Presentation Skills

Steve Cope

Student Learning Advisory Service

1:1 : learning@kent.ac.uk

Workshops

Drop-in service (10 mins)

Mon – Thurs 11.00 – 13.00

Fri 12.00 – 14.00

@kentuniSLAS

/SLASkent

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The Student Learning Advisory Service

(SLAS)

Next to Santander Bank

Why give presentations ?

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Preparation for world of work

Required in almost every field

Personal development opportunity

Form of assessment

Effective Presentations

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Good content

well-researched, relevant, interesting

Clear structure

logical sequence

Competent delivery

audible, at ease, confident

An art & a technique which can be learnt

Planning (the content)

Brainstorm ideas & points to be included

Filter out key points

Group points together

Plan your line of reasoning (logical flow)

Rehearse delivery, familiarity, timing

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Set realistic targets

(time to research/ time to present)

Keep detailed bibliographical record

Planning the ‘story line’

Issue/ problem

Background

Your argument

Case study / examples

Conclusion

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Planning format

Know your content

Structuring your work

Introduction

3 or 4 main points

Conclusion

Decide on support material (for you)

Large print notes/bullets

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Getting Started

1 fearless volunteer required

Creating a presentation - Driverless Cars

You have a blank canvass (i.e. page)

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Communication

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noise

(visual) distractions

language

culture

Sender Mediumverbal/ non-verbal

Receiver(s)

message

Planning: Audience

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Who is coming?

What’s their level of knowledge/ experience?

What may (not) interest them?

Seating

Visibility

Sound

Planning: Venue

Delivery - inc. non verbal

Take charge of yourself & your body language

Voice (speed – volume – intonation)

Eye contact (continuous – overall)

Stance / posture (not too informal)

Hands (movement - position)

Appearance (make some effort)

State of mind (positive)12

Example 1

What improvements could be made in Laura’s

presentation style?

Laura: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt8YFCveNpY&feature=related

How are the issues resolved in her second attempt?

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Presentations are Physical

Deep Breathing:

reduces stress, improves posture, increases

cardiovascular capacity, strengthens organs,

relieves pain, improves digestion, detoxifies the

body.

Meditation & Yoga

Relaxation techniques

Life 14

Audience Friendly Delivery

pause before you talk

look around – establish eye contact – smile

greet the audience & introduce yourself

move through in sequence

check your timing (watch on table)

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Delivery – 2

pause between significant stages

use signposting language

keep looking up

stay focused

encourage questions, at the end

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Delivery cont.

Speak slowly and clearlyYou can use:

memory (your slides will prompt you)

notes, cue cards (not reading full text)

PowerPoint®, Beamer (LaTeX), Prezi

visual aids (graphs / charts, pictures,

handouts, video clips, activities…)

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Example 2

How could Yann improve his presentation

style?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kql-pvnid0s&feature=related

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Advantages of Slide Shows

Pre-prepared sequence

keeps you on track

Embed visual aids (video clips, pictures,

graphs)

You are in control of information displayed

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Technical Support

Support desk in library

SLAS

1:1 Training Sessions

https://www.kent.ac.uk/itservices/training/studentt

raining/index.html

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Figure 1: Relative Frequencies of Factors

Factor A

Factor B

Factor C

Factor D

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Figure 1: Relative Frequencies of Factors

Factor A Factor B

Factor C

38%

29%

2%1%

10%

1%

9%

6%3%1%

Figure 1: Uranium Production 2017

Canada S.Africa Gabon France USA

Argentina Australia Namibia Niger Others

38%

29%

10%

9%

6%8%

Uranium Production 2017

Namibia

Others

Figure 1:

Canada

S. Africa

USA

Australia

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Quarterly Turnover – 2017

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Betaco

$M

Annual Turnover - 2017

Figure 1. Breakdown by Quarter

Figure 2. Annual Comparison

Etiquette – The Do’s

One key message per slide

One slide per minute (approx.)

Minimum amount of words

Use the language on the slide

Use larger fonts (24 +)

Use readable fonts (e.g. Arial, Calibri, Verdana)

Be consistent

Explain relevance of all graphics, diagrams

Figure 1 shows…

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Etiquette – The Don’ts

Overload slides

Use white background – use grey / pastel shades

Mix font styles

Use unreadable ‘backgrounds’ or colour schemes

Use graphs as decoration

Overuse animation and sounds

Read the slides

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Keep it simple: avoid distractions

Well…?

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Suggestions for Improvement

How many presentation issues can you identify

on the following slide?

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Other ‘tips’

Don’t Forget details, one is permitted to utilise

memory aids in order to support your delivery

You can ask questions

Patience

honesty ,Keep calm

When inserting a hyperlink make sure that it is live,

i.e. you can click on it www.kent.ac.uk

It is not a good idea to write long sentences. But if you absolutely have to.

Then at least get the punctuation. Right ?

When using bullet points, are you consistent?

Don’t indent for no reason at all, unless this is a sub

point.

Overcrowding of slides means people can’t read them 28

Fears

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Forgetting details/ getting stuck

Interruptions

Not getting the message across

Boring the audience

Timing

Hostile/difficult questions

Fear can be energising(attempting something new - a challenge)

Fine tuning

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Have some water by your side

Tackle some practice questions beforehand (in a quiet place with no distractions!)

Practice pronunciation

Speak slowly and clearly

Turn your phone off

Uni Kent Employ @UniKentEmploy

Handling questions

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Be prepared

Questions are an opportunity

Listen carefully

Repeat question so that everyone can hear

Answer concisely

Take questions from around the room

Remain coherent - don’t ramble on or invent

answers

Positive Thinking

Helpful, supportive friends

Anxiety? Bach’s Rescue Remedy

Ask for help

Be positive about errors reflect - get feedback - learn - improve

Opportunity to practise in a safe environment

Practice with a SLAS adviser

Anyway … what’s the worse that can happen?

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In summary:

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Have a plan – what are you trying to achieve?

Use a logical, structured approach

Keep it audience friendly (visuals/sounds)

Rehearse (timing!) slow down…

Try to stay relaxed and calm

Maintain a clear delivery

Know your material

Be prepared for questions

Breathe deeply and stay focused!

What do you think?

How could you improve this presentation?

University of Bedfordshire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATfY8dvbuFg

Don’t go there…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1If_s-8BA2M

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References

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Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave

Macmillan.

Breathing https://www.epainassist.com/fitness-and-exercise/why-are-deep-

breathing-exercises-good-for-your-health (Accessed 24 October 2018).

Driverless cars http://www.alphr.com/cars/1001329/driverless-cars-of-the-

future-how-far-away-are-we-from-autonomous-cars (Accessed 24 October

2018).

Gillet, A., Hammond. A. and Martala, M. (2009) Successful Academic

Writing. London: Pearson Longman.

Murphy, R. (2012) English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.