Effective Presentations Christine BauerRamazani Saint Michaels College Overview
Effective Presentations Christine Bauer-Ramazani Saint Michael’s College
Overview • • • Anxiety Reduction Delivery—Key Considerations Structure of Presentations Visuals Nonverbal & Verbal Communication Question & Answer Guidelines Christine Bauer-Ramazani, Saint Michael's College
Anxiety Reduction Visualize Delivery Know Subject Respect Preparation Time Practice Presentation Relax Mind Respect Audience
Delivery – Key Considerations • The setting Ø Be familiar with • Room, equipment, back-up resources • Do a trial run. • The audience Ø Who? Ø What do they know? Ø What do they want to know? Ø Resistance? Ø Time pressure?
Delivery—Key Considerations The speaker § § § Credible Well-prepared Calm, confident Good posture Humorous The message § Content: background, findings, supporting evidence & examples; appropriate subject terminology and concepts § Organization: description, cause-effect, chronological, argument, problem-solution § Structure: introduction, with Table of Contents, body, conclusion
Structure of Presentations Introduction Introduce yourself. Establish credibility. State purpose + preview presentation content on an Overview slide. Body Identify main points. Give supporting details. Keep clear focus. Conclusion Develop strong closure. Keep it positive. Summarize main ideas.
VISUALS • Slide show • Graphics (pictures must be topic-related) • Exhibits (graphs, charts, diagrams, calculations) – Highlight and emphasize critical figures/points only. – 1 minute per slide! • Handouts – Use 6 -slide handout format. • Back-up copy!
Purpose of Visuals Illustrate key points Reinforce verbal message Stimulate audience interest Focus audience attention Note: Animations and sounds can be distracting! Use them only to illustrate a point.
Visuals – Guidelines: DESIGN § § § § Cover page: title, date, name(s) Table of Contents/Overview Bullets for key points; no long sentences Simple and clear (KISS)! Easy to read--large fonts Contrasting colors Consistent fonts/colors/format Spell-check every slide!
Visuals – Guidelines: USE § § § § NO READING OF NOTES! Check visibility of text: fonts size, style, color. Prepare handouts. Introduce each slide topic with a complete (topic) sentence. Explain each visual. Speak to the audience, not the visual. Decide how to advance slides. Make a transition to the next topic and speaker. Christine Bauer-Ramazani, Saint Michael's College
Nonverbal & Verbal Communication Body Language Voice Posture Eye contact Facial expression Hand gestures Appropriate dress Volume Inflection Articulation Rate Pauses
Nonverbal Communication Do’s Don’ts ü Face the audience. ü Look at each person in the audience. ü Glance at notes occasionally. ü Smile! ü Get someone else to click the mouse (to advance slides). ü Practice in the same room you will be presenting. X Do not hold on to anything! X Do not read from your notes or the screen! X Do not put hands in pockets! X Do not look at the screen or the monitor only! X Do not look at the professor only!
Verbal Communication Do’s üSpeak loudly and clearly; enunciate. üSpeak slowly but with confidence. üEmphasize important points § Use simple sentences and vocabulary. § Slow down! § Speak louder! ü Include concepts & vocab. related to the topic (from book/lectures) Don’ts X Don’t race through your speech! X Don’t mumble! X Don’t use slang or overly colloquial (informal) language. . X Don’t use verbal fillers (“like”, “uh”, “and”)
Conclusion • Summarize main points (or findings). • Emphasize a specific point.
Question & Answer Guidelines • • • Encourage audience to ask questions. Make eye contact with the speaker. Listen carefully. Answer a specific question. Be honest. Avoid interrupting.
Before the presentation … • Practice with the equipment. • Practice transitioning from speaker to speaker. • Time the presentation and make adjustments.
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