4 Oral PresentationsSG

Oral Presentation TechniquesSession Guide

Oral Presentation Techniques

SESSION GUIDE

PURPOSE AND CONTENT

A well-documented, well-planned, and well-structured presentation can be ineffective if the presentation is delivered poorly. The delivery phase can make or ruin a presentation. The purpose of this session is to provide key points on which to focus in the delivery of the presentation to maximize its effectiveness. This will be helpful whether, for example, you have to present a program proposal to improve rational use of drugs or deliver an educational intervention to a large audience.

This course requires participants to prepare and make presentations. Many participants will use the materials to teach others.

OBJECTIVES

This session will develop your ability to—

1. Understand the key factors for successful presentation delivery2. Prepare effective visual aids3. Deliver successful presentations4. Evaluate presentation delivery

PREPARATION

1. Read the Session Notes.2. Think of presentations you have given in the past. Which ones were successful or

dull? Why? List at least three points that made them successful or dull.

FURTHER READINGS

Anonymous. 1987. "How to do it?" (Articles from British Medical Journal), British Medical Association, London.

Price Waterhouse Siddik. 1987. "Effective Business Communications," Course Material, Price Waterhouse Siddik, Jakarta.

This session was originally developed by Dr. Sri Suryawati (Indonesia) and revised by Dr. Beverly Summers (South Africa). Photographs provided by Dr. Sri Suryawati.

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SESSION GUIDE ORAL PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

SESSION NOTES

DELIVERING A PRESENTATION

A well-planned and well-structured presentation can be ineffective because of presentation delivery. The delivery phase can make or ruin a presentation. There are four key factors in the successful delivery of a presentation.

1. Timing2. Attention3. Personal approach4. Preparation and rehearsal

1. TimingTiming is of crucial importance. Do not ramble or talk needlessly. Some people freeze, while others cannot stop talking once they begin. Try to stick to a prepared speech. Some questions during the presentation might be difficult to answer, and it is best to dispose of them politely, but quickly. When you return to your prepared speech, you are in control. If you become diverted to a detailed answer, the time may slip away, and you may find the audience looking at the clock. The amount of time required for a given presentation should be determined in advance. As a general guide, one slide needs 1 to 1.5 minutes. So, if your presentation consists of 50 slides and you only have 30 minutes, you will have to rush your delivery and may not succeed in conveying your message. Judge your timing by practice.

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2. Attention Span

The level of an audience's attention during a presentation varies considerably. In general, attention is high at the beginning of the presentation, but tends to fall after 10 minutes. Therefore, it is important to highlight or repeat key ideas during a long (more than 20 minutes) presentation. The speaker must be conscious of the attention span concept, so the presentation can be carefully managed. Something like, "Let me summarize what I just said..." will boost the level of attention. It is also important not to simply fade away at the end of the presentation. Never leave the audience at a low level of attention. The speaker should use some clue to alert the audience to the fact that the end is coming and that they should expect a summary or highlights. Try various ways to end the talk, instead of simply saying, "This is the end of my presentation. Thank you. "

3. Personal ApproachPersonal features of the speaker have a major impact on how the presentation is received. Consider four aspects: gesture, voice, eye contact, and breathing.

Gesture Gesture can be used to highlight points or to make additional emphasis when needed. However, do not repeat the same gesture more than 20 times in a single presentation.

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Voice Voice is critical. The speaker should use sufficient volume to be heard. Modulation, which is the process of varying the pitch or level of the voice, is also important. Speaking in a monotone or at the same level might put the audience to sleep. Monotonous high level voice should also be avoided, as it may be tiring to listen to.

Eye Contact Eye contact is the process of looking in the eyes of the audience as often as possible. You will gain trust, involvement, and interest. It is also important to face the audience, and not look too frequently at the screen. The smaller the size of audience, the more eye contact is needed.

BreathingBreathing is important so you can continue to talk in a loud voice. Breathing can also be used to generate a pause, which will help emphasize a point.

PREPARATION

The preparation of a presentation requires considerable time, perhaps one to two days for a half-hour presentation. This is because the effectiveness of the presentation has to be maximized. A verbal presentation should aim to convey a message to an audience, but at the same time it must emphasize only the major points. Even though too much detail in a presentation leads to a loss of focus, a verbal presentation is not necessarily superficial or lacking rigor. A verbal presentation requires that you condense facts into concise ideas. Effective presentations need good visual aids and a logical sequence.

Use of Visual AidsVisual aids help to make a presentation more effective, mainly because they crystallize ideas and assist in the retention of information. Visual aids also keep the speaker on track and generate interest.

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Rules to Observe When Preparing Visual Aids Keep it simple: Keep visual aids

simple, so that the audience can easily understand the concepts. A complicated or vague visual aid is counterproductive.

Minimize words: Keep the amount of text to a minimum to avoid the audience spending time reading the visual aid and not listening to you.

Use large fonts: Make text and numbers large, so that the audience can read them easily.

List key points: Make sure that you show the key points clearly. This will help the audience retain information.

Use exact phrasing: Since the ideas are summarized into key points, no margin exists for vague or imprecise wording.

Use color: Color can highlight key points. Prepare handouts: If you prepare handouts along with visual aids, your audience

can make notes on the handouts.

Steps in Preparation of Visual AidsThe eight steps for preparing visual aids are presented below in a logical sequence. Some steps are more or less important, depending on the nature of the presentation, but a good presentation should contain some elements of each step.

Eight Steps for Preparing Visual Aids

Step 1: Situation Step 2: ThemeStep 3: StorylineStep 4: StoryboardStep 5: MasterStep 6: ProductionStep 7: Rehearsal Step 8: Evaluation

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Step 1: Situation It is essential to adapt and tailor the message to match the audience's expectations. First, be very clear about the type of presentation and its objective, i.e., whether it is persuasive or instructional. Second, assess the audience and the situation carefully. How big will it be, who will be present, what possible resistance may arise, what is the level of knowledge, and, most important, how much time is available?

Step 2: ThemeThe theme or title should be concise, direct, and meaningful. Do not develop a long-winded theme and assume that it will become obvious during the presentation. It may lead to feelings that the presentation is not focused, and the audience may become confused and/or frustrated.

Step 3: StorylineWrite a storyline covering the major elements of the presentation. It involves breaking down the theme into major components. The storyline is like a road map leading from one place to another, passing through various checkpoints. It should be logical and not too long; fewer than five checkpoints is generally manageable.

Step 4: StoryboardIn developing a storyboard, you simply break down the storyline into its major parts or ideas. Once you have developed the storyboard, you have the basic framework of your presentation. What is then needed is to develop the storyboard into slides. The basic principle is “one slide for one idea.”

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Storyboard

Step 5: MasterFinalize a master version of the storyboard, or the presentation as a whole. For example, for a 10-minute presentation, use an A4 sheet of paper for the master. Fold it into eight or nine pieces (remember 1 to 1.5 minutes per slide), and write down your storyboard in sequence. It is still handwritten, but it should represent close to the final contents of each slide. The master version gives the speaker the total presentation in perspective, before the final visual aids are prepared. More important, the master allows for the full check of logic and contents of the presentation. It can be easily used to rehearse while the visual aids are being produced.

Step 6: Production of Visual AidsOnce the speaker is satisfied with the master, the production of slides can proceed.

When preparing visual aids, allow adequate time to get them right. It is very rare to produce perfect slides at your first attempt. You will need to revise, revise, revise! Remember that what looks perfect on the computer screen may print out or project very differently.

Have only one key message per slide, overhead, or flip chart. This allows the presenter to reinforce the key point without the audience reading ahead to the next key point.

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Step 7: RehearsalThe final step in preparation—often omitted—is rehearsal. Adequate rehearsal is essential for a good presentation. In particular, it aims at focusing on the development of each visual aid, transitions, self-confidence, and timing. When practicing with the master or slides, the speaker may find places where he or she feels uncomfortable and where changes are needed. The transition from slide to slide and from section to section is important. It needs to be practiced so that there is a comfortable flow in the presentation as a whole. Otherwise, awkward gaps in the presentation delivery can occur.

Self-confidence is also an important issue. Practicing the presentation and using the actual slides will help consolidate the speaker's confidence in the presentation materials, and in the overall ideas that are being presented. Rehearse to ensure that timing is reasonable. Ask comments from colleagues invited to your rehearsal.

Be careful where you stand and how you move around. If you stand in a fixed position, you may block the view of the screen. If you move around too much, you may distract from the visual aid.

Step 8: EvaluationAfter making a presentation, evaluate how the presentation went. Did the audience "get" the key points? Were the visual aids clear and useful? Were the audience's questions related to the presented material? If possible, prepare written evaluation forms that can be reviewed after the presentation.

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CONCLUSION

Any professional can become an effective presenter if she or he follows the approach described in this session. Knowledge of a topic is not enough; being able to communicate useful information is equally important. Investing time and effort in improving presentation skills is always rewarded.

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ACTIVITY 1

Preparing a Visual Aid

As a group activity, prepare a visual aid related to producing visual aids. Each group should use a different medium, such as flip charts, overheads, black or white boards, or posters.

At the end of the preparation time, group members should review what has been produced by other groups.

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ACTIVITY 2

Oral Presentation Techniques

For this activity, complete the checklist individually. Then discuss your ratings with colleagues in your group.

At the end discuss your comments in a plenary session with the presenter, other groups, and the course director.

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Checklist for Activity 2Evaluation of Presentation Skills

Presenter: Evaluator:

Point Outstanding Satisfactory Poor

Timing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Maintaining attention 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Personal approach

- gesture 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- voice 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- eye contact 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- breathing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Visual aids

- simplicity 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- amount of text 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- font 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- clarity of key points 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- exact phrasing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

- use of visual aids 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Comments:

Strengths

Weaknesses

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