Presentation Skills

18 month Meeting, Unilever Vlaardingen, March 29-31, 2010

Timothy J. Foster

University of Nottingham

What Makes a good presentation?

What Makes a good presentation?

• Good, simple introduction• Warm, confident voice• Clear structure• Speaking clearly• Passion for subject• Free of unnecessary jargon• Visually interesting slides• Appropriate use of humour• Large fonts

What Makes a good presentation?

• Positive body language• Making sure screen is always visible• No fidgeting• Eye contact with audience• Verbal pointers indicating different sections• Summary Slide• Presentation at correct level for audience• Staying within time limit• Handling questions confidently and honestly

Presentation Skills

• Skills required– Preparation– Content– Structure– Delivery– Timing– Visual Aids– Response to Questions– Summing Up

Presentation Skills

• Qualities needed– Confidence– Impact– Manner– Non-verbals

Presentation Skills

• Learning from experience– Self-Assessment– Feedback

Different Presentation Structures

Different Presentation Structures

• The Classical

• The Problem Centred

• The Comparative

• The Sequential

• The Thesis

The Classical

1. Introduction2. a

bc

3. abc

4. abc

5. Conclusion

The Problem Centred

1. Statement of problem

2. Solution 1

3. Solution 2

4. Solution 3

5. Conclusion

The Comparative

1. Introduction: Items X and Y

2. Feature 1 X and Y

3. Feature 2 X and Y

4. Feature 3 X and Y

5. Summary

The Sequential

1. Introduction

2. Argument 1…leads to

3. Argument 2…leads to

4. Argument 3

5. Conclusion

The Thesis

1. Introduction• Assertion is made and then proved or

disproved• Using a mixture of argument, evidence,

speculation…• Conclusion

Controlling your nerves

• Prepare

• Rehearse

• Use your breath

• Get as much experience as you can

• Learn from watching others

Making Talks Memorable

• Good recall depends on:– Actively processing information

• Gain attention/involvement

– Amount to be remembered• Keep attention• Use structure

– Depth of processing• Elaborate with examples, visual imagery• Make the audience work

– Relationship to existing knowledge• Relate to everyday/prior experience

Gaining Attention

• Startling fact

• Question

• Quotation

• Anecdote

• Humour

General Hints

• KIS(S) – plenty of white space, not too many ideas per page

• Use figures or pictures if appropriate

• Use clear bullet points

• Make sure font is big enough

• Include clear introduction slide

• Include a clear conclusion slide

Do & Don’t

• Do– Use colour carefully– Practise– Have prompts if you

need them

Do & Don’t

• Do– Use colour carefully– Practise– Have prompts if you

need them

(These might be visual and use them as tabs)

Do & Don’t

• Do– Use colour carefully– Practise– Have prompts if you

need them

• Don’t– Over-do effects– Crowd slides– Have too many slides– Talk with your back to

the audience– Use a script

Body Language

• Close / negative– Arms folded– Legs folded– Avoiding eye contact– Nervous pacing or

fidgeting– Trembling– Breathing shallow,

high in chest– Touching face– Slumped shoulders

• Open / positive– Arms uncrossed– Legs uncrossed– Warm eye contact– Solid stance– In control– Breathing deep, into

belly– No distracting

mannerisms– Shoulders back

Any Questions?