Curs 3 Presentations I.

Planning a presentation

If you are going to do some public speaking you will want the full attention of your audience. You will need to earn their confidence to get your points across so they learn what you intend them to. To do this, you must take the time to prepare your presentation by considering the following rules: Make sure you know your audience what their needs and concerns are what motivates them how they make decisions find out what your audience thinks about the topic determine the common ground you share with your audience appeal to their intelligence and emotions what you want the audience to do or think after they have listened to you

Map out your presentation divide your time into three blocks of: 20%, 70% and 10%.:

Introduction 20 %
- use the first segment of your presentation as an introduction that will grab your audience's attention use a question, a statistic or a quotation from someone your audience recognizes and respects - you can make a promise or a prediction, or offer a relevant anecdote to enliven your message - preview your presentation's highlights in order - if you have not been introduced, introduce yourself and explain how your credentials make you an expert on your subject

Body 70%
- always split this segment into distinct parts (e.g the problems experienced by lack of staff, the recommendation to hire new staff, the positive results you anticipate) - put these parts into logical order and offer convincing support for each.

Conclusion 10 %
- support your purpose with a new idea - don't repeat yourself and tell your audience what to do to make it happen.

if you can choose the amount of time you have, keep the presentation short and to the point do not forget that the audience have short attention spans 8 to 10 minutes, after which they become distracted or bored

Use visual aids ask yourself how your visuals, Power Point, for example, support or strengthen your purpose don't use slides that simply repeat what you are saying - a picture or graphic works vastly better than a visual composed of text keep in mind the 6 x 6 rule: no more than six words across or six lines down for slides or Power Point presentations!

Follow these golden rules: Words

- use familiar words and phrases, but avoid cliches

Platform presence

- take control of the setting (arrive early; determine where you will stand and see if you have room to walk in and out of the audience's space; be sure you have all the equipment you need, that you know how to operate it and that it - use concrete rather than abstract language (don't refer works) to the "facility"; if it's a warehouse, call it a - dress so you stand out, not stick out warehouse. - make your voice an asset - vary your pitch, your rate of - use conversational English1 speech--slower for key points, faster for background material 2 - eliminate nonwords , clutter3, ers and ums - use silence for impact - don't memorise your presentation--you won't sound natural, full of conviction or enthusiastic - identify distracting mannerisms and overcome them: pacing up and down, moving about without purpose, swaying or shifting from foot to foot, wringing your hands, jiggling change in your pocket, sweeping back your hair - rehearse in front of a friend or colleague - engage your audience with a reassuring smile rather than a stone-faced look more - always look up--not done - make eye contact

Plain-speaking Lee Iacocca won over Congress by saying, "And if you give us this loan, we'll pay it back--every last penny of it." Would he have saved Chrysler with: "And if you discern it as fit and proper to extend to us the aforementioned requested temporary funding, we will, at our earliest convenience, reimburse the collateral afforded us"? Not on your life! 2 A word that is not recognized or accepted as legitimate. 3 A confused noise.

 Allot time for questions and answers. Here are some tips for answering questions effectively: always restate the question (it buys you time to think about the response) pause or take a breath before you respond (this gives you a moment to organise your thoughts) keep the response short and to the point if you don't have an answer, say so, don't try to bluff your way through a response - if the question is legitimate, offer to get back to the asker at a later time and take his or her name; if the question is irrelevant or unanswerable, it is all right to respond that the question is beyond the scope of the presentation prepare to close after the Q&A session; bring your audience back to your message, especially if the questions took you down a different path - audiences remember best what they are told first and last, so don't miss the opportunity to end on a strong note

Have a positive image of yourself visualize your success: imagine yourself speaking enthusiastically, competently and confidently always remember that you are not facing an opponent; in virtually every instance, your audience wants you to succeed, not fail

With step-by-step planning, preparation and lots of practice, you'll come through with a superior presentation every single time.
1. Read the following topics and choose one: An international study found that about 10,000 job positions request communication skills. Communication competencies are strongly related to supervisory perceptions of overall subordinate job performance. Communication competencies are key factors in entry-level business jobs and subsequent success on the job.

2. Provide the written form of your presentation plan. You may use this model, if you want:
Sate Audience who you are Presentation map key ideas Visual aids Rules important to you

Introduction

Body

Conclusions

II.

Making a presentation

Persuasive presentations are the presentations in which you attempt to convince the audience to support your goals or concepts, to buy your product or service, or to change their minds or attitudes. Persuasive presentations, if well delivered, are often motivational. Specialists say these persuasive presentation techniques are very efficient if: you grab the audience's attention immediately in your introduction with a startling statistic or an evocative example that illustrates your issue clearly - you state the facts of the problem you are trying to solve, a distorted truth you want to dispel or a situation that begs for the attention your audience can offer; - you use statistics, facts and as many quotes from experts as possible to lend credibility to your argument, energize your audience and get them poised for action - you propose a solution to each specific part of the problem you presented; it is important to show that the problem can be solved and that all you need is the help and support of every audience member - you create a vivid mental image for them of two possible futures: first, paint them a picture of the way things will be if they help out; and second, let them have a look at the possibilities if they don't offer to be a part of the solution. - you issue your call to action; make your final appeal an inciting one that will get them on their feet in support of your cause Tips and warnings - use proper grammar, make eye contact with audience members and speak in a lively, conversational style to keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation - eliminate nervous twitches, stuttering or wringing clammy hands

don't take too much time to present your case.

Informative presentations can be divided into two distinct categories - reporting and explaining. The reporting presentation brings the audience up to date on projects or events, telling how things are going. These situations might include shareholders meetings, executive briefings, or oral sales reports. The explanatory presentation provides information about products and procedures, rules and regulations, operations, and other data.

III. Presentation tips Before starting your delivery consider the following presenting tips:
Timing Make sure that your presentation is within the time limit. Allocate a percentage of the total time for each section of the presentation. Monitor the time as you progress. If you find you're running out of time, quickly summarise the remaining points. If you must skip over sections because you have really gone over time, eliminate the least important facts and details, concentrating on only the main points. If you feel really nervous, remember to: - take a few deep breaths to calm yourself - pretend you're confident and act accordingly

Control of nervousness

- speak more slowly - focus on your message and communicate it clearly Body - be aware of your posture. language and voice - use appropriate hand and body gestures. - make eye contact with your audience. - use pauses, intonation, and emphasis. - speak loudly and clearly and not too quickly. - use a natural intonation. - place your pauses attentively. - use an appropriate volume and effective emphasis. Indicate to your audience the purpose of each part of your presentation, and how they relate to the overall topic. Use signalling words and phrases in the course of your presentation to guide the audience and to let them know what is happening in each section of your talk. Signalling words and phrases Audience
Introducing Introduction of the Rephrasing the talk main point the main point "I want to "The next point is "Let me start by..." crucial..." illustrate this by "The topic I "Fundamentally..." referring to..." intend to discuss is..." A digression Moving to another point "Let's now consider..." Summing up Inviting main points questions "To sum up..."

"That concludes my "Incidentally.. "I'd like to "Therefore..." presentation. However, I move on am happy to to..." "That reminds "As a answer any "A case in me of..." result..." questions." point is..." "Now let's have a look "If I can just "Are there "Take the at..." sum up..." any case of..." questions?" "The next "Thus we can "A good aspect of see..." "Please feel example of the topic I free to ask this is..." wish to questions." consider "I'd like to give an example to illustrate my point." is..." "I am happy to take questions."

"I might just mention..."