Presentation Skills: Preparation

1. Presentation Skills: Preparation Boğazıçı University May 13, 2004 Tom Atkinson

2. Feedback • What you liked • Just the right speed • Slides were better • What could be improved • Too slow • Slides need more color • Make topic more interesting

3. Agenda • Motivation • Preparation Process • Presentation Sequence • Effective Slides • Visual Aids

4. Part 1Motivation

5. People judge your presentation based on how you present 7% What you know 93% How you present Source: EXBU

6. School vs. Work • School evaluation mostly paper-based • “Out there” it is the reverse You are in luck: This skill can be practiced

7. Seeing and hearing aid retention

8. Part 2Preparation Process

9. Preparation process: first draft Start early and: • Know your audience • Define your purpose • Gather data • Organize • Practice!

10. 1. Know your audience Before starting to write, need to know: • Size • Needs, interests, and concerns • Knowledge level • Motivation level

11. 2. Define your purpose Two main reasons to give a presentation: • Inform • Persuade In this class your job is Inform

12. Say it in one sentence with no “ands” • “How to overcome security flaws in WiFi” • “Applicability of WebServices technology in business” • “Nanotechnology applications that will be marketable in the next 3-5 years”

13. Say it in one sentence with no “ands” NOT: • “Security flaws in WiFi and how to overcome them” • “Nanotechnology and robotics in household appliances”

14. 3. Gather data • Collect evidence • Determine main points (2-5) • Prepare charts and graphs

15. 4. Organize Place data into the appropriate section: • Introduction • Body • Topic #1 • Topic #2 • Topic #3 • Conclusion • Questions “Say what you are going to say, say it, then say what you just said.”

16. 3 point technique Contrast & Compare Problem-Cause-Solution Alphabetical Chronological Inductive Reasoning 4. Organize Source: Lehman & DuFrene

17. 5. Practice Practice Infinite loop! Revise Leave it for a few days

18. 5. Practice Ensure that audience’s needs are met: • Walk through presentation as if you were in the audience • Does it flow logically? • Does every slide relate to the stated purpose? • Would your Mom / Dad understand you?

19. Part 3Presentation Sequence

20. To make the presentation successful... 1. Setup early 2. Build rapport 3. Open 4. Present main points 5. Conclude Source: Lehman & DuFrene

21. 2. Build rapport • Help audience trust you and feel that you care • Start before you begin • Mingle; learn names • Make a good first impression • People listen to people they like

22. 2. Build rapport with Title Slide • Introduce yourself • Give reasons why they should listen • Establish respect • Give credentials • Get attention • Humor • Short story • Startling statistic • Get audience involved

23. The standard line: “Tell them what you are going to tell them . . .” “ . . . then tell them . . .” “ . . . then tell them what you told them.” Source: Lehman & DuFrene

24. 3. Open with Agenda Slide • Clearly define topic and purpose • Make audience think • Lay out schedule

25. 4. Present main points • Main point – Transition • Main point – Transition • Main point – Transition… • Give supporting evidence • Give examples • Get feedback & questions from audience Maintain focus on audience (listen!)

26. 5. Conclude • Inform audience that you’re about to close • Summarize main points • Something to remember or call-to-action • Answer questions

27. 5. Conclude: the final slide Let the audience know the presentation is over with a final slide asking for “Questions?”

28. Part 4Effective Slides

29. Effective slide format • Keep slides simple • Maintain a consistent, easy-to-read style • Language, Colors, Fonts • Accurate spelling and grammar • 7 x 7 rule: • Max 7 lines per slide (3 – 5 is best) • Max 7 words per line

30. Keep slides simple Avoid: • Sound effects • Slide transitions • Fancy layouts • Too much clip art • More than 3 bullet levels

31. Keep slides simple – Same slide • Make sure to keep your slides simple. With too much text on each line, the audience will be trying to read what you write while you are talking. This will be very distracting to both you and your audience. • Maintain a consistent look and feel within each slide, and from one slide to the next. • Create high contrast between background text • Don’t try to squeeze • too many thoughts • onto one • slide.

32. Go to the store Buy some bread Come home for dinner Go to the store Fresh bread Dinner will be ready Style: Parallel structure Parallel – Not parallel – easy to follow difficult to follow

33. Maintain consistent style • Changing slide styles doesn’t make the presentation more interesting, it just distracts the audience

34. Colors • Keep them simple and consistent • Use no more than five colors for charts or graphs • Use no more than two colors for text • Use colors with high contrast • Be careful with red because the eye will naturally go there first

35. Colors • Keep them simple and consistent • Use no more than five colors for charts or graphs • Use no more than two colors for text • Use colors with high contrast • Be careful with red because the eye will naturally go there first

36. Fonts • Fonts are like colors, use sparingly • Minimize use of italics, bolding and shadows • Do NOT use all caps • Normal capitalization is easier to read Times New Roman Lucida Handwriting Arial Black Bookman Old Style

37. Fonts – same slide • Fonts are like colors, use sparingly • Be consistent from slide to slide • Don’t overdo the use of italics, bolding and shadows • DO NOT USE ALL CAPS • Normal Capitalization Is Easier To Read

38. Fonts: Be visible • You should not have to ask: “Can you see that in back” • Titles should be 38-44 pt. font size • Text should be 28 pt font size 44 pt.40 pt.36 pt. 24 pt.18 pt.14 pt.

39. Spelin and Gramer • Emportant than there is no erors or typos • looks Veru improfesionel • People maynot take your seriuosly

40. 7 x 7 rule: This is too much! • This will take longer than the 2-3 minutes to talk through • Emportant than there is no erors or typos • looks Veru improfesionel • People maynot take your seriuosly • Keep them simple and consistent • Use no more than five colors for charts or graphs • Use no more than two colors for text • Use colors with high contrast • Be careful with red because the eye will naturally go there first • Fonts are like colors, use sparingly • Be consistent from slide to slide. • Don’t overdo the use of italics, bolding and shadows and like e-mail • Do NOT use all caps. • Inform audience that you’re about to close • Summarize main points • Something to remember or call-to-action • Answer questions

41. This is from an actual slide on“How to give presentations” Jokes and insight have some elements in common: A joke isn’t funny unless we “get” the point. Similarly, insights often have a comical aspect, once you have an insight the solution to a problem is absurdly simple. Humor often involves a unexpected restructuring of our understanding, so jokes often begin by setting up an expectation, then unexpectedly dash it in the punch line, but in a way that makes a different kind of sense. Consequently, jokes often have three parts to set up, confirm and dash a pattern (e.g. Gleitman’s Doctor, Lawyer and Engineer joke). A related mechanism makes an apparently unambiguous statement open to an alternative interpretation (e.g. puns, Wilde joke). Unexpected-but-sensible outcomes can also provide an outlet for wishes that can’t be expressed directly, as in sarcastic or “dirty” jokes.

42. Part 5Visual Aids

43. Quality visual aids Use diagrams to enhance: • Communication (easier to understand, more potent) • Spatial memory • Impact (less cognitive, more visceral)

44. Charts and Graphs • Keep them simple • Give the punch line in the heading • Follow 10-second rule • Make chart serve the audience’s needs, not yours

45. Instead of this… Elements of Dynamic Delivery • 55% Body Language • 38% Voice • 7% Content

46. … Do this How you present counts

47. Sample Charts – what is good & bad? Listening and Speaking are used a lot…

48. # Household occupants correlated to house size My house

49. Remember the 10 second rule! • Think: “will the audience be able to understand this within 10 seconds?” • Let the chart or graph sit for 10 seconds once you have put it up on the screen • Keep it simple • Think: “does this enhance the value of what I am saying?” • Think: “will the audience be able to understand this within 10 seconds?”

50. Used well: Enhance understanding Add variety Illustrate complex ideas Support claims Have a lasting impact Used Poorly: Cause distraction Make presentation confusing Will lose the audience Visual Aids