on time, reward yourself. It will motivate you to adhere to deadlines and want to finish up sooner. That way, when the actual deadline comes, you will have your work finished much sooner or at least ahead of time.
Also, keep your eyes on the prize. Once you have committed to something, set your mind on delivering in the prescribed time, irrespective of foreseen/unforeseen hurdles.
8. Create Earlier Deadlines
One of the easiest ways is to create earlier deadlines. It will give you a buffer zone and let you complete your work faster. You can also build a schedule around your presentation.
For instance, if you have a timeline of 10 days, the introduction is to be finished by the 2nd day, and so on.
Scheduling or setting earlier deadlines will help you keep on track and manage your progress well.
9. Shorten Your Speech
Cut down on the length of your speech if it seems too long and is taking time to craft and practice. What you can do is-
- Think of what you seek to accomplish. You should be able to iterate the key message of your presentation in one sentence – if not, your presentation requires more work.
- Run through the points you wish to make. If it doesn’t further your purpose directly, narrow your speech by cutting it.
- See how you can wrap up each section (introduction, body, and conclusion) of your presentation concisely.
- Practice by allotting time points to the speech. That way, if you haven’t reached a section of the speech by a certain time, you will know you are running late. It will help you figure out which part of the speech is causing you trouble and take care of it.
10. Practice
Keep practicing your presentation till you don’t get it down cold. Do it alone and then in front of people to get constructive feedback and improve upon the particular aspects.
Improvisation and refinement are a much-needed process to get the presentation right. You wouldn’t want to complete the presentation on time (within the deadline) only to figure out later the number of corrections needed and get on with the same process again.
So, run your content through people to make it grow organically with changes as and when required.
Also, rehearse smartly to work around strict deadlines. For instance, you can focus more on specific parts (the beginning and end) rather than working on the entire presentation repeatedly in case time is short.
The targeted approach will let you work on the crucial parts and refine your presentation without needing more time.
11. Keep Calm
It’s normal to panic in uncomfortable scenarios like getting close to missing deadlines. But panicking will cloud your senses more and make you lose critical time. It’s best to keep your composure and assess everything rationally and objectively.
Get hold of the issue’s impact on your deadline and what you can do to mitigate and avoid further escalation.
When you get anxious, it’s common to get a dry mouth and lose focus on the work at hand. Keep yourself hydrated to keep your body calm and relaxed.
Try relaxation exercises like deep breathing to ease tension, calm nerves, regulate your stress, and focus on the work to be done.
12. Seek Support and Extension
Seeking help and support is vital in case of roadblocks. If you are overwhelmed, the best approach would be to reach out to mentors, peers, and individuals who can help in the process by offering assistance or feedback.
Also, seeking support is not a weak thing but a strategic move that will help you upgrade your work under time constraints.
If you feel you won’t be able to meet the deadline, let the people (event manager, boss, client) know about it immediately. That way, you can expect alternative arrangements or extensions, whichever is feasible.
13. Keep a Track of Your History
You need to be honest with yourself. Have you missed presentation deadlines before?
If yes, then what was the issue? Find out your sticking points.
Are you someone who has trouble starting early, is a late finisher, or procrastinates? What caused you to miss earlier deadlines?
Take help from other people at the workplace. Learn their secret to presentation success, and you can follow their strategies.
Summing It Up
Presentation deadlines are daunting. But if you plan well and more or less stick to the decided trajectory, meeting the deadline can become a cakewalk.
Set smaller milestones and keep track of the timeline to ensure timely completion.
If you still get stuck – the above tips will help you overcome hurdles and deliver your presentation with flying colors.
