CDU – School of Information Technology HIT241 Lecture 10a - Slide 1 The formal presentation of project status is an important way of communicating the

CDU – School of Information Technology HIT241 Lecture 10a - Slide 1

The formal presentation of project status is an important way of communicating the progress of project to your peers and the experts in a particular field. However, this will only be successful if your presentation is comprehensible to all the audience. The following are some guide-lines for the successful presentation of project work.

HIT241 – PRESENTATION SKILLS

Introduction


The most popular (and successful) way to organize a paper for spoken presentation is in the logical order of:

"What was the problem?",

progressing through to...

"What was the solution?"


Planning


In the presentation, the speaker should follow the rules of:

"Tell them what you are going to tell them!"....

.... "Tell them!"....

.... "Tell them what you have told them!"


Planning


Most importantly, a presentation is not the place to present all your project detail detail.

To do so is to risk sending your audience to sleep!


Planning


A successful presentation is dependent upon maintaining the attention of the audience.

Therefore, the speaker must be sure that the audience is not confused or bored by the presentation.


Oral Presentation


Never read a presentation.

Reading, unless by an expert, is impersonal; and a paper read rapidly in a monotone becomes almost meaningless, let alone confusing and boring!

The natural rhythm of telling a story with its pauses and its contact with the audience is lost.


Oral Presentation - Rules


Never present a presentation that was written to be read.

The form of a communication designed to be heard is quite different to one that is to be read.

When we speak, we repeat ourselves to make a point, and so a spoken paper must have considerably more repetition than one that will be read.




Use prompt notes to help memorize a presentation.

The main reason speakers often give for reading a paper is lack of confidence at speaking. If this is the case, a compromise is possible. The talk (not the report) is written down, and rehearsed a number of times. A tape recorder can be very useful at this stage. With practice, the script will become unnecessary, and a series of prompt cards, with key words underlined, will be a sufficient aid to memory.




Speak slowly, clearly and concisely.

A rapid, garbled or rambling delivery will lose and confuse the audience. Rehearsal with a tape recorder is recommended.




Vary the pace for emphasis.

To emphasize a point, slow down.




Do not speak in a monotone, or too softly.

Monotony is a soporific, it sends people to sleep! It is better to speak too loudly than to speak too softly.




Plan the detailed content carefully.

The project material may consist of the work of several effort years. Any attempt to cram all the data into a single presentation will obscure the message.




Do not assume the audience are experts in the topic being presented.

It is far better to inform and explain to the audience, rather than attempt to impress the influential.




Remember the proverb,

"The wise can afford to be simple; many tend to cloak their ignorance in long words of knowledge".




Be careful in the use of jargon.

Only use jargon terms if you are sure that the vast majority of the audience will understand the meaning clearly. If you use words not in common use, you may lose contact with a large part of your audience as they sit and ponder the meaning of the term!




Maintain eye-contact with the audience.

Normal conversation is two-way, but in a presentation opportunities for feedback to the speaker are limited. Keep all possible communication channels open with the audience. Never speak to your notes, slides, or display board. Never turn your back on the audience or show them the top of your head!




Nothing is more likely to incur the wraith of the conference chairman, and the hostility of audience, than a speaker who continues a presentation beyond the allotted time. It ruins the chairperson’s timetable, and invariably encroaches upon either the coffee breaks or meal-times. This guarantees to mark you as both arrogant and incompetent.


Timing


As a general rule, the shorter the presentation, the more popular the speaker. Remember, there is a question time where issues of interest to the audience can be pursued.


Timing


The key to timing is rehearsal, using a trial audience, tape recorder or stop watch. Use the rehearsals to trim the presentation down to at least 1 or 2 minutes less than the full time allowed. The actual presentation always takes a little longer than rehearsals.


Timing


When the time comes for the presentation, make sure you have some convenient form of timekeeping. This can be a stop watch, timer, or cue from the chairman.

Always finish within the set time!


Timing


The fundamental requirement of visual material is legibility. Slides, overheads and videos must be readable!

The presenter must be familiar with each item, and should be sure that there will be no unexpected surprises!


Preparation of Visuals…


Generally speaking, each slide or overhead requires about 30 seconds to comprehend, and will keep the audience's attention for approximately one minute. This gives clear guide-lines for the number of slides to use in a presentation.


Preparation of Visuals…


The most common error is to produce the overhead from 3 mm high (normal) text. The characters are too small to be read by the audience.

All the detail, character size and line widths, is too small and too thin to be read by the audience.

The information is overloaded with data. It is far better to have two or more simple overheads, than one complicated overhead.


Common Errors - Overheads


Limit each overhead to one main idea that you can explain within one minute. If the idea is complicated, use several overheads.

An effective size for an overhead is 16 cm wide by 20 cm high.

Effective character height is 8 mm or more.

Effective line width is 0.8 mm or more.

Artwork should be prepared specifically for the overhead using large character heights, and thick line widths.


Guidelines - Overheads


It is important that the venue and audience be considered when preparing for the presentation.

The speaker must take time before the presentation to become familiar with the facilities, layout and acoustics of the venue. This will help ensure the confidence and competence needed to effectively make the presentation.


Knowing Your Venue & Audience


It is also very important that the speaker must consider the type of audience. For example, is the audience:

All specialists in the same field, and likely to understand it all.

All with a general background in the field, with only about 10% or less having specialist knowledge that is relevant to the presentation.

A lay audience with no background in the field.




When in doubt, it is better that the presentation be too simple, without being patronizing.

The majority will depart pleased that it was so easily understood, while the few experts who knew it all will have their egos suitably heightened.



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CDU – School of Information Technology HIT241 Lecture 10a - Slide 1 The formal presentation of project status is an important way of communicating the