Making Effective Presentations Dr. Ruth Yontz Department of Finance University of Illinois

Good presenters engage their audiences with Skillful delivery Effective strategy Interesting, well-organized content Effective visuals Preparation

Skillful delivery – Creating a Connection

Sustained eye contact Make 3-5 seconds contact Do not read notes or the screen Face the audience, not the screen

Pleasant facial expression – smile! Effective gestures to emphasize meaning Preparation and good timing Skillful Delivery

Strong voice Volume Speak to the back of the room Variation Vary your pitch and volume Pauses Pause to emphasize

Professional Q&A Ask for questions Be receptive to questions Wait for questions Group presentations – decide as a team who will answer the question Skillful delivery

Professional Q&A Repeat questions to Confirm you understand Make sure everyone hears the question Give yourself time to formulate an answer If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so! Skillful delivery

Effective Strategy Audience Who is my audience or audiences? What do they already know? What is their attitude? What are their needs, interests, concerns?

Effective Strategy Objectives What do I want to achieve? What do I want the audience to know, do, or feel?

Audience strategy Who is my audience? What do they already know?

Audience strategy How interested are they? Their needs, interests, concerns

Objectives strategy I want the audience to Understand elements of a successful presentation Know & practice techniques for improvement Feel they can improve their skills Think that the workshop is useful Give better presentations

Interesting, well-organized content Introduction Hook PIP – purpose, importance, preview Body For receptive audience Main point/recommendation, analysis, benefits For unreceptive audience Analysis, benefits, main point/recommendation

Interesting, well-organized content Ending Recommendation & benefits Next steps for action Summary (for longer presentations) Ineffective “That’s all.” “That’s all I have time for.”

How will you make it interesting for your audience?

Effective Slides Why use visuals? Emphasize key points for audience & presenter Present information clearly, concisely, vividly Types of visuals Text, chart, concept

Effective slides Use slides to structure your presentation Use an agenda slide Use slide titles that create logical connections between the agenda slide & subsequent slides

Effective slides Use design principles Create slides that focus attention on the message Avoid elements that distract from your message

Effective slides Slides are ineffective when they Are difficult to read Do not have a clear message Present too much information Use a distracting design or animation Use too many colors

Preparation – rehearse, rehearse, rehearse Time your presentation – early Get comfortable with content Do not memorize Practice good delivery skills with slides with teammates for group presentation in room where you will present

Managing nervousness

Preparation – managing nervousness Prepare, prepare, prepare Prepare your introduction the most so you are entirely comfortable with it Stretch & take deep breaths to relax Find friendly faces in the audience Look your best Anticipate difficult questions & be ready to answer them

Managing nervousness Your nervousness is not usually noticeable to your audience Your audience will not notice if you forget to say something—pause and continue

Summary Skillful delivery Effective strategy Interesting, well-organized content Effective visuals Preparation