Capstone: Build and Deliver a Complete Presentation

Everything Comes Together

Over seven lessons, you’ve built a complete presentation toolkit:

Audience analysis that ensures you’re talking to people, not at them
Purpose clarity that keeps every slide focused on what matters
Structure that creates momentum from opening to close
Slide writing that communicates visually, not just verbally
Data storytelling that makes numbers memorable
Audience adaptation that tailors your message for who’s in the room
Practice techniques that make your delivery feel natural

Now you’ll use all of it. In this capstone, you’re building a complete 10-minute presentation from scratch.

The Capstone Project

Your assignment: Build and practice a 10-minute presentation on a topic relevant to your work or life.

If you don’t have a real presentation coming up, choose one of these scenarios:

Pitch a project idea to your manager
Present quarterly results to your team
Propose a process improvement at work
Give a 10-minute conference talk on your area of expertise
Present a product recommendation to a client

Step 1: Audience Analysis (15 minutes)

Create your audience cheat sheet from Lesson 2:

Help me build an audience cheat sheet.

My presentation: [topic and scenario]
My audience: [who specifically]
The situation: [why this presentation is happening]

Create the complete cheat sheet:
- WHO: [audience description]
- THEIR MOOD: [supportive / skeptical / neutral]
- THEY CARE ABOUT: [top 3 priorities]
- THEY ALREADY KNOW: [existing knowledge]

PURPOSE:
- Think: [desired belief change]
- Feel: [desired emotion]
- Do: [desired action]

CORE MESSAGE (barbecue test):
[One sentence]

TOP 3 OBJECTIONS:
[Objection → Response for each]

SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE:
[Specific outcome]

Step 2: Structure (15 minutes)

Build your presentation framework from Lesson 3:

Using my audience cheat sheet: [paste it]

Build the presentation structure:

1. OPENING (60 seconds):
   - Which technique? (statistic, question, story,
     bold statement, or contrast)
   - Draft the opening

2. SCR FRAMEWORK:
   - Situation: [shared understanding]
   - Complication: [the problem/opportunity]
   - Resolution: [your recommendation]

3. THREE MAIN POINTS:
   For each:
   - Claim (one sentence)
   - Evidence (the strongest proof)
   - Meaning (why it matters to this audience)
   - Transition to the next point

4. CLOSE (90 seconds):
   - Summary of three points
   - Callback to opening
   - Call to action

5. TIME BUDGET:
   - Opening: 1 min
   - Point 1: 2.5 min
   - Point 2: 2.5 min
   - Point 3: 2 min
   - Close: 1 min
   - Buffer: 1 min

Step 3: Write the Slides (20 minutes)

With your structure set, now create the slides. Remember the rules from Lesson 4:

One idea per slide
Headlines are claims, not topics
40 words maximum per slide
Details go in speaker notes

Here's my presentation structure: [paste from Step 2]

For each section, create the slide content:

Format each slide as:
SLIDE [number]:
- Headline: [claim, under 12 words]
- Visual suggestion: [what image, chart, or graphic]
- Body text (if any): [under 40 words]
- Speaker notes: [key talking points]

Target: 8-10 slides total for a 10-minute presentation.

Apply the headline test: Read just the headlines in sequence. Do they tell the complete story?

Apply the glance test: Can each slide be understood in 3 seconds?

Step 4: Data Slides (if applicable, 10 minutes)

If your presentation includes data, apply Lesson 5 techniques:

I have these data points to include:
[list your data]

For each:
1. What's the story this data tells?
2. What chart type communicates it best?
3. What's the headline (the insight, not the data label)?
4. How can I make the number tangible?
   (anchor, comparison, human scale)
5. What should I say about this data?
   (Context → Data → Insight → Implication)

Step 5: Q&A Preparation (10 minutes)

From Lesson 7, generate your tough questions:

My presentation argues: [core message]
My audience: [who they are]
My weakest points: [honest assessment]

**Quick check:** Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.


Generate the 10 toughest questions, organized by type:
- 3 challenging the evidence
- 3 about feasibility or implementation
- 2 about risks
- 2 designed to put me on the spot

For each, give me:
- The question
- The subtext (what they're really asking)
- My answer strategy (not a script—an approach)

Step 6: Practice (30 minutes)

Run-Through 1: Content Check

Deliver the full presentation out loud. Don’t worry about delivery. Focus on content:

Does the structure flow?
Does every section fit within its time budget?
Are transitions smooth?
Does the opening grab attention?
Does the close land?

Run-Through 2: Delivery Check

Do it again. This time focus on how you deliver:

Pace: are you rushing?
Eye contact: are you reading notes?
Energy: does your enthusiasm come through?
Filler words: catch the ums and uhs

Run-Through 3: Simulation

Use AI as your audience:

I'm going to deliver my presentation section by section.
After each section, give me feedback as if you were
in my audience:

- Did the point land clearly?
- Was anything confusing?
- Did you stay engaged?
- What would you want to hear more (or less) about?

After the full presentation, give me:
1. Overall impression
2. The one thing I should change
3. The one thing I should definitely keep
4. A practice Q&A—ask me 3 questions

Step 7: Final Polish (10 minutes)

Based on your practice, make final adjustments:

After practicing, here are the issues I found:
[list what didn't work]

Help me fix each one:
1. [Issue] → Specific fix
2. [Issue] → Specific fix
...

Also review my opening and closing one more time.
Are they as strong as possible?

The Pre-Delivery Checklist

Before you present (whether this is a practice delivery or the real thing):

PRE-DELIVERY CHECKLIST

CONTENT
[ ] Audience cheat sheet reviewed
[ ] Core message clear in my mind
[ ] Three main points I can state without notes
[ ] Call to action specific and ready

SLIDES
[ ] All slides display correctly
[ ] No typos or formatting issues
[ ] Backup slides prepared for deep questions

LOGISTICS
[ ] Technology tested (projector, screen share, clicker)
[ ] Water available
[ ] Time tracked (know when you should be at each section)

MINDSET
[ ] Opening practiced 3+ times
[ ] Tough questions reviewed
[ ] Three slow breaths taken
[ ] Reminder: I know this material. I've prepared. I'm ready.

Course Summary

Here’s every technique you’ve learned, organized as a permanent reference:

Lesson	Key Principle	Quick Reminder
1. Introduction	Audience-first mindset	Start with them, not you
2. Audience	Audience cheat sheet	Think/Feel/Do + objections
3. Structure	SCR + 3 points	Situation-Complication-Resolution
4. Slides	One idea per slide	Headlines are claims, not topics
5. Data	Data storytelling	Context → Data → Insight → Implication
6. Audiences	Adapt to who’s listening	Executives, technical, clients, conferences, skeptics
7. Practice	Rehearse 3+ times	Content → Delivery → Simulation
8. Capstone	Full build and delivery	The complete process, start to finish

The Presentation Improvement Cycle

Every presentation you give makes the next one better:

Before: Build with the audience-first process from this course.

During: Notice audience reactions. What gets nods? What gets phone-checking?

After: Capture what worked and what didn’t. Adjust your approach.

Over time: You’ll develop a library of openings, stories, data slides, and closing techniques that you can remix for any situation.

The presenters you admire aren’t more talented than you. They’ve simply iterated more. Every presentation is practice for the next one.

You have the tools. You have the process. Now go present something that matters.