by Donald Clark
Contents
Presentation Skills
Managers
are people who do things right, while leaders are people
who do the right thing.
- Warren Bennis, Ph.D. "On Becoming
a Leader"
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Teaching and Learning Resources
The VoiceThe voice is probably the most valuable tool of the presenter. It carries most of the content that the audience takes away. One of the oddities of speech is that we can easily tell others what is wrong with their voice, e.g. too fast, too high, too soft, etc., but we have trouble listening to and changing our own voices.
There are four main terms used for defining vocal qualities:
There are two good methods for improving
your voice:
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The Body
Your body communicates different impressions to the audience. People not only listen to you, they also watch you. Slouching tells them you are indifferent or you do not care...even though you might care a great deal! On the other hand, displaying good posture tells your audience that you know what you are doing and you care deeply about it. Also, a good posture helps you to speak more clearly and effective. Throughout you presentation, display:
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Active Listening
Good speakers not only inform their audience, they also listen to them. By listening, you know if they are understanding the information and if the information is important to them. Active listening is NOT the same as hearing! Hearing is the first part and consists of the perception of sound. Listening, the second part, involves an attachment of meaning to the aural symbols that are perceived. Passive listening occurs when the receiver has little motivation to listen carefully. Active listening with a purpose is used to gain information, to determine how another person feels, and to understand others. Some good traits of effective listeners are:
Listening can be one of our most powerful communication tools! Be sure to use it! Part of the listening process is getting feedback by changing and altering the message so the intention of the original communicator is understood by the second communicator. This is done by paraphrasing the words of the sender and restating the sender's feelings or ideas in your own words, rather than repeating their words. Your words should be saying, "This is what I understand your feelings to be, am I correct?" It not only includes verbal responses, but also nonverbal ones. Nodding your head or squeezing their hand to show agreement, dipping your eyebrows to show you don't quite understand the meaning of their last phrase, or sucking air in deeply and blowing out hard shows that you are also exasperated with the situation. Carl Roger listed five main categories of feedback. They are listed in the order in which they occur most frequently in daily conversations (notice that we make judgments more often than we try to understand):
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NervesThe main enemy of a presenter is tension, which ruins the voice, posture, and spontaneity. The voice becomes higher as the throat tenses. Shoulders tighten up and limits flexibility while the legs start to shake and causes unsteadiness. The presentation becomes "canned" as the speaker locks in on the notes and starts to read directly from them. First, do not fight nerves, welcome them! Then you can get on with the presentation instead of focusing in on being nervous. Actors recognize the value of nerves...they add to the value of the performance. This is because adrenaline starts to kick in. It's a left over from our ancestors' "fight or flight" syndrome. If you welcome nerves, then the presentation becomes a challenge and you become better. If you let your nerves take over, then you go into the flight mode by withdrawing from the audience. Again, welcome your nerves, recognize them, let them help you gain that needed edge! Do not go into the flight mode! When you feel tension or anxiety, remember that everyone gets them, but the winners use them to their advantage, while the losers get overwhelmed by them.
Tension can be reduced by performing some relaxation exercises. Listed below are a couple to get you started:
Never drink alcohol to reduce tension! It affects not only your coordination but also your awareness of coordination. You might not realize it, but your audience will! |
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QuestionsAlthough some people get a perverse pleasure from putting others on the spot, and some try to look good in front of the boss, most people ask questions from a genuine interest. Questions do not mean you did not explain the topic good enough, but that their interest is deeper than the average audience. Always allow time at the end of the presentation for questions. After inviting questions, do not rush ahead if no one asks a question. Pause for about 6 seconds to allow the audience to gather their thoughts. When a question is asked, repeat the question to ensure that everyone heard it (and that you heard it correctly). When answering, direct your remarks to the entire audience. That way, you keep everyone focused, not just the questioner. To reinforce your presentation, try to relate the question back to the main points. Make sure you listen to the question being asked. If you do not understand it, ask them to clarify. Pause to think about the question as the answer you give may be correct, but ignore the main issue. If you do not know the answer, be honest, do not waffle. Tell them you will get back to them...and make sure you do! Answers that last 10 to 40 seconds work best. If they are too short, they seem abrupt; while longer answers appear too elaborate. Also, be sure to keep on track. Do not let off-the-wall questions sidetrack you into areas that are not relevant to the presentation. If someone takes issue with something you said, try to find a way to agree with part of their argument. For example, "Yes, I understand your position..." or "I'm glad you raised that point, but..." The idea is to praise their point and agree with them. Audiences sometimes tend to think of "us verses you." You do not want to risk alienating them.
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Preparing the PresentationGreat presentations require some preplanning. First, read Meetings for an outline of preparing and conducting a meeting, such as acquiring a room, informing participants, etc. A presentation follows the same basic guidelines as preparing for a meeting.
The second step is to prepare the presentation:
Notice that you told them what they are about to hear (the objective), told them (the body), and told them what they heard (the wrap up). And finally, the important part - practice, practice, practice. The main purpose of creating an outline is to develop a coherent plan of what you want to talk about. You should know your presentation so well, that during the actual presentation, you should only have to briefly glance at your notes to ensure you are staying on track. This will also help you with your nerves by giving you the confidence that you can do it. Your practice session should include a "live" session by practicing in front of coworkers, family, or friends. They can be valuable at providing feedback and it gives you a chance to practice controlling your nerves. Another great feedback technique is to make a video or audio tape of your presentation and review it critically with a colleague.
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Habits
We all have a few habits, and some are more annoying than others. For example, if we say "uh," "you know," or put our hands in our pockets and jingle our keys too often during a presentation, it distracts from the message we are trying to get across. The best way to break one of these distracting habits is with immediate feedback. This can be done with a small group of coworkers, family, or friends. Take turns giving small off-the-cuff talks about your favorite hobby, work project, first work assignment, etc. It talk should last about five minutes. During a speaker's first talk, the audience should listen and watch for annoying habits. After the presentation, the audience should agree on the worst two or three habits that take the most away from the presentation. After agreement, each audience member should write these habits on a 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper (such as the word "Uh"). Use a magic marker and write in BIG letters. The next time the person gives her or his talk, each audience member should wave the corresponding sign in the air whenever they hear or see the annoying habit. For most people, this method will break a habit by practicing at least once a day for one to two weeks.
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Tips
and Techniques For Great Presentations
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If
you have handouts, do not read straight from them. The audience does
not know if they should read along with you or listen to you read. |
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Do
not put both hands in your pockets for long periods of time. This tends
to make you look unprofessional. It is OK to put one hand in a pocket
but ensure there is no loose change or keys to jingle around. This will
distract the listeners. |
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Do
not wave a pointer around in the air like a wild knight branding a sword
to slay a dragon. Use the pointer for what it is intended and then put
it down, otherwise the audience will become fixated upon your "sword",
instead upon you. |
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Do
not lean on the podium for long periods. The audience will begin to wonder
when you are going to fall over. |
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Speak
to the audience...NOT to the visual aids, such as flip charts or overheads.
Also, do not stand between the visual aid and the audience. |
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Speak
clearly and loudly enough for all to hear. Do not speak in a monotone
voice. Use inflection to emphasize your main points. |
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The
disadvantages of presentations is that people cannot see the punctuation
and this can lead to misunderstandings. An effective way of overcoming
this problem is to pause at the time when there would normally be punctuation
marks. |
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Use
colored backgrounds on overhead transparencies and slides (such as yellow)
as the bright white light can be harsh on the eyes. This will quickly
cause your audience to tire. If all of your transparencies or slides
have clear backgrounds, then tape one blank yellow one on the overhead
face. For slides, use a rubber band to hold a piece of colored cellophane
over the projector lens. |
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Learn
the name of each participant as quickly as possible. Based upon the atmosphere
you want to create, call them by their first names or by using Mr., Mrs.,
Miss, Ms. |
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Tell
them what name and title you prefer to be called. |
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Listen
intently to comments and opinions. By using
a lateral thinking technique (adding
to ideas rather than dismissing them), the
audience will feel that their ideas, comments,
and opinions are worthwhile. |
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Circulate
around the room as you speak. This movement creates a physical closeness
to the audience. |
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List
and discuss your objectives at the beginning of the presentation. Let the
audience know how your presentation fits in with their goals. Discuss some
of the fears and apprehensions that both you and the audience might have.
Tell them what they should expect of you and how you will contribute to
their goals. |
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Vary
your techniques (lecture, discussion, debate, films, slides, reading, etc.) |
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Get
to the presentation before your audience arrives; be the last one to leave. |
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Be
prepared to use an alternate approach if the one you've chosen seems to
bog down. You should be confident enough with your own material so that
the audience's interests and concerns, not the presentation outline, determines
the format. Use your background, experience, and knowledge to interrelate
your subject matter. |
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When
writing on flip charts use no more than 7 lines of text per page and no
more than 7 word per line (the 7 7 rule). Also, use bright and bold colors,
and pictures as well as text. |
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Consider
the time of day and how long you have got for your talk. Time of day can
affect the audience. After lunch is known as the graveyard section in training
circles as audiences will feel more like a nap than listening to a talk. |
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Most
people find that if they practice in their head, the actual talk will take
about 25 per cent longer. Using a flip chart or other visual aids also
adds to the time. Remember - it is better to finish slightly early than
to overrun. |
Templates
Recommended Texts
Resources
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