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TRANSCRIPT
Bring Your Presentation Skills
to Life:
Strategies for Effective Communication
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Meaghan Thurston Communications and Outreach Officer
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Raise your hand if you have been in the audience during “this” presentation
Today, we will step into the presenter’s
shoes…
Set Learning Objectives By the end of today’s workshop you will have…
• Identified and evaluated a variety of engagement
strategies for the purposes of teaching and learning.
• Reflected on a number of “presentation models” for the purposes of teaching and learning.
• Had an opportunity to practice presenting yourself…and have had some fun!
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What is your comfort level with presenting?
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33% 33%33%1. I am totally
comfortable with presenting. No nerves at all!
2. I am somewhat comfortable, but the idea makes me a little nervous
3. I am totally terrified by the idea of presenting
The most important element of a successful presentation is…
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25% 25%25%25%1. Confidence 2. Creating an outline for your
presentation (planning ahead)
3. A set of Power Point slides or other presentation tools
4. Expertise on the subject of the presentation
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What is the message?
Who is the audience?
Where/when is the
presentation?
How can you leverage
technology?
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“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” ‐ Mark Twain
• Start with your key talking points & then write a script
• Find your speaking style by practice in front of people, in front of mirrors, with distractions
• Record yourself and watch to assess things like speaking style, hand gestures
Feeling Confident
• Visualize yourself succeeding
• Ask yourself: what sets you
apart? What can you contribute to the topic at hand?
• Relax! Take deep, calming breaths, get a good night’s sleep
• Practice, practice, practice! 8
An estimated 75% of all people experience some degree of anxiety/nervousness when public speaking
Identify the “specialist terminology” used in these descriptions of photons: Photons are the quanta of the electromagnetic field. In quantum field theory terms, they are U(1) vector gauge bosons, part of the electroweak theory within the Standard Model. Photons are their own antiparticle. In electroweak symmetry breaking, the photon remains massless, while the W and Z bosons gain mass via the Higgs mechanism. Photons are particles of light, which comes down to two basic things: each photon carry a fixed amount of energy determined by its color, and will show up as a dot on a screen. That means photons can’t be divided (no half photons!), but can be counted—important properties for their interaction with matter, such as atoms. The wavelike character of photons is exhibited as well, as when they pass through two openings in a barrier: even though individual photons show up as dots, the pattern of dots is determined by the interference of the waves. Light comes in little spheres that can’t be broken into smaller pieces. The color of the sphere tells how much it can do, and what other kinds of spheres it can talk to. Two spheres of light make pictures like waves do.
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Life after Death by PowerPoint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck
How to use presentation aids without losing your audience
4 “Ground Rules” for Effective Presentations
• The audience grants you permission to speak
first
• While you deliver the presentation, you're the only one who's speaking
• A presentation is a dialogue
• The presenter creates moments for the audience to speak
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Large and Small Groups: Engagement Strategies
• Create small groups (or pairs) that work in class on a focused question, problem, or exercise
• Conduct demonstrations that involve all or a subset of your audience
• “Take a minute" to list ideas, steps, etc.
• Have an open question or polls section at some point during each class
• Use video scenarios, brief narratives, students' own experiences as talking points
• Pay attention to your verbal and nonverbal feedback
• Have the audience interview each other
Participation is "being there" in more ways than just attending
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Cross Cultural Communication The situation: 4 months into an internship with the Canadian International Development Agency you are asked to give a presentation to a group of female agricultural workers about self‐esteem. The women have signed up for this workshop because they are interested in the subject. For many of them, Spanish is their second language. They speak a Mayan dialect at home. Many of them are illiterate, or have only basic reading skills. Most of them have met you before, but for some this will be their first encounter. You speak Spanish, but it is your second language and you am not elegant in its use.
What is one engaging strategy that you would use to present the information? Turn to your partner and discuss.
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If you can’t write your message in a sentence, or a short paragraph, you can’t say it in an hour.
Check out http://bit.ly/14rp5Ym
Research Talk
Your Research Story, in 30 seconds or less!
• 30 words: Learning can arouse negative emotions that retract
from learning. Identifying patterns in learners’ emotions during their interaction with an AI‐based computer learning system provides opportunities for making these environments more emotionally‐supportive.
• 10 words: Identifying emotions is the first step to creating
emotionally‐supportive environments
Now, turn to your partner and describe your research topic, no jargon allowed! You have 30 seconds to make a great impression! Can you now tell your story in 15 seconds?
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A Powerful Elevator Pitch
A "hook." A statement or question that piques interest and makes people want to hear more. The phrase “I study the biogeography of salt.” stands a better chance of catching somebody’s interest than “Ionic requirements are pervasive among all of life, most notably consumers, and given that sodium is distributed nonrandomly in the biosphere, it stands to reason that salt limitation will vary as well.” About 150‐225 words. Your pitch should go no longer than 60 seconds. A request. At the end of your pitch, you must ask for something e.g. business card, meeting, interview, referral etc.
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The Elevator Pitch – What’s Your Story?
Management Consultant: I help leaders recognize and eliminate the drama that hampers productivity. When you have drama in your business you feel like you are shoveling coal in the boiler room instead of navigating the ship. I help leaders get out of the boiler room and back on the top deck. – Marlene Chism, founder of Stop Workplace Drama For A Web Designer: “I am a Techno Shock Therapist and the founder of EBS Virtual communications. I help my clients with their internet marketing and promotion needs through web development, web site promotion and helping them incorporate their eMarketing with their overall marketing plan. Tell me about your current website?”
Practice your “elevator pitch”
The Job Interview
Imagine you are asked to present to a potential employer, on short notice. What are some important things to consider when giving this kind of presentation? • Know your audience: what is it that you will
contribute to the mission of your employer?
• Clarity about your message: who are you, how will your skills translate to the work environment?
• Establish a genuine connection: make eye contact with everyone in the room, not just the decision maker.
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The Lecture What is your audience persona?
No matter the size of the class, look to connect with individuals who are paying attention and strategize to engage those who are less attentive through interactive activities.
At the end of a presentation, you can review your learning objectives
– How did we do today?
• Identify and evaluate a variety of engagement
strategies for the purposes of teaching and learning.
• Reflect on a number of “presentation models” for the purposes of teaching and learning.
• Practice presenting yourself…have some fun!
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After today’s session, I feel…
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33% 33%33%1. More confident
about giving presentations
2. More or less the same about presenting as I did when I arrived
3. Sorry, I fell asleep…is it lunch time now?
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Putting it all Together: It’s important to take time to reflect
In one sentence or less summarize the ‘most important’ or ‘most useful’ points you learned from the day’s workshop Also write down questions that remain in your minds
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Resources
Three Minutes to Change the World Event: http://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/3‐minutes‐change‐world Ted Talks: http://www.ted.com/talks “Teaching Large Classes”: http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/Tools/Large/ Skillsets: http://www.mcgill.ca/skillsets/