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Effective Presentations. Presentations. “If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter” T.S. Elliot Best practices in developing a presentation Start with the end in mind Think about your audience Tell a story Use a clear structure Practice Practice Practice. Storyboard.
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Presentations “If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter” T.S. Elliot Best practices in developing a presentation • Start with the end in mind • Think about your audience • Tell a story • Use a clear structure • Practice PracticePractice
Storyboard Storyboard techniques can help you build an effective presentations : Tell a story • Start high-level, then drill down • Follow a simple, structured approach Title out all the slides and lay them out • The titles should tell the story • Add tag lines (one line that tells that part of the story) • Take your time here – this is a powerful technique Divide and conquer the work • The entire team should understand the big picture from this • The work is clearly laid out • Different people can build the pieces and they will still come together • This prevents people working on things that don’t make the final deliverable
Storyboard Resources • For more on this powerful technique start with these links: • http://www.indezine.com/ideas/storybrd.html • http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=379 • http://blog.smartdraw.com/archive/2008/08/01/having-trouble-putting-a-presentation-together-try-storyboarding.aspx
Presenting Best Practices Effective presentations require substantial planning and execution: • Know Your Audience (Tailor) • Executive Presentations Should Be Concise • Give The Answer First, Then Support With Analysis / Detail • Don’t show every bit of data – it is not required to tell the story, use appendices • Slides Need to Tell a Story • Think Conversation, Not Lecture
Presentations Best Practices Effective slides can help get your ideas across: • Format is almost as important as content • Don’t Put Too Much On Any One Slide • Use graphical representations for difficult concepts or to convey comparative data • Don’t Use Too Much Text (Break Up with Graphics) • Don’t Let Graphics Distract (Line Up Boxes, Attach Lines) • Don’t Use Too Small a Font (16 pt is smallest, 12 pt is absolute min) • Create Your Own Slides (Intent, Background) • Cite where you got the information • Avoid Fancy Slide Transitions or “Builds”
Presenting Best Practices Effective presentations require lots of practice: • Don’t Memorize Word-for-Word (Increases Anxiety, Just Main Ideas, Scripts can help you Rehears) • Be Enthusiastic (Teams energy level is important) • Speak Clearly (Not Too Fast) • Don’t Read The Slides Verbatim • Be Aware of Body Language (Expressions, Stance, Gestures) • Look At Your Audience (Eye Contact, Feedback) • “Light” Touch of Humor Can Show You Are In Control • Think About Likely Questions (and who will answer)