Presentation skills

Giving Effective Presentations

• Presentations should influence people.• Presentations should be prepared very

well.• Effective presentations depend on a

number of criteria. The most important of which are presented next:

Influencing feelings and attitudes

Body lang. & facialexp.

Voice inflection

What one saysBody lang. 53 %

Info 7%

Voice 40%

• Body language accounts for 53% of the success of your presentation.• The clarity of your voice accounts for 40% of the success of your

presentation.• What you actually say accounts for 7% of the success of your

presentation.

Presentation Skills Include:

• Non Verbal Skills

• Verbal Skills

• Techniques

• Speech Structure

I. Nonverbal skills

1. Appearance

• Be formal & decent.

• Focus on the

message not the

outfit.

2. Posture

• Stand straight.

• Appear confident.

• Be relaxed.

• No hands in pockets.

Gestures

• Use Gestures. They

increase the audience

understanding.

• Make your movements

meaningful.

• Avoid exaggeration.

4. Eye contact

• Address all the audience.

• Maintain eye contact with

everybody.

• Don’t stare at others

more than 5 seconds.

5. Facial ExpressionsFacial expressions are important because

they:

• Mirror emotions.

• Set tone and mood.

• Make the audience feel comfortable.

• Example: A speaker without any

expression on his / her face makes the

audience worried and unwilling to

participate in any conversation.

II. verbal skills

1. Voice

• Vary the pitch.

Don’t always speak in low

voice, so it becomes boring, nor

in high voice, so it becomes

disturbing.

• Stress important words.

• Vary the pace.

Speak neither too fast nor too

slow.

• Don’t lose clarity.

Don’t speak in such a low voice

that no body can hear you.

2. Waffling Waffling is speaking in an unclear way.

• Avoid using too many non words: um,

er, uh, ….., etc.

• Avoid using too many connectors: and,

but, so…etc.

• Avoid using too many nonworking

words: ok, well, you know.

III. Techniques

1. Audience Involvement

• Use Names.

• Invite Participation.

• Ask Questions.

2. Humor

• Tell amusing stories

• Avoid long jokes

• Make humor deliver

the message.

3. Visual Aids Use your visual aids

effectively.

• Show pictures, movies, interviews or charts that are related to your topics

Choose the most convenient aid for you presentation.

Tips for PowerPoint presentations

• You should have at most 6 lines per page and 6

words per line.

• Too many words distract the attention of the audience.

• Make each point that you discuss appear separately.

• Don’t write long paragraphs on the slides. Use key

phrases.

• Be consistent in using the font, colors, and background.

Tips for PowerPoint presentations

• Use pictures that are relevant to your topic.

• Use contrasting colors for text and background.

• Don’t overuse the effects and the slide transitions.

• Observe your time. Prepare a presentation that fits the time

you are allowed.

• Limit the number of your slides. One slide per minute.

IV. Speech

1. Introduction • Announce your topic.

• Give a starting

statement.

• Ask a provocative

question.

• Tell a story, quotation,

joke, etc.

2. Body

• Define the major points.

• Organize your ideas.

• Provide as much

evidence as you can.

3. Conclusion

• Conclude your ideas.

• Leave an impression.

• State clearly what you

want the audience to

take with them.

Answer the audience’s Questions

Thank Your Audience

List of suggested readings:

• http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/comms.htm• http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/starting/menu.p

hp• http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/Essential_Presentati

on_skills.htm• http://ergonomics.uq.edu.au/download/presentation.ppt• http://kinesiology.boisestate.edu/kines442/tips_for_makin

g_effective_powerp.htm• http://www.iasted.org/conferences/formatting/Presentatio

ns-Tips.ppt

Good Luck