steve wilfong, technology education services, dhts copyright © 2010, all rights reserved developing...

Steve Wilfong, Technology Education Services, DHTSCopyright © 2010, All rights reserved

Developing Quality Presentations

Tips and Techniques


Learning Objectives• Describe the purpose of presentations and common

barriers to being an effective presenter.• Describe techniques that can be utilized to assist you in

preparing for a presentation.• Describe steps you can take as a presenter to get your

audience’s attention and maintain it.• Identify methods to properly use PowerPoint and other

supporting visual aid tools for best impact.


Six myths 1. You need God-given talent to be a good

speaker (and I don't have it) 2. Good speakers probably never had stage fright

like mine 3. Good speakers don't have to work at it (the way

I do)


Six myths (cont.)4. Experienced people don't get nervous

anymore (and I do, so I must not be meant for this stuff)

5. I could never be a good speaker (so there's no sense trying)

6. I've tried all that and it didn't work (so it's futile)


Why?• Aiding in the pursuit of new business • Getting backing for growth or image • Reporting status of ongoing projects to customers or

managers• Helping managers stay informed

• Keeping employees involved, informed and current • Communication among peers • Personal interests • Getting hired or promoted • Presentation skills complement professional skills

Steve Wilfong, Technology Education Services, DHTSCopyright © 2010 All rights reserved

Basic Purpose • Persuade/Convince • Inform/Explain • Inspire • Entertain or Preside


The 5 W’s • Who/Audience?• What/Subject of Specific Area of

Interest?• Why/Function? • When/Event and Occasion? • Where/Location?


Type of Talk • Informal Chat • Seminar • Meeting • More Formal? • Class


Composition of the Audience • General Audience • Specialists • Number of Attendees • Friendly • Antagonistic • Interactive


The 4 Whats? • What do they already know about my subject? • What do they want to know about my subject? • What experience do they have regarding my

subject? • What is their attitude about my subject?


Time Allotted for the talk? • The longer you have the more freedom

you have • Shorter talks need to be more focused • Is question time included? • Are there audience exercises?


Preparation • Start early • Collect materials which may relate to the

topic from unusual sources, and sleep on these ideas. The final product will be more interesting.


Use big letters and a bold pen, write a clear statement of the problem and its importance, and then pin that statement on the wall above your desk.


General Organizing Methods • Enumeration

– Five factors.... – Point 1, Point 2, Point 3

• Enumeration combined with alliteration – Five Cs of Marketing – Four Ps of Winning Presentations


General Organizing Methods• Repeated theme

– O I have a dream that... – I have a dream

• Plays on popular themes – The Good the Bad and the Ugly

• A presentation often uses different organization patterns for separate sections

Test the outline structure… • Relevance• Independence• Clarity



Before the day begins, or last thing the night before, run through your talk once more. Use a mirror or visualize standing in front of an audience as you practice.


Hand Position • Avoid:

– Fig Leaf -- both hands gripped together and covering the groin – Reverse fig leaf -- both hands gripped behind the back (at-ease) – Mortician or concert singer -- hands gripped together at the navel – Gunfighter or gorilla -- both hands hanging stiffly away from both

sides – Casual -- hands in pockets – Challenger hands on both hips – Death grip -- hands firmly holding onto lectern, chair, pointer, or

papers – Tightrope walker -- both hands on pointer, which is across the

waist


The Moment of Truth


Nervousness • Psyche yourself up...you have something to say

that others need to hear or else you would not have been asked to make the presentation.

• Remember this...most people in the audience want you to do well...they are on your side

• Visualize success


Getting Attention


Tensions• There are 4 tensions that exist in almost

every audience: – Between one audience member and his/her

counterparts– Between the audience and the presenter– Between the audience and the materials– Between the audience and the environment


There are three things audience members love…


Respect their time• Let them know early how long you will be

presenting.


Rapport• Remember people want you to succeed.

Develop rapport by connecting through immediate participation. Share an interesting statistic, ask a proactive question, comment on a newsworthy event or tell a personal story that relates to your subject.


Entertainment• You do not need to be a comedian, but you

should have a sense of humor. Almost everyone enjoys listening to someone who captures attention with humor.


Keeping attention


Facial and Eye-to-eye communication

• As you present, connect with your audience.• Be sensitive to proper duration of eye

contact.• Look at and face people directly.• Speak to everyone.• Be aware of negative facial expression


The Question and Answer slide


Avoid: • Turning off the projector (you'll just have to

turn it on again) • Projecting a blank white (dazzling) or black

(too dark) slide • Leaving your conclusion slide in place as

you answer questions


Little things make a big difference.

• Eye contact• Body language • Tonality, word choice, openness• Appearance• Humor, and enthusiasm


Supporting Materials 1. The material must fit the needs and style of the

audience 2. The material must be relevant to the subject

being discussed 3. The material must be meaningful to the audience 4. The material must be accurate and fairly

presented 5. If it's satire, make sure they know that


Supporting Materials (cont.)6. The material must be workable

7. The material must prudently balance quantity and variety.

8. The material must be presented smoothly

9. The material must be absolutely appropriate and non-offensive


Personal Experience


Humor


Popular News Items, Cartoons, Columns, and TV Programs


Quotations, Poems, Sayings

“Public speaking is very easy.”

[Dan Quayle – 1988]


Audience activity

Statistics

Steve Wilfong, Technology Education Services, DHTSCopyright © 2010 All rights reserved

References



BACKUP!

• Number everything! Your 3x5s, handouts, notes can easily slip out of order!

• Create a back-up plan


PowerPoint • Can be a wonderful timesaver. The time

invested in learning this program is rewarded by the speed with which a presentation can be created. These tools are good tools for organizing you presentation.


Four Important Design Concepts

• Make it Big• Make Clear• Keep it Simple• Be Consistent


Make it Big


Gettysburg Address• Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,

conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. • Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so

conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

• But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.


Font size • Use a sans-serif font • Title size -- 28 to 32 • Bullets -- 20 to 24 • Boxes, legends 14 • Keep all lettering horizontal • Space for readability


Make it Clear


Colors • Test on a projector • Use complementary colors • Avoid gray as a background


Titles • It is appropriate to the occasion • It provides enough information about the subject

so that potential attendees can tell whether this is likely to be of interest to them

• It is succinct and to the point • It piques the interest of the reader or listener


Developing Quality Presentations

Tips and Techniques


Keep it Simple • The audience should be able to get the point of

the visual with the first 5 seconds after it appears• During that short period, don't say anything --

allow the audience to absorb the information• A graph is often more effective


Be Consistent • Don't switch formats. Once you have selected a

general look -- stick to it. • Six-second rule. If you cannot read the material

in six seconds, you have too much information on the slide.

• Each slide should contain no more than six lines of text and each line should contain no more than 40 characters (It really depends – 2010)

• Use both upper case and lower case letters


Artistic exuberance • Computer graphics are great fun, but

creating an artistic visual may actually reduce that visual's effectiveness – Art work will distract your audience – Artistry doesn't substitute for content


Don'ts • A common approach is to have the presentation

written out on a series of slides. The speaker then reads each slide to the audience.


Handouts • Organize your handouts to match your

presentation • Provide plenty of space in the handouts for

participants to take notes. • Always prepare 10% more handouts than

you think you are going to need.


PowerPoint Tricks• Templates & Master Slides• Animation• Audio• Video


Questions


References1. Andrew, Abela, Ph.D. Advanced Presentations by Design; Creating Communication That Drives Action. San Francisco,

CA: Pfeiffer, 2008.2. Michael Alley. The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid. Blacksburg,

VA: Springer, 2003.3. Cliff Atkinson. Beyond Bullet Points. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 20054. Geetesh Bajaj. Cutting Edge PowerPoint for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publications, Inc., 2004.5. Tom Bunzel. Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication. Indianapolis:

Pearson Education, Inc., 2006.6. Tony Buzan. The Mind Map Book. New York: PLUME, 19967. Nancy Duart. slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc.

20088. Tony Jeary. Life is a Series of Presentations. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.9. Thomas Leech. How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations. New York: AMACOM, 2004.10. John Medina. brain rules. Seattle, WA: Pear Press, 2008.11. Nick Morgan. Working the Room: How to Move People to Action through Audience-Centered Speaking. Boston: Harvard

Business School Press, 2003.12. Margaret Rabb, ed. The Presentation Design Book. Chapel Hill, NC: Ventana Press, 1990.13. Jeff Radel. Effective Presentations. Kansas City: Kansas City University Medical Center, 1999. http://

www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/effective.html14. Garr Reynolds. presentationzen. Berleley, CA: 200815. Doug Stevenson. Never Be Boring Again. Colorado Springs: Cornelia Press, 2003.16. Edward R. Tufte. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. Chesire, CN: Graphics Press LLC, 2003.17. Edward R. Tufte. Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. Chesire, CN: Graphics Press

LLC, 1997.

http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/effective.html

http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/effective.html

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