Giving Effective Presentations

This blended programme consists of two parts:

Part 1: online module, covering: /
Part 2: face to face, to: /

Deliver a short presentation
Observe others’ presentations
Give constructive feedback
Receive constructive feedback
Consider areas to work on in future
Clarify areas in the online module

It can help to consider the presentation as a journey…

To help your audience gets the most out of your presentation it is useful to think of the presentation as a journey that you are leading. You have to keep them informed of what is happening at every stage of the journey, because if you don’t, some of them may get lost.

Firstly, you show them a map and persuade them that the trip will be worthwhile. This is the role of the introduction and the overview – the stage at which you engage their interest and tell them what you are going to tell them.

Then as you continue your journey you need to make sure they are all with you. You do this by signposting topics – by pointing out the end of a topic and the beginning of the next. As you continue the journey: pause to look back over the route you have taken so far (summarise); point out one or two distinctive features (emphasise key points); help them through difficult areas (explain difficult concepts slowly and carefully). When they have reached their destination explain why it is so special (focus on the key messages you want to get across) – tell them what you want to tell them.

At the end, you encourage your audience to look back over the route they have taken to the point where they started –this is the role of the final summary where you tell them what you’ve told them.

Design: 12 Steps to an Effective Presentation

What are your objectives?

Ask yourself ‘What is the key message I want the audience to take away with them?’and summarise in one or two clear statements

This will help you to keep focussed on the content and will help you clarify and prioritise the content – this is your ‘destination’

Who is your audience? (see page 5: Audience Checklist)

what size it will be

are they familiar with your subject or not
what are their likely attitudes
does anyone have any specific requirements?
This is your ‘start point’

Collect information and data:

gather ideas/carry out research

use mind mapping to brainstorm (see page 6: example of a mindmap)

Sequencing and order of information

chronologically

categorised
problem  solution

Timing

clarify the time you have to speak
does this timing include question and answer session
roughly identify how long you can spend on each section of the content

Develop a good introduction

Icapture their interest e.g. dramatic fact/statistic,rhetorical question.humour
Naddress their need – what is in it for them?
Ttime, how long is the presentation for?
Rhow can they respond, how will you take questions?
O what is your objective i.e. what is it all about
Tell them what you are going to tell them, provide the ‘map’

Develop the main body of text

complete mind map to develop ideas for main body
think about the subject and jot down points that come to mind
leave it, come back later and add/change; you may repeat this often
remove points that are not essential; add any subsidiary points
arrange points in a logical order and think about the transitions (signposts)
This section is where you ‘Tell them what you want to tell them’

Develop the summary

People will remember how you end. You may want to end on

a dramatic summary
with a question
with a visual or verbal link
or refer to your opening which will close the loop
Tell them what you’ve told them

Prepare for Question Taking

You need to let your audience know when they can ask questions

as you go along or at the end
question and answer session built into programme
Try to pre-empt some questions

Produce your visual aids + your memory aids

You need to know what is available to you before you can do this. You may use:

PowerPoint
notes/handouts
audio/visual equipment or slides
flip chart/white board
overhead projector with acetates
demonstration

It is also worth ensuring you have a contingency plan should anything fail!

transfer material to your memory aids e.g. cue cards, notes, mindmap etc

Check Facilities

If you are unfamiliar with the room, visit beforehand to check

how it will be laid out
where you will be presenting from
lighting (natural and artificial)
blinds
podium/lectern
operation of equipment

“Practice makes perfect”

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

Rehearse the words
Rehearse using the equipment
Rehearse in the room, with the equipment

Delivery: putting yourself across positively

Words, voice and body language – which is more important?

It is essential that the three main modes of communication ‘match’ each other. If they are not congruent the audience is less likely to believe what the speaker is saying.

Position / Stand as close to your audience as possible
Stand/sit – formal/informal approach
Make sure you can be seen by all your audience

Body language and posture

/ Open and relaxed position
Smile
Look at your audience
Include deliberate gestures
Encourage questions and feedback by body language
Be wary of distracting mannerisms e.g. gestures, pens, keys, money
Try not to put hands in pockets
Eye contact / Make it and keep it
Look around the room, rather than focus on one person or area
Voice / Vary tone + pitch (light-hearted + serious)
Vary pace + timing
Project your voice, rather than shout – aim at the one at the back
Speak clearly and slowly
Use emphasis and vary the volume
Sound genuine and enthusiastic
Be wary of unnecessary technical/jargon words/phrases
Talk conversationally and avoid long words and long involved sentences

Delivery: gaining and keeping the attention of your audience

People pay attention to…

A selection of attention gainers and re-gainers:

Establish eye contact
Change pace
Change volume
Become more/less animated
Pause
Change the direction of the presentation, introduce a new point
Asking if there are any questions
Ask a rhetorical question
Use a “gimmick” – an object, quote, riddle, curiosity
Use names
Introduce a visual aid (or stop using one)
Use “B” to black-out the screen in PowerPoint
Give out a handout or refer to one
Audience participation – role play, illustrative game
Set up some written work or group work
Illustrate the point using a story, anecdote, quote or relevant fact - where possible, use real examples from your own or others’ experience

Delivery: useful expressions (signposting)

In the table below you can find useful examples of language that you can use to signpost the various parts of your presentation (i.e. to guide your audience through the journey). Pick and choose as you like, and as closely as possible to what comes naturally to you in conversation.

Function / Language
Introducing the subject /

I’d like to start by…
Let’s begin by…
First of all, I’ll…
Starting with…
I’ll begin by…

Finishing one subject… /

So, I’ve told you about…
That’s all I have to say about…
We’ve looked at….
So much for…

…and starting another /

Now we’ll move on to…
Let me turn now to…
Next…
Turning to…
I’d like now to discuss…
Let’s look now at…

Analysing a point and giving recommendations /

Where does that lead us?
This leads us to consider…
Let’s consider this in more detail…
What does this mean for ABC?
Translated into real terms…
This is particularly important in the context of…

We can see that this…needs to be taken into account when…because…

Giving an example /

For example…
A good example of this is…
As an illustration,..
To give you an example,..
To illustrate this point

Summarising and concluding /

In conclusion,..
To sum up,..

I’d now like to recap…
Let’s summarise briefly what we’ve looked at…
Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we’ve covered…
To conclude,..
With this research I’ve proved that…
So let me summarise/recap what I’ve said.
Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we’ve considered.

Ordering /

Firstly…secondly…thirdly…lastly…
First of all…then…next…after that…finally…
To start with…later… to finish up

Giving recommendations/ pointing out future possibilities /

In conclusion, my recommendations are...
I therefore suggest/propose/recommend the following strategy.
The results I’ve shown can be applied to several new…, some of which will be addressed in a forthcoming paper…
These results have made the following applications possible:…

Thanking your audience /

Many thanks for your attention.
May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience

Inviting questions /

Now I’ll try to answer any questions you may have.
Can I answer any questions?
Are there any questions?
Do you have any questions?
Are there any final questions?

Dealing with questions /

It’s a very interesting question,…
We’ll be examining this point in more detail later on…l
I’d like to deal with this question later, if I may..
I’ll come back to this question later in my talk…
Perhaps you’d like to raise this point at the end…
I won’t comment on this now…
We haven’t been able to … because…
We haven’t looked at this aspect of… we have concentrated instead on…

Remember it’s a journey, and these words are the signposts en route.

Keeping calm and confident

Expect to be nervous at first. Remember the audience is on your side. They will not notice small slips, omissions and pauses, as they do not know what you are planning to say.
Never apologise for:

lack of preparation
inexperience
losing your place

Prepare your talk well. Have your notes organised, keep things simple and remember to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! The more you practice the more confident you will feel.

Rehearse the words (in your mind, out loud, in front of friends/family)
Rehearse using the equipment
Rehearse in the room, with the equipmente.g. podium/lectern, lights, laptop

Think about the questions you may be asked and work out how you would answer.
Memorise your first few sentences.
10 minutes before the presentation, distract yourself by talking to someone about an unrelated subject or try some relaxation exercises.
As you start to speak

pause, look at the audience and smile
stand squarely on both feet
occupy your hands
start off slowly and deliberately

Act confident!

Relaxation exercises

Breathing

Breathe slowly in through your nose. Stop and hold your breath for a few seconds. Breathe slowly out. Repeat to establish a steady comfortable rate.

Neck

Slowly lean your head forward and back, repeat gently. Repeat side to side.
Bring your shoulders up to your ears as far as you can, then let them fall back into a relaxed and normal position. Repeat a few times.

Face relaxation

Imagine you are chewing a toffee and then relax.
Open you mouth as wide as you can and then relax it.

Instant calm

Change your breathing so that you ‘breath low’ from the bottom of your lungs.

Giving feedback

Feedback is a way of learning more about ourselves and the effect our behaviour has on others. Constructive feedback increases self-awareness, offers options and encourages development, so it can be important to learn to give it and receive it. Constructive feedback does not only mean positive feedback. Negative feedback, given skilfully, can be very important and useful. Here are some tips for giving effective feedback.

Give feedback about parts that are effective.People need to be told when they are doing something well. If the positive is registered first, any negative is more likely to be listened to, and acted upon.

Be specific and descriptive.Avoid "You were brilliant!" or "It was awful" and try to pin-point what the person did which led you to use the label "brilliant" or "awful" e.g. "The way you asked that question just at that moment was really helpful", or "At that moment you seemed to be imposing your values on the other person".

Refer to behaviour which can be changed and offer alternatives.“Do you know that you fiddle with your earrings when you answer a question?” or "It would help me if you smiled more or looked at me when you speak", can give a person something on which to work.

Own the feedback.Avoid "You are ....", take responsibility for your feedback by beginning with "I" or "In my opinion”.

Leave the recipient with a choice.Skilled feedback offers people information about themselves in a way which leaves them with a choice about whether to act on it or not.

Receiving feedback

Both giving and receiving feedback are skills that can be practised and developed, otherwise we may miss the opportunity to listen and act upon what may be very helpful information. Here are some tips for getting the most out of the feedback you receive, particularly if it in relation to making improvements or changes.

Approach it positively and calmly. Breathe deeply and don’t be defensive.
Actively listen to the feedback. You will hear more by concentrating on listening rather than explaining or justifying yourself immediately.
Ask for specific examples and clarification if what is being said is unclear.
Consider the feedback and the ways you can address it. Do you need time to think about it? Is the feedback accurate? What could you do differently? What support might you need?
Make a note of key points. This can be used for later reflection, action planning and review and help you to have an accurate and objective overview of the feedback.
Thank the person who is giving you feedback. Constructive negative feedback can be the most helpful and the difficult to give.

Key learning from this blended programme

Make a note of any key points for you or actions you wish to remember or work on after today.

Jessie Monck, PPD March 2015