Purpose. What subjects am I passionate about? What current issues are most important to me? Do I want to motivate my audience to action? Do I want to persuade them to think differently about an idea? Do I want them to see things from a different perspective?

Audience. When I deliver my presentation, will I be speaking to experts in the field? Or, will I want to persuade a more general audience? What do I expect is my audience’s attitude toward my topic? How will I inspire and persuade my audience? Will I post my presentation online to attract a wider audience?

Rhetorical appeals. How will I establish my ethos? Do I want to use emotion to appeal to my audience? If so, how will I make sure my audience continues to see my approach to the subject as reasonable? Will I use logic in my appeal? How can I use logic to persuade my audience to accept my claim?

Modes & media. Will I prepare slides with text to accompany my presentation? What visuals might I add to the slides? Should I embed video clips from YouTube? Should I provide handouts? Would audio enhance my presentation? Do I want my presentation to be viewed live (face-to-face)? Do I want it available for future viewing online?

Elements of the genre. How will I grab my audience’s attention at the start of my presentation? What background information or terminology do I need to cover first in my presentation? How will I anticipate and address my audience’s opposition to any of my persuasive claims? How could slides and visuals enhance my presentation? Will they clarify concepts? Expand ideas? Persuade?

Style. What organization is best for my presentation? Do I want to examine a problem and persuade my audience to adopt a solution? To what extent do I need to examine causes and effects? How much time have I allotted to practicing my delivery? What strategies can I use to make sure I stay composed while presenting? Do I want to incorporate humor? Shock?

Design. Are my slides simple, uncluttered, and readable? Is my font size large enough for the room and screen? Do I have enough contrast between my font and the background? Is each slide focused around one main point?