Presentation Skills

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to… –Know different types of body language and their advantage in a presentation, –Apply the 3 A’s in preparing content for a presentation, –Develop visual aids that reflect good instructional design properties, –Know some tips on graphics, and –Respond to questions in an effective manner.

Oral Presentation Skills

Outline P lanning P reparation P ractice P erformance Q uestions

Planning  Who are you talking to?  Why are you talking to them?  How long have you got?  What story are you going to tell?

Preparation  Outline and sketch slides  Prepare slides  Proof read  Prepare notes - brief keywords and phrases, except maybe first couple of paragraphs

Preparation - Outline minutes per slide Generic 15 min Conference Presentation  Title Slide (1) Title, author, affiliation, acknowledgements  Rationale (1-2) Why this is interesting  Methods (1-2) What you did  Results (2-4) What did you find and what does it mean  Summary (1) One thing you want them to remember

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Relevant images communicate, and maintain interest

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds Use large sans serif fonts Helvetica or Arial rather than serif fonts like Times 24 pt is minimum, 32 pt, or even 36 pt is better

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds Use large sans serif fonts Mix upper and lower case ALL CAPITALS IS HARDER TO READ, ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT BE OK FOR THE ODD TITLE

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds Use large sans serif fonts Mix upper and lower case Use colour to highlight text Use high contrast colours for important lines, symbols or text, and lower contrast colours for less important lines, symbols or text. But use a small number of colours

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds Use large sans serif fonts Mixture upper and lower case Use colour to highlight text Keep figures simple

Show means, sd, effect size statistics, but not test statistics

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds Use large sans serif fonts Mixture upper and lower case Use colour to highlight text Keep figures simple Thick lines and large symbols

Preparation - Slides Use Images & Graphics Minimise text & numbers Light text on dark background Avoid distracting backgrounds Use large sans serif fonts Mixture upper and lower case Use colour to highlight text Keep figures simple Thick lines and large symbols Progressive disclosure

Practice Practice, practice, practice Get feedback, and use it. Be ruthless - delete unnecessary information

Performance Don’t Apologise Speak loudly & clearly Use short simple sentences Avoid jargon & abbrev. Vary pitch, tone, volume, speed and pauses

Performance Avoid distracting mannerisms Relax, be enthusiastic Make eye contact Keep an eye on the time remaining

Performance Explain figures, and point to important aspects Give a clear and concise summary, then stop. Don’t go overtime. Ever.

Questions Anticipate likely questions and prepare extra slides with the answers Maybe even plant a stooge

Questions Paraphrase questions 1. so that other people hear the question

Questions Paraphrase questions 1. so that other people hear the question 2. to check you understand the questions

Questions Paraphrase questions 1. so that other people hear the question 2. to check you understand the questions 3. to stall while you think about an answer

Questions If you don’t know the answer, say so. Offer to find out. Ask the audience. NEVER argue with a member of the audience.

Questions Look at the questioner. Remain neutral and attentive. Listen to the whole question. Pause before you respond. Address the questioner, then move your eyes to others.

What are the characteristics of an ideal presenter?

General Competencies Interpersonal Communication Professionalism Practice-Based Learning & Improvement

Eye Contact Never let them out of your sight. Looking them in the eye makes them feel that they are influencing what you say. Eye contact allows the presentation to approximate conversation—the audience feels much more involved.

Body Language NO-NO’s Lean on or grip the podium Rock or sway in place Stand immobile Use a single gesture repeatedly Cross your arms in front of your chest

Body Language NO-NO’s Lean into the microphone Shuffle your notes unnecessarily Tighten your tie or otherwise play with your clothing

Voice Voice Intelligibility –Articulation –Pronunciation –Vocalized pauses –Overuse of stock expressions –Substandard grammar

Voice Voice Variability –Rate of speech –Volume –Pitch or tone –Emphasis

Podium Panic For some people, the thought of giving a presentation is more frightening than falling off a cliff, financial difficulties, snakes and even death.

Dealing with Podium Panic Audiences are forgiving Nervousness is usually invisible Be yourself Practice deep breathing/ visualization techniques Begin in your comfort zone

Dealing with Podium Panic Check out the room in advance Concentrate on the message Begin with a slow, well prepared intro; have a confident and clear conclusion Be prepared and practice

Content 3 A’s Analyze your AUDIENCE. Define what ACTION you want them to take. Arrange your ARGUMENT to move them.

Analyze Your Audience What are their names, titles, backgrounds, reasons for attending, etc…? What are their big concerns? What are their objectives, fears, hot buttons, and attitudes?

Analyze Your Audience What is their perception of you and your institution? What are their questions likely to be? What is personally at stake for them? How much detail do they need?

Define What Action What action do you want the audience to take? Define it in terms of the audience. What will they feel, believe, and do after hearing your talk?

Arranging Your Argument 1.Shake hands with the audience. 2.Get to the point. 3.Present your theme. 4.Develop your agenda point by point. 5.Summarize and recommend.

Visual Aids

Remember the KISS rule: Keep It Short and Simple. Your slides should include the key points only, with one idea per slide. A good rule of thumb is to have about one slide per minute. A 15 - to 20-minute presentation would have about 20 slides maximum.

Follow the “6 x 6” rule: Use about six words per line, six lines per slide (excluding the title). Keep a consistent look throughout your presentation. Use the same font, size, color, and capitalization format.

Design Concepts Big Simple Clear

Big Should be able to read everything from the back row At least 28 pt, preferably 36

Simple No more than 6 lines No more than 7 words per line

Clear Clip art should add to the content Use a different background only to emphasize one slide Arial or Helvetica Blue background with yellow text Avoid overuse of red, shadows, animation and transitions Beware of busy backgrounds

Font Size Always use a font large enough to be seen by all audience members. Use 32- to44- point for titles and no smaller than 28-point for the text or bulleted items.

Visual Aids should be on the speaker’s left.

TIPS ON GRAPHICS

Adding photos DO Don’t

Explanations of technical terms.

Avoid using complete sentences. ✔✘

✔✘

Follow the “6 x 6” rule: ✔ ✘

Always use large font ✔ ✘

Keep a consistent look ✔✘

Use short, strong statements ✔ ✘

Use simple graphs ✔ ✘

Always use data labels. ✔✘

Keep labels horizontal ✔ ✘

Six slices in pie charts ✔✘

3-4 Thick Lines in Line Charts ✔✘

When use a table, remember the “6 x 6” rule: ✔✘

Remove all superfluous gridlines ✔✘

Place data source beneath your graph. ✔✘

Use two-dimensional graphs ✔✘

Avoid border areas; maintain enough “white space” ✔✘

Always label your y-axis ✔✘

Position the text parallel to the bars. ✔✘

For stacked bars ✔✘