Dos and Taboos of Effective Presentations Presented by
Do’s and Taboos of Effective Presentations Presented by: Ken Nixon Acknowledgment: Thanks are extended to IDC Technologies for permission to use parts of one of their presentations
Just so you know… l Good speakers are “made”, not “born” Ø Is anyone “born” a good Athlete or Doctor? l You can control and manage nervousness, but you can’t eliminate it. Ø It will decrease over time. Ø Nervousness is self-centered. Ø The audience is not out to get you. They want you to succeed.
Three Points To Remember l Focused content l Correct content l Commitment to content
Have a Strong Beginning & Ending l Openings: Ø Ø Ø Know where you’re starting, where you’re going, and lead people to a strong conclusion. Startling statement Surprising action Question Personal experience Purpose statement Humor l Endings: Ø End with purpose. Don’t be like a car that runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
Structure Your Presentation l There are three parts to any speech: Ø Tell them what you’re going to tell them, Ø Tell them what you just told them. l People need a ‘roadmap’ to establish their expectations. Ø If they have to guess what your speech is about, they’ll get confused and stop listening.
BVE l Brevity Ø Brevity breaks boredom. l Variety Ø Variety adds vitality. Ø Listeners drift in and out by nature. l Entertainment Ø Entertainment engages. Ø Adults prefer to be entertained, not lectured. Ø Make your presentation an experience.
Data vs. Information Specification 44% Changes after commissioning 20% Design & implementation Operations & maintenance Installation 15% 6% This is “data”
Use graphics instead Changes After Commissioning 20% Specification 44% Operations & Maintenance 15% Installation & Commissioning 6% Design & Implementation 15% This is “information”
Colour l Light text on dark background. Ø Best for slides. Ø Disadvantage is that the lights must be turned very low. l Dark text on light background. Ø Best for electronic presentations and overheads. Ø Lights do not have to be turned down. l Be careful about colour combinations!
One UGLY Slide! u Terrible color combination. Hard on the eyes! (Red on blue is the absolute worst colour combination!) u Too much information. People aren’t going to take the time to read to much information. You just want to give people the basic concepts, the highlights, in a slide. u Background images or lines won’t help this!
Questions & Answers l Anticipate & prepare l Listen Ø Listen to the entire message. l Repeat or rephrase Ø Repeat so others can hear it. l Answer concisely Ø No dissertations! l Move on
Use a cheat sheet! l Keep a list of the slide numbers and titles. l Go to any slide by simply typing in that number and pressing “Enter” (in Power. Point). l This allows the greatest amount of flexibility (great for Q&A), and is transparent to the audience.
Electronic Presentation Tips l Use a consistent transition between slides. l. Don’t overdo animations. l. Don’t use simple “canned” sound effects. ØThey only draw the focus away from you. (And are usually annoying!)
Body Language l Don’t hide behind a podium. l Keep your hands out of your pockets! l Use all of your body to get a point across. l Film yourself! Ø You’ll be amazed at what you see! Also, watch it with the sound turned down.
Voice l Don’t speak in a monotone. l Speak loudly and clearly. l People can listen at a faster rate than you can speak. l Record yourself. Ø You’ll hear things on tape you never noticed before!
Taboo #1 l Font sizes too small. l Slides that contain too much information might be great as handouts, or as slide “notes”, but make for lousy slides. l KILL: Keep It Large & Legible.
Taboo #2 l Overly complex graphics. l Simplify!
Taboo #3 l Never turn your back on your audience. l Display on your computer as well as the screen, so you don’t have to turn around.
Taboo #4 l Don’t read your slides. Ø It’s BORING!! Ø You loose eye contact. Ø You won’t be viewed as an expert. l Don’t read your paper. Ø It’s BORING!! Ø You sound canned.
Final Thoughts l If you don’t rehearse, don’t present. l Learn from other good speakers. Ø You won’t become a championship skier by skiing with your peers.
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