Presentations

Presentation Skills

“The mind is a wonderful thing………

It starts working the moment you
are born, and never stops ……….
Until you get up to speak in public!!”
Presentation: Definition

Something presented : as
a : a symbol or image that
represents something
b : something offered or given
c: an immediate object of
perception, cognition, or
memory
What is Communication?

❚ Nonverbal
Communication

-body language
-eye contact
 Importance of
Communication

❚ Class Presentations

❚ Field Research

❚ Business
Communications

❚ Public Speaking
 Fear of Public Speaking
❚ Population
❘ No.1 fear=Public Speaking
❘ Fear No.2=Death
❚ Stage fright
-In spotlight
-unprepared
-inexperienced
 Effective Communication

❚ Preparation

❚ Practice

❚ Presence
 Effective Communication

❚ Preparation
❙ research -non-research
❙ format -speak on what you know
-Notes- outline main points
-note cards vs. full sized paper
 Making Notes
❚ Use Cards - tie/number
❚ Use headings/subheadings
❚ Bullet points
❚ Colour code/shorthand
❚ Underline/indent
❚ Write out first/last sentence in
full
❚ Memorise introduction
❚ Rehearse
❚ Use large visible printing
 Sample Speech Outline

I. Introduction
❘ Thesis
II. Body
❘ support arguments
III. Conclusion
❘ review
 Effective Communication

❚ Practice
- practice makes perfect
- revision
- get time right
 Preparation & Practice

Thorough preparation

Plenty of practice
 Effective Communication
❚ Presence
-nervousness- fright is common
-Body language
-voice tone
-gestures
-eye contact
-positive attitude
 Appearance
✦ Confident ?
✦ Warmth ?
✦ Stance ?
✦ Mannerisms ?
✦ Eye contact ?
 Body Language
❚ Dress

❚ Posture

❚ Facial Expression

❚ Voice

❚ Movement

❚ Gesture
 Voice
Volume Mumbling
Voice drop
Too high
Pitch Too low
Monotonous
Hesitancy
Speed
Gabbling
 Voice
Voice Control
★ Pause and pace
❏ use pause to add emphasis and drama
❏ pace should be slower than normal, but
vary according to mood
★ Emphasis
❏ say adjectives as they sound
★ Volume
❏ louder than normal
❏ larger audiences, more modulation
required
 Movement
Movement - why does it improve the
effectiveness of your delivery?
✦ Relaxes the speaker and the audience
✦ Gains attention
✦ Involves the audience
✦ Improves emphasis and eye contact
 Movement
Movement - it is crucial to your delivery
that you choreograph it as every part of
the room has a different relationship with
the speaker - examples…..
✦ Start your presentation close to the audience
✦ 1st slide/ overhead - stand still
✦ Move to the screen to emphasise side/
overhead
✦ Change energy level to match/ control mood
✦ Controlled movement
❏ stop talking - stop eye contact
❏ start talking/ start eye contact
 Gestures
Gestures - why use them?
✦ Emphasise a point
✦ Involve the audience
✦ Visual expression
✦ Animation
✦ Demonstrates comfort
How much to use?
✦ depends on the audience size and makeup
❏ A little for conservative audiences
❏ A lot for large, dynamic audiences
 Eye Contact
Eye contact - communicates the
following
✦ Honesty
✦ Trust
✦ Confidence
✦ Individualism
✦ Interest
✦ Sincerity
✦ Credibility
✦ Direct relationship
 Eye Contact
EYE CONTACT STRATEGIES

Less than the other = Humility

Same as the other = We are the same

Constructive = Builds relationship

(same then increasing)
More than the other = Dominate other/
strength
of conviction
 Eye Contact
Eye Contact - Directing It
✦ Decision maker
❏ receives most eye contact - 60%
❏ share the remainder equally
✦ Key influencer
❏ share the majority of eye contact
✦ By role
❏ allocate by job function/ status
✦ Everyone is equal
❏ proportion eye contact equally
Th in gs Yo u Sh ouldn’t
Do
❚ Read directly from
notes
❚ Read directly from
screen
❚ Turn back on audience
❚ Slouch, hands in
pockets
❚ No um, ah, you know’s
❚ No nervous gestures
Th in gs Yo u Sh ould
Do

❚ Eye contact
❚ Can glance at
notes
❚ Appropriate
gestures
❚ Rhetorical
questions to
involve
audience
 Controlling Nerves
❚ Dry mouth: bite side of the tongue, sip
water
❚ Too much saliva: breath through mouth
❚ Tight throat: yawn with your mouth
closed
❚ Short of breath: apply pressure on lower
abdomen
❚ Butterflies: tense & relax muscles of
abdomen
❚ Drying Up: look at your note, repeat what
you have just said
 Ten Successful Tips
Control the “Butterflies”
❚ Know the room- become familiar
with the place of presentation
❚ Know the audience- greet or
chat with the audience before
hand. It’s easier to speak to
friends than to strangers
❚ Know your material-increased
nervousness is due to un-
preparedness
 Control the “Butterflies”
❚ Relaxation- relax entire body by
stretching and breathing so as
to ease the tension
❚ Visualize giving your speech-
Visualize yourself giving your
speech from start to finish. By
visualizing yourself successful,
you will be successful
 Control the “Butterflies”
❚ People want you to succeed-the
audience is there to see you
succeed not to fail
❚ Don’t apologize-by mentioning
your nervousness or apologizing,
you’ll only be calling the
audience’s attention to mistakes
 Control the “Butterflies”
❚ Concentrate on your message-
not the medium. Focus on the
message you are trying to
convey and not on your anxieties
❚ Turn nervousness into positive
energy-nervousness increases
adrenaline, transform it into
vitality and enthusiasm
Control the “Butterflies”
❚ Gain experience-experience
builds confidence, which is key
to effective public speaking
 Presentation Skills
“The key to effective
presentations is to manage the
relationship between yourself
and the audience so that a
good rapport is developed with
them”
 Presentation Skills
✦ Short sharp paragraphs
✦ Simple words
✦ Repeat key phrases for effect
✦ Repeat key phrases for effect
✦ Avoid catch phrases
✦ Humour
✦ Anecdotes: real-life examples
✦ Rhetorical questions: don’t
require answers
YOU

❚ Do not use the media to hide you

❚ The audience came to see you
❚ The media should enhance the
presentation, not BE the presentation
❚ If all you are going to do is read from the
slides or overheads, then just send them
the slides
❚ Remember, only you can prevent
“Death by PowerPoint”
Questions??

❚ End your presentation with a simple

question slide to:
❙ Invite your audience to ask questions
❙ Provide a visual aid during question
period
❙ Avoid ending a presentation abruptly
 Use of Questions

Questioning - Effectively Used

Achieves..

?
✦ Engages audience attention
✦ Establishes better 2 way communication
✦ Obtains required information
✦ Checks for understanding
✦ Checks for agreement

How to Prepare Questions ……

✦ Prepare key questions ahead of time
✦ Plan the timing of questions
✦ Be alert to situations that require unplanned
questions
 Initiate A Discussion

ASK QUESTIONS
❚ Open ended - to find out
information
❚ Closed - to gain commitment
❚ Redirected - to involve group
❚ Rhetorical - to control group
❚ Leading - to give alternative
choice
 Tips For Enhancing Discussion

❚ Switch off the overhead or light

projector
❚ Turn flipcharts to a blank page
❚ Erase any unwanted writing from the
blackboard or whiteboard
❚ Show any objects referred to and
then cover them up
 Participants
Four Types:
✦ Dr Quiet
✦ Dr Disagreeable
✦ Dr Side
Conversation
✦ Dr Talkative
Keep Control - Tactics

❚ Side
Conversations
❚ Quiet/Shy
❚ Talkative
❚ Disagreeable

WHY?
 Keep Control - Tactics

SIDE CONVERSATION
❚ Ask to “share” their idea
❚ Restate a point & ask for their
opinion
❚ Check if there is a problem
❚ “Should we include your point in
the discussion?”

BE DIPLOMATIC & ASSERTIVE

 Keep Control - Tactics

QUIET/SHY PARTICIPANT
❚ Simple questions
❚ Eye contact
❚ Recognise & encourage any
contributions
❚ Ask a question & invite
everyone's opinion in turn
 Keep Control - Tactics

TALKATIVE
❚ Remind everyone of time
limits
❚ Summarise point & ask for
comments from group
❚ Address questions to other
participants
❚ Refocus on
objectives/agenda
 Keep Control - Tactics

DISAGREEABLE
✦ Paraphrase comments, and recap their
position in objective terms
✦ Find merit in one of their remarks
✦ Respond to their comment, not the
attack
✦ Throw their opinion out to the group
✦ Answer their questions simply and
factually
Scientific Presentations:
Do’s and Don’ts
Scientific Presentation
1) Prepare your material carefully and logically.
Tell a story. The story should have four parts:
(a) Introduction (b) Method (c) Results
(d) Conclusion/Summary.
"Tell'em what you are going to
tell'em.
Tell'em. Then tell'em what you
told'em."
Scientific Presentation
2) Practice your talk
3) Don't put in too much material
4) Avoid equations
5) Have only a few conclusion points
Scientific Presentation
6) Talk to the audience not to the screen
7) Avoid making distracting sounds like “
uuuhhh” and “mmm”
8) Polish your graphics
9) Use humor if possible, but don’t go
overboard
10) Check your viewgraphs before you
give the talk
11) Switch off your cell phones if possible.
 Scientific Presentation
12) Be personable in taking questions.

❚ First, repeat the question.

❚ If you don't know the answer then say "I
don't know, I will have to look into that."
❚ If the questioner disagrees with you and it
looks like there will be an argument then
defuse the situation.
❚ Never insult the questioner ( S/he may have
contacts you don’t know about!

13) Thank you Slide

 Presentation Checklist
Check :
Size of room
Tables and
chairs
Sockets
Lights
Equipment
Display table
Entrance
 Presentation Day & Practice

✦ 30 minutes before
✦ Arrange table & chairs
✦ Set up equipment
✦ Catering
✦ Display
✦ Start Promptly
✦ Finish on Time
Handouts: Few Tips
Handouts
Passing out Handouts:
Can pass it out during presentation
If flow interrupted, pass out before
start
 If more than one, can give out
“package”
❚ Avoid passing around objects (“I will
walk around with it”)
Summary: Dos and Don’ts of Presentation
Don’t gesticulate wildly
Do speak distinctly
Do vary your speed and pitch
Do look at your audience
Don’t use jargon, slang and superfluous words
Do pause after important points
Do watch the time
Do speak with conviction and enthusiasm
Do be natural and sincere
Do try to simile
Don’t use jokes unless they are really funny and
relevant
 Summary
❚ Know your audience
❚ Know the occasion
❚ Know your speaking environment
❚ Pin down your topic
❚ Brain storm
❚ Research
❚ Prepare a rough draft of your presentation
❚ Transfer your presentation to mental/ written
notes
❚ Practice ...To overcome nervousness!
Now is the time to deliver
your whole presentation to
the group using all of the
delivery techniques we have
discussed.
Practice takes you from this..
To this ….
Thank you;
Any questions?