Presentation Tips

April 7, 2015Alissa Agnello

North Seattle College

Types of Oral “Presentations”• Job interviews• “Elevator” talks• Informal talks with collaborators• Formal presentations

Keys to a Great Talk

1. Know your audience2. Organize your information3. Practice4. Animate your talk5. Be prepared for the unexpected

Tip 1. Know your audience

Gary Cook, USAID

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch

Talk at their level about their interests

Involve audience in talkSolicit answers to questions

Wait for answers!

Tip 2. Organize your information1. Intro – what you’ll talk about2. Talk about it3. Conclusion – what you’ve talked about• Thank you

Always better to go under than over!

If appropriate, present multi-modally:print, picture, graph, talk

“I feel like I’m being held prisoner by a person who couldn’tprioritize.” — Erica Ollmann Saphire, Scripps Research Institute

Tip 3: Practice• Know key message for each situation– Even “spontaneous” presentations

• Get feedback– Mirror– Friends/colleagues– Videotape

• Solve “ums”, “likes”• Plan explanations for hard-to-describe concepts• Practice relaxing

Tip 4: Animate yourself

• Never read directly• Talk to audience, not to screen!• Project your voice!– Vary pitch, volume, rate– Include pauses

• Personality– Facial expressions, Gestures, Movements– Eye contact

Tip 5: Be prepared for the unexpected

• Technology failures

• Rude audience members

PowerPoint Basics• Avoid aggressive animations, unreadable colors,

unusual fonts, distracting backgrounds, etc.

PowerPoint Basics• Check readability from back of room– This is size 22 font– This is size 16 font

• Proof-reade• When presenting data, introduce audience to

graphing scheme• Never read directly• For every 5 minutes of talk, no more than 2-3

slides• Limit words• Reference your sources

Conclusion

1. Know your audience2. Organize your information3. Practice4. Animate your talk5. Be prepared for the unexpected

For more information:• How to answer questions appropriately / what annoying

mannerisms to avoid: http://www.casca.ca/ecass/issues/2002-js/features/dirobertis/talk.html(“How Not To Give a Scientific Talk” by Michael De Robertis, York Univ.)

Special thanks to: • North Seattle College• Microsoft Clip Art• YOU!