Luis G. Morales, MA CMQ/0E, CSSGB, CQIA If You’re Talking, They Must Be Listening - Improving Your Oral Presentations Skills Luis G. Morales, MA CMQ/0E, CSSGB, CQIA ASQ Member of Board of Directors Director, ASQ Region 11B Booz Allen Hamilton Standard Colors Colors should be used in the color pairs whenever possible. Do not mix and match colors, use pairs together as shown. Black, White and Gray can be used with any of the other colors. Raleigh, NC May, 2016 Green Pantone 357 R 15 G 67 B 24 Blue Pantone 2 88 R 11 G 31 B 101 Purple Pantone 2765 R 12 G 4 B 79 Pantone Cool Gray 6 R 158 G 158 B 158 Black Red Pantone 485 R 252 G 5 B 14 Yellow Pantone 3965 R 232 G 244 B 4 Aqua Pantone 319 R 126 G 204 B 189 White

1. Speaking before a group Top ten fears (US) 1. Speaking before a group 2. Heights 3. Insects and bugs 4. Financial problems 5. Deep water 6. Sickness 7. Death 8. Flying 9. Loneliness 10. Dogs David Wallenchinsky, The Book of Lists

Techniques to manage nervousness Clear your mind and focus on the task Keep the situation and tension in perspective Visualize success Build rapport with audience Practice! Use relaxation techniques Fake it

Your platform skills are just as important as the content of your message Eye contact Voice Hand gestures Body movement Visuals Remember that the “rules” vary by culture

Eye contact establishes a connection with your audience Voice Hand gestures Body movement Visuals Maintain eye contact for a complete thought (or 3-5 seconds) Ensure you look at all sections or members of the audience Talk to the audience, not the screen

Make sure your message reaches everyone in the room Eye contact Voice Hand gestures Body movement Visuals Focus on— Vocal projection Rate of speech Pauses Enthusiasm Articulation Avoid verbal fillers Um Ah Actually Well Any other overly-repeated words

Your actions should support your message Gesture as a natural extension of the words Do not lock hands Gesture broadly above the waist When not gesturing, let arms hang loosely at sides Eye contact Voice Hand gestures Body movement Visuals

Use motion to focus your audience’s attention Keep feet and hips stationary Move with purpose Do not— Put hands in your pocket Nervously play with pens, paper, etc. Look at your visuals more than your audience Eye contact Voice Hand gestures Body movement Visuals

Let your visuals support you and your message Talk to the audience, not the screen Don’t read it—flesh it out Manage what the audience sees Don’t block the audience’s view Actively focus the audience’s attention Eye contact Voice Hand gestures Body movement Visuals

Manage the flow of energy from you to your audience Let your energy flow out of your face (eye contact and voice) and upper body (hand gestures), not lower body (shuffling, swaying)

Before creating any deck pages, there are three critical questions to consider Key Questions in Planning a Deck Who is the audience? What outcome is needed? What role will the deck play? Booz Allen Deck Format /Vertical & Horizontal Logic (continued) PowerPoint Presentation: Objectives of Booz Allen Decks (continued) FACILITATOR DO Cover the points on the slide.

What role will the deck play? Analyzing the audience before writing helps to ensure the deck will have impact on the reader What is their position in the organization? Are they decision-makers or implementers? What do they care about? What level of knowledge do they have? How familiar are they with the project? How familiar are they with the subject matter? What are their communication preferences? What are their attitudes and feelings? What does this project mean to them? What will your recommendations mean to them? How do they feel about each other? How do they feel about you? Who is the audience? What outcome is needed? What role will the deck play? Booz Allen Deck Format /Vertical & Horizontal Logic (continued) PowerPoint Presentation: Objectives of Booz Allen Decks (continued) FACILITATOR DO Cover the points on the slide.

What role will the deck play? Analyzing the outcomes to be achieved with the deck can aide the writer in driving to the desired results What should the audience do? What should the audience be able to do? What information or commitments do you want from the audience? How should the audience feel about the project, your recommendations, and you? What are the risks, i.e., the possible outcomes you want to avoid? Who is the audience? What outcome is needed? What role will the deck play? Booz Allen Deck Format /Vertical & Horizontal Logic (continued) PowerPoint Presentation: Objectives of Booz Allen Decks (continued) FACILITATOR DO Cover the points on the slide.

What role will the deck play? Understanding the role of the deck will help to achieve the desired outcomes Will it be a written document only? Will it be read straight through or used as reference? How motivated will the recipients be to read it? Will it be presented on a projection screen? Who will present it? What will the presenter convey in addition to the information on the slides? How interactive will the session be? Will hard copies be handed out? For both presentations and written reports Who else may end up reading this? What context will they be lacking? Who is the audience? What outcome is needed? What role will the deck play? Booz Allen Deck Format /Vertical & Horizontal Logic (continued) PowerPoint Presentation: Objectives of Booz Allen Decks (continued) FACILITATOR DO Cover the points on the slide.

Handling questions is part of your presentation Acknowledge questioner by name Repeat, summarize or paraphrase the question asked Ask for clarification, if necessary Answer or defer to later Ask if you answered question ? ? ? ? ? ?

How do you handle a hostile audience? Prior to the presentation Anticipate tough questions Anticipate sensitive subjects Socialize controversial ideas Build rapport Establish credibility During the presentation Remain calm Use question-handling techniques where appropriate Use “allies” to your advantage Identify reason for hostility Ask questions DO NOT FIGHT BACK DO NOT BECOME DEFENSIVE

There are seven dangerous assumptions that speakers make about their audience If audience members are looking at the speaker, they must be listening When speakers start speaking, audiences start listening Audience members will remember the points the speaker thinks are most important Audience members finish listening when speakers finish talking Audience members accurately repeat what speakers tell them Audience members process information in the same ways speakers do If audience members understand and agree with the information presented, they will apply the principles to their jobs

Seven strategies to help clarify those seven assumptions If audience members fail to demonstrate active listening: change the pace of your presentation ask for audience participation modulate your voice or use vivid examples to encourage audience involvement Use humor, a warm-up statement or exercise to build a relationship with your audience Use attention-getting examples and demonstrate the value of the message early in the presentation to hook your listeners Preview major ideas in the introduction, provide internal summaries and highlight key concepts in the conclusion to emphasize important points Since audiences remember most what they hear first and last, provide the important points at the beginning and end of the presentation

Seven strategies help clarify those seven assumptions cont’d Keep presentations as brief as possible. Cut out irrelevant or unimportant material Use visual aids and repeat important information at least three times Analyze characteristics of target audience members in advance Determine the most appropriate types of humor, examples, support material and organization Provide information that engages all segments of the audience Explain how and why audience members will benefit from acting on ideas presented Furnish reasons why failing to follow your suggestion could be costly or painful

The keys to effective visuals are the same for presentations Clarity Limit amount in graphic Limit amount on page Label all elements clearly Focus Key messages go on slides Details go in appendix Choose a graphic that supports your message Consistency Use templates to your advantage One graphic = one message

LuisGMor@aol.com Questions How to I start? Do I start with a joke? Any horror stories out there? Do I start with a story? Any success stories out there? LuisGMor@aol.com