Presentation Skills Notes

Effective Presentations

  • Control anxiety and be audience-centered.
  • Accomplish objectives and be fun for both the audience and presenter.
  • Stay within the allocated time frame.

Four Basic Steps for Effective Presentations

  • Strategy.
  • Structure.
  • Presentation style.
  • Handling questions.

Steps in Delivering the Presentation

  1. Plan.
  2. Prepare.
  3. Rehearse.
  4. Present.

Planning Your Presentation

  • Determine the purpose and desired outcome.
  • Know your audience (size, demographics, knowledge level, motivation, expectations).
  • Identify three key takeaways for the audience.

Presentation Sequence

  1. Introduction: Get attention.
  2. Main theme: Present content.
  3. Summary/Conclusions: Deliver key message.

Preparation

  • Speaker's friends: Personal notes, visuals, and handouts.

Delivering the Presentation

  • Introduce the topic and speakers.
  • State objectives.
  • Motivate the audience.
  • Present material and include major websites.
  • Review at the end and assess audience understanding.

Body Language

  • Dress professionally and face the audience.
  • Maintain audience focus by pointing and re-orienting.
  • Be enthusiastic.

Speaking Clearly

  • Speak at a reasonable pace.
  • Project your voice and avoid mumbling.
  • Use professional language and talk to the audience.

The Voice (CLAP)

  • C: Clear
  • L: Loud (enough)
  • A: Assertive
  • P: Pause

Key to a Successful Presentation (PREP)

  • P – State your position or point
  • R – Explain your ideas
  • E – Use examples
  • P – Restate your position or point

Audience Involvement

  • Involve the audience, if time permits.
  • Ask questions; call on individuals; small group activities.
  • Repeat what they say and write responses on a whiteboard or flip chart.

Practice

  • For group presentations: rehearse as a group, check timing, and provide feedback.
  • For individual presentations: rehearse with a friend or faculty.
  • Rehearse without PowerPoint and with PowerPoint in the classroom.

Maximising Visibility

  • Font size minimums:
    • Titles - 32 point
    • Text in bulleted lists - 20 point
  • Use san serif font consistently.
  • Use high contrast colors (dark background with light letters or vice versa).

Appropriate Composition

  • One major concept per slide.
  • Keep slides simple and balanced.
  • Keep a border.

Use of Text (Rule of 6)

  • Outline of talk – not every word.
  • Put talk in speaker notes.
  • 6 lines per slide – 6 words to a line.
  • Quotations are OK.
  • No full sentences; delete articles (the, a, an).
  • Illustrate concepts.

Use of Images

  • Use one image per slide (or two to contrast).
  • Make images big and draw arrows to animate.
  • Do not enlarge or distort small images.
  • Credit the source (author, book/article/website, date, URL).

Citation of References

  • Credit images and studies on the slide (author, date).
  • Include references on the last slide.
  • Track to source materials; never cite Wikipedia.

Important Presentation Tips

  1. Smile.
  2. Breathe.
  3. Water.
  4. Notes.
  5. Finish on or under time.

Summary

  • Start preparing early and think about the audience.
  • Be clear about your purpose and use an effective introduction.
  • Organize your presentation clearly and simply with supporting material.
  • Create an effective conclusion and sound spontaneous, enthusiastic, and conversational.
  • Use body language effectively and visual aids to enhance the message.
  • Check the physical environment in advance.