Information about Oral Presentations

Contents

Types of Presentations
Steps in Preparing a Presentation
Being a Credible Speaker
Using Humor Effectively
Controlling Nervousness
Delivering the Presentation
Establishing a Comfortable Environment
Suggested Criteria for an Excellent Oral Presentation

Types of Presentations

There are two basic types of presentations (or oral reports) that you will likely be called upon to deliver during your educational career and beyond—informative presentations and persuasive presentations.

The purpose of an informative presentation is to promote understanding of an idea or to convey information. They are often used to provide people with information about a concept or idea that is new. A presentation on “Endangered Species in the South American Rain Forest” is an example of an informative presentation.

The second type of presentation is a persuasive presentation. The goal of a persuasive presentation is to influence a change in the belief, attitude, or behavior of another person when that person has some degree of free choice. Expanding upon the example provided above, a persuasive presentation would not only inform the audience members about the South American rain forest and its endangered species but would also try to get them to take specific and appropriate action to save these species.

Both types of presentations can be used to start a discussion by providing information on a given topic followed by time for questions, answers, and discussion.

Steps in Preparing a Presentation

Planning Your Presentation

Preparing a presentation can be a pretty overwhelming experience if you allow it to be. The strategies and steps below are provided to help you break down what you might view as a large job into smaller, more manageable tasks.

Step 1: Analyze your audience.

The first step in preparing a presentation is to learn more about the audience to whom you’ll be speaking. It’s a good idea to obtain some info on the backgrounds, values, and interests of your audience so that you understand what the audience members might expect from your presentation.

Step 2: Select a topic.

Next, select a topic that is of interest to the audience and to you. It will be much easier to deliver a presentation that the audience finds relevant, and more enjoyable to research a topic that is of interest to you.

Step 3: Define the objective of the presentation.

Once you have selected a topic, write the objective of the presentation in a single concise statement. The objective needs to specify exactly what you want your audience to learn from your presentation. Base the objective and the level of the content on the amount of time you have for the presentation and the background knowledge of the audience. Use this statement to help keep you focused as you research and develop the presentation.

Preparing the Content of Your Presentation

Step 4: Prepare the body of the presentation.

After defining the objective of your presentation, determine how much information you can present in the amount of time allowed. Also, use your knowledge about the audience to prepare a presentation with the right level of detail. You don’t want to plan a presentation that is too basic or too advanced.

The body of the presentation is where you present your ideas. To present your ideas convincingly, you will need to illustrate and support them. Strategies to help you do this include the following:

• present data and facts
• read quotes from experts
• relate personal experiences
• provide vivid descriptions

And remember, as you plan the body of your presentation it’s important to provide variety. Listeners may quickly become bored by lots of facts or they may tire of hearing story after story.

Step 5: Prepare the introduction and conclusion.

Once you’ve prepared the body of the presentation, decide how you will begin and end the talk. Make sure the introduction captures the attention of your audience and the conclusion summarizes and reiterates your important points.   In other words,   “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. Then tell them what you told them.”

During the opening of your presentation, it’s important to attract the audience’s attention and build their interest. If you don’t, listeners will turn their attention elsewhere and you’ll have a difficult time getting it back. Strategies that you can use include the following:

• make the introduction relevant to the listeners’ goals, values, and needs
• ask questions to stimulate thinking
• share a personal experience
• begin with a joke or humorous story
• project a cartoon or colorful visual
• make a stimulating or inspirational statement
• give a unique demonstration

It is also during the opening that you want to clearly present your topic and the purpose of your presentation. Clearly articulating the topic and purpose will help the listeners focus on and easily follow your main ideas.

During the conclusion of your presentation, reinforce the main ideas you were hoping to communicate. Remember that listeners won’t remember your entire presentation, only the main ideas. By reinforcing and reviewing the main ideas, you help the audience remember them.

Practice and Delivery

Step 6: Practice delivering the presentation.

Most people spend hours preparing a presentation but very little time practicing it. When you practice your presentation you can reduce the number of times you utter words and phrases like, "um," "well," and "you know." These habits can easily diminish a speaker’s credibility. You can also fine-tune your content to be sure you make your most important points in the time alloted.

In addition to planning the content of your presentation, you need to give advanced thought to how you want to deliver it. Do you want to commit your presentation to memory, use cards to guide you, or read from a script? Or, you might want to use a combination of methods. To help you decide, read the advantages and disadvantages of the four delivery methods described below.

Speaking from Memory. A distinct advantage of speaking from memory is your ability to speak to the audience without relying on notes or a script. This allows you the flexibility to move away from the podium and to maintain eye contact with the audience. However, speaking from memory has disadvantages, too. Presentations from memory often sound rehearsed and the possibility exists that you’ll forget an important point, present information that’s inaccurate, or completely lose your train of thought. If you decide to deliver your presentation from memory, have notes handy to jog your memory just in case!

Speaking from Notes. Many people like to speak from notes. Typically these notes are either on cards or paper in outline form and contain key ideas and information. The benefit of delivering a presentation from notes is that you sound natural rather than rehearsed and you can still maintain relatively good eye contact with the audience. The down side is that you might not express your key ideas and thoughts as well as you may have liked had you planned your exact words in advance.

Speaking from Text. Speaking from text involves writing your speech out, word for word, then basically reading from the text. As with speaking from memory, an advantage of this method is that you plan, in advance, exactly what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. A disadvantage is that you might appear to the audience to be stiff, or rehearsed. You will need to make lots of eye contact and speak with expression to maintain the audience’s level of interest.

Using a Combination of Methods. You may find the best method to be a combination of all three. For instance, experts suggest you memorize the first and last ten minutes of your talk so that you can speak flawlessly and without notes. Notes may be suitable for segments of your presentation that you know very well, for example, relating a personal story. Finally, speaking from a text might be appropriate when you have quotes or other important points that you want to make sure you communicate accurately and completely. You can make a smooth segue to written text by saying something like: “I want to read this quote to you verbatim, to ensure that I don’t distort the original intent.”

Being a Credible Speaker

Have you heard someone speak whom you thought lacked credibility? Did you dismiss what he or she had to say because you thought it was probably not true? That’s what typically happens when a speaker lacks credibility. While it’s always important to be thought of as believable, it’s especially important when you speak to a group of people, and vital if you plan to deliver a persuasive presentation. Without credibility, members of the audience may dismiss what you have to say as either unimportant or untrue. The guidelines that follow are provided to help you learn how to become a more believable speaker.

Be accurate and exact with quotes, names, dates, and facts. If you want people to believe you, you have to earn their trust. That means getting the facts straight. Research the information you’re going to present to make sure it’s accurate and make sure you report it correctly. Practice pronouncing names correctly, and state dates, facts, and quotes accurately. Copy information that you think you might misstate and read it from your notes if necessary.

Provide support for your ideas. It’s not enough just to make a statement, you need to back it up by providing factual information, quoting an expert, or speaking from experience. The point is, it’s not enough to state your ideas, you need to be able to explain why you have those ideas.

Dress in a professional manner. If you want to be taken seriously, then dress accordingly. Being the worst dressed person in the room just won’t do. You don’t need to have the most expensive clothes or the most current wardrobe, but do look well groomed. Like it or not, research has determined that people are influenced by the appearance of the speaker.

Use visual aids that look professional. Visual aids can enhance your presentation if they are well designed and look professional. Be certain to use the visual aids when you practice your presentation.

Know your material. Knowing the material will help you speak more quickly and fluidly. Research has shown that a speaker’s credibility is enhanced by speaking more quickly and without hesitation (uh, well, you know) or qualifiers (sort of, kind of, I guess). People who speak faster are perceived to be more intelligent, more confident, and more effective than people who speak slower. Knowing your material will also help you reduce hesitations and qualifiers that might diminish credibility.

Use language that’s appropriate for the audience. Don’t try to impress them by using words they don’t understand. If your subject is new to audience members, be certain to explain jargon they might not understand. Also, be certain to use your best grammar. Slang can be appropriate for the right audience, but the use of incorrect grammar may be taken as a lack of knowledge on your part.

Using Humor Effectively

Integrating humor into your oral presentation helps enhance and maintain the audience’s attention and interest. Here are some pointers for effectively incorporating humor into your presentation.

Beginning a presentation with a joke or humorous story is a great way to break the ice. It can help audience members relax, which will help you relax, too.

Using humor and stories in the body of the presentation is a great way to emphasize key points, and recapture the attention of the audience.

Use topic-related cartoons, drawings, or illustrations that can be projected for all to see.

Use humor that maintains your personal dignity as well as the dignity of audience members. Never use humor that would embarrass an audience member or damage his or her self-esteem.

Try out your stories or jokes on a couple friends and/or acquaintances to make sure they are humorous. Practice telling the stories or jokes before the presentation to improve your delivery.

Use humor that’s acceptable to the group and not offensive. Avoid references to ethnicity, religion, politics, and gender.

Most humor is very culturally specific and in some cases regionally specific. Make sure you know who your audience is and what they find humorous before using any jokes.

Controlling Nervousness

Most people are a little nervous when they speak in public. In fact, a little nervous energy can enhance a performance or presentation. It is important to control this nervous energy, however, so that it remains a positive motivating force rather than a debilitating force.

Nothing will help reduce your nervousness more than being well prepared. Practice your oral presentation in advance and keep rehearsing it until you’re satisfied. Then, when the time comes to deliver the presentation, you’ll be confident in your ability to do well.

Prior to the presentation dedicate time to focus and clear your head of other thoughts. Run through the presentation in your head one final time and remind yourself of how well prepared you are.

Greet the people to whom you’ll be speaking. This helps you create a rapport with the audience from the beginning and helps you recognize that the audience “isn’t out to get you”—they want you to deliver a good presentation.

Take deep breaths and consciously relax your body from head-to-toe to reduce some of the physical symptoms of being nervous.

Make eye contact with members of the audience before you begin your presentation. If you’ve already established a rapport with them by greeting them, this will reestablish in your mind that the audience wants you to succeed.

Delivering the Presentation

How you say things may often appear to be more important than what you say. Have you listened to charismatic speakers who gain and maintain the attention of the audience? Have you also encountered speakers who quickly put an audience to sleep? Experienced presenters learn to communicate effectively by using voice and gestures.

Voice

Using your voice effectively can have a great impact on your delivery. The best speaking voice is conversational, natural, and enthusiastic. Use the following guidelines to develop an effective speaking voice:

Alter the pitch (highness and lowness) of your voice to prevent yourself from sounding
monotone. Don’t alter the pitch too much, however, because this may make you sound
unnatural.

Speak loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the room, but vary the volume of your voice to maintain interest and emphasize key points.

Stress certain words as another way to add emphasis. Typically when you stress a word, the pitch and the volume increase.

Alter the rate at which you speak to maintain interest and add emphasis. Speak faster to show excitement and/or build suspense. Speak slower to show the importance of an idea. Pause after important ideas to allow the audience time to grasp them.

Gestures

Speakers often communicate with their audience either intentionally or unintentionally using gestures and other physical behaviors. Use the guidelines below to help use gestures to your benefit:

Maintain eye contact with members of the audience to keep their attention level high. Eye contact signals that you care about the audience and you are attuned to their needs. Be sure to make eye contact with everyone when you’re speaking with a small audience. When speaking with a large audience, move your eyes from one area to another and pick out one person to focus on. The people around that person will think you’re looking at them. Also use eye contact to detect confusion or boredom so that you can make modifications, if necessary.

Use positive facial expressions such as smiles, expressive eyes, and looks of empathy and encouragement to communicate feelings and emotions.

Stand naturally with your feet spread slightly apart and arms relaxed at your sides.

Minimize gestures like pacing back and forth, rocking back and forth, playing with coins in your pocket, wringing your hands, and other types of fidgeting. These gestures not only signal that you are nervous, but they are distracting to the listener, too.

Use quick and energetic movements of your hands and arms to add expression to your talk. Maintain the attention of the audience by making your movements unpredictable.

Visual Aids in Presentation

Consider using visual aids when you plan your presentation. Visuals can help you emphasize main ideas, illustrate a concept, or stimulate the interest of your listeners. Examples of visual aids include posters, overheads, flip charts, photographs, computer-generated slides, and three-dimensional effects.

Use visual aids to emphasize important points and add interest to your presentation—don’t put every word of your entire presentation on them.

Select the appropriate visual aid for the environment. It may be possible to pass visuals around to a small audience but in large groups you’ll need to project them.

Give the visuals a consistent appearance including color and spacing. Start the text at the same place on each visual.

Try to observe the seven by seven rule: on an overhead slide have no more than seven lines and seven words per line. Similar rules would also pertain to flip charts, PowerPoint and other computer generated slides, and posters.

Use a simple typeface or font. A sans-serif font like Arial is recommended.

Use white text on a dark background or vice versa.

Make sure the text is large enough for people in the back of the room to read. Letters on a flipchart should be at least 3 inches in height. For a projected overhead or slide, fonts between 20 and 48 points are customary.

Don’t show visuals that conflict with what you’re saying—this includes displaying them once you’ve moved beyond their content.

Don’t read the text that’s on the visual but do paraphrase and add to it.

Establishing a Comfortable Environment

While you won’t always have control over the environment when you do a presentation, there may be ways you can modify the environment so that it is both comfortable for you and the audience members. The guidelines that follow are intended to help you become aware of environmental factors that can affect the delivery of your presentation.

Make sure the lighting is adequate. Determine where the controls are so that you can adjust the lighting to accommodate any media you plan to use.

Locate the temperature controls and regulate the temperature if necessary. If it is too warm or too cold, audience members will focus on their discomfort rather than on your presentation.

Conduct a test of any audiovisual equipment to ensure it’s in working order. Have a backup plan in place just in case Murphy’s Law strikes -- whatever can go wrong, will go wrong at the worst possible time.

Clean off any white boards or chalk boards that might distract the audience.

Make adjustments to the setup of the room to ensure everyone in the audience will be able to see you. Make sure that everyone can see the visuals you plan to use.

If possible, practice your talk in the setting where you are scheduled to speak. This will not only help you determine what other factors you might have to overcome, but also make you feel more comfortable. If practicing in the room isn’t possible, try to visit it prior to your presentation so you know what to expect.

When possible, greet members of the audience as they come into the room. Not only will this make them feel welcome and at ease, but it may also help reduce your nervousness.

Try to eliminate barriers between you and the audience. These kinds of barriers include lecterns, tables, or audiovisual equipment. Physical barriers communicate that you’re trying to maintain your distance from the audience. The appropriate distance in public speaking venues between you and the audience is about twelve feet.

Suggested Criteria for an Excellent Oral Presentation

1. The presentation was relevant to the audience.
2. The information presented was accurate and relevant.
3. The information presented was at the right level of detail.
4. The presentation was well organized and the ideas flowed logically.
5. The presenter’s introduction captured the interest of the audience.
6. The presenter established the purpose of the presentation during the introduction.
7. The presenter used evidence and examples to support his or her ideas.
8. The presenter reinforced the main ideas at the conclusion of the presentation.
9. The presenter carefully timed the presentation so that it “fit” into the time allowed.
10. The presenter established a comfortable environment.
11. The presenter showed evidence of being prepared by not overly relying on notes.
12. The presenter’s use of his or her voice was natural and effective.
13. The presenter’s hand and facial gestures were natural and effective.
14. The presenter controlled nervousness so that it did not distract the audience.
15. The presenter established eye contact with the audience.
16. Any humor used in the presentation was effective and not offensive.
17. The presenter’s use of visual aids was appropriate for the setting.
18. The presenter used visual aids primarily to emphasize key points.
19. Visual aids were professional looking and followed text size/amount guidelines.
20. The presenter effectively managed the use of visual aids by paraphrasing information presented on them and displaying them for an appropriate period of time.
21. The presenter stayed within the given time limits for making the presentation.

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