“Of crimes against the audience? Not guilty.”

Enhancing yourpresentation skills

Wendy Rodgers, University of Guelph LibraryOLA Superconference; Feb. 4, 2005

Public speaking is 1% presentation and 99% preparation.

mind message material myself

Presentation metaphysics

Why are we here?

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mind message material myself

Mutual goal: successful communication

Effects of performance orientation

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Effects of communication orientation

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“But you didn’t look nervous…”

The illusion of transparency

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The self-focused speaker

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The audience-focused speaker

Being fully present gives you presence

• “Lose yourself”• Lose your self-focus

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We’recausinga scene!

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Audience as scene partner

• Relationship• What are you fighting for?• Tactics

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mind message material myself

Why do we use PowerPoint?

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c2003 Edward Tufte, The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint

PowerPoint “seeks to set upa dominance relationship between speaker and audience.”

Edward Tufte

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The tyrannyofexpectations

Respect your audience

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You finished reading this long before I finished saying it.

Respect your audience

“Genuine speech is the expression of a genuine personality . . . Whenever genuine speech is spoken, it creates community.”

- Northrop FryeIf you’re still reading, you know that this

quotation has nothing to do with my point, which is: don’t show one message and say another.

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Respect your audience

• Don’t use animations or sounds unless you have a good reason.

• This is not a good reason.

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Prepare to respect your audience

• Write outside PowerPoint• Analyze for visual opportunities• Plant flags• Use aid when you need aid• Be quantitative

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The speaker is a visual aid

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Prepare thyself

• Not just how long, but how you prepare

• Time yourself• Memorize opening & closing lines• Use brief notes • Tours and Toastmasters• Post-mortem• Steal!

mind message material myself

mind message material myself

Two excerpts fromMartin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech

Take a cue from improv

The best way to look good is to make your scene partner look

good.

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