Presentation Skills Workshop

Mountain Barrier

Hill Barrier

Bridge the barrier with your voice, eye contact and visual aids

1. Introduction – qualities of a good speaker 2. The structure of a formal speech 3. Explain the verbal and non-verbal cues which can help you present your ideas clearly to the audience 4. Practice Tasks – Each student in the group has to given a 5-minute impromptu speech

What sort of presentations do you need to do?  Present your projects/assignments  Job Interview – impromptu presentations; group discussion skills  Seminars and conferences  Oral defense of your thesis

Basic rules in presentation The 3 Vs = Vocal (voice), Visual and verbal (language, i.e. content) Maintain good eye contact, use some gestures, have some facial expressions (but don ’ t overdo it), proper dress code, eliminate the “ ums ” & “ ahs ”, have voice & vocal variety (avoid using a monotone) Take a deep breath to relax yourself

 8 ways to draw the attention of the audience  Clap hands  Eye movement  Use visual aids  Ask a question  Let the audience do a task  Use gimmicks (unusual act)  Silence  Vary your tone or pitch

Watch the video “ Speak up with Confidence ” by Jack Valenti 1. Ways to speak forcefully 2. He has given expert advice on using your voice, eyes and gestures to get the ideas across to the audience.

Practice speaking Practice Form groups of 5 Each group picks a topic Discuss for 5 minutes The group gives a short impromptu presentation **Other groups comment on their performance and ask questions (1-2 minutes)

Good performance:  Maintain good eye contact with the audience;  Speak clearly  Pause when you come across an important point  Link up the points systematically  Have an introduction, a body & a conclusion  Use grammatical language with the right tone

Be prepared Prepare your speech 1.Find a topic 2.Do research to gather data 3.Put the information and data into a speech format 4.Use a 3-tier structure: Introduction, body and conclusion & recommendation 5.Q & A session

1. When preparing the speech, you should have your audience in mind.  Find out the background of the audience  What types of work do your listeners do?  The purpose of the presentation  Common interests among the members  Other characteristics

 Write out the first draft  Rehearse it – record your speech and then listen to it  A good speech should target at a specific audience and it should have a goal.

2. KNOW THE OCCASION  Is the occasion solemn, formal, or casual?  Does the audience hope to be informed, entertained, or inspired? Or do they hope for some combination of the three?  How long does the program chairman expect the speech to be?

3. KNOW YOUR SPEAKING ENVIRONMENT  The size of the room  Furniture – such as table, lectern  Audio-visual equipment – computer for powerpoint presentation, screen, overhead projector, whiteboard etc.

4. PIN DOWN YOUR TOPIC  What information do you have that would give most benefits to the group members?  What does the group expect to hear from you?  Is your purpose to inform, persuade, entertain, or inspire? Or is it a combination of all the above?

5. Prepare an interesting introduction to capture attention  Have you included stories, examples, anecdotes, illustrations, and factual evidence?  Have you included illustrations from your personal experience?

6. RESEARCH  Have you assembled the necessary facts and statistics to make your case convincing?  Are all your facts and statistics accurate and current?

7. Write the rough draft Introduction  Can your introduction grab your audience ’ s attention?  Does your introduction include a clear statement of your point of view?  Is the language clear and vivid enough to assure your audience that the speech is easy to follow?

8. Keep the note cards/ Rehearse  Make your notes easy to read, with big lettering and plenty of open space 9. Practice Practice varying your eye contact among four or five locations Exaggerate variations in the pitch, rate, and volume of your voice during the practice session.

10. Be calm and be in control  Find out from the audience ’ s responses whether they can follow your presentation through asking a few questions  The Q & A session

 The discussion session should concentrate on developing a few points clearly and precisely  Use anecdotes, stories, humorous observations, or illustrations to help your audience visualize the meaning of the facts and statistics.

 Cue your audience that your conclusion is forthcoming  State clearly and explicitly exactly what actions you would like the listeners to take.

 Effective Presentations (KU Medical Centre) ◦ tml tml Give excellent advice for those who need to present at conferences There are sections on developing effective presentations, designing visual aids and creating effective poster presentations There is a useful list of links

 Presentation Helper ◦ ◦ invaluable advice on different types of oral presentations ◦ information on job interview presentations ◦ a list of ideas for topics for persuasive speeches

 Interactive Lesson on Overcoming the Fear of Speaking to Groups ◦ champions.com/speaking/fearwbt.htm#5 champions.com/speaking/fearwbt.htm#5 ◦ MC questions with immediate feedback to make you think about presentations