Effective Presentations
Developing proper solutions is one thing, but getting moral and financial support for the ideas is as important. Thus, a proper presentation to organisations, to stakeholders, or to potential donors for getting support for the ideas is vital. Therefore one has to pay some attention to presentation techniques: each module ends with a presentation by some of the participants. To facilitate these presentations, a short introduction into the basic skills for giving oral as well as written presentations is provided.
Moreover, after a brief introduction of the distinct stages of a project (project cycle) this module will acquaint the participants with the contents of a feasibility study and explain how to structure the presentation of projects in a written document.
At the end of this module the participants will be able to:
1. Compose a presentation within a set time frame.
2. Realise an oral presentation within a set time frame, using basic presentation skills (E.g. Visual aids, time management, and delivery performance).
3. Prepare and present a project proposal to address the problem that requires mitigation.
Many people openly admit that their biggest fear is public speaking. Whether it's in front of a class, coworkers, managers, or total strangers, they experience physical symptoms of sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeats, and worse. Their minds go blank, their mouths go dry, and their voices quiver—all classic signs of nervousness. For a few people, the fear is debilitating—we hear now and then of talented singers and musicians who are so paralyzed by stage fright that they cannot perform in public.
Most people experience some degree of fear when facing an audience, but they learn techniques to control their voice tone and body language to project confidence. Successful public speakers often attribute their apparent relaxation to rehearsal—practicing their speech or presentation enough times, and in a similar setting to the real one, that the words flow easily, despite a jittery stomach. Rehearsal appears to be the key solution for beginning speakers.
If a public-speaking class is available in your college, you will find it a good opportunity to practice different types of speeches and polish your delivery—your case of nerves might not go away entirely, but it can become manageable.
Formal Presentations
In business, people in sales and marketing make formal presentations at customers' sites, annual meetings, and training seminars. When money is at stake or the audience is large, the presentation becomes more formal. For these situations, people take extra steps to guarantee a successful speech. Speakers sometimes videotape themselves giving the speech to observe facial expressions, body language, and delivery. They prepare visual aids that look polished and professional. They create handouts with detailed information and allow extra white space for notes. Many speakers enlist technical experts as backups to help answer detailed technical questions or operate the presentation equipment.
Informal Presentations
Most presentations are less formal. For example, some companies hold "brown-bag lunches," where a speaker discusses a topic while the audience eats lunch (the presentation-might be recorded or telecast), or an employee presents an idea to a manager. While these situations are less formal than a sales presentation to a customer, the speakers usually prepare in similar ways, with research, an outline and notes, and handouts.
Even more informally, a manager might ask an employee to discuss a technical topic at a staff meeting. Sometimes these speeches are impromptu, meaning a speaker begins speaking without preparation or planning.
Preparation of Presentations
Begin by checking all the details you need to plan your presentation, this includes:
· The duration of the talk.
· Whether time for questions is included.
· The size and location of the room.
Have a look around the room and try out the equipment not later than the day before your presentation, so you are able to use it with confidence.
The most important thing to remember is that people have a limited attention span, and that you must therefore organize your talk very clearly so that the main points stand out. This is how you do it:
Analyse your audience and limit your topic accordingly. What do your listeners already know? What do they need to know? How much information can they absorb?
Determine your primary purpose. What is the main point you wish to communicate? Build your presentation around that.
Select effective supporting information. Remember, your listeners will only remember at most three or four supporting points and only two or three supporting details for these points. So choose the information that will sell your case to your particular audience.
Choose an appropriate pattern of organization. Often your supporting information can be ordered according to one dominant pattern of organization: problem-solution, criteria, chain of reasoning, process of elimination, experimental research, chronological description, or comparison and contrast, to mention a few. Whatever pattern you choose, stick to it.
Prepare an outline. Main points and main supporting points only. Only write out the whole text if you feel the information is too technical for you to be able to just explain it. Select appropriate visual aids. These are indispensable, firstly as prompts to help you and secondly as attention-getters. People remember visuals much more than they do words.
The following options are available for technical oral presentations:
- Overhead transparencies
- Slides
- Flip charts
- Chalkboard
- Handouts
- Computer screen projection (PowerPoint)
Capture the interest of your audience from the beginning – make your opening comments strong. Never begin with an apology.
Remember that it takes a few minutes for an audience to establish a relationship with a new speaker: do not begin with key information. You might say what your talk is about and show a transparency with the title on it. This allows the audience to settle in. After these preliminaries, you should introduce your topic.
Make sure your listeners are clear about whatever the basic problem or issue is. If necessary, provide background information and define essential terms. In the introduction you should:
1. Explain the structure of your talk.
2. Set out the aims and objectives of the presentation.
3. Explain your approach to the topic.
Guidelines
Generally, the better prepared you are, the better your presentation will be.
TIPS:
Although you might never have the advantage of a professional speechwriter, as Ratan Tata undoubtedly did, you can follow these guidelines to reduce nervousness and increase the effectiveness of your presentation:
1. Research your topic. Choose a topic and collect the data to back up your message or convince your audience. You might not use all the data, but keep them with you for questions from the audience.
2. Analyse your audience. Determine their level of technical background. Anticipate what your audience wants to know about the topic and what the audience intends to do with the information. Anticipate possible questions (general and technical) and prepare for them.
To help you think about your audience ask yourself...
• Who are they?
• How many will be there?
• Do they have any prior knowledge of the subject?
• What are their age, sex, and level of ability?
• Why are they there?
• What are their needs?
• What do they need to know?
The presentation will be a failure if the audience does not understand it. Therefore, you should aim to make your message clear and easy to understand.
3. Outline your message: State the main point you want to make in one sentence. Then write the supporting points you want to make in a bulleted list. Sequence them in the order that makes sense for your purpose.
4. Use a multimedia approach: Most people are poor listeners, so provide visual aids for them to see and read. Handouts or transparencies not only visually organize and reinforce your message, but add interest, as well.
5. Rehearse the speech out loud:. When you recite your speech, you can work out exact wording and possibly discover areas within the topic that need more research. Time yourself Not only will you know, but you can inform others, if asked, of the time allotment needed. You can rehearse in front of the mirror (good for practicing facial expressions, as well), while driving the car, or at the front of an empty room. If possible, ask someone to listen and give you feedback. Ask the person to note any signs of nervousness, such as tight facial expressions or fiddling with hair or glasses.
6. Arrive early: Get comfortable in the room, take some deep breaths, and arrange your notes and visual aids. If you plan to use any electronic equipment, make sure it works and you know how to turn it on, to reduce stress, many professional trainers carry vital supplies in their briefcases, including their own markers, masking tape, and even an extra bulb for a projector. Greet people as they arrive, making eye contact and starting to establish rapport. For smaller audiences, this might be an opportunity to learn some of the names and backgrounds of your audience. Write down a few names in your notes, especially key people, so you can address people by name, if needed.
7. Start with an introduction: Instead of launching into the body of your speech, take a few minutes to introduce yourself and your subject and orient your audience to the scope of your speech. Experienced speakers include a "springboard motivator," such as an anecdote, question, or activity that captures the interest and attention of the audience and gets them involved with the subject.
8. Use note cards or your visual aids to keep on track and prevent your missing an important point. (But do not read your speech from a script.)
9. Don't let questions digress from your main topic. If someone in the audience asks a question that is unrelated to your topic, or strays too far from the scope of your presentation, tactfully ask the person to "hold that question" until the end of your presentation. If you have time later, respond to the question. Also, if you do not know the answer to a question, admit it, and establish how you will follow up with the person. For example, ask for the person's phone number or e-mail address. Or ask the person to send you an e-mail with more details about the question.
10. End with a summary of your main points. Your closing is an opportunity to reestablish your key points and show how they logically lead to your conclusion. Do not throw in new points or re-argue your prior points during your conclusion—just restate them and close.
Body Language
Body language consists of all the nonverbal messages we deliver to our audience. Nonverbal signals can be deliberate actions to support a message. For example, public speakers might pound a podium to emphasize a point, or walk into an audience to increase audience participation. Tapping fingers signal impatience. Clenched fists signal anger. Open, uplifted palms signal a need for understanding or help. Waving arms signal intense emotion.
Other nonverbal messages can be physiological reactions to situations that we cannot easily control. For example, when someone is angry, lips get thinner, brows furrow, and faces get red and warm (hence the expression "hothead"). When someone is afraid, eyebrows go up, causing eyes to get wide ("wide-eyed with fear").
When the message delivered by body language contradicts the spoken message, listeners remember the body language. This means we must pay attention not only to what we say, but how we say it. Our entire appearance adds to our message, including our posture, where our eyes focus, how we move our hands, and how close we get to the audience. The detailed explanation to the body language is taken up in earlier chapter.
Observe how professionals (actors or public speakers whom you consider convincing) use facial expressions and hands gestures to augment their words.
When you have written the content of your speech, practice speaking in front of a mirror, using expressions and gestures that support your message. Record yourself using a video camera, or ask someone you trust, to identify any distracting habits or mannerisms, such as words that you might overuse (saying "OK" frequently), wringing your hands, or fidgeting. Many times, we can break these habits just by becoming aware of them.
This is where you have to deliver or present your message to the audience. When you begin to speak, the audience will listen carefully to what you say and watch closely how you perform. It is important to understand that how you say something is just as important as what you say.
Did you know?
The tone of your voice and your body language can account for 65% of the message. Your body language (body movements) can express your attitudes and thoughts.
Therefore pay attention to the following parts of your body:
Your voice
Speak slowly so that everyone can follow
Speak loudly so that everyone can hear
Speak clearly so that everyone can understand
Don’t use slang (e.g. I ain’t)
Your face
Smile to give your audience reassurance and try not to look confused, bored or scared.
Try to be yourself and natural.
Your eyes
Maintain eye contact with your audience. Move your eyes slowly from person to person. Watch out for staring at one person (which is bound to make that person uncomfortable) or staring at only a part of the room (the rest of the room will feel left out and possibly lose interest).
Your posture
Make sure you are not standing in the way of the visual aid. Check that everyone can see the board.
Your hands
Rest or fold your hands comfortably on the table or podium, or hold an appropriate object, such as a pointer. This reduces the chance that hand gestures will become distracting to listeners. With experience, speakers learn to use natural hand gestures that amplify the spoken message.
Your feet
Your appearance
Smile occasionally, especially during introductions and conclusions. Usually a genuine smile can lighten the intensity of any information or news. It makes the speaker appear relaxed and confident, and that relaxes listeners, as well.
Your attitude
Size of Audience: As a general guideline: The larger the audience, the larger the visual aids. People in the back of the room want to see your visual aids. If you can't find a projection system to do that, consider handouts. For smaller audiences, your choices are broader.
Location and logistics: Consider the size of the room, placement of chairs in the room, and equipment available. For example, auditoriums usually have projectors and screens available for far-away viewing. Other types of visual aids, such as flip charts or demonstration models, might not be visible by people in the back of a large room. Conference or seminar rooms, on the other hand, are usually smaller and have flip charts, eraser boards, and projectors readily available. All types of visual aids will be viewed easily.
Subject Matter: If your speech includes numerical data (such as statistical results or budgets) or detailed drawings (such as engineering drafts), provide the data on handouts for easier viewing—projections of detailed items are difficult to read. Bulleted lists of key points, however, are easily viewed on projections, flip charts, or eraser boards.
Resources: Your resources, including software, hardware, time, and materials. Make the best of what you have to create a professional visual aid. If you have to learn a program or software application to create visual aids, allow enough time for experimentation.
Ambiance: Keep the audience, room, and subject matter in mind when creating visual aids. For example, use a large enough font for projections and transparencies that the people in the back of the room can read them. If the audience can read your message as well as hear it, you increase the chances that they'll remember it.
Multimedia: Multimedia presentation programs, such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Lotus Freelance Graphics, can incorporate photographs, slides, bulleted lists, and other text in exciting colors, fonts, and formats. Depending on the hardware available, you can project them on a screen from a computer or print them as transparencies and hand-outs. These programs might require a little training to use, although each contains ready-made templates, from which you can quickly choose the style and format for your presentation. If you are unfamiliar with the program, ask for assistance from friends, classmates, or instructors to get started, and allow a little practice time.
Additional Media: If no hardware will be available in the room (no transparency projector or computer), create posters or flip charts to take with you. You can hand-letter your lists and charts. Or you can purchase templates for letters, or even paste computer-created words and graphics for a more professional look.
Few additional Guidelines: Limit the scope of each visual aid to one point. If you pack too much onto a projection or page, it will be unreadable. Stick to one bulleted list, one chart, or one graphic per page. Include key words or phrases, not entire concepts.
If you want to interact with your audience, such as brainstorming for ideas, use equipment that you can write on and that will be visible to the audience, such as clear transparencies, flip charts, or eraser boards. Be sure you have the correct markers for each type. If you prefer, ask someone in the audience to write on the board while you lead the discussion.
Demonstrate with actual objects, when possible. For example, when discussing a software program, bring in a laptop computer and show a pre developed and well-rehearsed demonstration of the program. Or when discussing how to take blood pressure (BP), bring in a BP cuff and demonstrate on a member of the audience.
Remember that audiences stay more attentive if they participate somehow. If time allows (sometimes it won't), ask for personal experiences, questions, or demonstrations—the audience will feel more involved.
Exercise:
1. How far do you agree that presentation makes a great difference in business organisation? Explain with reference to significance of presentation in business.
2. What factors would you like to consider for framing presentation for sales promotion?
3. List out the general factors to be considered for presentation.
4. Differentiate between presentation and speech.
5. What are the different forms of presentation? State their general features.
6. What is the importance of visual aids in presentation?
7. To what extent the body language matters in oral presentation? Illustrate it with suitable examples.
1. Introduction of New Recurring Deposit Scheme of your bank.
2. On New Life Insurance Policy
3. AIDS Awareness Campaign
4. Stress Management and Motivation For Employees
5. Health Awareness Program
6. The Progress of the Sale
7. Need of Protecting Environment
8. The Importance of Communication In Business
9. The Water Conservation: A Need
10. The Leadership Skills
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