Making a Formal Presentation

Sesh Sukhdeo PART 10

Have you earnt the right to speak

Globally audiences have rated my facilitation and presentation skills as some of the best they have experienced, I am glad to share things which I feel make a difference. Sesh_sukhdeo@yahoo.co.uk

The presentation process

Pre planning – facts, background, data – information – take into account the audience

Presentation title Objectives outline Content – inclusion Setting the scene - introduction Presenting your message Closure - recap – questions, summarise

Consider

What is the purpose of the presentation? Who will be attending? What does the audience already know about

the subject? What is the audience's attitude towards me

(e.g. hostile, friendly)? How long you have to get the most important

message over.

Preparation

Prepare the structure of the talk carefully andlogically, just as you would for a written report.

What are:

The objectives of the talk? The main points you want to make? Do you have a style which excite and engage?  

Key Relationship Traits

Trust

Culture

Fairness

Integrity

TeamLinkage

OpenCommunication

Equality

SharedObjectives

PeerRelationships

AREAS WHICH INFLUENCE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

EVEN IN A PRESENTATION

The intro and icebreaker

A good presentation starts with introductions and an icebreaker, interesting statement or fact, joke, quotation, or an activity to get the group warmed up, phrase, question, or even your expression at a welcome.

The introduction also needs an objective, the purpose or goal of the presentation. This not only tells you what you will talk about, but it also informs the audience of the purpose of the presentation.

Rehearse against the clock

Practice your presentation against the clock. You can add in parts from the script or take them out

to fit the time.

Allow extra time in your presentation for questions

The Talk

Never read from a script.

The chances are you will not locate the point you want to say amongst all the other text.

You should know what you want to say – I often talk about five main points and build around this.

keep simple clear bullet points as prompts.

Golden rules

To make the presentation interesting, change your delivery approach, Don’t be scared to be imaginative.

Don’t talk to fast Speed Pitch of voice

Use your hands to emphasize points. but don't indulge in to much hand waving as this develops into irritating habits.

One style does not fit all.

Look at the audience as much as possible, but don't fix on an individual - it can be intimidating. Pitch your presentation towards the back of the audience, especially in larger rooms.

The use of flip charts

When writing on flip charts use no more than 10 lines of text per page and no more than 7 word per line (the 10 7 rule).

Also, use bright and bold colors, and pictures as well as text.

Have you grabbed attention

"If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail"

Keeping the audience attentive

People generally have short attention spans and a million other things to think about.

Your job in the presentation is to reach through this mental fog and to hold the attention long enough to make your point.

Grabbing their attention - the newsreader.

In a newspaper, the story is introduced in its entirety in a catchy first paragraph.

The next few paragraphs repeat the same information only giving further details to each point.

The next section repeats the entire story again, but developing certain themes within each of the sub-points and again adding more information.

This is repeated until the reporter runs out of story.

Keep the main points to three key areas

People tend to easily remember three things at a time

So try to ensure you keep information in blocks.

Where to stand

Don't face the display screen and talk, beware of your shadow if using a projector.

Avoid moving about too much. Pacing up and down can unnerve the audience, although some animation through gestures, pauses is ok.

Body Language

A enthusiastic speaking style captures attention, makes the material more interesting, and facilitates understanding.

Posture and body orientation: You communicate numerous messages by the way you talk and move.

Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be avoided as it communicates disinterest.

Body Language

Make sure your stance does not convey boredom; at best, you can use your whole body as a dynamic tool to reinforce your rapport with the audience.

What to do with your hands. These must not wave aimlessly through the air, or fiddle constantly with a pen.

The key is to keep your hands still, except when used in unison with your speech.

To train them initially, find a safe resting place which is comfortable for you, and aim to return them there when any gesture is completed.

Making the presentation

Greet the audience (for example, 'Good morning, ), and tell them who you are, format, approach.

Good presentations then follow this formula:

1. tell the audience what you are going to tell them2. then tell them 3. at the end tell them what you have told them. 4. Keep to the time allowed. If you can, keep it short. It's better to

under-run than over-run. As a rule of thumb, allow 2-3 minutes for each general Powerpoint slide you use

Remember

Don't rush, or talk deliberately slowly. Be natural - although not conversational.

Deliberately pause at key points - this has the effect of emphasizing the importance of a particular point you are making.

The Delivery

Whatever you say and whatever you show; it is you, yourself which will remain the focus of the audience's attention.

The presenter has the power both to kill the message and to enhance it. Your role is to use the potential of the presentation to ensure that the audience is motivated and inspired rather than disconcerted or distracted.

There are five key facets of the human body which deserve attention in presentation skills: the eyes, the voice, the expression, the appearance, and how you stand.

Visual Aids

A careless design or use of a slide can simply get in the way of the presentation.

Most people expect visual reinforcement for any verbal

message being delivered.

An example is if you are describing the four functions of a project manager then display the four "hats" he/she must wear; if you are introducing the techniques of brainstorming then brandish a fishing rod to "fish for" ideas.

Words vs. pictures

Professor Albert Mehrabian did a lot of research into how we take in information during a presentation. He concluded that 55% of the information we take in is visual and only 7% is text.

– Use visuals (pictures, graphs, tables, props) whenever you can

– In a speech you are only using 38% of the communication medium

– Ditch the bullet points

The effect of using visuals is truly staggering!

When someone asks a questions

Make sure you listen to the question

Your response will influence how people consider you as trustworthy.

Framing what you

It is important to frame or signpost the information

Express what you have say in a way in which it inspires the other person

Exercise

Spend a few minutes and note where you feel you need help

Describe the sort of presentations which you commonly make

What other forms of presentation would you like you to develop

Self reflection -

How do you express yourself when something important needs to be said

Do you feel others can hear you when you speak Is your voice interesting Do you make impact How do you sound at meetings or interviews? Do words flow naturally? How fast do you speak? What do you say? Is your message applauded by others

Different types of people reflect information in different ways

People tend to be either

Logical

Emotional

– IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO – IT WILL HELP YOU BUILD RAPPORT.

Helping you to Build Momentum

Only talk on a subject when you know enough about it, making assumptions comes across as arrogant and can annoy people

Vary your questioning technique: this helps you to develop a conversation rather than a rapid-fire question and answer session

Stay in control: steer the presentation towards the outcome you want by recapping and signposting

Listen for opportunities and follow them up: don’t just follow a list of questions, base your presentation in a logical way

Think ahead, listen to and analyse the customer’s answers and make notes to keep your records up to date

Listen carefully to questions

Don’t fudge the answers

It is your ability to focus your mind on what the other person is saying.

Physically hear what is being said; Understand it; and

Remember it.

What is important

Intonation to provide emphasis on words Modulation to inject life and energy in your voice Pace / Speed neither too fast or too slow Volume suitable to reflect the other person Tone convey meaning and feelings Clarity Pitch (high or low voice) used to support the

emotions Logical pathway of how information flows

Lets look at the following

Do you talk to fast Are you able to listen to another person –

with real interest and desire Can you ask questions in a natural way

without making the other person feel bored Did you know that your voice, is one of the

major influencers when making impact So what is a good voice?

Build relationship, rapport, links with others

Mirror – reflects reflecting some of the behaviours which the other person processes

Matching – reflects, assessing which areas can be matched to help build rapport.

Passion

To be convincing you must have a passion for your subject. It must be something you are vitally interested in.

You must exude enthusiasm and you must communicate this excitement to your audience.

However it is important to remember the context of your conversation, there is no point showing passion in a customer complaint situation.

Conclusion

The keys to success

Your Voice Your Mind Your Attitude

Can be managed into sub processes – understand each of the above, it will bring outstanding success –

Practice makes perfect – it takes time so don’t give up.

Above all

Be Natural and relaxed

At the end – question time

Always allow time at the end of the presentation for questions. After inviting questions, do not rush ahead if no one asks a question.

Pause for about 6 seconds to allow the audience to gather their thoughts. When a question is asked, repeat the question to ensure that everyone heard it (and that you heard it correctly).

When answering, direct your remarks to the entire audience. That way, you keep everyone focused, not just the questioner.

To reinforce your presentation, try to relate the question back to the main points.

sesh_sukhdeo@yahoo.co.uk