Presentation Workshop Formats, Elements

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Presentation WorkshopFormats, Elements Style

• PSES Seminar, Fall 2002
• http//www.agls.uidaho.edu/PSES_seminar
• With appreciation to Drs. Chun Zemetra

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Justification

• Oral presentations are an important part of your
  development as a professional.
• Job requirement/job interviews
• Effective communication is a highly desired
  skill.
• Oral presentation is an art form.

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Presentation areas

• Formats
• Style
• Elements
• Question/Answer

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Formats

• Full length - In depth discussion of a single
  topic (45 minutes)
• Medium length (20-25 minutes)
• Short, e.g. research report at professional
  meeting (10-15 minutes)

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Style

• Personal Appearance
• formal to semi-formal dress depending on the
  format and type of meeting
• it is better to over-dress than under-dress

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Style

• Personal Appearance
• conservative or subdued attire
• you want the audience to remember what you
  presented, not how you were dressed

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Style

• Establish a PRESENCE.
• Make eye contact with your audience.
• Begin with an introductory statement before you
  turn to your slides.

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Style

• Logical Persuasive Argument
• Interest - educate entertain
• Timing pace- dont linger too long on one slide
• Converse and dont read

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Style Final Comments

• As the speaker you are the expert.
• But dont be afraid to admit that you dont know
  the answer to a question.

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Elements Font Size of Lettering (40 pt)

• Text -- suggest 32 pt, Bold
• Font Type - use non-serif fonts such as Arial -
  (Arial, Times New Roman)
• Be consistent, keep one font style
• Should be easily read from the back of the room.
• Not set in stone, use what you like or are
  comfortable with.

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Elements Capital Letters

• Avoid using only capital letters.
• CAPITAL LETTERS ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH
  than lower case letters.

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Elements

• Start with an outline.
• Use major headings.
• Finish with a summary.

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Elements Simplicity

• Do not have too many ideas on one slide.
• Eliminate excess words.

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Elements Simplicity

• Avoid too many lines, bars or numbers.
• Use adequate margins for slides.

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Elements Simplicity

• Graphs are better than numbers.
• If you must use numbers, limit columns and rows
  (no more than 4 columns and 4 rows).

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Elements Simplicity

• Avoid excessive animation.
• You want your audience to focus on the content of
  your presentation.
• The technology you use should be invisible.

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Elements Tips for Visuals

• Avoid poor color combinations red/green,
  brown/green, blue/black and blue/purple .
• Many people are red/green color blind.

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Elements Tips for Visuals

• Arrange colors from dark to light. Graphic
  elements that are arranged from darkest to
  lightest are the easiest for the eyes to scan.

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Elements

• A good set of audio/visual materials are those
  that can be used by anyone to do your
  presentation for you.
• - Wes Chun

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Question/Answer

• Allow time for the audience to ask questions.
• This is a time for you to give additional
  information and to clear any misconceptions.

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Question/Answer

• Do not treat questions as attacks on your
  presentation/data. The person asking a question
  usually is not trying to trick or embarrass you.
• If you dont know the answer say so, or preface
  your answer with, I am not sure of the answer but
  if I were to speculate..

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Question/Answer

• When asked a question, repeat the question before
  answering.
• When answering, look at the person who asked the
  question.
• When soliciting questions make sure the whole
  audience gets a chance to ask questions.

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Remember Practice, practice, practice. Be sure
to time yourself during practice sessions.
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Evaluations
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Evaluations

• Constructive Evaluation
• Use positive language
• This sucked
• vs.
• It was difficult to discern the main point
• Be constructive
• Tell what was wrong, but include how it could
  have been improved

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Evaluations

• This is a learning experience
• Even the greatest speakers in the world can
  improve their performance
• You will be chastised for comments
• It was perfect
• I cant think of anything s/he needs to do
  to improve it

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Evaluations

• Good evaluations from last semester on-line
• www.agls.uidaho.edu/pses_seminar/