1. Making Presentations
Jennifer Powers
ISP 499z

2. 10 Steps for Powerful Presentations
Know your listeners
Identify your purpose
Organize your presentation
Speak clearly
Control nervousness
From: Powerful Presentation Skills, Becker and Becker, 1994
Highly recommend this book
For this class and for other situations
Even though it is recommended for this class, you should get it and refer to it
Bring it to class next week

3. 10 Steps for Powerful Presentations
Choose language
Control nonverbal behavior
Use visuals
Handle questions
The final touch

4. 1. Know your listeners Why? Streamline presentation
Simplify preparation
Customize materials
Feel more comfortable
Reduce anxiety
Don’t want to waste their time or your time
The more prepared you are, the better

5. 1. Know your listeners How? Listeners checklist (pp. 2–4)
Why am I speaking?
Why are they listening?
What are their attitudes/behaviors likely to be?
What relationship do we have?
What relationship do they have with each other?
Book as detailed answers for each questions
These will help you focus your presentation
Let’s answer these for our class…

6. Know your listeners Why, continued What do they know about this topic?
What would they like to know?
How will they use this information?
What are they doing before and after I speak?
What are the logistics of the speaking situation?

7. 2. Identify your purpose Five purposes Persuading Informing Motivating
Entertaining
Inspiring
Business presentations usually involve only the first three
This class will really focus only on the first two
Entertaining/inspiring = giving toast or eulogy--the the kind of thing we do everyday

8. 2. Identify your purpose Supporting techniques
Persuading through ethos (reputation/credibility)
Persuading through pathos (emotions)
Persuading through logos (logic)
Must decide which is best technique according to the situation. If you use the wrong technique, your message will be lost or confused.
Ethos--if someone introduces you, will give your credentials
Even if someone else does not give your credentials, you can give them yourself
Be brief
Be direct
Chose examples most related to your topic
Pathos--appeal to the listeners’ emotions
Choosing right words, wearing right colors, displaying emotions, changing sound of voice
Pathos-building factors:
1. Smiling
2. Humor
3. Religion
4. Reward
5. Fear of needless expense
6. Loud voice and broad gestures
7. References to emotional incidents
8. Visuals with appealing graphics
9. Colorful language
10. Fear of job loss
11. Joy of accomplishment
12. Charged symbols, ie. Flags
13. Emotional music
Logos--research data, statistics, numbers
Can be expressed with numbers, facts and through speaker’s appearance and communication style

9. 2. Identify your purpose Supporting techniques, continued
Informing through telling
Informing through teaching
Informing through training
Telling--emphasis on accuracy
Not trying to persuade, influence, change or interpret
Telling = reporting
Teaching = teaching without persuading OR test listener’s comprehension
Use demonstration, role playing, interactive techniques
Training = combines telling, teaching and demonstration
Be clear--be aware of exactly what you want listeners to know
Be concise--use only as many examples as necessary to make your point
Be consistent--language and vocabulary

10. 2. Identify your purpose Supporting techniques, continued
The motivation matrix
Motivated by
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
Motivated for
Accomplishment
Recognition
Power
Accomplishment--some listeners want successful completion of task
Recognition--some listeners want to know that someone recognizes/appreciates their work
Power--potential power gained through completing a task

11. 2. Identify your purpose Accomplishment Recognition Power
Ethos (credibility)
Pathos (emotion)
Logos (logic)
motivation matrix

12. 3. Organize your presentation
Inductive organization
Deductive organization
The four-step outline
Numerical transition
Inductive
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Conclusion
Deductive
General conclusion
Four-step outline
Tell listeners what you’re going to tell them
Tell why they should listen
Tell your message
Tell them what you told them
Numerical transition
Number the topics in your presentation
Can be used with other topics

13. 4. Speak clearly Assimilation Plosive sounds Rate of speed Pace
Articulation
Inflection
Assimilation
Want to vs. wanna
For instance vs. frinstance
Give me vs. gimme
This smile vs. this mile
This weather vs. this sweater
A weak cough vs. a week off
Plosive sounds--build up air pressure in the mouth and then explode the sound
B as in boy
D as in dog
G as in girl
J as in jump
P as in put
T as in toy
K as in kite
Ch as in child
Are usually imploded instead
Rate of speed--number of words per minute
words per minute
Pace--speed at which topics are presented
Very familiar topics = 1 second
Familiar topics = 2 seconds
New topics = 3 seconds
Very new topics = 4 seconds
Articulation--production of individual sounds (not pronunciation)
Exercises
Open mouth wide and close it (5 times)
Round your lips and protrude them as far as you can, say “oo” (5 times)
Spread your lips back in a big smile, say “e” (5 times) and “e-o” (10 times)
Trust your upper lip forward. Thrust your lower lip forward (5 times)
Stretch your upper lip down. Stretch your bottom lip up (5 times)
Raise the right side of your mouth. Repeat with left side. Use all the muscles in your face (5 times)
Protrude your tongue without touching lips. Will help with “th” (10 times)
Point tip of tongue up and touch top lip, then right corner, then left, then down towards chin (10 times)
Rotate your tongue around inside your mouth, over your teeth (10 times)
Raise tip of tongue and touch gumline behind front teeth then slowly back to soft palate (10 times)
Let tip of tongue touch roof of mouth and flap it “la la la, fa fa fa” (10 times)
Practive A-E-I-O-U, opening mouth as wide as you can (10 times)
Inflection--placed on words to create meaning
Straight = factual
Up = question
Down = emphatic

14. 5. Control nervousness ABCs of fear Diaphragmatic breathing
10-second relaxer
A = activates fear
B = belief of what will happen because of A
C = consequence of fear
Identify your As
Debate your Bs
Develop speaking techniques to control each A
Practice each technique
Diaphragmatic breathing--3 levels of breath
Clavicular = heavy panting
Diaphragmatic = natural method of body at ease, will calm your body
Upper thoracic = shallow
10-second relaxer
Point chin toward chest, watch midsection move in and out
Tightly squeeze thumb and index finger on each hand
On inhale, say “I am in control”
On slow exhale, say “and I am relaxed and ready”
Repeat 3 times as you visualize yourself successfully completing your presentation

15. 6. Choose language Be clear Be colorful Be concrete Be concise
Be consistent
Be correct
Clear = Keep language simple
Colorful = keep it interesting
Concrete = specific language, express your ideas directly
Concise = speaking vs reading is very different--don’t be wordy
Consistent = use same language throughout
Correct = no slang or profanity, agreement in number, use of “like”, mispronunciation

16. 7. Control nonverbal behavior
2 golden rules
Be yourself
Don’t do anything that draws attention to itself
Be natural
Don’t draw attention to your nervous habits

17. 7. Control nonverbal behavior
Supporting techniques
Dress
Facial expression
Eye contact
Body movement
Hand and arm gestures
Conditions affecting behavior
Dress--be comfortable
--be respectful
--be careful, simpler is safer
Facial expression--smile
Eye contact--hold eye contact for no more than 4-5 seconds and move to next person
Body movement--stand or sit erect, not slouching
--move slowly
--control nervous behavior
Hand and arm gestures--gesture at or above waist
--keep fingers straight and pointed upwar
--gesture to emphasize your point
Conditions affecting behavior--size of room, temperature, seating arrangements, type of furniture, etc

18. 8. Use visuals Synchronization Introduction Set-up Talk and do
You are not a human aid. The aid is there to aid you, not the other way around
Synchronization
One point per visual
Introduction
Prepare listeners for what they are about to see
Set-up
Point them in the right direction of the visual that you are using to make your point
Talk and do
Make sure you are comfortable with the visual

19. 9. Handle questions When you don’t want questions…
Submitted in writing
Answered privately
Asked later

20. 9. Handle questions When you do want questions… Encouraging questions
Listening to questions
Responding to questions
How to say “I don’t know”
Don’t say “please interrupt me when you have a question”--interrupting is rude
Get ready to listen, pay attention, control biases, separate fact from feeling, don’t interrupt the questioner
Don’t be defensive
Tell the truth

21. 10. The final touch Clothing Diet and fitness Using notes Openings
Practicing
Appearance should represent tone of your presentation
What you do during day can make you more comfortable during presentation
What you eat can affect your presentation
Notes should be short and simple, easy to see
Each notation should prompt at least 30 seconds of speaking time
Appropriateness is the key to effectiveness for opening
Practice out loud, to tape recorder/video camera, practice with a friend, practice questions

22. Making presentations
Be prepared
Practice
Relax c

23. Questions?
Refer to Powerful Presentation Skills for more on all of these topics