Presentations to Impress Created by: Linda Murray and Kate Smith

Learnhigher Learning Area Coordinators for Oral Communication

Aims: Identifypurpose

& objectives

Deliverthe

Presentation(consider body

language & questions)

Practise the

presentation

Prepare your notes &

visual aids

Structure your

presentation

Consideraudience &

environment

The Presentation Process

Evaluate your performance

Presentation 1:

Watch the following clips and evaluate the presentations skills of the presenter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vS6sjc1lQ0&feature=related

The First Questions to Ask Yourself

Why are you saying it? (The aim) Who are you saying it to? (The audience) What are you going to say? (The content) How are you going to say it? (The structure)

The Aim

To inform: To tell or to impart factual knowledge to a group.

To make a proposition: To sell or persuade the audience to support an idea or plan.

To inspire and motivate: To impel. To generate enthusiasm and develop positive attitudes.

Who’s your Audience?

Who are the members of the audience and what do they do?

What is the benefit to the audience of listening to your presentation?

What do they already know about the subject? What is the relationship between yourself and the

audience? What interests your audience? How will what you are going to say affect them?

If you fail to consider your audience they may feel…

alienated – if you offend their value system insulted – if you fail to recognise and acknowledge

their existing knowledge and experience confused – if you assume a level of knowledge or

expertise that isn’t there bored – if you fail to relate to their needs patronised – if you use an inappropriate style frustrated – if they are not given the opportunity to

question or contribute

Where are you going to do your presentation?

What technology will you have?

How much space will you have?

Where will the audience be?

Lighting? Temperature?

Picture source: http://www.cityofdestin.com/clientuploads/NPDES/presentations.jpg

Learn from experience

Consider a presentation that you have seen that was very effective. What made it so?

Consider a presentation that you have seen that you thought was unsuccessful. What made it so?

Structure and Signpost

Tell them what you’re going to tell them.

Tell them.

Tell them what you told them.

Introduction

Tell them who you are and why you are giving this presentation

Tell them what the presentation is about Tell them what your objectives are Tell them what the background to the

presentation is Tell them what's in it for them Opening attention grabber

The Main Body

Give details of your topic in a logical, smoothly linking order

Take advantage of the primacy and recency effect Use anecdotes and real examples to illustrate your

points Tell them how this information applies to them Back up all the claims that you made at the start

The Conclusion

Summarise your key points Remind them of: the advantages of your position,

solution, options, conclusions. Tell them what you want them to do next Tell them how to contact you Closing attention grabber Invite questions Try to end on a high. Avoid saying “That’s it!”

Presentation 2:

What do you notice about the presentation style of the speaker in this clip:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UGZyG0Jchjo&feature=related

Impact of Body Language

What listeners might use to interpret the speaker’s meaning:

Source: Mehrabian (1981)

Words: 7%

Tone: 38%

Face: 55%

Body Language to Avoid

Continuous eye contact or staring Constantly rubbing an eye, nose or ear Keep clearing your throat Clenching your hands or pointing Crossing your arms or legs Shuffling your feet and swaying Smiling or raising your eyebrows in a way that

suggests you don’t value your audience’s contribution!

Engaging Body Language

Stand up straight and face the audience head-on Hold your head up high, with your chin up Use your hands to emphasise and reinforce Vary your gestures Nod your head and smile to emphasise what you

are saying Make proper eye contact

Voice

Be audible Use pauses for emphasis, or to regain their attention Don’t mumble or drop your voice at the end of sentences Vary the speed with which you talk to keep their attention Alter the volume and tone of your voice for emphasis Sound enthusiastic Avoid jargon Monitor your use of ‘um’, ‘er’, ‘actually’; and try to cut

down

Handling Nerves

Avoid negative self-talk Don’t run over your allocated time slot Prepare, practise and bring all you need Know your audience Visualise yourself succeeding Act confident to feel confident Don’t stress “what could have been” or “what should

have been”

Handling Questions

Tell the audience when you will be taking questions Listen carefully and paraphrase the question before you

respond Look at the entire audience when answering Call on experts from the audience where appropriate Set a time limit to control hostile questioners Don’t let individuals take over Don’t pretend that you know the answer End the Q&A session with a strong closing remark

In summary…

Purpose - establish what it is Research your topic Experiment with visual aids Place – what is it like? Audience – know who they are Rehearse your performance Early – arrive well in advance

PREPARE!

Where now?

Resources:

http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/

Murray, R. (2003). How to survive your viva. Maidenhead: Open University Press

Stott, R.,Young, T., Bryan, C. (Eds.)(2001). Speaking your Mind Harlow:Pearson Education Ltd.

Levin, P. & Topping G. (2006). Perfect Presentations!

Maidenhead: Open University Press