PERFECT PRESENTATIONS: Presenting with impact is a skill that can be learned by anyone Based on an article by Dave Howell, in Making Money, Dec. 2006, page 90-91

Introduction

Managers A vast majority do not have innate presentation skills Can learn to present ideas effectively Being a good public speaker build your self-confidence

Clear Message

Public Speaking Many dread it Basic skills can be learned to get message across With application and good training anyone can be a fluent and confident speaker A great asset you will use throughout your career

Presentation To get across the message, To inform, To explain, and To train A powerful way –

Presentation: An assumed skill A skill managers expectd to have acquired without any formal training, And without getting accurate feedback

Supporting Materials Slide-shows not the heart of the presenation For backup, not a script

Training in presentation skills Most people require some training to help develop key techniques and build confidence

New Skill Set

What makes a good presentation Using your voice effectively, Controlling the pace of delivery, Using effective body language, Structuring the presentation Formatting your slides well Coming across as confident Personal delivery such as –

Good presentation Delivering your message Effectively with interest and enthusiasm, in a way that keeps the attention of your audience

Presentation Always about selling something An idea A different way of thinking

Presentation tools

Easy to blame them for a bad or poorly received presentation Learning to use them is only a part of becoming a better presenter Can enhance or ruin the message Powerpoint slides should not be a crutch to hide behind

Remember! “A picture is worth a thousand words” Interesting visuals as backdrop is far more important than pages of text Lots of colour is usually good Use simple animations sparingly

Bullet Points Maybe the best way to get your message aross Keep it simple The fewer the bullets the better Avoid “death by bulltet points” – dozens of really boring slides read off by the presenter

Design of the presentation Crucial Words (text) 7% Vocal Input 38% Visual 55%

Presenter Is about the message you want to convey Must deliver the mesage clearly and with conviction Presenters present, not the laptop

Presentation Like a glass containing good whisky The glass contain the whisky so that people can appreciate and savour it Allow people to appreciate and understand the content

“That was a good presentation” A bitter blow A presentation should just happen by magic so that people don´t notice it Allow them to fully concentrate upon the message, not the medium

Presenter You are the most important visual aid The way you deliver your presentation and engage your audience is a crucial factor Audience must remember you at the end of the presentation, rather than a good slide show

Do´s and Don´ts Do´s Research your audience first Decide on your key objective Learn and rehearse the first three sentences – for a confident start Speak more slowly than usual - people cannot “speed listen” Don´ts Have too much information on your slides – it is hard to deliver Have too many key points – 3 to 4 is enough Look back at the screen while speaking Hold a pen or other object while presenting – you end up fiddling with it Apologize at the start or end – if you make a mistake just move on