Effective Presentations LSS 1003 4 basic steps In

Effective Presentations LSS 1003

4 basic steps In Effective Presentations A presentation is the process by which we present a topic to an audience of more than one person. A good presentation will include the following steps: Strategy- create a strategy for a specific audience. Structure – develop a flexible and flowing structure Presentation style - how you present is as important as what you present Handling questions – confident and informed responses to question as a challenges.

Step 1: Strategy Before you start to plan your presentation, you must know the PURPOSE of for the presentation. What do you want your audience to know and remember? Be clear about your objective- is it to motivate, inform, persuade or teach? You must know your audience so you can decide on what to present and how to present it. You must tailor your presentation to the audience’s: needs, desires, knowledge level and attitude towards the topic. Your presentation should be based on good research It should be specific, practical and relevant

The HOOK

Step 2: Develop a flexible and flowing structure Once you decide on your strategy (e. g. Motivate to save water), you need to organize all the information in a structured manner. The audience will interpret the information in different ways based on your organization and presentation. The audience will need to know: . Why should I pay attention to the speaker when I can think about many other interesting things? . Now that I am listening, why should I care about this issue? . I agree with the importance of this topic, but is the speaker right about her ideas of this topic? . So now that I agree, what does he she want me to do?

Tips on organizing your ideas Begin by placing your topic in content by providing your audience with an outline or road map of your presentation. 1. Provide the expected benefits of the presentation. 2. Organize the body of the presentation logically by making it easy to follow. 3. When appropriate plan ways to encourage the audience to participate. 4. Be honest and provide the audience with the pros and cons of the topic 5. At the end summarize the most important points, tell your audience the action you would like them to take, and conclude on a high note. 6. Use visual aids effectively – graphs, pictures, etc 7. Think about what can go wrong and plan ahead. Always have a plan B.

Step 3: Presentation Style Personal style and confidence are as important as the content of the presentation. Good presenters recognize that communication is both intellectual and emotional. Organizing your ideas and maintaining the attention of the audience is very important.

Techniques to gain attention 1. Show that you are excited about your topic. Do not confuse excitement with loudness. To show excitement show a range of emotions especially with your body language 2. Pay attentions to your posture and tone 3. Your audience will mirror your attitude so if you show confidence; they will believe that you are confident 4. Be honest and discuss the pros and cons of your topic

Keep the audience interested 5. Provide variety and relief if possible 6. Alternate moving and standing still, speaking and listening, doing and thinking , use physical space and body movements to enhance your message. 7. Add stories, testimonials, analogies and demonstrations to your presentation where necessary 8. Make good eye contact and always space for your audience to participate 9. Summarize your main points

Keeping your Audience with you: Remember that what you are saying is new to your audience. You are clear about the structure of your talk, but let your audience know when you are moving on to a new point. You can do this by saying something like "right", or "OK". You can also use some of the following expressions: “I'd now like to move on to…“ "I'd like to turn to…“ "That's all I have to say about…“ "Now I'd like to look at…“ "This leads me to my next point…"

Useful Expressions: Signposts and Signals "My presentation is in three parts. " "My presentation is divided into three main sections. " "Firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally…" "I'm going to… take a look at… Let’s talk about… Let’s examine… I would like to tell you something about the background… I would like to give you some facts and figures… I would like to fill you in on the history of… I would like to concentrate on…

Language for using visuals Visuals could be charts, graphs, pictures, videos …etc. It's important to introduce your visual to the audience. You can use the following phrases: "This graph shows you…" "Take a look at this…" "If you look at this, you will see…" "I'd like you to look at this…" "This chart illustrates the figures…" "This graph gives you a break down of…"

The importance of body language Activity 1: Look at activity sheet 1 Video Link: Body Language and Presentations The Seven Power body language Secrets What are some of the secrets that body language experts know Body Language 1 Hand Gestures 2 The Steeple 3 The Eyebrow raise 4 Lean in 5 Facial expressions 6 The head tilt 7 Movement Meaning

Step 4: Handling Objections/ Questions 1. Ask friendly questions 2. Make any interchange a satisfying experience for the person who asked you the question. 3. Help people to save face if they ask a silly question 4. It’s useful to re-word the question, as you can check that you have understood the question and you can give yourself some time to think of an answer. By asking the question again you also make sure that other people in the audience understand the question. Before you start, tell your audience how you want to handle the questions: “Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions. “ "There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation. “ "I'd be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation. "

If you don’t know the answer to the question then… If you don't know the answer to a question, say you don't know. It's better to admit to not knowing something than to guess and maybe get it wrong. You can say something like: "That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head, but I'll try to get back to you later with an answer. “ "I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps I can get back to you later. “ "Good question. I really don't know! What do you think? “ "That's a very good question. However, we don't have any figures on that, so I can't give you an accurate answer. “ "Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer that. "

Activity 2 You should be in a group of 3 people. You and your group will now create a mini- presentation (4 slides) use what you have learned in this PPT. This presentation is only 3 minutes long. Make sure you: Include a hook Use the correct language and body language Tell your audience how you want to handle their questions. Create 3 slides showing the 3 important points we need to know about your topic Summarize the main points and handle the questions

Suggestions for the mini-presentation Three important things you should know before you : Go on a diet Join a Gym Get Married Go to the library Choose a college Shop for a wedding ring Work in a hospital visit your In-Laws for the first time Go to the dentist Take a language class Get your driver’s license Join a club