Doing An Oral Presentation

Do’s and Don’ts of Standing Before An Audience (1) - Maintain Eye Contact – Don’t just focus on one person – keep everyone involved Shift your eye focus at a slow and moderate pace When you are nervous time slows down and you are doing a lot of things faster than you think – Problems How do I remember what to say? How do I know what is on the Power Point behind me?

The Problem of What to Say Avoid reading your remarks – If you have a text document it should be notes that you can gaze down on quickly Nervousness will make you want to keep your eyes on friendly notes – fight it – There may be quotes that need to be read exactly (probably not much in our setting) Practice Your Talk Aloud before you give it – This will tell you about your time – It will give you experience with your delivery – It will help you to remember – Approaches You can practice in front of a mirror Do we want the class room open early in the morning for a practice session?

The Power Point Problem Power Point can give you a set of notes – It can also get you into the same problems of reading and staring at notes Practicing can make you less dependent – It will make you familiar with what you are presenting on what slide A few note cards can save you from reading difficult to remember facts and figures SIU podiums put a copy of the slide in front of the presenter – Looking at idea of moving monitor to face the presenter

The Principle of Poise (2) - Stand Up Straight – Don’t slouch – Don’t hang your head and look down – Don’t be Stiff as a Board – (you are not a deer in headlights and the audience is not ready to run over you with a car) Do not rock back and forth on your heals Do not rock side to side It is ok to walk around during delivery – It even helps people pay attention

(3)- What Are Your Hands Doing? Putting them in your pockets and fidgeting is a bad idea – People might even imagine you have found a new way to avoid nervousness Holding them rigidly at your side makes you look stiff as a board – Usually a naturally bent elbow with your hand open toward your side is best – Don’t hold your finger stiff either

What Can I Do With My Hands Folding your arms will keep your hands out of mischief – But it is also widely understood body language for being closed to the people you are talking with Putting your hands together in front of you at about arms length is awkward – No matter what you dreamed last night you are not naked in front of the audience – Most audiences are not conspiring to throw a ball at you where it hurts

Positives with Your Hands Gestures are often a natural and positive way to use your hands – Keeping your hands above the waist line Even if you lock your fingers – Keeping elbows bent – Out stretched hand to gesture at content – A drop of hands for emphasis Involvement of hands in gestures suggests enthusiasm – Desirable – more engaging keeps it interesting

(4)-Watch Out for Nervous Habits Are you playing around with a pencil – (some people are even baton twirlers) The Chalk? Scratching Yourself – You can block your own face – You can scratch yourself like a monkey or in some terribly embarrassing place Rocking around or frantic pacing ruins poise – (if they tell you where the bathroom is you have definitely gone too far)

(5)- Dress With Professionalism Your dress is a statement that you are the knowledgeable professional sharing information Unless it really is a get together on the beach shorts, sleeveless tank tops, and sandals/ tennis shoes are never appropriate Generally dress one notch above the audience – Not less than nice slacks, a nice formal shirt, socks, and solid shoes – Ties and suitcoats are generally for when the audience is dressed up too. (Remember 1 notch above)

Special Notes for Female Presenters You have an option for skirts and dresses – (guys in such attire tend to make statements outside of professionalism in the discussion subject) Low neck-lines, open dress backs, spaghetti strap supports – bear shoulders and short skirts are no no’s (save it for the cocktail party) – Usually wear conservative colors and make-up – The audience should never wonder about what your profession is There is a tendency for some television personalities to try to develop a following that thinks they are sexy Don’t follow that trend

(6)- Use of Voice Look up – fill your lungs – project your voice from your chest not just your vocal chords – Your public speaking voice should be much louder and more projecting than your conversation voice Do not mumble Do not turn your back on the audience – Even if you have to write on the board turn your side Practicing out loud usually reduces stutters and nervous stumbles

Inflection Use ups and downs in frequency to add flow and emphasis Act like your topic is just the most exciting thing you’ve come across for a long time – (even if your bored stiff) A slightly faster pace can help portray enthusiasm – But remember you are probably already talking faster than you think – (practice in front of a mirror or harmless others can help you to gage)

(7)- Slides Keep them simple They should be readable at the back of a room – If you need glasses or binoculars to read it on 15 inch monitor from 9 feet away – its too darn small – Most tables need to have just summary highlights to meet this criteria If you need a data dump table – give them a handout Bright colors and fancy backgrounds available in Power Point Templates often take away from the subject Sound effects and flashy slide transitions are devastating – Save the transitions for music videos in the background at a party