Developing your Presentation Skills

Presentation Outline: How do I deliver my presentation Presentation Outline: How do I deliver my presentation? How do I structure my content?

Delivery

You as a speaker Think about the way you speak and use your voice: What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses as a speaker?

Speaking Breathe from your abdomen Pitch your voice lower Speak a little more slowly Pause at the end of each point Speak clearly Speak loudly enough to be heard easily

What about your expression, and the way you stand and move? Body Language What about your expression, and the way you stand and move? What are the good things to do? What are not good things to do? Are you aware of any bad habits that you have?

Good things to do Speak, don’t read or recite Look at your audience – eye contact Smile at the beginning Stand in a comfortable posture Keep your body still Use gestures to communicate /emphasise meaning Check your body language: give your talk to yourself in the mirror or record yourself

What’s wrong with reading? There are differences between reading and speaking: The sentence structure of written texts is usually too dense and complex to process The rhythms of written and spoken language are different As a result – your audience is likely to find your talk difficult to follow and to be bored

How do you remember what you want to say? Use notes: Index cards Print-outs of PowerPoint slides Slides themselves Index cards are easy to use because They are small enough to hold in one hand They don’t flop around You can punch a hole in the corner, put them on a key-ring, and flip them over as you go

What to put in notes? Not the whole talk Have white space to be able to find key points easily Highlight the most important information Include headings, key points and sub-points, key sentences, specific words or phrases you find difficult, transition words Income Loans paying back Grants sources only some students Part-time jobs finding time from study

Content and Structure

Content Topic Make sure everything is relevant and important Don’t have too many small points or details Purpose Topic and purpose should have a message Audience What does your audience already know? What do they need/want to know? Time Don’t rush – cut something out instead

Introduction Greeting/welcome Introductory statement : purpose, scope (argument) of presentation Outline of presentation: main sections and subsections Dealing with question Referring to handouts

Body: How to get your message across Information is usually presented in a direct way. Audiences expect that you will make clear points and that they can easily understand how your points fit together. Therefore, Divide content into sections and subsections Organise logically, don’t jump around Outline your talk and explain where you are going

Body: Sections of your talk You can use categories charts to organise the sections and subsections Group your material into categories: themes, aspects, topics, concepts etc. Use hierarchy to decide what is the main section and what are the subsections Stress effects immediate negative panic poor judgement positive adrenalin boost longer term lack of sleep health

Conclusion Summarise the main points you have made/ground you have covered Make your final comment one that directly addresses the purpose of your talk Thank the audience Open the talk for questions

Outlining and signalling It’s important to guide people through your talk Outline structure of presentation at beginning Clearly show main sections and subsections Longer presentations - outline each section as you come to it Make sure your talk follows the outline

Language for presentations Introduction Good morning/afternoon/evening Thank you for coming I'm ____ [and this is my colleague,____ ] The subject of this presentation is ___ In this presentation I am going to look at/ examine/ explain/ explore the concept of ___ will suggest/ propose/ argue that ___ In particular, I will discuss/ consider/ focus on ___ Outlining the presentation at the beginning Overview I will be considering several / 'n' aspects of ___ I will be looking at this from several/ 'n' perspectives ___ This talk will be divided into 'n' sections ___ This presentation will cover the following areas ___ Stages First, I will ____ It will start by ____ To begin with, I want to give you___ (some background about ___ / a short history of ___ / a brief introduction to __ ) Secondly, Thirdly ... Finally Then, I will ___ Next, I ___ After that, I ___ I will then move on to ___ Finally, I ___ I will finish by ___ To conclude, I ___

Visuals Try to make visuals clear and easy to read Do not include too much information or details Remember that slides should help, not distract Think about colours, patterns, etc. Resist clever effects

Exercise Watch this presentation: What is the presenter doing right/ wrong?

Exercise In pairs/small groups prepare a short presentation about the importance of body language when giving presentations.