Effective Presentations Christine BauerRamazani with contributions from Colin

Effective Presentations Christine Bauer-Ramazani, with contributions from Colin Pillay

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. Body Identify main points with headings. Give supporting details in bullet form. Keep clear focus. Conclusion Develop strong closure. Keep it positive. Summarize main ideas.

Content: Components of Presentations Topic Problem Definition WHAT? Approach HOW? Findings Recommendations Adapted from Oral Presentation Techniques, Boston University

VISUALS • Slide show • Graphics (clip art, topicrelated pictures) • Exhibits (graphs, charts, diagrams, calculations) – Highlight and emphasize critical figures/points only. – 1 minute per slide! • Handouts – Use 6 -slide handout format. • Back-up—FLASH DRIVE!

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 Ø Cover page: title, date, name(s) Ø Table of Contents Ø Bullets for key points; no long sentences Ø Simple and clear (KISS)! Ø Easy to read--large fonts Ø Contrasting colors Ø Consistent fonts/colors/format Ø Spell-check every slide! Use Ø Ø Ø Ø NO READING OF NOTES! Check visibility. Prepare handouts. Introduce each slide topic with a complete 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.

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 … • Go to the presentation room. Practice with the equipment. • Practice transitioning from speaker to speaker. • Time the presentation and make adjustments.