Select a topic. While you clearly earn points for style in a business presentation, content is king. Substance matters and— repeat this to yourself, now— there is absolutely no substitute for knowing what you're talking about. This means, in every instance possible, that you should select a topic that's familiar to you so that you can talk knowingly on subjects you understand. Your audience will know instinctively whether you actually comprehend what you're saying, and they give high marks to experts who can make the subject matter come alive.

Analyze your audience. It's all about them. They're the reason you're in the room; they're the reason you wrote the presentation. Get to know as much about them as possible. Knowledge of your audience is not a guarantee of success, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

Determine your purpose. Know why you're speaking. If you aren't certain about this, then you shouldn't give a presentation. Understanding your role in the organization and in the lives of your listeners is especially important. This audience may want your views on the subject at hand and is keenly interested in your opinions. On the other hand, your purpose on a given day may be purely informative and the demand for your opinions may not be as brisk as you imagine.

Learn what you can about the occasion. Is your audience still in the fact-gathering stage, or are they ready to make a decision? What's their reason for listening to you? How urgent is the subject you'll be speaking about? Are your listeners at the beginning or at the end of a process that will require them to take action of some sort? The more you can learn about the context in which the presentation will take place, the more helpful you can be to the 10 audience.

Compose a thesis statement. This is a one-sentence declaration of what you want the audience to know, understand, believe or do. It should be brief, simple and as complete as possible. Here's an example: “Company-supported carpooling will provide economic, operational, and environmental advantages to the firm.”