Presentation Skills

Presentation is one of the most important skill that have to be existinside lecturer and
learner especially college student. As a college student who always forced to present or just
speaking in front of class must have presentation skills because it can make us better to
present something. Also, presentation skills really necessary in the future, so we must take
action from now on practice present in order to be a good speaker.

There three main elements in presentation skills that is how to preparing a presentation,
communicate it, and attracting audiences attention. First, we will talk about preparing a
presentation which is divided in some parts, consist of:

a. Selecting a topic. Selecting a topic means we search presentation materialthat

interested for us and audience (well, just guess which one will attract audience). The
material shouldnt too much or too little because if too much will make audience
become confused and boring, or if too little they feel short-changed (Siddons, 2008).
Just choose the topic that will attract audience and make them happy. Succesful
objectives must be SMART, consist of:
S = Simple enough to be expressed in one or two sentences
M = Measurable by the success criteria we have set
A = Achievable within the boundaries of what you can do
R = Realistic in terms of your time scales and resources
T = Timed
First of all, think about what you are actually trying to do with your presentation
(such as, amusing, persuading, or it just introducing), find out what topic will attract
audience (maybe something new or topic that related to their feeling so it will make a
sense), set the success criteria that can achieved, and set a realistic timescale for
presentation (Siddons, 2008).
b. Making an outline. An outline lets you see that points you are making, the relations
each other, and whether they are arrenged in a proper order (Kushner & Yeung,
2007). Making an outline just like making a blueprint for your talk.This is the steps
to make a good outline: (Kushner & Yeung, 2007)
Firstly, you have to choose when to make an outline: before you have written
your presentation or after you have written it.
 Decide the number of points to include and it should reflect the number of
points in your presentation. The guidelines to make a good decision are guess
and decide what audience need to know (essential, not omit) and dont put too
much information.
c. Formulating a script is like a novel or film, needs a beginning (to catch the
audiences interest and attention), middle (to keep their attention and help them to
understand), and end (to help them remember)(Siddons, 2008). There are four
elements of a good ending, consist of: (Siddons, 2008)
A call to action: you ask the audience to do something that will make them
think about what you have told them.
A summary that make a vivid and memorable reminder of the most important
facts.
A question-and-answer session. You will need to consider what questions might
be asked and what concerns your presentation has raised.
A final summary and graceful finish.
d. Developing audio-visual aids. Definition
of visual aids is materials or
demonstrations presented to an audience in
an oral presentation to support a verbal
message (Budinski, 2005).There are many
types of visual aids, some of people use
hand gestures when present something, or
the other people do things free-standing
microphones. The rules to use visual aids
consist of:(Budinski, 2005)
Never use normal 12-point printed

text as a visual aids Figure 1Preparing and Delivering Technical

Presentations. (2005). ASTM International
Never partially cover an overhead
slide and uncover more a you talk
Proofread visual aids to be absolutely sure that they are error-free, so prepare it
carefully
Use a visual aids that add value to a presentation
Rehearse presentations with trusted people to determine the value
 Use visual aids with supporting data
e. Practicing. Someone said practice makes perfect it can also include when we want
to present something. Here are some best practice: (Henson)
Practice aloud because when you speak aloud and hear your voice, you will
know if your thoughts flow together well. Speak it aloud is really different from
simply thinking about your speech on your head.
Visualize the setting. Imagine the room where you will give your presentation,
then plan how you might move around and where you will stand.
Find out what you are allowed and not allowed to use during the speech (note
cards or a keyword outline). If you are allowed to use notes, practice with them
and become familiar with the information that is on it. But, if you are not able to
bring notes then understand it very well and memorize talkingpoints.
Use a timer. Find out what the time limit is for the presentation and practice
speech with that time limit. Dont speak too much or too long because your
audience may become impatient and lose focus.
Take breaks. If you are becoming too frustrated and cant focus, just take a
break! Find a place to stop or do something fun, but dont forget topractice
again in a few hours or the next day.
Find a live audience. Talk to someone (friends, relatives, and/or a tutor) you
know will give you helpful feedback. Request to them to find at least 2 or 3
things that were done well and 2or 3 things still have to be improved.
Videotape yourself. Recording your speech best enables you to eliminate some
attitudes which doesnt belong to your speech and this will help you fix
problematic non-verbal communication.
f. Predicting questions and preparing the answers. If th presenter is nervous when
answer question, answers badly, or fails to control the sessionthen no matter how
good the presentation has been deliveredit still will take away a negative
impression. First, when open up the Q&A (Question & Answer) session, deliver the
ground rules such as set limit the time for Q&A session, set limit the number of
question, the subject matter, and questioners. Five steps to answering question
successfully:
Listen carefully the question
Decide whether you want to answer
 If yes, repeat and rephrase the question
Answer the question and only it
Check that the answer was acceptable

The next step that also include to the presentation skills is communication.
Communication is a part of our life, when there is no communication it may also no life.
People interact each other with their skill communication, so improve this skill also important
in order to speak in a good way. Quote say Have something to say and say it as clearly as
you can. That is the only secret of style. Matthew Arnold. An effective speech requires
being able to express your ideas and views clearly, confidently and concisely, tailoring your
content and style to the audience and promoting free-flowing communication (Accessed from
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/communicating.htm). Five proven strategies that will help
you improve your communication skills:(Accessed from
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/communicating.htm).

a. Be clear and concise. Vary your tone, pace and volume to enhance the communication
and encourage questions
b. Persuading and negotiating. Arriving at an agreement that is agreeable to both sides a
win-win situation. Back up your points with logic.
c. Making a speech in front of an audience. Presenting your message in an interesting
way, structuring your thinking will make you achieve the link of your conversation
together, using audio-visual aids effectively which can attract audienceand building a
rapport with your audience.
d. Communicating effectively in a team or practice communicate in standard language
with your friends
e. Ask for help when you need it

Another site explain six strategies that will help you improve to using non-verbal
communication: (Amoud University)

a. Eye contact. Face your audience one by one indicating to show your confidence.
b. Facial expressions. Smile! You have to smile through your presentation because it is
powerful cur that transmits: happiness, friendliness, warmth, liking, and affiliation.
c. Gestures. A lively and animated presenting style captures audience' attention, makes
the material more interesting, facilitates learning and provides a bit of entertainment.
 d. Posture and body orientation. You have to standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning
slightly forward communicates to audience that you are approachable, receptive and
friendly.
e. Proximity. Make a comfortable distance for interaction with audience such as make
better eye contact with them.
f. Paralinguistic, such as vocal elements: tone, pitch, rhythm, timbre, loudness, and
inflection. You have to balancing all of these vocal elements and know the situation
(that means when you face a lot of audiences with a large room so you must speak
loudly, but if you just in the middle room just speak not too loud or too soft). And be
brave to communicate with people!

Last step that you have to build is attracting attention because a good speaker can take a
focus audience.To be able to attract audience consist of these strategies:

a. Connecting the topic with the participant's life. Topical references can be used to
great effect, as long as theyare interesting,important issue, relevant to the subject
under discussionandeveryone knows what youre talking about(Bradbury, 2006).
b. Using facial expression and gestures. People will interest with presenter who has an
adorable expression and gestures like smile brightly, step around in front of audience,
and face one by one audiences eyes.
c. Using visual aids. The fact said that about 85% of a mixed verbal/visual presentation
will be remebered after three hours, and as much as 66% will beremembered after
three days(Bradbury, 2006). If you want to make memorable presentation, you need
to include some form of visual aid.
d. Questioning. Actually, if you get a question represent that audience pay attention to
you, means you presented well.
e. Responding to participants answers. Answer it clearly and if you dont know the
answer of the question just say bravely and honestly I dont know, but I will find
out.
f. Calling an audience. Make an interaction between presentator and audience through
the moment of presentation because it can take over the focus your audience.

References
Amoud University. Communication Skills. Accessed from
http://amouduniversity.org/images/Class_Notes/Lesson3commskillsMarch2014.ppt on
24th February 2015 at 14.50 WIB.

Bradbury, A. (2006). Successful Presentation Skills 3rd Ed. London: Kogan Page.

Budinski, K. G. (2005). Preparing and Delivering Technical Presentations. USA: ASTM

International.

Kushner, M. & Yeung, R. (2007). Public Speaking & Presentations for Dummies. UK: John
Wiley & Sons.

Siddons, S. (2008). The Complete Presentation Skills Handbook: How to Understand and
Reach Your Audience for Maximum Impact and Success. London: Kogan Page.

The University of Southern Mississippi. Practicing Presentations. Accessd from

http://www.nvcc.edu/annandale/lrc/occ/resources/practicing.pdfon 25th February 2015 at
07.37 WIB.

University of Kent Careers and Employability Service. Communication Skills: Speaking and
Listening. Accessed from http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/communicating.htm on 24th
February 2015 at 13.45 WIB.