Giving Effective Presentations

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Giving Effective Presentations

• Graham Horton
• FIN-ISG, Universität Magdeburg
• 25.04.2001

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Goals

• The audience knows some of the major issues in
  making effective presentations
• The participants have a reference for use when
  preparing their own presentations

3
Overview

• Introduction
• Body language
• Speech
• Structure
• Content
• Summary

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Importance of Communication

• The ability to communicate effectively is a key
  qualification
• It is an extremely important success factor
• All successful people are good communicators
• Some people are natural communicators
• For the rest of us It can be learned!
• One major type of communication is giving
  presentations

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Communication

• Communication is more than just information
• Other important factors concern ...
• the material itself (content, structure)
• psychology (body language, subjective impression)
• The medium is the message
• You cannot not communicate!
• If these other factors are weak, even the best
  information will be lost!

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The Iceberg Model

• 90 of communication is subconscious

Conscious level
Information
Body language
Subconscious level
Appearance
Personality
Emotions
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Importance of Presentation

• Even a good idea is not enough on its own!

Ideas
????
Presenter
Media
Structure
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Cultural Factors

• Cultural traditions affect communication
• They can vary enormously
• Examples (from a Western point of view!)
• "Exaggerated" politeness
• "Irrelevant" information
• "Lack" of punctuality
• "Overloaded" slides
• "Shyness"

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Four Aspects of a Message

• Information
• The (rational) content of the message
• Relationship
• "How do I relate to you?"
• Self-statement
• "This is me!"
• Appeal
• "Please!"

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Subjective Impression

• You will always make a subjective impression
• You can either make your impression ...
• consciously, or
• unconsciously
• Choose consciously before you start your talk!
• Remember 90 of all decisions are made
  emotionally and then justified rationally later

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Subjective Impression

• Some examples

Competent
Energetic
Rational
Wise
Confident
Enthusiastic
Well-informed
Friendly
Calm
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Three Types of Presentation

• Every presentation has three components
• Inform
• Goal To transport information
• Teaching, Research, Training
• Convince
• Goal To convince audience of your ideas
• Politics
• Motivate
• Goal To get the audience to do something
• Sales forces, "activist" groups

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Overview

• Introduction
• Body language
• Speech
• Structure
• Content
• Summary

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Body Language

• Body language is very important
• We communicate a lot via our body language
• Body language is largely unconscious
• It is therefore very revealing
• Body language consists of
• Position
• Movement
• Posture

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Position

• Good points
• Facing the audience
• Not too far away
• Bad habits
• Facing sideways or backwards
• Hiding behind the furniture
• Obscuring your media

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Posture

• Upright
• Don't slouch
• Open
• Don't build barriers
• Relaxed
• Don't get cramped
• Stable
• Look confident
• Where are your arms and hands?

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Movement

• Remember You are not made of wood!
• Move calmly
• Don't fidget
• Emphasise your thoughts
• with gestures
• with facial expressions
• Don't walk around
• Don't fiddle with objects

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Eyes

• Eyes are very important
• Make eye contact with your audience
• Try to "contact" everybody
• However It must be natural!
• Never ...
• stare at your computer screen
• look at the floor or the ceiling
• gaze out of the window

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Contents

• Introduction
• Body language
• Speech
• Structure
• Content
• Summary

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Speech

• Volume
• The usual error is to speak too quietly
• Speed
• The usual error is to speak too fast
• Clarity
• Unclear speech is caused by laziness and accents
• Modulation
• The usual error is to speak too monotonously
• Phrasing
• The usual error is to forget to pause

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Language

• Use appropriate language
• Avoid unfamiliar words and abbreviations
• Don't read your talk - speak freely
• Avoid "parasite" words and phrases
• "Um...", "Er..."
• "You see...", "kind of..."

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Overview

• Introduction
• Body language
• Speech
• Structure
• Content
• Summary

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Goals and Tasks

• Every presentation should have a goal
• "What do I want to achieve?"
• Example "I will be given the job"
• The presentation may contain several tasks
• "What do I want to do?"
• Example "Explain the equations I developed"
• Goals and tasks are different!
• They are the key to structure and content

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Structure of a Presentation

• Most presentations have the same structure
• Beginning
• Establishing a rapport with your audience
• Middle
• Communicating your information
• End
• Ensuring the take-home messages

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Beginning

• The beginning is vital for success
• Introducing yourself to your audience
• Establishing a rapport with your audience
• Motivating your audience to listen to your
  message
• Providing the "executive summary"
• Overcoming your nervousness

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End

• The end is also vital for success
• Ensure your audience takes home the right
  impression
• At the end
• Summarise the main points
• Emphasise the implications of the information
• Thank your audience for their attention
• The audience must feel they have gained something
  valuable!

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Structuring a Presentation

• The best way to structure a presentation

Draw a diagram!
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Example Motivational Pr.

• Our suggestions
• ...
• ...
• ...

Why are we here
?
?

• Our current situation
• ...
• ...
• ...

• Results we expect
• ...
• ...
• ...

What we should do
!
!
!
!
The danger if we do nothing
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Overview

• Introduction
• Body language
• Speech
• Structure
• Content
• Summary

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Semantic Content

• What is the goal of this presentation?
• What are the key points I wish to make?
• Which points must the audience take home?
• Why is this topic important?
• Who can benefit from what I have to say?
• What impression do I want to make?
• What does the audience need?
• "If in doubt, leave it out!"

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Planning a Presentation
Decide on the goals and tasks
Collect the material
Reduce the volume of material
Structure the material
Design the visualisations
Make the slides
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Planning a Slide

• Always ask yourself
• What exactly do I want to say with this slide?
• What exactly do I need to achieve this?
• Do I need to visualise this idea?
• Is the key point of the slide clear?
• Is the slide clearly structured?
• Does the slide fit logically into a sequence?
• If you can't answer these questions, then you
  shouldn't make the slide!

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Graphical Design

• "As little as possible, as much as necessary!"
• Not more than 7 objects or 36 words
• Keywords and phrases only!
• Avoid overload (of colours or gimmicks)
• Text size at least 18pt
• Use a font without serifs

10pt 14pt 18pt 24pt 32pt
With serifs Without serifs
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Visualisation

• Visualise whenever it is appropriate!
• "A picture is worth a thousand words"
• Use graphics for
• Illustration
• Example
• Explanation
• Brevity / Clarity
• Humour

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Visualisation Example

• The four aspects of a message

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Common Slide Errors

• Font too small
• Lines too narrow
• Too much information
• Irrelevant information
• Too many colours or gimmicks
• Point of slide is unclear

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Overview

• Introduction
• Body language
• Speech
• Structure
• Content
• Summary

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Common General Errors

• Trying to say too much
• Including unimportant material
• Not being prepared for the talk
• Exceeding the time limit
• Failing to convince your audience
• Having an annoying habit
• Not investing enough time

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Attention

• Attention is the most valuable thing in a talk
• Your audience owns it
• You want them to give it to you
• Avoid everything which loses their attention
• Almost everything said in this presentation is
  ultimately about earning and keeping your
  audience's attention

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The Last Slide

• Effective presentations are very important
• These depend on several factors, including
• Body Language Speech
• Content Structure
• These can be learned to a professional standard
• Never forget
• You cannot not communicate!
• The subconscious factors are the most important