Types of Presentation

1. Informative
2. Instructional
3. Arousing
4. Persuasive
5. Decision-making

Informative
Keep an informative presentation brief and to the point. Stick to the facts and avoid complicated
information. Choose one of the following organizational structures for an informative presentation:
 Time:
 Explains when things should happen.
 Works best with visual people or people who can see the overall organization
or sequence of events.
 Use words like "first," "second," "third," to list order.
 Place:
 Explains where things should happen.
 Works best with people who understand the group or area you are talking
about.
 Use words like "Region 1, 2, 3, or 4" to explain order.
 Cause and Effect:
 Explains how things should happen.
 Works best with people who understand the relationship between events.
 Use phrases like "Because of _____, we now have to ______".
 Logical Order: Simply list items in their order of importance. Works best with
people who are accustomed to breaking down complex data into components in
order to digest the material.

Instructional
Your purpose in an instructional presentation is to give specific directions or orders. Your
presentation will probably be a bit longer, because it has to cover your topic thoroughly. In an
instructional presentation, your listeners should come away with new knowledge or anew skill.
 Explain why the information or skill is valuable to the audience
 Explain the learning objectives of the instructional program
 Demonstrate the process if it involves something in which the audience will later
participate using the following method
 Demonstrate it first without comment
 Demonstrate it again with a brief explanation
  Demonstrate it a third time, step-by-step, with an explanation
 Have the participants practice the skill
 Provide participants the opportunity to ask questions, give, and receive feedback
from you and their peers
 Connect the learning to actual use
 Have participants verbally state how they will use it

Arousing
Your purpose in an arousing presentation is to make people think about a certain problem or
situation. You want to arouse the audience's emotions and intellect so that they will be receptive
to your point of view. Use vivid language in an arousing presentation - project sincerity and
enthusiasm.
 Gain attention with a story that illustrates (and sometimes exaggerates) the problem
 Show the need to solve the problem and illustrate it with an example that is general
or commonplace.
 Describe your solution for a satisfactory resolution to the problem.
 Compare/contrast the two worlds with the problem solved and unsolved.
 Call the audience to action to help solve the problem.
 Give the audience a directive that is clear, easy, and immediate.

Persuasive
Your purpose in a persuasive presentation is to convince your listeners to accept your proposal. A
convincing, persuasive presentation offers a solution to a controversy, dispute, or problem. To
succeed with a persuasive presentation, you must present sufficient logic, evidence, and emotion
to sway the audience to your viewpoint.
Create a great introduction because a persuasive presentation introduction must accomplish the
following:
1. Seize the audience's attention.
2. Disclose the problem or needs that your product or service will satisfy.
3. Tantalize the audience by describing the advantages of solving the problem or need
4. Create a desire for the audience to agree with you by describing exactly how your product
or service with fill their real needs.
5. Close your persuasive presentation with a call to action.
6. Ask for the order.
7. Ask for the decision that you want to be made.
8. Ask for the course of action that you want to be followed.
Decision-making
Your purpose in a decision-making presentation is to move your audience to take your suggested
action. A decision-making presentation presents ideas, suggestions, and arguments strongly
enough to persuade an audience to carry out your requests. In a decision-making presentation, you
must tell the audience what to do and how to do it. You should also let them know what will happen
if they don't do what you ask.

 Gain attention with a story that illustrates the problem.

 Show the need to solve the problem and illustrate it with an example that is general
or commonplace.
 Describe your solution to bring a satisfactory resolution to the problem.
 Compare/contrast the two worlds with the problem solved and unsolved.
 Call the audience to action to help solve the problem and give them a way to be part
of the solution.

Barriers and Challenges of Presentation

Barriers –
1. Get your audience to pay attention to what you are saying.

2. Retain their attention throughout your presentation. The longer the presentation, the tougher
this becomes.

3. Get your audience to understand your message.

4. Get your audience to remember what you said. This is even tougher.
5. Get your audience to believe what you are saying.

6. Get your audience to care about what you are saying. You might be passionate about
environment but your audience might not be.

7. Get your audience to actually act on your message. Get them to do what you want them to do.
In a sales context, it will mean getting them to buy. In a sponsorship context, it mean getting the
cheque from the sponsor.
Challenges –
1. Understanding client’s needs.
This process begins long before the presentation, in image surveys, client satisfaction surveys, and
debriefings from previous presentations. Finally there is the detailed homework you need to do
prior to the presentation to understand the exact end goals that each client is looking for.
2. Benchmarking competitors
It is extremely important to know as much as possible about the tactics your competitors use in
presentations. Do they come in with video when you show up with boards? You must do
surveillance on their methods, or you can be blindsided without knowing it.
3. Time to prepare properly
The secret is to start early. Don’t wait until notice of short list, if you’re confident you’ll be on it.
Begin preparing for the presentation when you prepare the proposal. The presentation is simply a
proposal in action. It’s where you must prove the claims you made in the proposal.
4. Getting the team to rehearse
Begin impressing them early on with the importance of rehearsals. Make certain that they clear
their calendar. Pick a time that is most conducive for them to attend, and insist on full participation
by all members of the team.
5. Training the team members
This is best done by an outside consultant, using generic examples that teach concepts of
presenting, rather than internal props that are familiar.
6. Public speaking skills
Presentations are not public speaking, in fact just the opposite. The presenter must be true to their
own nature in order to be credible to the review board. Practice in one’s delivery is certainly
admirable, but forthright enthusiasm wins more clients than a polished speech.
7. Choosing the right type of visual
There are many options for visuals to use depending on the exact nature of the project and the
reviewing board. Certain public agency review boards have sophisticated setups for viewing your
presentation on individual monitors. Board presentations do not work in that setting.
8. Skills for the new technology
PowerPoint is still the easiest and most effective to use, and is here to stay despite some critics.
Certain complicated engineering concepts require computer animations, but put them on video.

Body Language
Like any spoken language body language has words, sentences, and punctuation. Each gesture is
like a single word and one word may have several different meanings. In a normal conversation
only 7% of the message is conveyed through words and about 38% through vocal variety like –
tone, pitch, modulation, pace of voice etc. The balance 55% is communicated through body
language, using facial expressions, gestures, postures etc. Body Language is the first language
which we use from our childhood. Some symbols we use to send messages without speaking a
single word.
Components of Body Language:
1. Gesture
2. Stance
3. Facial Expression
Here are some exampls of body language:
The ’OK’ signal means: ”Fine” or ” All correct” in most English-speaking countries. ”Zero” or
”worthless” in some parts of Europe. ”Money” in Japan. ”An insult” in Greece, Brazil, Italy,
Russia.
The ’Thumbs-up’ Gesture: In Britain, Australia and New Zealand the thumb-up gesture has three
meanings. ”O.K”, ”Fine”, or ”good job”, ”Five” in Japan, and ”One” in Germany.
The ’Pointing Finger’ Gesture: An insulting signal in some countries like, -Russia, Greece,
Australia. This hand gesture is an indication of a dominant to –subordinate behaviour. An
’aggressive signal’, not liked by many.
The Standard Arm Cross Gesture: This is a universal gesture showing defensive or negative
attitude almost everywhere.
Shoulder Shrug Gesture: Shows that a person does not know, or understand what you are talking
about.
Standard Leg-Cross position: Shows nervous, reserved or defensive attitude.
Space and Distance: Every person has a natural territory that he / she carries around with him /
her. So, one should be careful about how one enters the space of another. Territory also includes
the arrangement of our office or home.
Head:
Nodding the head - ”Yes” in most societies. ”No” in some parts of Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey &
Yugoslavia.
Tossing the head backward -”Yes”in Thailand, India, Laos, Philippins
Rocking the head slowly, back & forth -”Yes, I am listening”
Face: Your face is watched whenever you speak. Your face communicates your attitude, feelings
and emotions, more than any other part of your body. Face and eyes convey the most expressive
types of body language, including happiness, surprise, fear, anger, interest and determinalion. It is
truely said that ”face is the index of mind”.
Using Hand: Use your hands confidently Use your hands to describe something or to add weight
to a point you are trying to make.
Don’t cross arms or legs: They make you seem defensive or guarded. Keep your arms and legs
open.
Don’t Slouch and sit up straight in a relax way not tensed.
Don’t touch your face: It might make you seem nervous and can be distracting to listeners, during
conversation.
Keep your head up: Don’t keep your eyes on the ground. It might make you seem insecure and
a bit lost.

Different Styles of Presentation

When looking at presentations in the broadest terms, perhaps it’s more important to focus on their
purpose. There are three basic purposes for giving oral presentations:
1. To inform
2. To persuade
3. To build goodwill
Informative presentations can be divided into two distinct categories: reporting and explaining. A
reporting presentation brings the audience up to date on projects or events. These presentations
might include sharing minutes from shareholders meetings, executive briefings, or an oral sales
reports. The explanatory presentation provides information about products and procedures, rules
and regulations, operations, and other nitty-gritty data.
Informational presentations may include talks, seminars, proposals, workshops, conferences, and
meetings where the presenter or presenters share their expertise, and information is exchanged.
In a business format, it might involve a supervisor explaining new forms, products, regulations, or
filing procedures to employees. During the sales presentation, the sales person may provide
information on the product or service to a prospective customer. In a retail situation, newly hired
sales clerks may attend a presentation on selling techniques or loss prevention.
Persuasive
These are the presentations in which you might attempt to convince the audience to buy your
product or service, to support your goals or concepts, or to change their minds or attitudes.
Persuasive presentations, which are sometimes called transactional, are often motivational.
In a business context, a supervisor may make a presentation on teamwork in order to motivate
employees to support new cooperative efforts within the company structure. It may involve a board
asking its shareholders to support changes in the way dividends are distributed. It could involve
the distribution arm of an organization making suggestions about packaging changes that would
reduce shipping costs. Or it perhaps may involve the marketing department trying to sell top
management on the idea of a new promotional campaign.
Goodwill Presentation
We’ve all seen this kind of presentation. Departments, units, or teams within a business
organization are often rewarded for their success at meetings where their stellar work is showcased.
Each of these events usually includes some kind of presentation, most often in the form of a speech
or sometimes with a slide show, video, or multimedia event.
Goodwill presentations, which often take the form of after-dinner speeches, are often designed to
be entertaining; for example, sharing video highlights of the president’s 10 years at the helm or
“roasting” the top sales person. Sometimes they are ceremonial; for example, the dedication of a
new company facility, welcoming a new key executive or distributing performance rewards.
The purpose of goodwill presentations for peers, colleagues and superiors is pretty obvious: to
build goodwill, to make people feel good about themselves, and to build respect for the
organization.
Sales
Probably the single most prevalent category of presentations is the sales scenario. Throughout our
lives we are “selling” ourselves to teachers, prospective mates, neighbours, or colleagues. But in
the business world, we are most often selling our products, services, or ideas. And two essentials
for success in a sales presentation are knowing and understanding your audience and building
rapport.
Sales presentations can start out simply as first encounters, those one-on-one, get-to-know-each-
other meetings over lunch, or a no-frills quickie meeting in a prospective client’s office. If things
go according to plan, your first encounter might progress to a full-blown multi-media sales
presentation with the top brass and the entire sales team. But most likely you’ll need to schedule a
follow-up meeting at which time you will present your proposal and position yourself to close the
deal.

Vocal Variety
Our voice to complement your message by enhancing:
1. Pace
2. Pitch
3. Power, and
4. Pauses
Your voice is the best tool in your delivery toolbox. You must learn to use it effectively to enhance
your presentation.
Be conscious of all four major vocal variables, and work all of them into your speech.
Plan around the 4 P’s:
Pace - One of the easiest ways to incorporate variable pace is to slow down through key statements.
Pitch - A convenient way to hit different pitch points is to play with different emotional content.
A sad voice takes on a different pitch than a content voice, which is distinct from an excited voice,
and so on. Stories are good speech building blocks for many reasons, including how they bring a
speaker’s voice alive through different emotions.
Power (Volume) - Don’t overdo it with changes in volume. Again, align your variations in volume
with emotional content. Anger or joy tends to bring out a loud voice. Fear or sadness calls for
a quiet voice.
Pauses - There are a multitude of ways to incorporate pauses in a meaningful way (watch for a
future Six Minutes article dedicated to pauses). For this speech, keep it straightforward. Make sure
you’ve got short pauses following every sentence, and longer pauses at the ends of paragraphs
or transitions within your speech.
Be Deliberate:
1. Don’t just write a speech and try to incorporate vocal variety on the fly as you deliver it.
You won’t get any value from this speech project if you take that approach.
2. As you write, edit, and rehearse your speech, select words or phrases where you will
consciously vary your voice in each of the four P ways. As you grow as a speaker, you’ll
hit all four of these unconsciously, but when you are learning, it’s okay to be a little more
deliberate.
3. Consider annotating your speech with colour pen to highlight vocal variation opportunities.
4. You might even consider making a “scorecard” in the margin of your page, and giving
yourself one point for each vocal manoeuver. Shoot for a score of at least 3 for each P.
Align voice with expressive gesture:
1. One of the best ways to bring out your most expressive voice is to use expressive gestures,
particularly facial gestures!
2. If participate in teleconference calls or webinars, you may have learned this trick. Even
though nobody can see you, it really helps to stand up in your office and give body, hand,
and facial gestures as you talk on the phone. Your voice will naturally come alive, as if
synchronized with your gestures.
3. The same trick applies to face-to-face presentations as well. If you are expressive with your
face and other gestures, your voice tends to naturally align.
Ditch the notes, Keep your head up and project your voice:
Maybe you have used notes for the five previous “Competent Communicator” projects, but now
is a great time to break free of your notes.
1. When you glance down to read notes, your neck and throat bend and can get contorted.
Your voice tends to be low, or poor quality, and low volume.
 2. Without notes, you’ll be able to keep your head up high and your eyes on your audience.
With your head high, your neck and throat will be stretched out, and the quality of your
voice will be much more resonant.
Exaggerate Words:
If your speech allows, find some words where you can play with the pronunciation to add some
vocal spice to your delivery. For example,
Instead of saying “The car was a long way from the beach,” you could say “The car was
alooooooong way from the beach”. Instead of saying “The hamburger was delicious,” try “The
hamburger was deeee-licious.”

Manners of Presentation
First impressions are crucial. A presentation is about impressions. But is there a rule book on the
etiquette you should follow? In general, we model ourselves and our behaviors based on what we
have seen in past presenters. Our teachers are forever a go-to on how to deliver. Some bad. Some
good. Either way, you have seen an example of presentation etiquette which works, as well as an
example which doesn’t work.
In helping write and design presentations, I also help coach people in their delivery. These 10
aspects of etiquette remain true in every manner of presenting, some of which apply to both in-
person and online presentations. They are simplistic, but crucial to the impression you send.
Arrive Early and Prepared
You should arrive about an hour before you deliver your presentation. I know this may seem like
an extreme amount of time, but it’s not. There is parking to consider, finding the presentation
location, equipment set-up and testing, etc. – the list is actually enough for another article. You
also need to be prepared. Showing up early can ensure your preparedness. You have the time to
triple check that everything works and you have what you need. If all this becomes unnecessary,
at least you are there early enough to improvise.
Dress Properly and Eat Well
The way you dress will reflect not only you, but everything you are representing. Dress for the
event, but don’t overdo it. Consider your audience and the purpose of the presentation to best select
your dress code. Eating well is two-sided. Firstly, you need to maintain your energy supply and I
advise that you include foods high in complete protein. On the other side, have you ever heard a
speaker’s stomach growl? It can be off-putting and distracting.
Be Respectful and Thoughtful
Being an expert does not give room for being conceited. Know your manners: ‘Please.’ ‘Thank
You.’ Wait for other’s to complete a thought. You also need to understand that their time is
valuable. Some members of your audience may feel you’re wasting their time before you get
started. Respect their time and make sure that in exchange for the time they give you, that you are
providing constant value throughout your presentation.
Don’t Be Too Quick To React
Fast reaction seems like you are on the defensive side. Allow a brief second for questions or
reactions from the audience to set in. There is magic in a pause. A brief 3 second pause is never
noticed by your audience and it gives you time to breathe, think, and react. Reacting too fast can
cause fillers, like ums and ahs, or make you seem rash.
Be Aware of Your Word Emphasis
The way you add emphasis to your words convey meaning. Excitement in your voice is great, but
emphasizing certain words changes the whole meaning of your sentence. Like “Does SHE have to
come with us” versus “Does she have to come with us” sends a different message. In the first
example it seems like the speaker has some dislike for the person in question. The second one is a
simply stated question. You can’t really tell if there is added meaning to the statement. Be aware
of how you emphasize words.
Own Your Stage and Watch Your Body Language
Sticking to one spot makes you look stiff. If you look stiff, everything you are representing is stiff.
Own your stage. This goes back to arriving early and having time to know the space you have to
work with. Move around it so you can address every part of the room. The body language you use
on the stage also aids in conveying your message. Keep it precise and simple. Every movement
should have a specific purpose. Don’t just move for the sake of moving.
Be Prepared for the Unexpected
Unless you have psychic abilities and can see into the future, you don’t know when the unexpected
is coming. You can, however, be prepared for the worst case scenarios. Know your material in
case there is a problem where you can’t use your visual aid. Maybe you were going to present to
a small group and now it is an entire auditorium, what do you do? Relax and present to the
individuals. Make sure you can work without your primary presentation file if required – even
your backup files should have backup files.
Never Turn Your Back on the Audience
This is seen as disrespectful by many. It should be a general “best practice” rule to always keep
your shoulders forward. Reading from your visual aid can kill your authority with the audience.
Besides, the audience is investing their time into your presentation, so don’t turn your back on
them. In the case of an online presentation when you’re broadcasting yourself across the web, stay
in front of your camera. If you’re not using your camera but instead just screen sharing to present
your presentation content, never step away from the mic. It is the equivalent of turning your back.
Speak with an Educative Tone
The purpose of delivering your presentation is to educate the audience on your topic. They don’t
know what you know. They don’t want to know everything you know either. Keep it concise but
explain any jargon you use. When delivering your presentation you should do so with the
assumption that this is the first time they have heard any of your material. The result is better
engagement with your audience.
Visual Aids Should Be Used With Care
This last point alone has a lot to be said about it. Throwing up paragraphs and terrible images will
destroy your visual aid. You need to understand the basics of Human Spatial Cognition and
Cognitive Load Theory. They will help you understand how humans encode information into their
memory as well as the optimal amount of visuals for memory input. Less is always so much more.
Use visual metaphors in place of long-winded paragraphs. For example, you can actually replace
the physical bullet point with a graphic metaphor. This helps the audience easily recall that
information. It’s magic, really.