Presentation Skills

Contents
1.Developing Great CONTENT 2.Preparing Great DESIGN 3.Conducting Great DELIVERY

Three Elements of Great Presentation

Content

Design

Great Presentation!

Delivery

Developing Great CONTENT

Steps in Preparing Content

Analyzing Your Audience

Gathering Relevant Data & Information

Converting Your Data into an Outline

Analyzing Your Audience

Needs Knowledge level Attitude how do they feel about the topic? Demographic Information this may include the age, gender, culture, and language of the audience members

Gathering Relevant Data & Information

Before you start your research to gather relevant information, there are three questions should be considered :

What do I want my audience to gain? What might they already know about my topic? What is the objective of the presentation?

Converting Your Information into an Outline

There are three steps to creating an outline :

Determine the outline style Group your raw data Arrange into outline format

Outline Style
Chronological
Shows events in order as they occurred

Narrative

Takes the audience on a journey through a flowing presentation States the problem, the whys, your solution, and a summary

Problem/ Solution

States the cause and explains the effects

Cause/ Effect

Outline Style
Topical

Divides the general topic into several subtopics

Uses some or all of the what, who, where, when, why, and how questions

Journalistic
Questions

Outline Format
Introduction

Outline Format

Body

Conclusion

Outline Format

Introductions

Should include an agenda and clarify the goals and objectives of your presentation. Can include an overview of a situation, a statement of the current situation of the organization, or a recap of history. Can use the strategies that help an introduction get attention: a quote, a question, humor, a creative image, an anecdote, or a sharing of emotions .

Outline Format

Body

Chronological Narrative Problem/Solution Cause/Effect Topical Journalistic Question

Outline Format

Conclusion

Summarize the main points of your presentation Provide closure, and leave an impression Can consist of recommendations, future directions, next steps to take, and so forth

Building Great DESIGN

Presentation Design

Key Rules when Creating Bulleted Text:

Use one concept per slide Use key words and phrases Make your bullet points consistent in structure Capitalize properly capitalize the first letter of the first word only

Three Keys of Great Design

Layout Consistency Color

Great Slide Presentation Design

Layout

Layout

Consider your layout to be like the skeleton of your presentation.Just as our skeleton support our bodies, your layout should support your message and provide structure.

Consistency

Consistency

You must be consistent in the following design elements:

Your placement of text and images Your fonts style and sizes Your background The style and treatment of your imagery Your charts

Color

Color

Use high contrast to increase legibility (e.g., black text on clear and yellow on dark blue) Colors should not clash they should have a high degree of harmony Avoid clutter by using no more than four colors

Consistent Fonts

The two main classifications of fonts are serif and sans serif fonts Serif fonts have small flourishes extending from the main strokes of each letter (examples : Times New Roman , Book Antiqua , Bookman Olds Style , Garamond ). Sans serif dont; they are straight and clean (examples : Arial, Verdana , Helvetica ) Sans serif fonts are best suited for electronic presentations

Tips for Planning Great Slides

Use slides sparingly. Avoid the overuse of slides or unnecessary slides. Make slide pictorial. Graphs, flowcharts, etc., all give the viewer an insight that would otherwise require many words. Make text and numbers legible. Minimum font size for most room set-ups is 20 pt. Make pictures and diagrams easy to see.

Design Guidelines

Avoid this

This is better

Effective Charts and Graphs

Avoid slide like this one...

Conducting great delivery

Delivering your presentation

Voice

Language Usage
Movement Body Language

Great delivery

Managing your voice

Try to sound natural, so your rhythm and tone is appropriate to the message you are delivering Develop three important qualities

Volume Intonation Pacing

Managing your voice

Volume
Speak loudly enough to reach all the members audience without overpowering those closest to you. Avoid to speak in monotone. Put more feeling into your voice and make it livelier by changes in your intonation. Speak loudly enough to reach all the members audience without overpowering those closest to you.

Intonation

Pacing

For most of us, this is natural except when we are nervous or excited. Practice, and you can figure out what sounds natural and appropriate for the points you are making

Language Usage
When you speak, convey confidence and show interest in what youre presenting. Speak with feeling . Use short sentences and short, simple words . Speak slowly and clearly enough that everyone in your audience can understand every word.

Movement
If possible, work the room and work the audience . Move appropriately and with purpose dont move simply because youre nervous Your movements should be natural and support your words and the rest of your presentation Dont move constantly. Pause for effect. Stand still to make an important point

Body Language
Stand straight , but not stiff. You should radiate energy. Be relaxed , be casual, but dont be lazy. Use your hands, arms and gestures. Just let your body react to how you feel. Make good eye contact the rule of thumb for eye contact is three to five seconds per person.

Body Language
Do not keep hands in your pockets Do not keep hands handcuffed behind your back Do not keep your arms crossed Do not put hands in fig leaf position Do not wring your hands nervously

In advance of your presentation

Practice a lot . Dont just think your presentation through: act it out, in front of friends, or family. Time each section of your presentation and develop a schedule. Memorize the first two minutes of your presentation, so you breeze on through the time when the butterflies are most active.

In the hours before presentation

Think positive thought : visualize yourself feeling at ease with the audience Use affirmation (e.g., I can do this. I am prepared. It will go well) Make sure all the equipment is working properly Remember that the people in your audience are human too, just like you. They want you to succeed !

When you enter the room

Focus on making your movements fluid and confident, neither too slow nor too fast Find a few friendly faces in the audience, for reassurance Smile. Show that you want to be there Be yourself

How to handle tough situations

Problem: Know-it-all A participant who feels like more of an expert than you. Solution: Dont fight it. Involve know-it-alls in your presentation. They may have some great information to contribute. Allowing them to participate and share their thoughts will not only show how confident you are, but also help them get more out of your presentation.

How to handle tough situations

Problem: Unprepared participants Those who havent prepared for the presentation as you requested. Solution : Be flexible. Take something out of your agenda to allow the group time to get up to speed. Keep in mind your overall objective of the presentations. Dont force your agenda; modify it to meet your objective.

How to handle tough situations

Problem: After-lunch nap time One of the toughest times to keep people engaged. Solution: Take a few moments to share what you talked about. This usually makes the talker feel more involved and want to stay engaged and participate with you instead of others.

Planning for the questions

Anticipate the questions that might come up Listen carefully to the questioner Repeat or rephrase the question Answer clearly and concisely Go to the next question

Dealing with Disasters

You find out that the time allotted has been reduced. At the very worse, you can make your points, support the with the essentials, ask and answer the most likely questions on your list. The slide equipment fails . You know then saying, The show must go on. Apologize to the audience and then add something like Now return with me to a distant past, before PowerPoint, when all we had for presentations was our notes and perhaps a blackboard or flipcharts. Then, make the most of your primitive tools.

Dealing with Disasters

You tell a joke that falls flat. Ouch! Just shrug your shoulders and apologize: I am sorry. I got that joke at a Henry Youngman clearance sale. (You can choose your own comedian). You get nervous and flustered and lose track of where you are . Figure out where you are from your slides and notes. If you cant, just be honest : My brain has derailed. Who can back me up so I can the on the track again?