Presentation delivery tips and techniques
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The document provides tips for giving effective presentations. It discusses preparing visual aids and speaker notes, starting strongly with an introduction that states the purpose and agenda, and managing the flow through establishing norms, using transitions, and staying focused. The goal is to impart knowledge to an audience and engage them through proper preparation, delivery, and handling of the presentation content and format.
Presentation delivery tips and techniques
- 2. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery The ability to give a presentation is a necessary skill in the Visual Aids workplace. Most of us give informal talks from time to time; others deliver more formal presentations standing in front of an audience Advance Preparation with a set agenda and visual aids. Start Strong When the occasion arises that you are called on to present, the tips and techniques in this module will help you prepare and deliver a successful presentation. Manage the Flow Speaking Style Engage the Audience
- 3. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery A presentation is a brief talk on a focused topic that’s delivered to a Visual Aids group of listeners in order to impart knowledge, persuade towards a course of action, and/or to stimulate discussion. Advance Preparation Begin by assessing the requirements of your speaking assignment. Start Strong Your resource requirements will vary depending on the type of talk you need to give. Manage the Flow Is your presentation simply knowledge sharing or an informational review? In these situations, a short, informal update may be all Speaking Style that’s needed. At other times, a more formal presentation is expected. If this is the case, using visual aids can supplement and Engage the enhance your message. Audience
- 4. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery A visual aid may be an actual physical object, or an image such as a Visual Aids photo, a graph, a chart, a table or some other form of digital representation that pertains to the information being presented. Advance Preparation These items may be displayed on an easel or other physical space, appear in handouts, or be projected onto a screen or monitor. Start Strong Choice of media largely depends on the presentation setting. Manage the Flow • A handout or text on a white board works well when presenting informally to a small group in a face-to-face setting. Speaking Style • Presentation slides work well when presenting more formally to a larger audience or in an online setting. Engage the Audience
- 5. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery When using PowerPoint slides to display your visuals, it’s a good Visual Aids practice to provide your audience with a copy of your presentation. How and when to provide this depends on you. Advance Preparation When delivering your presentation face-to-face, you may want the Start Strong audience to have something to refer to while you talk. In this case, print copies of your slides with room for note-taking. Manage the Flow When delivering your presentation online, you may want the audience to have your presentation afterwards. If you plan to Speaking Style distribute copies of your slides, be sure to include your speaking points in the ‘Notes’ section on each page. Write full sentences so Engage the that it is a complete and accurate record of your talk. Audience
- 6. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery When delivering a presentation in the workplace, your audience Visual Aids isn’t there to see a slideshow. They want to hear your message. The more prepared you are, the more credible you will appear. Advance Preparation To organize your presentation, start by outlining four elements. Start Strong • Content - What am I going to say about my topic? • Process - How will I address the points I want to make? • Purpose - Why is my topic important to the audience? Manage the Flow • Outcome - What is the benefit to be gained? Once you determine what your talk will be about, prepare an Speaking Style agenda of what you plan to cover. Audiences like to have a guide so that they know what to expect. Engage the Audience
- 7. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery No presenter is expected to fully memorize their presentation Visual Aids content. A useful technique is to prepare speaker notes ahead of time and use them to rehearse. This will give you confidence and Advance Preparation help to smooth out your delivery. You can create speaker notes for yourself by simply writing down Start Strong on paper what you want to say. You should be familiar with your material, so don’t write down whole sentences. Just use key Manage the Flow phrases as cues for what you want to say. This technique forces you to develop and explain ideas in your own words, creating a more enthusiastic presentation. Speaking Style Engage the Audience
- 8. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery Some presenters who stand in front of groups prefer to hold small Visual Aids note cards. You can make these by preparing custom handouts. • From your PowerPoint document, click the File menu (for Microsoft Advance 2003) or the Publish menu (for Microsoft 2007). Select ‘Notes below Preparation slides’ for the page layout. • In the new Word document, delete all slide content until only your Start Strong notes remain. • Go to Page Set-up and fix the top, left, bottom and right margins to .4; landscape orientation; and custom size paper to 6” wide and 4” high. Manage the Flow • Select all the text and reduce the font to size 10 or 12. Speaking Style • Remove unnecessary words until just the essential points fit on the page. Engage the • Print your notes on 6” by 4” Audience index cards.
- 9. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery Advance preparation also involves dressing appropriately when Visual Aids presenting face-to-face. Make sure your clothing conveys a positive image. The more casual you dress, the more likely it is that your Advance Preparation authority, professionalism, and competence will be challenged. Start Strong Always wear clothing that is suitable for the event. The general rule is to match your attire to the dress of others. Business casual is usually the minimum standard. Manage the Flow You may want to dress a little more formally than you think you Speaking Style need to. It’s easier to dress down if you are slightly overdressed than it is to dress-up a too casual outfit. If you wear casual outfits Engage the to work every day, keep a jacket at the office. A jacket makes even Audience the most casual outfit more authoritative and businesslike.
- 10. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery First impressions are important, so make sure the beginning Visual Aids moments of your presentation work to your advantage. To start strong, always compose your opening statements ahead of time. Advance Preparation Use the following steps to guide your introduction: • Introduce yourself (if necessary) and state the purpose of Start Strong your presentation. 1. Hello, my name is… 2. I work with… and my role is to… Manage the Flow 3. I’m here to share what I know about… 4. This information will help you to… • Preview your agenda and set the expectations for your talk. Speaking Style 5. I’m going to discuss… 6. By the end, you will… Engage the Finally, customize your comments for the occasion and practice to Audience minimize nervousness.
- 11. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery Having an agenda will help you pace the flow of your presentation. Visual Aids You will want to stay on course to finish in the time allotted. Advance Preparation Effective presenters employ the following techniques to manage their delivery. Start Strong • Establish norms. For example, will you take questions as you go along or would you prefer to take them at the end? • Use transitions to indicate when one topic ends and another Manage the Flow has begun. Example: “Now that we’ve discussed topic A, let’s now consider topic B.” Speaking Style • Stay focused. Respond to audience input but avoid time- consuming tangents. Example: “Thank you for your comments but now we need to move on.” Engage the Audience
- 12. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery If you are given a certain amount of time to speak, you will want to Visual Aids manage your timing so as not to run over or hurry your delivery. Advance Preparation In general, allow about 15% of your time for the introduction, 75% for the main part of your talk, and 10% for the conclusion. Start Strong Beginning Middle End • 15% • 75% • 10% Manage the Flow For example, given a 20 minute time slot, take about three minutes for the beginning, 15 minutes for your main points, and two Speaking Style minutes for the ending. Practice ahead of time to see how this formula works with your presentation content. Speak out loud Engage the using your visual aids and time yourself. Make adjustments as Audience necessary until you feel comfortable with the format.
- 13. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery If you are using PowerPoint as a visual aid, don’t treat the text on Visual Aids your slides as a script to read verbatim. This tends to create an impersonal tone where you’re speaking at the audience instead of Advance Preparation to the audience. Start Strong The content on your slides should simply provide a framework for your message, not tell the whole story. If you’re familiar enough with your material, the only reason you should be referring to your Manage the Flow slides is to point something out. You can also glance at your slides to cue what you want to say, but you should say it in a natural and Speaking Style conversational manner. Engage the Audience
- 14. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery Business presenters are not expected to be performers, just Visual Aids effective communicators. The best delivery involves a narrative, storytelling style that can only come with practice. Advance Preparation It is totally unproductive to simply talk about your presentation to Start Strong someone or to mumble about it to yourself. You must actually stand up and practice speaking the words out loud in order to crystallize the ideas in your mind. The key is to remember whole Manage the Flow thoughts from which to launch your topic. To be in full command of what you want to say, focus on articulating ideas rather than on Speaking Style constructing sentences. This will give you the “mental clarity” that allows you to present in a natural and conversational manner. Engage the Audience
- 15. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery When presenting, you never want to just “wing-it” nor do you want Visual Aids to be totally, 100% scripted. Try to develop a speaking style that combines both preciseness and spontaneity. Advance Preparation One method to use when rehearsing with your speaker notes is to Start Strong think of some relevant experiences, stories, or examples to share that will bring the information to life. This type of planning allows you some freedom to improvise when “in the moment.” If you are Manage the Flow knowledgeable and passionate about your topic, your enthusiasm and sincerity will be evident. Speaking Style Engage the Audience
- 16. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery Effective presenters engage their audiences by creating various Visual Aids opportunities for two-way communication. A few methods include: Advance • Asking questions to gain participation. Preparation • Facilitating a dialog to discuss how the topic applies to the job. • Inviting reactions to get immediate input/feedback. Start Strong Asking questions during a presentation is an excellent way to get listeners involved since most people like an opportunity to interact. Manage the Flow Here are some ways to elicit audience responses. • Ask for a show of hands. Speaking Style • Ask a rhetorical question. • Ask a leading question. Engage the • Ask for comments and opinions. Audience
- 17. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery It’s also common to ask for questions from the audience. Follow Visual Aids these tips to ensure that you are prepared when answering. Advance • Prior to presenting, try to anticipate any questions that might be asked by the audience and how you would respond. Preparation • Always repeat the question before answering to ensure that others can hear it clearly. Repeating the question allows you Start Strong to simplify it and also buys you time to formulate a response. • Be familiar with knowable facts, such as names, roles or other Manage the Flow important pieces of data. Having correct and up-to-date information shows that you value and respect the individuals in your audience. Speaking Style • Questions inject some unpredictability, so be flexible and willing to adjust to the needs of your audience. They will appreciate if you listen carefully and respond honestly. Engage the Audience
- 18. Presentation Tips and Techniques Delivery As you end your presentation, it’s important to review and Visual Aids summarize your topic. Never end with: “Well I guess that’s it…” Advance Preparation If you take questions towards the end of your presentation, leave enough time for your conclusion. Ending a presentation with Start Strong questions and answers is not a powerful way to close. The final words you say will be the most memorable, so make sure your closing points are ones you planned to say. Manage the Flow • Remind the audience why your topic is important to them. Speaking Style • Restate the benefits to be gained. • Repeat key points you want the audience to remember most. Engage the Audience The END.