Ian Osborne

Employability and Graduate Development

University of Exeter

Presentation Skills

• Why presentation skills are essential

• What makes an effective presentation

• Characteristics of an effective presentation

• How to structure an effective presentation

• Techniques for maintaining audience interest

• Identifying symptoms of nerves

• Techniques for coping with nerves

Session objectives

How important are

Presentation Skills?

Exercise

What situations may require you to use your

presentations skills, now and in the future?

Types of Presentations

Academic

• Group / Team – accredited, project report

• Solo – Doctoral and Masters viva, oral examination

Extra-curricular

• Social networking

• Clubs / Societies / Groups – Information, coaching

Career

• Job Interviews

• Reporting to Staff / Team meetings

• Clients pitches / Customer service

• Professional Networking

• Media

How do you present

yourself?

Many people believe decisions at

job Interviews are made on:

• 55% body language

• 38% voice

• 7% words

First impressions count!

Who likes giving presentations?

Exercise

Positive feelings about presentation

• What are your fears and reservations about making

presentations?

• What would you like to improve?

– List these individually first

– Discuss and collate a list in groups

What makes an effective

presentation?

Put your points into themes:

• Content

• Delivery (behaviour / body language / tone

of voice of presenter(s)

• Resources

Group Exercise

Evaluate the following presentation we could find another video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgObza4ek1U

Presentation preparation

• Clear objectives – what do you want to achieve?

• Tailor your presentation for your audience needs – learning styles and age will effect the format, length and interaction required

• List key messages - information you need to include

• Know your material

• Select your material carefully - pertinent points and supplement with other material if time allows

Presentation preparation • Structure Your Presentation

– Intro: who you are, purpose of presentation, benefits to audience. IMPACT!

– Middle: key messages, arrange content in themes/sections

– Conclusion /summary: key message/call to action

• Presentation plan with timings – copy of slides with timings and duration of exercise.

• Practice, practice, practice!

Power Point – what not to do!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck

Tips on Presentation Style

• Positive body language – posture, gestures, eye contact

• Voice – project to back of room, tone and language

• Emphasize key messages in an interesting way

– startling statistic or famous quotation

– image or video clip

– personal stories or anecdotes

• Ask questions - involves, establishes rapport, helps support your arguments, gain feedback

• Watch and learn from other presenters – replicate what they do well

Plan, Pace, Impact, Interaction

Who gets nervous giving

Presentations?

• How do nerves manifest

themselves?

• What are the symptoms?

Coping with nerves

• Control Uncertainty

• Wear comfortable and appropriate clothing

• Arrive early to set up

• Test technical resources and have contingency plan if technology fails (e.g. access Internet)

• Use crib cards with brief notes if you find it difficult to speak to slides

• Prepare responses to anticipated questions

• Practice under pressure. Confidence will grow with practise – with your material and audiences

Coping with nerves • Adrenalin – channel the energy positively

• Deep breathing - adrenalin causes shallow breathing and voice quivers. Breathing deeply helps your brain get the oxygen it needs. The slower pace will trick your body into believing you’re calmer

• Drink water - a dry mouth can lead to getting tongue-tied

• Meditation and relaxation techniques

• Use visualization techniques – imagine an audience that’s interested, smiling, and reacting positively. Recall this positive image before your presentation

Coping with nerves

• Smile – natural relaxant, sends positive chemicals through body

• Before you start talking - pause, make eye contact, smile. Moment of peace, relaxes, gives you time to adjust to being the centre of attention.

• Speak slower than you would in a conversation and leave longer pauses between sentences. Slower, calmer, pace - easier to hear at the back of a room

• Move around during your presentation - helps to expend nervous energy

Presentation practice

Presentation practice

The BBC has announced an Award for ‘Best Presenter in the World’

Group Exercise:

• Choose a public figure (dead or alive) you admire as a good presenter or public speaker.

• Prepare and deliver a 1 minute presentation to justify why your nomination should win the Award to the rest of your group.

• Decide the winner in your group based on the strength of the presentation NOT the nominee.

Exercise

Reflect and review your performance

Complete your SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities, Threats

www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_96.ht

m

For your next presentation….

– Be knowledgeable

– Be prepared

– Be well practiced

– Be forearmed with a strategy to manage

your nerves

Session objectives

• Why presentation skills are essential

• Identifying presentation fears

• Characteristics of an effective presentation

• How to structure an effective presentation

• Techniques for maintaining audience interest

• Identifying symptoms of nerves

• Techniques for coping with nerves

Questions?