HOW TO GIVE AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION. A BRIEF OUTLINE *What is a presentation? *The objectives of presentations *Three important factors to be considered.

HOW TO GIVE

AN EFFECTIVE

PRESENTATION

A BRIEF OUTLINE*What is a presentation?

*The objectives of presentations

*Three important factors to be considered

when preparing a presentation: a) The Audience

b) The Presentation Planc) The Delivery

A BRIEF OUTLINE• 6 steps to follow when preparing a presentation

• The importance of using note cards and visual aids in a presentation

• 3 key factors in the successful delivery of a presentation: a) Timing b) Attention Span

c) *Personal Approach *Body language: Posture, gestures, facial expresions, voice,

eye contact *Attitude: Empathy, interaction with the audience, use of humor

PRESENTATION• At university, assignments often take the

form of presentations.

• Most students feel nervous at the idea of speaking to an audience.

• With some theoretical knowledge as well as a little training and practice, it is possible to gain and improve the skills for giving effective presentations.

Presentation

• “The process of presenting the content of a topic to an audience.”

• Unlike everyday conversation, presentations have a clear purpose and a logical structure. Language is more formal and the delivery style is more dramatic.

• Hence, presentations require careful planning and good preparation.

We give presentations for various purposes:

• To persuade • To train • To inform• To entertain people

• We must shape the content and structure of our presentation according to the goal we want to achieve

When preparing a presentation you need to think about three crucial elements:

• The Audience

• The Presentation Plan

• The Delivery

The Audience

• Before you start to prepare your presentation, you must think about your audience and their needs.

• The more you know about your audience and what they expect from your presentation, the better you can prepare.

When you are thinking about your audience, ask yourself....

• Who exactly will you be speaking to?

• How many people will be there?

• What do they already know about the subject?

• Why are they there?

• What do they need to know?

• What are their needs and expectations?

The Audience

• Age: Prepare your presentation considering the age level of the audience.

• Younger audiences require more visual stimuli while older audiences may have difficulty hearing voices or seeing small images.

• The presentation will be a failure if the audience doesn’t understand it.

• Therefore, you should try to make your message “clear” and “easy to understand.”

The Presentation Plan

• Plan your presentation carefully. It is very risky to give a presentation without careful planning.

• A well-prepared presentation will make you feel more confident and help you overcome your nervousness.

6 Steps to go through when preparing a presentation:

• Understanding the aim

• Deciding on a topic

• Gathering information

• Formulating a structure

• Rehearsing (practising)

• Delivery (giving the presentation)

STEP 1: Understanding the aim• What is your presentation about?• First, think about the general purpose of your

presentation:• Are you going to explain your views on a

controversial topic? • Are you going to tell the audience about the

results of a research or survey? or• Are you going to inform the audience about or

an innovation or a new product ?

STEP 2: Deciding on a topic and narrowing it down

• Choose a subject that is in agreement with the aim of the presentation.

• After deciding on the topic, you must next narrow it down to a size appropriate for the time available, the situation, the type of audience, and so on.

Content

• The content is the information you want to give in your presentation. Before you can decide on how much information you should give, you must think over the subject of your presentation thoroughly.

• When you decide on the content, ask yourself these questions:– How much time do I have to give this presentation?– What key information do I need to cover?– What does the audience need to know?

Importance of avoiding too much detail

• A verbal presentation should aim at conveying a certain message to an audience, but at the same time it must emphasize only the most important points.

• Going into too much detail in a presentation will lead to a loss of focus.

Step 3: Gathering Information

• Collect relevant material for your presentation. Use various sources of information including books and published papers, newspaper articles, statistical data, and information from the Internet.

• If background information on your topic is required, dictionaries and encyclopedias should be used.

Step 4: Formulating a Structure

Once you have*understood the aim of the presentation*decided on the topic*and finished collecting information,

you can start formulating a structure (making an outline)

Your presentation should have a coherent, clear structure.

The organization of a typical presentation is as follows: Introduction + Body + Conclusion

Step 5: Rehearsal (Practice)

• “Practice does make perfect!”

• Practice out loud and say it differently each time. Do rehearsals to achieve spontaneous performance.

• You should do the first rehearsals by yourself, and later perform in front of your friends or family.

Step 6: Delivery (Your actual performance in the presentation)

• How you say something is as important as what you say.

• A well-prepared and well-organized presentation can prove ineffective because of poor performance.

• 4 crucial points you should pay attention to in the delivery:

*an effective performance in introduction, body and conclusion parts

*your relationship with the audience*use of visual aids and note cards *effective use of body language

Introduction

• In the Introduction, you focus on issues such as why you have chosen this particular topic or why that topic is so important.

• Introduction also prepares listeners for the body by providing background information such as an explanation for your research methods.

The following techniques may help to make the introduction

more impressive and dynamic:

• Introduce yourself• Explain why you are there and what you hope to

achieve (state your purpose) • Build a good relationship with the audience• Reach out to your audience by asking questions• Arouse interest by quoting effective words or

facts

Body

• You should use the body of the presentation to develop your argument and explain key information.

• You must explain your points clearly one at a time so that your audience can follow what you are saying.

• Remember to keep your points simple and short.

Conclusion• You should summarize what you said in the body by

repeating the most important points.

• Make sure that the audience will remember your message. A weak close can kill a presentation. It is important to create a lasting impression in your conclusion.

• Leave some time for discussion, questions and answers at the end of the presentation.

• Tip: Don’t forget to thank your audience for attending and listening.

Visual Aids

• It is important to use visual aids because they can– help the audience focus on what you are

saying– make the presentation more interesting– help to explain the points you make more

clearly– provide variety– keep the speaker on the track

Use of Note Cards

• You may use notes with headings and key points to be covered.

• You may also want to write down key sentences. Notes can be written on paper or cards.

• You must avoid shifting your attention from the audience for too long.

Effective Use of Notes

• If you are not an experienced speaker, it is not a good idea to speak without notes because you will soon lose your track.

• You should avoid reading a prepared text aloud or memorizing your speech as this will be rather boring.

• While speaking, you should refer to your notes briefly and take your eyes off your notes.

3 key factors in the successful delivery of a presentation:

a) Timing b) Attention Span

c) *Personal Approach *Body language: Posture, gestures, facial

expresions, voice, eye contact & *Attitude: Empathy, interaction with the

audience, use of humor

Timing

• Do your best to start and end your presentation at the pre-scheduled time

• If you end your speech early, no one complains, but ending late is the result of poor planning

• If you expect audience involvement, devote 25 per cent of the time to audience participation

Attention Span

• The level of audience’s attention during a presentation varies considerably

• The attention is high at the beginning, but tends to fall after the first 10 minutes

• So, it would be a good idea to emphasize or repeat the key points at certain intervals

• A remark like “Let me summarize what I just said.....” will boost the level of attention

BODY LANGUAGE

Did you know? The tone of your voice

and

your body language

can account for 65 % of the message you give in the presentation

Body Language: POSTURE

• Stand up straight

• Don’t lean against any objects

• Don’t stand in the way of the visual aid

Body Language: GESTURES

• Avoid repetitive hand gestures or manners

• Use gestures to highlight the main points

• Don’t stand fixed to the same spot

• Move around as you are giving the presentation

• Don’t play with objects while you are speaking

Body Language: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

• Effective speakers use facial expressions to help reinforce their messages

• A smiling face gives the audience reassurance

• Be natural and relaxed

• Don’t look confused, bored or scared

Body Language: VOICE

• Speak slowly so that everyone can follow

• Speak loudly so that everone can hear

• Speak articulately (clearly) so that everyone can understand

• Change the volume of your voice when emphasizing important information

• Avoid speaking with a monontonous tone

Body Language: EYE CONTACT• Look at the eyes of the listeners as often as

possible• Eye contact is an effective way to build a good

relationship with the audience• Eye contact encourages the involvement of

participants in what is being presented• Through eye contact a presenter gives the

audience the message that he/she values them• The smaller the size of the audience, the

greater the need for eye contact

ATTITUDE

• Take a positive attitude toward your audience

• Be enthusiastic about the subject you are presenting

• Be confident and professional

• Try to stay calm

HUMOR• Include stories, anecdotes and jokes to

reinforce the key points in your presentation• The use of humor helps arouse the

audience’s attention and interest• Make sure that the stories and jokes you tell

the listeners are relevant to the topic under discussion and will not offend anybody in the audience

• If it is not your natural talent, don’t force yourself into making humorous remarks

CONCLUSION• There is no reason to feel nervous

when giving a presentation as long as you have a clear idea about the basic principles and techniques of giving a presentation.

• Through careful planning and preparation, it is possible to achieve a high level of performance.