Gail Palmer Effective Oral Presentations School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 2 The Five C’s Clear Correct Concise Consistent Comprehensive Confident

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 3 Requirements for an Effective Presentation Planning Delivery Dynamics Graphics

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 4 Planning – Preliminary Stage Analyze the audience. Understand the purpose of the presentation. Know the topic. Prepare speaker’s notes. Rehearse the presentation.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 5 Planning – the Site Check the audio-visual equipment. Assess the actual presentation site.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 6 Delivery Dynamics – Appearance and Manners Dress professionally. Maintain a natural posture. Thank the person who introduces you, but do not repeat your name and affiliation to the audience.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 7 Delivery Dynamics – The Basics Observe the time limit. Handle notes effectively. Avoid reading notes or slides.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 8 Delivery Dynamics – Speaking Use appropriate volume and speed:  Louder and slower for important information  Softer and faster for minor details

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 9 Employ vocal variety:  Speed  Tone  Inflection Use correct grammar, articulation, and pronunciation. Delivery Dynamics – Speaking (2)

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 10 Delivery Dynamics – Mechanics Use a pointer (not your hand) effectively.  Keep your body toward the audience  Place the pointer in the hand closer to the screen Avoid blocking the audience’s view of the screen:  With your body  With your shadow

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 11 Delivery Dynamics - Style Face the audience. Do not read from your notes, the monitor, or the screen.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 12 Delivery Dynamics – Facial Expressions Establish lingering eye contact. Smile appropriately. Be enthusiastic.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 13 Delivery Dynamics – Body Language Hands:  Keep arms comfortably by your side.  Clasp arms behind your back.  Make movements from the waist up.  Use appropriate gestures.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 14 Delivery Dynamics – Body Language (2) Feet:  Plant your feet.  Keep your feet no further apart than your shoulders.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 15 Delivery Dynamics – Body Language (3) No-No’s:  Crossing arms in front of body  Putting hand in pocket  Pointing with finger  Remaining behind podium  Leaning on podium

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 16 Graphics - Organization Title slide  Title of presentation  Speaker’s name  Conference name or course number, section and instructor’s name  Date Introductory slide – outlines key points Text slides – in body of presentation  Highlight presentation material  Enhance organization of presentation  Serve as transitions Concluding slide – summarizes key points

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 17 Graphics – Design and Format Include a title line on every slide. Use an uncluttered design and simple format:  Use short phrases – 7 words or less per line.  Use 9 lines or less on a slide.  Use a credit line for citations.  Use plenty of white space. Number the slides!

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 18 Graphics – Color Use color to Emphasize information Promote understanding Provide effective redundancy Add interest

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 19 Graphics – Rules for Using Color Do not use color where black will work better. Use only two or three colors at a time. Use consistent colors throughout your slides. Use color to highlight or emphasize small items. Readers interpret color before they interpret shape or size.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 20 Graphics – Color Choices in Text and Background Use strong contrasts between text and background:  Black or dark blue/white  Black or dark blue/yellow Make text look smaller with a dark-colored background: Make text look larger with a light-colored background: Color can swallow text. Color can enhance text.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 21 Graphics – Incorrect Uses of Color  The number of different colors used on this slide is too great.  The intensity of these colors is inconsistent.  The colors used on this slide do not compliment each other.  The dark color of the background swallows the text.  The colors on this slide are used inconsistently.  These colors are inconsistent with the colors used on previous slides.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 22 Graphics – Color and Cultural Symbolism Appropriate American cultural symbols related to color:  Red signals danger  Yellow signals caution  Orange signals warning  Blue signals information  Green signals information  Black and white are neutral

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 23 Graphics – Consistency Spelling Capitalization Punctuation Indentations Fonts Verb tenses Numbering system Form of citations

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 24 Fonts – Sizes and Styles  32-pt. font  28-pt. font 24-pt. font 20-pt. font 18-pt. font  Use sans serif fonts – (Arial)  Use thick (2.5 pts. or greater) lines

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 25 Lists – Parallel Structure Begin each item with the same part of speech. Capitalize the first letter of the first word of each item. Be consistent in using (or not using) end punctuation with items. Align the second line of an item with the first letter of the first word in the first line. Follow the same format for all lists in a document.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 26 Lists – Examples of Parallel Structure Unacceptable example: Transformer design Select input DC voltage to transformer. Choose core material Determine Core Size from Estimated Flux Swing The number of primary turns Number of secondary turns Adopt wire dimension Fabricate transformer. Acceptable example: Transformer design Select input DC voltage to transformer Choose core material Determine core size from estimated flux swing Figure number of primary turns Calculate number of secondary turns Adopt wire dimension Fabricate transformer

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 27 The Five C’s Clear Correct Concise Consistent Comprehensive

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 28 Summary – The ABC Format  Abstract: pledge to your audience what you will tell them.  Present material appropriate to your audience.  Use effective delivery techniques.  Body: Keep your promise – use simple, correct, and effectively redundant graphics to enhance your words.  Conclusion: Summarize what you told your audience – remind them of what you want them to remember.

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 29 Contact Information Gail Palmer Office: 2308 Klaus Telephone:

Professional Communication Skills School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 30