Introduce the project or program to your audience, explaining how it can solve a problem or meet a specific need. Use terms the audience will understand and data that will help convince them. For example, if you have an audience of administrators at your university and you are presenting a program to designed to increase student retention, present enrollment and retention data from other universities that have implemented similar programs. This strategy will capture the audience's attention.
Present the trajectory, or time line, of the proposal. Make the initial date of the time line the day of the presentation. This will give the audience a clear idea of when the project would be completely in place or when it would be finished, if implemented immediately. For example, explain to the audience exactly how long they would have to wait to use the new parking garage you are proposing, if they decide to approve the plan today.
Explain each phase of the project. Cover what will happen, how much money is needed and how long each phase will take. If this information is very detailed and includes a lot of figures, give each audience member a printout of the description of each phase to refer to. This way, you will not have to backtrack during the presentation to answer questions about each phase.
Show a Gantt chart or a time line that illustrates the duration of each phase of the project. This will illustrate the trajectory of the project from the beginning to end, in a way that the audience can readily understand.
Conclude by reiterating the need for the plan and its key aspects, focusing mainly on how it benefits the audience. Summarize the trajectory of the plan and explain why this time line is appropriate for the needs of the audience.