MAKING A GOOD ORAL PRESENTATION

Making a good oral presentation is an art that involves attention to the needs of your audience, careful planning, and attention to delivery. This page explains some of the basics of effective oral presentation. It also covers use of notes, visual aids and computer presentation software. The audience Some basic questions to ask about an audience are: 1. 2. 3. 4. Who will I be speaking to? What do they know about my topic already? What will they want to know about my topic? What do I want them to know by the end of my talk?

By basing the content and style of your presentation on your answers to these questions, you can make sure that you are in tune with your audience. What you want to say about your topic may be much less important than what your audience wants to hear about it. Planning your presentation In an effective presentation, the content and structure are adjusted to the medium of speech. When listening, we cannot go back over a difficult point to understand it or easily absorb long arguments. A presentation can easily be ruined if the content is too difficult for the audience to follow or if the structure is too complicated. As a general rule, expect to cover much less content than you would in a written report. Make difficult points easier to understand by preparing the listener for them, using plenty of examples and going back over them later. Leave time for questions within the presentation. Give your presentation a simple and logical structure. Include an introduction in which you outline the points you intend to cover and a conclusion in which you go over the main points of your talk. Delivering your presentation People vary in their ability to speak confidently in public, but everyone gets nervous and everyone can learn how to improve their presentation skills by applying a few simple techniques. The main points to pay attention to in delivery are the quality of your voice, your rapport with the audience, use of notes and use of visual aids.
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Voice quality involves attention to volume, speed and fluency, clarity and pronunciation. The quality of your voice in a presentation will improve dramatically if you are able to practise beforehand in a room similar to the one you will be presenting in. Rapport with the audience involves attention to eye contact, sensitivity to how the audience is responding to your talk and what you look like from the point of view of the audience. These can be improved by practising in front of one or two friends or video-taping your rehearsal. Effective use of notes Good speakers vary a great deal in their use of notes. Some do not use notes at all and some write out their talk in great detail. If you are not an experienced speaker it is not a good idea to speak without notes because you will soon lose your thread. You should also avoid reading a prepared text aloud or memorising your speech as this will be boring. The best solution may be to use notes with headings and points to be covered. You may also want to write down key sentences. Notes can be on paper or cards. Some speakers use overhead transparencies as notes. The trick in using notes is to avoid shifting your attention from the audience for too long. Your notes should always be written large enough for you to see without moving your head too much. Visual aids Visual aids help to make a presentation more lively. They can also help the audience to follow your presentation and help you to present information that would be difficult to follow through speech alone. The two most common forms of visual aid are overhead transparencies (OHTs) and computer slide shows (e.g. PowerPoint). Objects that can be displayed or passed round the audience can also be very effective and often help to relax the audience. Some speakers give printed handouts to the audience to follow as they speak. Others prefer to give their handouts at the end of the talk, because they can distract the audience from the presentation.

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ORAL PRESENTATION - CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Content It is likely that you already have a topic and you know what you want to say about it. This is the content of your presentation. You may already have the content of your presentation in written form: for example in a written report. Whether your content is already written down or you are beginning from scratch, you may need to cut it down for your presentation. Why?

You will need to fit your content within the time limit. Think carefully about how much information you can reasonably present in the time allowed and select the most important point. You will need to hold the interest and attention of your audience. Many people lose interest towards the end of presentations that contain too much information. Think carefully about the key points that you want to get across and build your presentation around them. Some kinds of information, such as technical explanations and tables of figures, are difficult for listeners to absorb during a presentation. Think about summarising this kind of information or referring the listeners to a document they can read after the presentation. You will need to leave time for examples and illustrations of your points. Think carefully about how you will support and explain your key points. You will need to leave time for an introduction, conclusion and questions or comments. During this time you are likely to be repeating points made in the main body of your talk.

Three points to think about when preparing the content of a presentation:

What are your key points? Most good presentations have no more than 5 key points. How will you support your key points with examples and illustrations? How will you make it easy for your audience to follow your key points?

Structure Most presentations will consist of an introduction, the body of the talk and a conclusion. The introduction prepares the audience for what you will say in the body of the talk and the conclusion reminds them of your key points. Good presentations raise questions in the listeners' mind. Good speakers encourage questions both during and after the presentation and are prepared to answer them.

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Introduction A good introduction does four things:

Attracts and focuses the attention of the audience Puts the speaker and audience at ease Explains the purpose of the talk and what the speaker would like to achieve Gives an overview of the key points of the talk

It is often a good idea to begin a talk with a question, a short story, an interesting fact about your topic or an unusual visual aid. Many speakers follow this with an overhead transparency that shows the title, aim and outline of the talk. Body The body of a presentation must be presented in a logical order that is easy for the audience to follow and natural to your topic. Divide your content into sections and make sure that the audience knows where they are at any time during your talk. It is often a good idea to pause between main sections of your talk. You can ask for questions, sum up the point or explain what the next point will be. If you have an OHT with an outline of your talk on it, you can put this on the projector briefly and point to the next section. Examples, details and visual aids add interest to a presentation and help you get your message through. Here are some questions you can ask yourself about the examples you include:

Are they relevant to the experience of the audience? Are they concrete? Will the audience find them interesting? Are they varied? Are they memorable?

Conclusion A good conclusion does two things:

Reminds the audience of your key points Reinforces your message

Your conclusion should end the presentation on a positive note and make the audience feel that have used their time well listening to you.

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Questions Many speakers worry about questions from the audience. However, questions show that the audience is interested in what you have to say ad can make the talk more lively and interactive. You should be more worried if there are no questions at all! One way of handling questions is to point to questions you would like to discuss as you are talking. You can control questions better if you leave pauses during your talk and ask for questions. It is important not to let question and answer sessions during the talk go on too long, however. Answer briefly or say you will deal with the question at the end. Make sure you are ready to go on with your talk when questions have finished.

ORAL PRESENTATION - DELIVERY

Voice quality Your voice is your main channel of communication to the audience, so make sure you use it to its best effect. Volume Is your voice loud enough or too loud? Adjust your volume to the size of the room and make sure the people at the back can hear. In a big room take deep breaths and try to project your voice rather than shout. Speed and fluency Speak at a rate so your audience can understand your points. Do not speed up because you have too much material to fit into the time available. Try not to leave long pauses while you are looking at your notes or use fillers such as 'um' or 'er'. Use pauses to allow the audience to digest an important point. Repeat or rephrase difficult or important points to make sure the audience understands. Clarity Speak clearly. Face the audience and hold your head up. Your speech will be clearer if you look directly at the members of the audience while you speak. Keep your hands and notes away from your mouth and keep your eyes on the audience when you are talking about overhead transparencies. If you have to look at the whiteboard or the overhead projector, stop talking until you are ready to face the audience again.

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Pronunciation You may not be able to improve your general pronunciation much before an important presentation. However, you can make sure you know how to pronounce names and difficult words. Do not use exaggerated intonation or pronunciation of individual words. Your natural speaking style will be good enough as long as you speak clearly. Engaging the audience One of the secrets of a good presentation is to involve the audience. Maintain eye contact Look your audience in the eyes. Spread your eye contact around the audience including those at the back and sides of the room. Avoid looking at anyone too long because this can be intimidating! Ask for feedback You can involve the audience by asking occasional questions. Try to ask genuine questions to which you do not already know the answer and show interest in any replies. Leave time for the audience to think and try to avoid answering your questions yourself or telling members of the audience that their answers are wrong. Questions to the audience work well when you manage to make those who answer them feel that they have contributed to your presentation. You can also pause occasionally to ask if anyone has any questions for you. If a question disrupts the flow of your talk too much, you can say that you will answer it later (but don't forget to do it!). Before you ask for questions, make sure you are ready to pick up your presentation again when the Q & A session has finished. Look confident It is natural to feel nervous in front of an audience. Experienced speakers avoid looking nervous by breathing deeply, speaking slowly and avoiding unnecessary gestures or movements. Smiling and focusing attention on members of the audience who show interest can also help you feel more confident as your talk progresses.

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ORAL PRESENTATION - USING NOTES

One of the decisions you have to make before you give a presentation is how to remember what you are going to say. Experienced presenters use a variety of methods. On this page we outline the advantages and disadvantages of each. It is up to you to decide which is best for you. Speaking without notes Some presenters do not use notes at all. They just remember the outline of what they are going to say and talk. Advantages: If you do it well, you will seem natural, knowledgeable and confident of your topic. You will also find it easier to establish rapport with the audience because you can give them your full attention. Disadvantages: It is easy to lose your thread, miss out whole sections of your talk or to go over the time limit. People who speak without notes often fail to convey a clear idea of the structure of their ideas to the audience. This is a high-risk strategy. A few people can present effectively without notes. If you are one of them, good luck! Reading from a script Some experienced presenters write down every word they intend to say. They may read the whole script aloud or they may just use it as a back-up. Advantages: You will find it easier to keep within the time limit. You are likely to less nervous and make fewer mistakes. Disadvantages: It is difficult to establish rapport with the audience. You may sound like you are reading aloud rather than speaking to an audience. Listeners often lose interest in a presentation that is read aloud. This is a low-risk strategy employed by many experienced non-native speaker presenters. If you use it, you will need to develop the skill of reading aloud while still sounding natural. Few people can do this effectively. Note cards Many presenters write down headings and key points on cards or paper. They use them as reminders of what they are going to say.
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Advantages: You will find it easier to establish rapport with the audience. Your presentation will be structured but you will sound natural. Disadvantages: You may find it difficult to keep within the time limit. If your notes are too brief, you may forget what you intended to say. This is a medium-risk strategy used by many experienced presenters and the one most often recommended. The disadvantages of note cards can be overcome if you practice your presentation before you give it. Overhead transparencies Some presenters use their OHTs as notes. They use them like note cards as reminders of what they are going to say. Handouts and PowerPoint presentations can be used in the same way. Advantages: It is easy to establish rapport with the audience because you are sharing your notes with them. You will sound natural and your presentation will seem well-organised. Disadvantages: You may find it difficult to keep within the time limit. Your presentation may be dominated by your OHTs. Unless you are careful, you may find that you are talking to the overhead projector rather than the audience. This is a medium-to-high-risk strategy. Used well, it can be very effective, especially by presenters who are used to speaking without notes.

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ORAL PRESENTATION - OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES (OHTS)

Purpose The aim of using transparencies is to support the points you want to make in speech. The audience will be able to follow better if they can see your key points and examples as well as hearing them. OHTs can

Reinforce a point you have made Show what something looks like Illustrate relationships Show information patterns Present figures or graphs Summarise key points Help the audience follow passages or quotations you read aloud

OHTs are not the only form of visual aid available to you. For example, if you want to show what something looks like, it may be better to show the audience the thing itself rather than a picture of it. Design To be effective, OHTs must be attractive and easy to read. Some basic rules are:

Use large fonts and images Present one key point or example per OHT Use headings and bullet points in preference to lines of text Use strong colours and don't use too many Use simple graphs in preference to tables of figures Pay attention to layout. Use the centre of the OHT rather than the edges

Using overhead projectors Overhead projectors are designed to allow the speaker to project an image while facing the audience. The image may be a picture or graphic, notes indicating the points you are making or longer texts that you want to read aloud. Whenever you use an OHT, the attention of the audience will be divided between you and the image, so there are a few basic rules to follow:

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Make sure the image can be seen. If possible go to the room in advance and check that everything on your OHTs can be read easily from the back of the room. If possible, make sure the projector is in a convenient position. Decide where you want to stand when speaking and then position the projector where you can get to it easily. This will usually be on the side of your body that you normally use for writing (i.e. your left side if you are left-handed)

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Keep your slides in order in a pile next to the projector and put them back in order in another pile as you take them off the projector. If possible, control the lighting in the room yourself so that there is always a light shining on you. If your OHTs are easy to read, you will not need to turn off the lights. When you are presenting, avoid looking at the projected image and the transparency on the projector. It is a good idea to print out your slides on paper to keep with your notes so you can refer to them while you are speaking. If you want to draw attention to a point on an OHT, put a pen on top of it and leave it pointing at the point you want to draw attention to. Don't point with your finger because you will have to look at the projector while you do so. If you want the audience to read longer texts on OHTs (e.g. quotations or tables of figures) give them time to do so. There is no point in putting an OHT on the projector if the audience does not have time to read it. Make sure you explain the content and purpose of each OHT.

The main rule is to use OHTs to support your talk. Don't let them dominate it. OHTs and handouts Some speakers give handouts for the audience to read while they are talking. The advantage of OHTs over handouts is that they focus attention on you and your talk. If you want to give a handout, it is often a good idea to wait until the end of the presentation before distributing it. Often members of the audience want to note down points from your OHTs. This can distract them from following the presentation, so it is a good idea to distribute information that the audience will want to note down on handout. As soon as someone starts taking notes, tell the audience that they do not need to do so because they will get the information on the handout.

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PRESENTATION SKILL SELF-EVALUATION

To be a more effective presenter, it is useful to evaluate your own presentation skills. The following self-evaluation form can help you identify areas you should try to improve. Please read each item below and rank yourself from 1 to 5 based on how frequently you believe you adhere to the item (1=never and 5=always). Then concentrate on the points that you have ranked with low numbers when you are trying to improve your oral presentation skills. When you have finished, compute your score and save a copy of this page for your record. After you have worked on your presentation skills unit complete this questionnaire again to see if you show any improvement. Question 1) I determine some basic objectives before planning a presentation. 2) I analyze the values, needs and constraints of my audience. 3) I write down some main ideas first, in order to build a presentation around them. 4) I incorporate both a preview and review of the main ideas as my presentation is organized. 5) I develop an introduction that will catch the attention of my audience and still provide the necessary background information. 6) My conclusion refers back to the introduction and, if appropriate, contains a call-toaction statement. 7) The visual aids I use are carefully prepared, simple, easy to read, and have impact. 8) The number of visual aids will enhance, not detract, from my presentation. 9) If my presentation is persuasive, arguments are used that are logical and that support my assertions. 10) I use anxiety to fuel the enthusiasm of my presentation, not hold me back. 11) I ensure the benefits suggested to my audience are clear and compelling.
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rank

12) I communicate ideas with enthusiasm.

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13) I rehearse so there is a minimum focus on notes and maximum attention paid to my audience. 14) My notes contain only "key words" so I avoid read up from a manuscript or technical paper. 15) My presentations are rehearsed standing up and using visual aids. 16) I prepare answers to anticipated questions, and practice responding to them. 17) I arrange seating (if appropriate) and check audio-visual equipment in advance of the presentation. 18) I maintain good eye contact with the audience at all times. 19) My gestures are natural and not constrained by anxiety. 20) My voice is strong and clear and is not a monotone.

Evaluate your score: If you scored between 80-100, you are an accomplished speaker who simply needs to maintain basic skills through practice. If your total score was between 60-80, you have the potential to become a highly effective presenter. If your score was between 40 and 60, this resource can help you significantly. If you scored between 30 and 40, you should show dramatic improvement with practice. If your total was below 30, roll up your sleeves and dig in. It may not be easy - but you can make excellent progress if you try.

At the end 0f the course, take this evaluation again and compare your scores. You should be pleased with the progress you have made. Source: Mandel, S. (1987) Effective Presentation Skills: A Practical Guide for Better Speaking (Revised Edition). Ontario: Reid Publishing Ltd.

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ORAL PRESENTATIONS -- EXAMPLES OF FEATURES

Feature Gesture Transition signals Reviewing Previewing Call-to-action Rapport Handing over Use of realia Audience involvement Personal anecdote Highlighting Clarifying Personalization Introducing the end Closing Inviting questions

Example You point out the direction of the talk on a flow chart You say `Now let's look at the second major area' You say `I've just outlined for you the main advantages of this plan..' You say `In this talk I will first examine the causes of the problem, then..' You say `We can't just sit back and wait; we must take responsibility; we must.' You say `I really understand your views on this' - and you mean it! You say `I'll now invite my colleague to tell you about..' You bring in three bags of sand to show the audience the difference You ask the audience to raise their hands if they have visited the USA You say `My grandmother always used to hide her money under her bed' You say `This item now is of particular interest, I'm sure you will all agree You say `In other words, what this means is ..' You say `Imagine that you are on the beach..' You say `I'd like now to leave you with a couple of thoughts.' You say `Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. (smile, wait for applause?) You say `I'd be happy now to answer any questions you may have'

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