HOW TO GIVE AN HOW TO GIVE AN Effective ORAL Effective ORAL PRESENTATIONPRESENTATION

Professor Phillip NagleyProfessor Phillip Nagley

Content

Audiovisual aids

Delivery

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

GOOD ORGANISATION AND WELL

PREPARED VISUAL AIDS ARE

TWO OF THE THREE ELEMENTS

OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Content

Audiovisual aids

Delivery

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Presentation skillsPresentation skills

Voice projectionVoice projection

The audience must hear you clearly … especially those sitting at the back!

Project your voice to animaginary personstanding at the back wall of

the room

Eye contactEye contact

Look up at the audience….

… not at your notes

… not at your shoes

Direct your attention to thatimaginary personstanding at the back wall of the

room

PosturePosture Stand upright…

… not hunched Hands should be in use for the talk…

… not in pockets… not behind your back

Face the audience……don’t turn your back on them,especially when pointing to the

screen

You are telling them a story!

GesturesGestures

Use your hands to make points

Bodily movements help to keep the audience interested

It’s like having a conversation with someone …

… that imaginary person?

MannerismsMannerisms

Avoid distracting mannerisms

This applies to involuntary hand movements …

… or to bodily movements

Watch other people give lectures or seminars and you’ll see some strange things!

PositionPosition Stand so the audience can see you

Don’t stand between the projector and the screen…

… if you cast a giant shadow

Avoid blocking the view of a substantial proportion of the audience

Be aware of the needs of the audience,at all times

EnthusiasmEnthusiasm

Look and act interested……but don’t overdo it!

Be positive in your approach

If you don’t look interested, your audience can hardly be expected to be motivated to listen to the talk

Voice modulationVoice modulation Don’t speak in a monotone…

… vary voice and expression Keep your audience interested You can use voice modulation to:

– emphasise important points– indicate uncertainties– insert a bit of humour

Monotonous presentation can be wrongly interpreted as lack of enthusiasm!

Use of notesUse of notes Don’t read from prepared text

Avoid reading the words straight off a slide

Use your notes as prompts or reminders

The slides will contain cues to help you explain and elaborate

Speed of speechSpeed of speech

Don’t talk too fast…… the audience needs to be able to follow

Don’t talk too slowly … … the audience may get distracted or

even sleepy

Just talk at a natural pace

Clarity of expressionClarity of expression Avoid abbreviations or lab jargon

If you think your work is very specialised, briefly explain basic concepts …

… in terms of the make-up of the audience

Ask yourself if the audience can be reasonably expected to understand the terms you are using

Use of pointing devicesUse of pointing devices Point to the specific part of the slide

you are talking about Avoid vague waving of the pointer in

the general direction of the screen When using a laser pointer, you may

need to hold it in two hands to avoid the “shakes”

Why bother to make elegant visual aids if you don’t use the material properly?

Speed of presentationSpeed of presentation Move through in a well-paced manner Give each slide its due time..

... but not more than is needed Make sure the audience can keep up Avoid overly long Introductions …

… you may have to rush the results and conclusions (losing the take home message!)

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse…

GOOD ORGANISATION WELL PREPARED VISUAL AIDS INFORMATIVE AND

ENTERTAINING PRESENTATION

ARE THE THREE ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION