How to Give a Successful Presentation 1,2

8/3/2019 How to Give a Successful Presentation 1,2

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How to give a successful

presentation

Aim: develop your own presentationstyle...

...but try to avoid commonlymade mistakes


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Designing Effective Oral

Presentations The ability to speak effectively is as crucial asthe ability to write effectively

During a routine week, we will actually spendmore time speaking than writing.

Oral presentations, can enhance an employee'sreputation within an organization.

Consider every speaking opportunity anopportunity to sell not only your ideas but also

your competence, your value to theorganization.


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Consider:

- The type of talk:

Will this be an informal chat, a seminar

discussion, or a more formal presentationdifferent talks have different purposes?

The intent of a conference presentation is

not the same as a job talk. When in doubt,

ask for guidance from your host.


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Consider:

- The composition of the audience:

will you be speaking to a general audience

or specialists? how many people are expected to attend?

is this likely to be a friendly audience? An

interactive audience?


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Consider:

- The time allotted for the talk

the longer the talk, the more freedom you

will have to explore the topic a short talk needs to be very clear and to

address the topic directly

is question time included?


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Consider:

- Expectations for information content:

is there a specific purpose for having yougive a talk? Clarify the expectationsbeforehand.

will you be presenting novel concepts tothis audience, or building upon their prior

knowledge? Either way, make sure youcover the basics clearly, and early in thetalk, to avoid loosing the audience.


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Understand the Contextof your

Presentation

What is the broader concern underlying the

need for the presentation?

What primary issues underlie the presentation?

How does your presentation relate to these

issues?

What will be happening in the organization when

you make your presentation? How does your presentation fit into the

organizational situation?


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Understand the Contextof your

Presentation

If you are one of several speakers, whatkinds of presentations will the otherspeakers be making?

In what surroundings will you be makingthe presentation?

What will happen in the situation before

and after your talk? How does your talk relate to other

participants' actions?


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Understand the Context of your

Presentation

Situation 1: delivering a presentation at ameeting of project directors

Situation 2: briefing other people in yourteam about what you've been doing

Situation 3: making a presentation at acompany picnic

Situation 4: delivering a presentation atthe annual meeting of a professionalsociety.


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Understand the Context of your

Presentation

Knowing the situation is as important asknowing your audience and your purpose.

In many cases, situation will be inextricablybound up with questions of audience attitudeand the way you shape your purpose.

Audience attitude frequently results fromsituational problems or current issues within theorganization.

The context surrounding your presentation andthe perspective that your audience bringsdictates what you say.


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Analyze your Audience

Audience is one facet of the larger situation.

Audiences determine the success of oralpresentations.

Writing or speaking is successful if the reader orlistener responds the way you desire.

Effective speaking depends on youunderstanding your listener and his/herperspective.

The members' educational and culturalbackground, knowledge of the subject, technicalexpertise, and position in the organization.


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Speaking to a Multicultural Audience

need to do research to understand how people fromother cultures will likely interpret what you say, how yousay it, how you dress, how you act in your dealings withthem, etc;

graphics and visual aids - symbols in one culture mayhave an entirely different meaning in another;

anticipate cultural differences; (ethnic profile of your

listeners); knowledge of your topic and their interest level;


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To help you analyze your audience, ask the

following questions:

How much do my audience members

know about the subject?

How much do they know about me? What do they expect from me?

How interested will they be in what I say?

What is their attitude toward me?


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What is their attitude toward my subject?

What is their age group? What positions do their occupy in the

organization?

What is their educational background? What is their cultural/ethnic background?


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What are the members' professional and

personal attributes?

What is their economic background? What are their political and religious

views?

What kinds of cultural biases will theylikely have toward me and my topic?

prevalence of questions on attitude


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Analyze your audience

before you begin planning yourpresentation, whether your audience willconsider you trustworthy and credible;

hand gestures may have differentmeanings in other cultures;

clothingshould also be selected with the

culture of the audience in mind (practice your talk wearing the clothes

you'll be wearing at the presentation) .


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Understand and Articulate your

Presentation's Purpose

designed around a specific purpose.

as a writer or a speaker, you must know

your purpose. conceive your purpose in terms of your

audience's needs.

Both written and oral communication often

have multiple objectives.


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E.g. to report the status of a project,

to summarize a problem,

to describe a plan,

to propose an action, to dislike another proposed solution,

to desire a more comprehensive solution,

to decide there isn't a problem after all.

Other purposes?


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Presentation's Purpose state your purpose in one sentence; as you begin your presentation, state yourgoal

in terms of your audience's background andattitude;

announce your purpose early in thepresentation and clearly evident at thebeginning.

* if they know what they will be hearing from the

beginning, audiences can more easily focustheir attention on the content see connectionsbetween parts;


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- How to?

focus your audience's attention on whatyou are saying,

grab your audience's attention with a titlethat reflects the content of yourpresentation in an interesting way,

the title of an oral presentation shouldprepare your audience for the content youwill present,


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introduce topic with an attention-getting

device: a startling fact, a relevant

anecdote, a rhetorical question, or a

statement designed to arouse your

audience's interest, (device chosen

depends on the audience, the occasion,

the purpose of the presentation),


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if audience is not familiarwith the

subject, include background material

tell your audience whatpoints ortopics you plan to coverso that they

can sense and follow the direction


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Purposes can be

informative: for example, in a project torelocate the plant, your job might be to givean oral report on the condition of the building

and grounds at one of the sites proposed forpurchase.

instructional: for example, to train newemployees to use certain equipment or toperform certain routine tasks.

persuasive: for example, to convincemembers of local civic organizations tosupport a city-wide recycling program.


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KEY Language

greeting

level of formality

effective openings

Exercises


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Documents

How to Give a Successful Presentation 1,2