Presentation Skills

Oral Presentation Skills

In present age, presentations are very important. Thus, it is quite important to polish one’s presentation skills. People all over the world have developed a craze for improving this talent. Basically there are four main types of Oral presentation:

· Extemporaneous Method

· Manuscript Method

· Memorization Method

· Impromptu Method

Extemporaneous Method:

In this method, the speaker speaks from previously prepared outline or notes. The main points are written on flash cards or on a piece of papers and these points are elaborated by the speaker. The flash cards or paper may have quotes, comments and statistics.

This method of speaking is generally preferred by people as it allows more eye-contact with audience. The people can concentrate on the speech and the speaker gets a chance to connect with the audience without boring them. This method also helps a speaker by letting them practice their genius and ensures they don’t fumble at the same time.

Manuscript Method:

For long speeches which may have technical data, complex figures and quotations from authorities the manuscript method is a better option. In this method the speaker reads from an already prepared speech. Government officials, politicians and executives prefer this method as it helps them read important details verbatim.

Although, this method is good for speeches where data is to be quoted, or the speech is too long to memorize, however reading the entire speech word for word should be avoided. Direct eye contact is hardly possible in this method therefore, the audiences get bored quickly. To use this method to its fullest aids like large font, double-space and wide margins should be used. When it becomes easy to read, it becomes possible to pass glances on audience from time to time.

Memorization Method:

This method is generally used in declamations and speeches where paper-reading is not allowed. In this method, the speaker memorizes and rehearses a pre-written speech. It is also useful for people who want to present an oral presentation of three to four minutes and want to finish it in time.

To utilize this method, the speaker should memorize only the beginning and end of the speech. Or main ideas and short quotations should be memorized.

Impromptu Method:

Speaking on the spur of moment is called Impromptu Speaking. This type of speech is expected from people to give comments and remarks or a rebuttal in a debate.

Though this method of presentation is most interesting, particularly if the speaker is very witty, however it has many threats to it. The speaker might not be able to convince his audience, or may get confused; his ideas might appear to be incoherent.

People present their ideas through this method by practicing a few things. It is possible to speak impromptu from time to time. The key is good listening. If possible, notes should be jotted down to avoid confusions. With the help of good listening, a few clichés, a couple of nice jokes and smart thinking; impromptu thinking becomes not only possible but also enjoyable.

Successful Presentation

There are five key elements (or presentation skills areas) for building and delivering a successful presentation.

· Planning and writing the presentation

· Using visual aids effectively

· Overcoming presentation nerves

· Delivering the presentation confidently

· Answering questions competently

Planning and writing the Presentation:

Certain things should be kept in mind in order to plan a presentation. If some thought is put into the presentation, it becomes worth applause. Otherwise it might not achieve the real end. In order to develop an impressive presentation following things should be kept in mind:

1. Determine the purpose

2. Analyze the audience and situation

3. Choose main ideas for your message

4. Research your topic thoroughly

5. Organize the data and write a draft

6. Rehearse and talk and revise where necessary

1. Determining the purpose:

Each speech can have a general or specific purpose. It is important to determine this purpose before hand in planning a presentation.

· To Inform or Instruct: in professional life, the employees are expected to present in order to inform their executives or to give an orientation to the new comers.

· To Persuade: persuasive speaking is expected from a presenter in order to get the listeners to willingly accept the presenter’s beliefs. It involves speeches of aspiration, logical arguments and motivation.

· To Entertain: professionals are sometimes expected to present in order to entertain. Such as at social gatherings, on occasions like anniversaries of organization, on introductions of new employees etc. at such occasions the presenters normally deliver a speech with some serious thought mixed with pun, humor and irony.

2. Audience Analyses:

A key part of this planning is to research your presentation audience, since the more you know your audience, the more you can understand them and what their preconceptions might be. The important points to analyze the audience are to find out the size of the crowd or group, age range, interests, goals, occupations in general etc. If the mind set of the audience is known, it is easier to formulate an amiable presentation.

3. Choose the Main Ideas of your Message:

The main idea of a presentation is the focal point. The easiest way to do this is to ask various questions from you. Once you get the appropriate idea, you can weave the details around it and let it be the core of your presentation.

4. Research your topic thoroughly:

When researching, do not leave any stones unturned. The more thoroughly you scavenge for detail the more confident you will be. But keep in mind the following parameters:

• Check the credibility of the data you searched for
• Check the relevance of your data
• Make sure that you search related data apart from your central idea
• Do not get distracted by the lucratively of supporting ideas and keep in focus your core idea
• Observe the time line available for research because if you loose focus of time, you would not be able to plan your presentation in time

5. Organize the data and write a draft:

Logically, you need to divide your presentation into three parts:

1. Introduction: this is the part where you introduce your ideas and approach to these ideas. For introduction, PAL is your pal.

· P stands for Porch, which in introduction means an abstract statement. The principle behind porch is that we do not attack the audience by our main idea in the beginning. The presenter must gain the audience attention with a throat clearing statement. It can be a quotation, an anecdote, a question, an unusual greeting or may be a joke. As long as it interests the audience and grabs their attention, it’s worth it.

· A stands for Aim. Now here is the time where you introduce your thesis statement. Thesis statement can very well be defined as, “the core statement of any presentation or essay, which encompasses the crux or the gist of the whole discussion, which doesn’t carry any loopholes and can either be clearly negated or accepted without bending it in anyway.”

· L in PAL stands for Layout. After introducing thesis statement the presenter must also define the layout of the presentation. The layout can also be known as the agenda or road map of the presentation. It tells the audience what to expect from the presentation and what information to look for.

2. Body Content: the body content follows after the Layout. Basically in the layout, we give an outline to our presentation. Now we need to fill in the details inside this outline. The body content must follow the psychological order of arrangement for the presentation. It basically means that the most important arguments in favor of the presentation must be given in the beginning working all the way to less important details. Now the thing to remember in this part is that all the arguments following in this portion should be logically arranged and should appeal to the reason of audience.

3. Conclusion: conclusion of a presentation has two parts.

· Summarization of all the important arguments or points, to remind the audience of all important aspects that you dealt with

· An inference drawn out of these arguments or points.

Using visual aid effectively:

As the name suggests, visual aids are basically the tools that aid you represent the data through visual representation. The visual aid might be as simple as a white board or marker or as complex as a fully set model of a building or prototype of a machine. On simpler levels, board and marker, flip charts, overhead projectors and even multimedia can be used.

According to the famous presentation skills expert, Lenny Laskowski :

Simple visual aids can serve as your notes when speaking. Carefully select your titles. These titles alone can serve as "triggers" to what you want to say next. If you know your subject well and have rehearsed your presentation, your visual aids should be all you need to "jog" your memory. If you forget something that's okay; the audience would never know.

He further states that using visual aids has 4 important advantages:

• You don't have to worry about what you're going to say next - Your next visual aid has your next major idea on it. Use effective titles which properly capture the main message of the visual aid.
• Visual aids allow you to move around the room - inexperienced speakers don't want to move around. Movement helps you to relax and adds energy to your presentations. Movement also allows the listeners to follow you and pay closer attention to you.
• You can have good eye contact with your audience - You can look at your audience all the time, except when you look briefly at your visual aid. That's okay since the audience will also look at your visual aid. This will help them see your message as well as hear your message.
• Your Audience feels comfortable knowing you're on your planned track - Well designed visual aids show that you have a plan and have properly prepared and you are following your plan.

Overcoming Presentation Nerves:

The number one fear of most people is Glossophobia or speech anxiety which is the fear of public speaking. Moreover, Estimated 75% of all speakers experience some degree of anxiety/nervousness when public speaking.

Although, anxiety cannot be completely sub sided however, by a few things, it can be reduced to a minimum. The following are a few basic tips for reducing stage fright:

• Preparing the content well: the more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be. Hard work has no alternative and constant hard working is what ensures full confidence on part of the presenter. If the research is not faulty, it empowers the presenter thus making them bold in their capacity.
• Good Appearance: make sure that before presentation, you are dressed very well. When one looks good they feel good. If someone’s too concerned about what people might be thinking about his/her appearance, he/she won’t be able to concentrate on the content thus giving way to nerves. Hold a satisfactory appearance to be more confident.
• Rehearse: at least 3 times at three separate time frames. Because you’ll stumble upon more and more stuff in the first two rehearsals and try to perfect the third one. But do not practice more than 3 times because it would sound more memorized than extemporaneous.
• Deep Breathing: helps fill up your lungs and diaphragm, which in turn adds more oxygen in the blood stream and reduces stress by relaxing the muscles. The full diaphragm also helps thrust of voice ultimately making it possible to be in control of the presentation. Therefore, deep breathing before presentation helps reduce the stage fright.
• Movement: during the presentation can have many pros to it. One of them is to reduce the nervousness. If at any moment during the presentation you feel that you are forgetting something or getting nervous, take a stroll across the length of the stage.

Delivering the presentation confidently:

During the presentation delivery you have to watch your non-verbal behavior along with verbal presentation. Following are the things that you need to keep in mind.

Appearance: In order to be confident, you should look confident. Dress up in colors that make you look confident and prepared. In your appearance, following things should be kept in mind:

• Dressing- dress up in colors that are not too loud or vibrant. Vibrant colors would divert the attention of the audience towards the dress rather than the material that is delivered. Wear grounded, mild toned colors like dark navy blue, French navy blue, skin, raw amber brown, seal brown, dark grey etc. Also keep in mind that your shoes should be formal looking executive shoes with no or few laces and should be well polished. The shoes should be in harmony with dress shades. Do not wear brown with dark grey, black or blue dresses. It would on the other hand be appreciable to pair up browns with brown suits or skin shades.
• Hair style- wear your hair in a fashion that doesn’t show it’s freshly cut, but it should be neat and proper.
• Fragrance-although your audience might not smell you from a distance, but mild fragrances keep the atmosphere fresh and leave a pleasant effect on the people who come across you
• Make-up- (preferably for women) males can use moisturizers and chap sticks and even sun screens. Women on the other hand, have a wide range of cosmetics, to aid their looks. But it should be kept in mind that whatever make up they apply, right from eye cover ups to nail enamels, they should use light natural colors. Loud make up involves the same risk as vibrant colored clothing. Moreover, jewelry that jingles, or heels that sound should be avoided. Similarly, the male presenters should avoid putting keys or coins in their pockets.

Posture: keep in mind that your posture should show you are confident. Stand straight with your weight lying equally on both legs. Do not hide behind a dais or slouch on it, do not shift weight from one leg to another and do not stand with your arms tied in front of your chest.

Gestures: Regulate your gestures according to your words. The timing for your gestures should be synchronized with your material. Moreover, do not frantically move your arms. Excessive use of gestures can mar the effect of your Presentation. Use them to add impact to your presentation. Take a pause every now then to enhance the effect.

The observations enunciated above are the amalgamation of observations and experiences that great presenters shared. The key factor in making a presentation successful is confidence. If we have faith in our content, and have prepared it well, we can speak in public without fearing a thing.

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