Presentation skills
- 1. How to Give an “EFFECTIVE” Presentation
- 2. Outline • General Guidelines • Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Avoiding presentation mistakes • Planning a perfect Presentation • Final thoughts
- 3. Why are presentation skills important? • Placements……………….most important • Academia − Conferences, Seminars, Teaching classes • Industry (Way of Life) − Training, Project Reports, Reports to Management − Selling an idea, sales deal • Other Politics, fund raising, community service, etc.
- 4. The right image conveys trust. The wrong image conveys doubt. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The way you look, smell, sound and move can determine the success of a first meeting. Importance wanes after that, but never disappears.
- 5. A Presentation should have an … 1) Introduction 2) Body 3) Conclusion
- 6. Introduction • The introduction of the presentation is like the first impression .It should be good enough to hold the audiences interest. You need to build a relationship with the audience while giving the introduction. • Some of the ways of starting the introduction are: • Story - a small story is a very good way of holding the audiences interest and building a relationship with them. • Question - Asking a pertinent question is another way of connecting with the audience and holding their attention. For example - How may people use a particular product? What is you favorite past time etc. and then connect it to the presentation.
- 7. Cont…. Introduction • Anecdotes - a real or imaginary incident to hold the audiences interest and connect it to the presentation's objective. • Quotation or phrase- A quotation or phrase which explains the objective.-Example -Think Win-Win • Pointing out to some facts/statistics- Example- do you know that Body language is responsible for 56 % of the message impact? 7
- 8. Body • This is the meat of the presentation and contains the information facts, data to meet the objective of the presentation. For example, if you are making the presentation to show that a particular brand is better than the others. Show the functional superiority, performance tests, price advantage, better performance results etc. The information can be collected from the published material -newspapers, magazines, and studies talking to experts, surveys and Internet. • The information can be organized in various ways • Sequential -In a particular sequence or order.
- 9. Conclusion • Question & answer method Ask questions and then give answers in the presentation • Comparison & contrast Compare the two or more solutions or products and contrast them (show their differences) • Problem solving formula Explain Causes, Possible solution and Actions
- 10. General Guidelines • Purpose − You need to define your purpose for giving the presentation > Teach, Persuade, Prove, Review, Expository, Impress, Put to Sleep, Entertain? > Who?What?How?When?Where?Why? − Often your goal is a high level overview, even for a technical presentation − Don’t tell them everything you did, you’ll bore them
- 11. General Guidelines • Organization − Always have an outline − Tell them what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them > Hint: I am doing this for this presentation − Problem then solution > Not just “data then solution” or “solution then problem”
- 12. General Guidelines • Preparation − An unprepared presenter loses the audience before even starting − Practice makes perfect and builds confidence − Arrive early, make sure everything is set up − Dress appropriately > Better to dress up than down − Slides should be done well in advance
- 13. General Guidelines • Time − Be sure you know how much time you have while preparing the presentation > Not 5 minutes before you start − It is better to end early than to go over > Always have a watch or clock in view − You’ll never have enough time to tell everything so stick to the most important − Rule of thumb > At most 1 slide per minute of presentation > Better to plan 2 minutes for each slide
- 14. General Guidelines • Audience − Be sure you know your audience well − Tailor presentation to your audience > Failure to do this is probably the biggest mistake people make − Watch the audience for clues
- 15. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • “PowerPoint doesn’t give presentations – PowerPoint makes slides” − From microsoft.com website • Your comments should be more compelling than the slides • You shouldn’t put everything on the slide
- 16. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Do include 50% white space • Do make it obvious which section of your outline you’re in • Do make each slide stand on its own − Generally 1 main point for each slide • Do use animation − Don’t overuse it > Makes it difficult and annoying to navigate
- 17. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Do include written conclusion for every graph − Don’t forget to add meaningful labels, titles, captions, etc. to graphs Per cent age of Peopl e Needi ng Pr esent at i on Ski l l s 100 80 Per cent age 60 40 20 0 Yes No Yes No Academia Industry Conclusion - I t is important to learn presentation skills!
- 18. Use visual aids where you can How we take in information during a presentation Achieving your objectives Making the presentation memorable
- 19. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Don’t use yellow text − Do use dark text and bold • Do use formatting and color to emphasize • Don’t include unrelated pictures
- 20. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Don’t do serif fonts (like Times New Roman) • Do use sans serif fonts (like Arial) − or Tahoma
- 21. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Do chek yor speling for mestakes − Typos instantly destroy credibility and convey lack of preparation − Do have someone else read through presentation • Do acknowledge previous work and help • Do use a template if using PowerPoint • Do put title slide at the end
- 22. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Do use a light background
- 23. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Don’t use a dark background − Even if using a lighter font color − Harder to read, especially from the back − More likely to put people asleep − Handouts often don’t look very good
- 24. Slide Do’s and Don’ts • Do use occasional “spice” or “pace breakers” − Humor − Surveys − Pictures − Quizzes − Sound − Videos − Animation − Physical Objects − Questions (Not just − Top Ten Lists Yes/No) − Etc. For example . . . A pace breaker can do this for your audience
- 26. Handouts • Use them if they help achieve your objective − Especially for technical presentations − Greatly increases retention • Often best to pass out at the end − You want to keep the audience engaged
- 27. Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Don’t read or “parrot” the slides − Otherwise, why give a presentation? • Do use the slides as a cue − Let audience read • Do use pointers sparingly − They magnify nervousness − Create slides and use animation that emphasize your points
- 28. Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Do be passionate about the topic − Have fun, this is your opportunity − If your audience doesn’t know why your topic is important, you’ve lost them • Don’t forget to practice − Record yourself, tape yourself, or use a mirror − Reading through slides does not count as practice
- 29. Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Do relax, use nerves to your advantage − Breathe deeply, pause as needed − Don’t go too fast • Do empty your pockets and hands • Don’t point at computer, point at the screen
- 30. Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Do use body language to help make a point − Purposeful movements • Do use appropriate posture − Don’t slouch − Sitting implies informality • Do move around if possible − Don’t pace − Don’t be hyperactive − Center yourself, rearrange setup if needed
- 31. BODY LANGUAGE Your body communicates different impressions to the audience. People Not Only Listen To You, They Also Watch You. Throughout your presentation, display: Eye contact Facial Expressions Gestures Posture and body orientation Proximity
- 32. Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Do face audience more than slides − Don’t talk to the screen or wall • Do vary your voice − Don’t speak in monotone − Most people speak too soft, not too loud • Do memorize slide numbers for key slides − Or transition points • Do get honest feedback from someone you trust
- 33. THE VOICE The voice is probably the most valuable tool of the presenter. It carries most of the content that the audience takes away. There are three main terms used for defining vocal qualities: Tone Pace Volume
- 34. Delivery Do’s and Don’ts • Don’t forget to smile
- 35. Handling Questions • Welcome them − Lots of questions are either a sign of: > Interest in what you are talking about – Audience internalizing > Failure to communicate an idea – Meaning that the person still wants to understand • Always repeat the question 1. For you to make sure you understood it 2. For audience to make sure they heard it
- 36. Handling Questions • Answer the question to the audience − Then check back to the individual for confirmation • Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” − Better than mumbling or fumbling an answer
- 37. Avoid presentation mistakes • Ignoring “What’s in it from me” • Not practicing in front of a live audience • Forgetting the main principle of public speaking • Using too many visuals • Not giving time to look at visuals before commenting on them • Using font that is too small • Using bad color combination • Speaking too fast
- 38. Plan a Perfect Presentation • Know your Audience • A strong Opening Statement or a Question • Plan the content of presentation • Use index cards • Keep visuals simple • Practice makes perfect • Prepare questions and answers
- 39. Final thoughts • Superior Presentation skill helps you win • Effective presentation skill is the mark of a leader • Presentation skills is not a talent- it is a skill • The purpose of business presentation is to sell an idea or product- It is not the facts that sell, it is the presentation.....