It is important to consider how much your audience knows about your topic. With their knowledge and expertise in mind, focus on a few key points and decide how much detail you’ll need to provide to help them follow your line of argument. If you have already drafted a written document, use it as the basis for your presentation, but don’t try to cover every point and every piece of supporting evidence you’ve included in your document.

Draw on your thesis statement, reasons and evidence, and conclusions to create a brief overview of your presentation that you can use in your introductory remarks. This “preview statement” will help your audience understand your line of argument and the organization of your presentation right from the start.