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What is a Presentation?
A presentation is the process of presenting a topic to an audience. A presentation is a means of communication which can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. A presentation is the process of presenting a topic to an audience. It is typically a demonstration, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, or build good will.
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Single Oral Presenter Poster Group Thematic Panel Workshop Roundtable Proposal Types of presentation There are 5 types of presentation: 1) Informative: Keep an informative presentation brief and to the point. Stick to the facts and avoid complicated information. 2) Instructional: Your purpose in an instructional presentation is to give specific directions or orders. Your presentation will probably be a bit longer, because it has to cover your topic thoroughly. 3) Your purpose in an arousing presentation is to make people think about a certain problem or situation. 4) Decision-making: Your purpose in a decision-making presentation is to move your audience to take your suggested action. A decision-making presentation presents ideas, suggestions, and arguments strongly enough to persuade an audience to carry out your requests. 5) Persuasive: Your purpose in a persuasive presentation is to convince your listeners to accept your proposal. How to make an effective presentation? The first step of a great presentations is preplanning i.e. acquiring a room, informing participants, etc. The second step is before preparing the presentation, ask yourself the following: What is the purpose of the presentation? Who will be attending? What does the audience already know about the subject? What is the audiences attitude towards me (e.g. hostile, friendly)? Is the situation formal or informal? When you present, will the audience have just finished eating, drinking, working, or doing something active? Will they be tired or alert? When was the last break? Who will speak before you? Who comes after you? How might this affect audience reaction? Are you the first or last speaker of the program? The day? The morning or afternoon? Are you expected to take questions or leave copies of your presentation? How much time do you have for the presentation? Can your message be delivered in that time? Will the physical setting of the presentation require you to adapt your talk? What control do you have over the physical environment? Is the key message you have selected really the most critical? Does it support the objectives of the presentation? Are the arguments you have marshaled understandable to all levels of your audience? Will your content convince the audience to agree with you? Are logical connections explicit? What arguments need to be developed? What contrary arguments do you need to neutralize? Third, step is to prepare the presentation. A good presentation starts out with introductions and may include an icebreaker such as a story, interesting statement or fact. It should have a logical beginning, middle, and end.• Fourthly there are several options for structuring the presentation: Timeline: Arranged in sequential order. Climax: The main points are delivered in orderofincreasing importance. Problem/Solution: A problem is presented, a solution is suggested, and benefits are then given. Simple to complex: Ideas are listed from the simplest to the most complex. Can also be done in reverse order. Fifthly, after the body, comes the closing. This is where you ask for questions, provide a wrap-up. Factors that affect effective presentation? The Voice: The voice is probably the most valuable tool of the presenter. It carries most of the content that the audience takes away. One of the oddities of speech is that we can easily tell others what is wrong with their voice, e.g. too fast, too high, too soft, etc. Volume: How loud the sound is. The goal is to be heard without shouting. Tone: The characteristics of a sound. . A voice that carries fear can frighten the audience while a voice that carries laughter can get the audience to smile.? The Body: Your body communicates different impressions to the audience. People not only listen to you, they also watch you. Postures: Slouching tells them you are indifferent or you do not care... even though you might care a great deal! On the other hand, displaying good posture tells your audience that you know what you are doing and you care deeply about it. Eye contact: Speakers who make eye 9. open the flow of communication andconvey interest, concern, warmth, andcredibility.3)Facial Expression: Smiling is a powerfulcue that transmits happiness, friendliness,warmth, and liking.4)Gestures: If you fail to gesture whilespeaking, you may be perceived as boringand stiff. Effective power point presentation FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE PPT BIG SIMPLE CLEAR CONSISTENT Make It Big(Text)? This is Arial 12? This is Arial 18 TOO SMALL? This is Arial 24? This is Arial 32? This is Arial 36?This is Arial 44 Keep It Simple (Text)? Do not have Too many colours Too Many Fonts and Styles? Follow the 6 x 7 rule ? No more than 6 lines per slide ? No more than 7 words per line Make It Clear? ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ARE DIFFICULT TO READ? Upper and lower case letters are easier? Italics are difficult to read on screen? Normal or bold fonts are clearer Underlines may signify hyperlinks? Instead, use colours to emphasise? Use contrasting colours? Light on dark vs dark on light? Use complementary colours Be Consistent?Differences draw attention. Differences may imply importance. Ask yourself the following questions to develop a full understanding of the context of the presentation. When and where will you deliver your presentation? There is a world of difference between a small room with natural light and an informal setting, and a huge lecture room, lit with stage lights. The two require quite different presentations, and different techniques. Will it be in a setting you are familiar with, or somewhere new? If somewhere new, it would be worth trying to visit it in advance, or at least arriving early, to familiarise yourself with the room. Will the presentation be within a formal or less formal setting? A work setting will, more or less by definition, be more formal, but there are also various degrees of formality within that. Will the presentation be to a small group or a large crowd? Are you already familiar with the audience? With a new audience, you will have to build rapport quickly and effectively, to get them on your side. What equipment and technology will be available to you, and what will you be expected to use? In particular, you will need to ask about microphones and whether you will be expected to stand in one place, or move around. What is the audience expecting to learn from you and your presentation? Check how you will be ‘billed’ to give you clues as to what information needs to be included in your presentation. Presenter The role of the presenter is to communicate with the audience and control the presentation. Remember, though, that this may also include handing over the control to your audience, especially if you want some kind of interaction. Audience The audience receives the presenter’s message(s). However, this reception will be filtered through and affected by such things as the listener’s own experience, knowledge and personal sense of values. Message The message or messages are delivered by the presenter to the audience. The message is delivered not just by the spoken word (verbal communication) but can be augmented by techniques such as voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact (non-verbal communication), and visual aids. The message will also be affected by the audience’s expectations. For example, if you have been billed as speaking on one particular topic, and you choose to speak on another, the audience is unlikely to take your message on board even if you present very well. They will judge your presentation a failure, because you have not met their expectations. Reaction The audience’s reaction and therefore the success of the presentation will largely depend upon whether you, as presenter, effectively communicated your message, and whether it met their expectations. As a presenter, you don’t control the audience’s expectations. What you can do is find out what they have been told about you by the conference organisers, and what they are expecting to hear. Only if you know that can you be confident of delivering something that will meet expectations. Method How will the presentation be delivered? Presentations are usually delivered direct to an audience. However, there may be occasions where they are delivered from a distance over the Internet using video conferencing systems, such as Skype. It is also important to remember that if your talk is recorded and posted on the internet, then people may be able to access it for several years. This will mean that your contemporaneous references should be kept to a minimum. Impediments Many factors can influence the effectiveness of how your message is communicated to the audience. For example background noise or other distractions, an overly warm or cool room, or the time of day and state of audience alertness can all influence your audience’s level of concentration. As presenter, you have to be prepared to cope with any such problems and try to keep your audience focussed on your message. Preparing a Presentation Preparing a Presentation Organising the Material Writing Your Presentation Deciding the Presentation Method Working with Visual Aids Managing the Event Coping with Presentation Nerves Facilitation Skills 30 Questions To Ask Before Every Presentation QUESTIONS ABOUT LOGISTICS 1.1. How much time have you been allotted for your presentation? 2.2. Of that, how much time will you reserve for questions? 3.3. Will someone introduce you? (If so, have you provided them with a bio or suggested introduction?) 4.4. From where will you present? 5.5. How will you present? (e.g. from a prepared script, using bullets, from memory) QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AUDIENCE 1.6. How many people will be in attendance? 2.7. Who, specifically, are they? 3.8. What are their concerns, challenges and/or goals? 4.9. How much does the audience already know about your topic? 5.10. How much do they need to know in order for you to achieve your goal? 6.11. How would you describe the audience’s current feelings about your topic? 7.12. From the perspective of the audience, why should they care about your speech? QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR GOAL 1.13. What is your goal for this speech? 2.14. What is the single most important thing you want the audience to remember? 3.15. What are the one, two, or three points you’d like to make to help the audience remember that single thing? 4.16. If you’re successful, what will the audience think/feel/do after your speech? QUESTIONS ABOUT CONTENT AND VISUALS 1.17. How will you open your talk? 2.18. How will you close your talk? 3.19. What is your call to action? 4.20. Will you use visuals to accompany your speech? 5.21. If yes, what types? (e.g. PowerPoint, whiteboard, poster board, video clips) 22. What do I need to think about before designing my first slide? 23. How can I create a presentation that really connects with my audience? 24. How much textual content should I include? 25. How can I be sure that my textual slides are as efficient and high-impact as possible? 26. What types of images should I incorporate into my slides and why? 27. What about slide transitions? Should I go all-out with them or limit them? 28. Should I add audio and video elements to my presentation? 29. Should I use charts? If so, what kind? 30. What are some common PowerPoint mistakes and clich?s to avoid? Dealing with questions in a presentation is a skill which anyone can master. Setting out some Ground Rules At the start of your presentation, you should make it clear whether and when you would prefer to deal with questions - as you go along or at the end of the presentation. Some speakers prefer questions to be raised as they arise during the presentation. The advantage of this approach is that any misunderstandings can be dealt with immediately. However, there is also a danger that the question will disrupt or distract the speaker, or that questions are raised that would have been covered later in the presentation. Event Organizer within and outside the State Here are further guidelines. |