Presentation skills
Preparing a presentation
Decide the objectives, what do you
Analyse the audience, what do they
want to achieve?
Gather and review your material Select the essentials; discard
want?
Plan timing Prepare notes Rehearse
unimportant details
Three main parts
Introduction Main body Conclusion
Introduction Establish rapport; include/involve the
Explain your plan Set the scene and explain why what
audience
you have to say matters to the audience
Three main parts
Main body Deliver your message Develop your arguments Support with facts, evidence, examples Key ideas and facts presented in logical
structure
Three main parts
Conclusion Repeat main points Emphasise message Tie together individual points in main
Leave the audience with positive
body
feelings
Visual aids
Visual aids can greatly enhance learning BUT: Keep It Short and Simple (not like this!)
Top tips
Don’t try to get too much on the screen at once If you do try to get too much on at once no one will be able to read it Try to use 24pt or above at all times Try not to have too many separate points on one slide Restrict yourself to only about 5 items at most Try to make sure each items is no more than 2 lines long at the most because if you make them very much longer than that it becomes increasingly difficult for people to follow what it is you are trying to say and they will give up trying to read the slides at all If you can still read this now at the back of the room, you must have very good eyesight This is getting very silly now but I will keep on adding a couple more lines so this gets really small How much more can I possibly get in just to make a point I hope that you can see that this is a really bad slide! It certainly seems pretty awful to me
This is an example of how not to do it!
Top tips
Don’t try to get too much on the
screen at once
Make sure your audience can read it
Consider introducing points one at a
time
Don’t just read the OHP/slide
Doing it!
Make sure material is well
organised
Get to know it really well Visualise yourself delivering a
successful presentation
Rehearse standing up and with all
visual aids
Doing it!
Breathe deeply before starting to
speak
Relax with simple techniques Remember that your audience are on your side and want to like what you do
Capturing your audience
Reach out to them; make it all Us
Vary your voice (volume, emphasis,
instead of Us and Them
Project without shouting Pause until it hurts
pace)
Capturing your audience
Bring the material to life with
examples, analogies, anecdotes
Stay relaxed by moving
Keep good eye contact
Common Problems
Nerves Screen gazing Note reading Voice dropping Personal mannerisms
