EFFECTIVE

PRESENTATION
SKILLS

Presenter – Faraiba Ahmed

 EVALUATE YOURSELF
What Category Best Describes You As A Speaker?

CATEGORY CHARACTERISTICS
Avoider You do everything possible to escape from having to get in
front of an audience.

Resister You have fear when asked to speak. May not be able to
avoid speaking, but you never encourage it. When you do
speak, it’s with great reluctance and pain.

Accepter You’ll give presentations but don’t seek those opportunities.

Sometimes you feel good about a presentation you gave.

Seeker Looks for opportunities to speak. Finds the anxiety a

stimulant which fuels enthusiasm during a presentation.
Self-confident.
 FACTS
Why Are Presentation Skills Important?
• Almost every organization lists communication skills as one of
their most critical issues…and presentation skills are a large
component of communications
• Presentation skills are crucial to almost every aspect of
academic/business life, from meetings, interviews,
conferences, to trade shows/job fairs
• Often times leadership and presentation skills go hand
in hand

Ability to communicate verbally (internally and externally)

4.43/5.0 Employer Rated Competencies – NACE Survey
2017
 PLAN YOUR PRESENTATION
Put yourself in the shoes of the people who will be listening to your presentation

Analyze The Audience

• Values…What is important to them?
• Needs…What information do they want?
• Constraints…Understand their level of knowledge on the
subject and target them appropriately
• Demographics…Size of audience and location may
influence the presentation
3 Key Components of a Good Presentation
• Structure
• Body Language and Movement
• Verbal Delivery
 Good Presentations Consist of
Three Key Components
Clear components • Comfort
• Introduction Body • Deliberate gestures
• Body Structure Language & • Eye Contact
•Conclusion Movement • Use of visual aids
Smooth flow from
one topic to next
Topic
Content

Verbal
Delivery • Pace
• Volume
• Use of full vocal range
 Structure
Introduction
• Build Rapport with Audience
• State preference for questions - during or after?
• Set stage: provide agenda and objective – grab their attention
• State the bottom line and your key supporting points
Body
• Deliver your message logically and structured
• Use appropriate anecdotes, examples
• illustrate key points
• establish credibility
• connect with audience
Conclusion
• Restate bottom line and key supporting points
• For Q&A: “Who wants more details?” (not, “any questions?”)
• Prompting for questions: “A question I often hear is…”
INTRODUCTION: Start With The Objective

Who am I? Provide your name, role, function

Why am I here? Declare objective, set expectations

Why is this important -

Give audience a reason to listen;
WII-FM: What’s In It For Me (for
make an explicit benefit statement
the audience)?

Lay a road map; set the agenda;

How will I accomplish my
provide an outline of what will be
objective?
covered and when
BODY:
Structure the Presentation to Maximize Delivery
Tell audience what you’re going to tell
Deliver the Main Idea
them…and tell them again

Move through presentation by using

phrases such as; “now we will review…”
Transition Well or “if there are no more questions, we
will now move onto…”

If needed, use examples not in

presentation to emphasize a point, but
Be Flexible and On Course don’t get side-tracked. Stay On Course by
using phrases such as “let’s get back
to…”

Make sure you have delivered your

Review Benefits and Main Idea message and emphasized the main idea
or benefit to the audience
 Key Elements of
Non-Verbal Communication
• Open Body Posture
• Eye Contact
• Facial Expressions
• Gestures
• Posture
• Space
 Body Language and Movement
Feet/Body
• Stand firmly and move deliberately. Do not sway or shift
• Move at appropriate times during presentation (e.g. move during
transitions or to emphasize a point)
• Stand where you can see everyone
• Do not block the visuals/screen
Hands
• Decide on a resting position for hands (should feel and look
comfortable)
• Gestures should be natural and follow what you are saying
• Hand movement can emphasize your point
• Make gestures strong and crisp…ok to use both arms/hands
• Keep hands away from face
• When pointing to the screen, do so deliberately. Do not wave
• Use 3-T’s Method… Touch-Turn-Talk
 Body Language and Movement
Eyes
• Look at audience’s faces, not above their heads
• If an interview or business meeting…look at the decision makers
as well as everyone else
• Vary where and who you look at
• Look at faces for 3-5 seconds and then move on to the next person
• Do not look away from audience for more than 10 seconds
• Looking at a person keeps them engaged

Looking at their faces tells you how your delivery and topic is
being received by the audience
 Read Your Audience
Keep Them Interested

Openness Hostility

Boredom Disapproval

Interest Audience Neutrality

Body Language
Shows
 Read Your Audience
Keep Them Interested

• Reading the audience’s body language can help you modify the
pace of your delivery to keep as many people engaged as
possible
• It can also help you to gauge who is in agreement with you,
who is opposing your point of view, and who has yet to decide
• Depending upon the nature of the presentation
 Verbal Delivery
Common Faults of Five Critical
Tips for Speaking to an Audience
Elements of Verbal Presentations
1. Volume Use spoken rather than written English
• Speaking too quietly • Use active rather than passive verbs
2. Speed • Avoid technical terms, unless you know the
• Speaking too quickly hinders audience is familiar with them
the audience comprehension • Always use your own words and phrases
3. Variety • Cut out jargon
• Monotone, lack of expression Look at your audience
can create • Use vocal techniques to catch their
“dull” delivery with little attention
animation - change pace or volume
4. Fillers - use a longer than normal pause
• Hesitation, excessive pauses, between key points
using distracting fillers (“um”, “ah”) - change pitch or inflection
5. Emphasis - sip water to force yourself to pause
• Stress on unimportant words clouds • Audience is a group of individual people
meaning - address them as if they were a
• Poor phrasing, putting pauses in single person
the wrong places
Practice, Practice, Practice
 Myths about Giving Presentations
Myth Fact
Good speakers are born, not Good speakers take more time preparing
made and practicing than ineffective speakers

If I follow what someone else says and does, Other people’s styles are useful, but you
I will be as effective as that person must present in the way that feels most
comfortable for you

People who speak and look confident are Most speakers experience some type
not nervous inside of nervous energy

I do not have enough chances to practice, If you really want to practice, you can find
so I will never feel confident the time

Before I get up to talk, I feel These reactions signal that you are
physiological reactions - my heart beats energizing yourself (these are typical of
faster and my breathing gets quicker. Olympic athletes before they compete).
Those sensations mean fear. They are normal. You can draw on them to
energize you, not immobilize you.
 Tips for Reducing Anxiety
Organize
• Knowing that your presentation and thoughts are
well organized will give you confidence
Visualize
• Imagine delivering your presentation with enthusiasm
and leaving the room knowing that you did a good job
Practice
• All successful speakers rehearse their presentations
• Either do it alone, with your team, or video tape yourself
and review your performance after
• Practice standing up as if the audience was in front of
you
• Then practice again
 Tips for Reducing Anxiety
Make Contact Before Your Talk
• If possible, speak with the audience before your
presentation begins…(not always possible with a large
audience)
• Walk up to them, shake their hand and introduce yourself
• Thank them in advance for inviting you to speak today

Break the imaginary glass barrier between you and the

audience
…It relaxes both sides
 Tips for Reducing Anxiety
Make Contact Before Your Talk
Break the imaginary glass barrier between you and the audience

Comment by an MIT Postdoc who went on an academic interview:

“One thing I did, which I think made a huge difference, was to
follow your suggestion to break the glass barrier between me and
them by interacting with them as much as possible before my
presentation. I did so and it worked out great! All of a sudden, they
became normal people to me and we simply had a nice
conversation about my research.”
 Tips for Reducing Anxiety
Breathe
• Inhale deeply several times to stay loose. When
your muscles tighten, you feel nervous and it’s more
difficult to breathe
• Try to clear your mind. Breathe and tell yourself
to “relax”
Release Tension
• In a quiet area, do an isometric exercise
• Starting with your toes, and working up your body, tighten
all of your muscles including making fists. Then
release all tension while taking a deep breathe
 Tips for Personal Appearance
Dress Appropriately
• Avoid distracting the audience / interviewer by:
• Overdressing / Underdressing
• Too Much Skin
• Perfumes / Aftershaves / Colognes
• Bad Grooming
• Displaying Tattoos or Body Piercings
 Tips for Personal Appearance
Women
• Clothes should fit well, not too tight. If wearing a skirt, hemline
(length of skirt) should be appropriate for the audience. Generally
longer sleeves present a more professional business-like appearance
• Find 2-3 colors that work well for you. Wear good fabrics and
make sure they don’t make noise when you move. Conservative
colors, such as black, blue, gray, and brown, seem to be the safest
bet when meeting someone for the first time in a professional setting,
whereas colors that signal more creativity may be too loud for an
interview. Generally, try to avoid bright reds, oranges, and
whites, since these tend to draw attention away from your face.
• Avoid jewelry that sparkles, dangles or makes noise. Use
subtle accessories to compliment your outfit. Earrings, broaches
and bracelets can distract the audience
 Tips for Personal Appearance
Women
• Makeup should be simple and compliment the wearer.
Makeup that is well done can control oily areas of the
face that might reflect light, and enhance natural
features, presenting a more relaxed look
• Hair should add to a positive overall appearance and
should
not be a dominant feature of the face

“Underscored Elegance”
 Tips for Personal Appearance
Men
• Suits should be well tailored. Generally, dark blues, grays
and blacks in current styles are the safest bet. Depending
upon the audience, a sport coat and well-matched dress
slacks are fine
• Men’s suits are designed to be buttoned, whereas most
women’s coats are not. Depending upon the level of
formality, you may wish to button the jacket, unbutton it, or
remove the coat all together
• Shirts should fit well and the color should not be too bright.
Wear a cotton T-shirt and a white dress shirt if you’re worried
about perspiration…ladies, consider the same
 Tips for Personal Appearance
Men
• If wearing a tie, it should compliment the color of your eyes
and face. A “power
tie” may not work in many settings. More low
tones and subtle colors may work better
• Shoes should be appropriate, comfortable and well shined.
Socks should match and cover the bare leg when you sit
down
• Hair (if any) should frame your face. Beards and mustaches
should be well trimmed and above the lip line
 Tips for Personal Appearance
Wearing Glasses
• If you need glasses to read the visual aides or to see the
audience, wear them. If you don’t need them, or wear
contact lenses, leave them off. Glasses sometimes
reflect light and
the audience won’t be able to see your eyes.
• Do not wear tinted glasses to avoid reflections. If need be,
use an anti-reflective coating which eliminates reflection and
glare.
 Personal Appearance Reminders
• 55% of the message we send is based upon what
people see
• People make snap decisions about us based on
what we wear
• It is up to you to manage that impression
• What they see is what you get

Content by The Mitchell Organization

 Common Presenting Mistakes
• Talking too fast / lack of pauses
• Reading slides verbatim
• Hovering over the projector / facing the screen
• Standing between the projector and the screen
• Speaking during a transition
• Responding to a question by shuffling through a
disorganized pile of slides/papers
• Failing to introduce or summarize the
presentation
• Not reminding the audience why they should be
listening
Tips and Tricks – Visual Aids

Ensure adequate preparation

• Be completely familiar with the aids, the equipment, and their use
• Be certain everyone can see/hear the aid
• If using transparencies make them readable, brief, simple

Don’t overload your presentation

• Rough rule of thumb 2-3 visual aids per 10 minutes

Match your performance to your preparation

• Explain your slides
• Use a pointer rather than your finger
• Never stand between any member of the audience and the screen
• Avoid turning towards the screen to explain a point
• Speak as much as possible to your audience rather than to the aid
• Turn off the projector when the visuals is no longer required
 The Visuals…continued
Do not talk during transitions
• Will end up talking into the projector
• Brief silence allows audience time to think
Keep slides neat and in sequence
• Will need to refer back when someone asks a question
• The slides are useful way to focus the discussion and to support your
key points
• Different audiences call for different slides
• Primary focus should be you and your message, not the slides
• The slides can be handouts so participants remember the
presentation
Do not be a slave to the slide presentation
• If instinct tells you to change the order of your presentation or add/delete
some information - do it
 Managing Your Q&A Preferences
EXAMPLE: Allison dislikes/is uneasy with spontaneous questioning
• IDEA: She writes out and practices responses to potential
questions. She asks listeners to write down their questions so
she can answer them during Q&A time
EXAMPLE: Kathy feels uneasy not knowing her listeners
• IDEA: She can greet people as they enter. If that is not
possible, she can ask questions by a show of hands to assess
people’s interests and expectations
EXAMPLE: Chris is easily distracted from his central points
• IDEA: He can ask listeners to hold their questions and
comments to the end of his talk. Or, he can answer questions
between each of his major points

Understand Your Preference

 Handling Difficult Questions
• Sometimes you may face questions that are unanswerable.
If you feel unable to answer a question it may be useful to
have a reply in order to reduce it’s impact on your presentation
• Sample responses:
• “I need to check with my colleagues before I can answer your question
so please see me after the session. I will take your details and
get back to you”
• “Let me think about that for a minute. Can we come back to that
later? Next question please”
• “I don’t think that the information necessarily supports either view
definitively. However, my personal opinion is…”
 Last Minute Checklist
• Is the room set up properly?
• Seating - can everyone see the screen?
• Equipment - do you know how to operate it? Have you checked the
focus?
• Are your visuals and other supplies ready?
• Are your notes (if any) ready?
• Have you checked your clothing?
• Appearance, taken change out of your pockets, zippers in closed
position, etc.?
• Do you know what to say in the opening?
• What are your key points of your presentation?
• Do you know how you will close?
EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION SKILLS
To wrap up, this is what we discussed today
• Self Evaluation…Know what type of speaker are you?
• Facts and Fears of Public Speaking
• Presentation Blueprint…The Main Takeaway
• Structure, Body Language, Verbal Delivery
• Tips and Other Considerations
• Myths and Facts
• Personal Appearance
• How to Reduce Anxiety
• Common Mistakes

Have fun!!!
Practice, Practice, Practice
EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION SKILL

Final Q&A
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are
tiny matters compared to what lies within us”
Oliver Wendell Holmes