using cue cards and planning cards in presentations

The Three Presentation Styles
Before creating a detailed presentation it is worth considering the pros and cons of the three presentation styles available to you. Firstly you could memorize the presentation, secondly you could write a full script and read from it and thirdly you could use free, conversational speech aided by some form of notes or by the using cue cards and planning cards.

Committing a presentation to memory represents an enormous overhead in terms of time and effort and is unnecessary except in some situations where you may be need to present the same subject time and time again. Another drawback with a memorized presentation is that you have to concentrate so hard on remembering what to say that the style can become stilted.

Reading from a fully scripted presentation invariably leads to a dull and boring monologue. It is also likely to reduce eye contact and general spontaneity, with a resultant loss of impact. These problems can generally only be overcome by employing a professional speechwriter to write a presentation that will be delivered by a professional actor.

The use of natural conversational language assisted by pre-prepared cues is almost always the best style for a business presentation. Adopting this approach will help you to sound normal, natural and spontaneous and it will also create a less formal and more relaxed relationship between you and your audience. The use of this cue-assisted natural presentation style underpins the remainder of this section. However in situations where you need to adopt an alternative approach - be it a memorized or scripted presentation, then the content planning can follow a similar approach - but with a greater level of detail being added.

Using Planning Cards
Placing the facts and information that you have collated into the correct position within your presentation structure is a critical process. One of the best ways to put the facts into their optimum sequence to support the messages is to write each fact and piece of information on a separate planning card - these are typically the size of a small postcard. Then by shuffling the order around you will be able to experiment until you find a sequence which delivers the best effect.

During this process you may decide to make alterations to your original structure, changing the sequence and relationships between certain messages. Remember that it is the impact and clarity of the messages that is important, and not sticking rigidly to a structure that can be improved. You may also find that certain facts and pieces of information are more effective in supporting an alternative message to the one which you had originally envisaged - if that is the case move the facts. Remember that the best rule of thumb to adopt when screening your research information is to: stop adding facts when your point is clear and present them in order of importance.

Annotating Your Planning Cards
When you are happy that you have taken this level of planning as far as you can you should apply a simple but unambiguous numbering convention to them all. This will enable you to maintain a clear picture of the flow of your presentation as you proceed to the next section - Planning the Content. It is also useful to annotate each card with the approximate time that you think each fact or piece of information will take to present effectively. As each stage of the presentation has a pre-defined time you will then become aware as you approach its time limit. This is one of the most effective ways of avoiding the common problem - of preparing a presentation that is too long. This may only become apparent when you rehearse the presentation - and then realize, at the eleventh hour, that a serious redesign is required.

Using Cue Cards
At this time you should have a clear picture of your presentation. You will know the overall message - that is encapsulated in the aim statement. You will have devised a series of key points and the messages and sub-messages that you need to present in a way that is clear and convincing. Furthermore you will have organized, in order of importance, the facts and information that you are going to use - and these will be clearly numbered. The amount of detail you require will depend upon the nature and complexity of the material you are presenting, your level of familiarity with it, and your experience and confidence as a presenter. The planning cards that you have may represent a sufficient level of detail from which to deliver a spontaneous presentation. However it is more likely that you will want to convert your planning cards to cue cards. These are a common presentation aid and their role is precisely as their name suggests - to cue the presenter.

This example shows how the information on a fact card might be converted to a cue card.

Fact Card
Total initial investment = $425,000

Cue Card
Total initial investment = $425,000
Cost Breakdown
Laptops with modems and inbuilt printer units = $245,000
Quotation and lead-management software = $65,000
Staff training to recognized standard = $115,000
Total = $425,000
Current market rate for the hardware alone is $325,000 but our purchasing department has secured an offer from a leading supplier for $245,000 – generating a saving of $80,000. This offer remains open for 24 days from today.
All hardware carries 12 month on-site replacement warranty. Written off in the accounts over 24 months but in service for 48 months.

Cue cards should hold the level of information necessary to enable you to present in a natural and seemingly spontaneous way. They are so widely used that it is usually acceptable for the presenter to hold them in one hand and refer to them openly, as required. The cards recommended for the planning phase are also ideally suited for use as cue cards. The first principle is to ensure that a clear and unambiguous numbering convention is applied to all of the cards - so that if you drop during your presentation you can quickly re-arrange them into the correct sequence.

Only write on one side of each cue card - this avoids the distracting behavior of flipping and manipulating them and confusion as to whether or not you have addressed both sides of each spent card. Only communicate one theme or idea on each card - this way when you have covered the point you will be confident that you can move onto the next card. Once again this avoids distracting behavior - of re-scanning cards that you have already dealt with.

Designing Effective Cue Cards
Put enough detail on each card to provide you with adequate support and cues, but don’t let it become a script. If you have too much detail you will either end up reading from the card or continually referring to it. This will be distracting and will also reduce your eye contact with the audience.

Use a large font and double spacing so that the cue cards are easy to read, enabling you to take in the information at a glance. Use color coding to identify lower level information that could be dropped from the presentation in the event that the allocated time has been suddenly shortened or you find yourself overrunning. For example you might use black typeface for all the essential information and red for topics that could be omitted without compromising the integrity of the message - should you find yourself running short of time. You might want to develop a personal shorthand system, for example a smiley face symbol could be placed at strategic points on your cue cards to remind you to make contact with the audience and smile. You might also want to annotate the cards with timing points, enabling you to keep a regular check on your progress.

Adding Timing Prompts to Cue Cards
An important feature of any presentation is the timing. The pauses can be as important as the spoken word in communicating content and meaning. It is the silences that provide the aural punctuation. When planning your delivery consider how it will sound to your audience, where you should break for the audience to take a point on board; or in order to emphasize what you have just said. Add these pauses to your cue card by writing pause at the appropriate place. A pause within a presentation should last longer than a break in normal speech - it should typically be between two and three seconds. You will be able to review the effect of this technique in the rehearsal phase and adjust it accordingly. You should now be aware of a variety of useful guidelines for writing cue cards - but the precise wording is up to you. The only real guideline here is that you should aim to include references to the key words, phrases and examples that you will be using. Remember, the notes on your cue cards should complement the natural language style of your presentation.

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