Presentation Skills

Situations where presentation skills are required ……

• Departmental seminars• Conferences• Teaching• Academic job interviews• Other job interviews• As part of your job• Extracurricular activities

Effective presentations with impact

• Part of the required communication skills • Used to influence, inform & impress• Good ideas are not recognised unless they

are effectively communicated• A transferable skill needed to: get a job;

do a job; do well in a job

Overview

• Introductions• Poor & good presentations• Preparing and delivering presentations• Some types of presentations • Have a go• A word or two on visual aids• Summary

Presentation Experience

• What type of experience do you have of making presentations?

• What do you like/dislike about making presentations?

• What are you good at/you not so good at?

Characteristics of a poor presentation ?

Characteristics of a poor presentation - content

• Objective/s not clear• Poor structure• Too much information• Poor regard for the audience• Visual aids (lacking, confusing, distracting)

Characteristics of a poor presentation- non-verbal

• Quiet, boring monotone voice• Reading from paper, notes, slides• No eye contact • Distracting or no body language • Disorganised• Apologetic or defensive attitude

Characteristics of a good presentation?

Characteristics of a good presentation

• Clear objectives • Clear structure• Enough relevant information • Good non-verbal communication • Establishes a connection with the audience and

conveys the relevance and significance of what is being communicated

Building blocks of an effective presentation

• Planning• Preparation• Practice (review, revise, then focus on the

delivery)

It takes time

“It usually takes me three weeks to prepare a good spontaneous speech”

Mark Twain

Winston Churchill learnt his speeches by heart butdid not lose the heart in them

Planning your presentation

• Consider your target audience• Decide on the aim of the presentation• How much time do you have?• Where will you be presenting? • Will you use visual aids & handouts• Outline what you want to say and how you want

to say it

Preparing your presentation (1)

• Aim and objectives – what is the key information you want to communicate

• Structure – logical flow through introduction, core content & conclusion

• Language – accessible, clear, concise, interesting • Visual aids & handouts – to enhance communication • Questions – you want and don’t want

Preparing your presentation (2)

• Don’t dive into the body of your talk • Grab attention- “why should we listen to you?”• Use “you” - at the beginning, to reinforce a point, to

regain attention • Start with a summary – the key information you want

them to leave with• Most important information first – don’t build up to it• Summarise key points at the end • END

Practicing your presentation (1)

• Mirror or video or practice partner• Flow• Timing• Does it communicate what you want it to?• Do the visual aids work well?• Do your prompts work well?• Answering questions

Questions to ask a practice partner

Q What did you think was my objective?Q Did you find what I said easy to understand? Q Did you find what I said interesting?Q Did I appear confident and enthusiastic?

Q Did my visual aids help or hinder? Q What questions do you want to ask me?

Handling questions

• Try to anticipate (and encourage) questions and PREPARE for them (or lack of them!)

• LISTEN; THINK;TAKE YOUR TIME• Make notes if you need to• Don’t see questions as criticism - respond

positively

Practicing your presentation (2)

• Review• Revise• Practice again – but not to the point of

boredom!

Delivering the presentation - practicalities

• Prepare for contingencies• Dress appropriately• Arrive in plenty of time• Do a reconnaissance • Ask for changes if needed

Delivering the presentation

• Start strong • Eye contact• Voice - volume, tone and variation • Energy - but no fidgeting • Competent use of visual aids and prompts • Finish strong

Some types of presentation

• Conference – poster presentation• Conference – paper presentation • Job interviews

Conference - paper presentation

• Opportunity to promote research, solicit feedback, get noticed ………………….

• Audience• Abstract • Formal setting, theme, panel, chairperson • 20 minutes with 5 minutes for questions• Oral communication

Presenting a poster - overview

• Opportunity to prompt interest, discussion & feedback; raise profile; and great practice

• 1st an abstract• Guidelines, logistics and other practicalities• Audience • Poster – development, design & construction• Takeaways

Presenting a poster – context

• Visual communication • Semi-formal setting• Time slot and ………beyond• You facilitate the process• One to one connections

Poster presentation - outputs

• Abstract – why work is important; what adding to current knowledge; methodology; results; conclusions; what next

• Poster – contains the most important information, follows similar format to abstract but utilising strong visual and design elements

Poster presentation- preparation

• Planning – time, space, design, MESSAGE• Drafting – deciding on the essential text &

illustrative graphics• Layout – grab and keep attention; facilitate

understanding• Fonts – few, simple, big enough• Colour – use but with care

Poster Presentations - layout

Title Names (s) Institution,

Depart.

Intro. (what & why) Graphs Results

Objectives Pictures Conclusions

Methods Charts Future Work

Now lets try it!

• Take 5 minutes to prepare either:

- an introductory slide to a conference presentation OR - the title and main headings for a conference poster • Present this to the group

Job Interviews

• May or may not be given time to prepare• General, or specific, idea of the audience• 5-20 minutes• Content may be more or less relevant• Delivery very important – “can this person

communicate effectively?”• Q&A very important

Visual Aids & Handouts (1)

• Are not essential • Are primarily for the audience – to enhance

communication• Should be integral to the presentation

Visual Aids & Handouts (2)

Each slide should:• Use a clear font, large enough to be visible for

the room• Not contain too much information (3-4 bullet

points per slide, no one point > 3 lines)• Avoid revealing points, fancy colours, distracting

backgrounds…………

Visual Aids & Handouts (3)

• Calculate number of slides on basis of one slide every 2 minutes of presentation

• Use handouts for detailed information like tables/graphs to supplement slides

Dealing with nerves

• SOME nerves are good for performance• Beyond this – what are your fears?• If real – deal• If imagined – get real • Focus on the message

To summarise

• Purpose, Message, Audience• Medium of communication• Planning, Preparation & Practice• Delivery – verbal and non-verbal