Group Members: Shailendra Pamnani, Tara Rimetz, Levry Severino
ORAL AND ONLINE PRESENTATIONS
Introduction
Before making any sort of speech, there should be a formal planning process. Since oral presentations are the oldest form of formal speeches, there is an abundant supply of expert advice and tips on the process.
Scot Ober, author of Contemporary Business Communication, suggests to first determine the purpose of your presentation. The purpose can be to
explain
report
persuade
motivate
The purpose will determine how you set up the rest of your presentation.
A crucial step is organizing the entire presentation into an opening, body, and ending.
The opening of the presentation is critical as the audience will be most judgmental during this part, and one may capture the interest of the audience and retain their attention throughout the speech. Popular ways of starting a presentation include quoting a well-known person, asking a question, presenting a hypothetical situation, giving an anecdote/startling fact, or using visual aids. A preview of the presentation should be included in the opening.
The core of the content should be given in the body through a logical sequence. Statistics, examples and expert opinions should be continuously cited to establish credibility. It is also important to deal with negative information. Introducing the “con”s (instead of just pro’s side of your topic) will make your ideas more realistic.
The ending of the speech is the last chance to meet your objective. Thus, a summary of major points should be presented, as well as possible recommendations and conclusions. The end message to the audience should be simple and clear
After analyzing the aspects of presentation-planning mentioned in the introduction, you must then choose an appropriate delivery method.
Memorizing the speech
This is highly cautioned against, especially for business presentations. Memorizing undermines your ability to engage with the audience and will make your speech seem rigid and mechanical. Rather, one should memorize the beginning and ending of the presentation in order to have a solid start and finish point.
Reading off the presentation
If your topic is highly complex and technical, reading is advised so that none of the details will be lost. This form of delivery is commonly used by professors and researchers during conferences. However, reading during a business oral presentation is not recommended since it can be seen as a waste of the audience’s time. If you were going to read off the presentation to begin with, why didn’t you just distribute the copy to the audience and have them read it at their own leisure time?
Speaking from prepared notes
This is the most common form of delivery. Notes will ensure all your key points get addressed, while also allowing you to tailor your presentation to the audience. You will also have more freedom to use both verbal and non-verbal cues.
Skills
When Preparing
A study from 2001 on the implications of learning public speaking skills noted that oral presentations skills are very important for effective presentations. However, when observing medical students make presentations, many of them lacked summary skills. Due to a mass amount of data the students discovered, they were unselective when choosing which ones went into their presentations. Therefore, in the planning stages of presenting, it is important for one to be able to edit and prioritize information.
A common way to learn skills in any field is to watch experts. However, this is not totally beneficial, as pointed out in the 2001 study. Experienced public speakers can still make great presentations just by improvising. Improvising is not recommended to the novice public speaker since one needs time to pick up on the art of public speaking. Rather, the beginner should stick to standard conventions as will be described later.
The 2001 study also showed the vast majority of students learn public speaking skills through trial and error, and that an explicit teaching model for public speaking has limited effectiveness. So, try and get as much practice in as possible and take the opportunity to make oral presentations whenever possible. You will likely learn from your mistakes and become a much better speaker overall.
Nonverbal Cues
Nonverbal behaviors relate to the speaker’s credibility and persuasiveness. Therefore, good nonverbal cues are necessary for the audience to remember and believe your presentation. One study found greater vocal and facial pleasantness led to a greater perceived competence and composure. More moving around the room on the part of the speaker led to audience believing the speaker was social, relaxed, and dominant. The more fluent and variety of pitch affects the speaker’s persuasiveness.
Since it harder for one to control his/her nonverbal actions than controlling his/her verbal actions, one should focus on the nonverbal attributes only after the rest of the presentation is ready. Four important factors to focus on are voice quality, pitch variety, eye contact, and body movements.
When receiving feedback
The study from 2001 also inferred that students in rule-based professions (little room for personal opinions and contrasting theories), such as medicine and law, take feedback in the form of rules, when they should be seen in terms of context and audience. For example, just because a feedback tells you not to define technical terms, that does not mean never define these terms. If your audience is highly professional and experienced, there is no need to explain certain terms. Deciding what goes into your presentation is part of audience analysis.
Habits
Eye Contact
When making eye contact with someone, make sure you hold the eye contact for about 3 seconds. This way the audience will be paying attention to you. Also, if one is intimidated by having so many people stare at him/her, they can follow the advice of Dr.Rosenburg, a public speaking professor at Rutgers University. Instead of staring at someone’s eyes, aim at their forehead. They won’t even tell the difference!
Put yourself in the Audience’s shoes
Try and make your presentation interesting. This way members of the audience will want to listen to your presentation. You can do this by asking yourself what is a common topic the audience cares about and how can I tie that to my presentation?
End by asking questions
Don’t leave your audience confused. Ask for questions at the end. One person’s question may possibly clarify one of your points for everyone.
What not to do
Simply refer to the video at the top of the page!
Visual aids
Visual aids are a way for your audience to grasp what you are telling them. Popular visual aids include hand-outs, projecting models/graphs to a screen, and diagrams on a board. However, it is important to make sure you are authorized to use some things as aids. For example, in British parliament, speakers must get their aids approved before-hand. Also, some photographs and graphs may be subject to copyright. It is important to take all of that into consideration when selecting visual aids.
Post-presentation
After breathing a sigh of relief, there are more things a speaker can do to ensure future successful presentations. Feedback, both in the form of anonymous notes and by people raising hands, can provide constructive criticism and reinforce positive aspects.
Online Presentations
Online presentations are increasing throughout the business world. Powerpoint presentations, video conferencing, and other multimedia tools help presenter’s get their message across online. Although these presentations may not always involve face-to-face communication, they still require certain skills to capture an audience’s attention and keep it throughout the whole presentation.
Pre-Presentation
All business presentations should be reporting, explaining, persuading and motivating; this includes online presentations. It may seem they do not require that much work, but in reality, online presentations require extra work because you are working to capture an audience’s attention without always being present. Another important part of planning presentations is audience analysis. What type of audience is one trying to reach? Customizing a presentation to fit the needs of certain audiences is key to achieving a successful presentation.
Skills
There are six presentation tips that can improve any online presentation:
1) Short is hard-but powerful -Breaking down complex thoughts into simpler ones allows the audience to grasp the key points of the presentation
2) Drama captures attention
-Dramatic build up can increase interest in one’s presentation
3) Stories make it real -Personal stories and anecdotes allow the audience to develop personal connections with the speaker. They also can make a presentation more interesting.
4) Props add spice -Using props effectively can give any presentation a boost by captivating attention and by putting abstract ideas into physical terms.
5) Titles matter -The title of the presentation is the first words the audience sees. Make sure the title grasps their attention with out over wording.
6) Content must deliver what’s promised -Keeping on track and staying on topic is essential to a successful presentation. Only talk about what you promised.
Habits
Sometimes it can be hard to keep on task during online presentations (especially if it is over the phone and you are viewing the presentation online). One of the most important habits to consider while listening to an online presentation is preparing your environment. An organized and quiet environment will make it easier for one to listen and concentrate to the topic on hand. When presenting the topic, make sure you speak slowly and clearly and use concise wording. Also, keep the audience aware of where you are in the presentation. Reading the slide number or website the presenter is on keeps the audience on topic. One last habit of a successful online presenter is to keep track of time. Respect you audience’s time by keeping on task and ending when needed.
What not to do
As stated before, it is important to not use too many words and to not drift off topic. Over wording can lead to confusion of the audience. Try to stick to concise, clear wording. It will allow the audience to stay interested and grasp the key concepts of the presentation. Staying on topic will also decrease confusion among audience members. It will also help stay within the time limit assigned.
Visual Aids
In online presentations, physical aids are rare. Usually, aids will include Powerpoint slides or websites including graphs or other information. Powerpoint slides should include key topics and not have too much text on them. They should also be numbered and there should be an outline at the beginning of the presentation to keep it organized. It is also important to make sure all audience members have access to these aids.
Post-presentation
Every online presentation should have a conclusion to sum up what topics were covered and what information was important. It is important to make sure that audience members grasped the contents discussed and enjoyed the presentation. At times, it could be helpful to provide presentation reviews that audience members could fill out to see how effective your presentation and presentation skills are.
Hybrid Presentations
Hybrid presentations consist of a mixture of oral presentation and use the of multiple media aids. Media aids can consist of videos, graphs, websites and anything else that provides information that is relevant to the presentation. The most common tool used to bring together the oral presentation and the media aids is PowerPoint. Hybrid presentations are effective because information that is being presented orally, is also presented visually, allowing the audience to get a better grasp and understanding of the presentation. At the same time the visual aids help the audience retain information more effectively.
Pre-Presentation
Consistancy
When giving a hybrid presentation it is important that everything is consistent, that is your oral presentation and media aids need to relate with each other. Whatever aid is being displayed visually, should have to do with what you are presenting orally. This should remain true throughout the whole presentation, at no point during the presentation should you display any content that has nothing to do with what your presentaing orally. This will cause the audience to get confused or lose focus on the presenter because they are focusing on what is being displayed. You also want your presentation itself to be consistent. Use the same templates, fonts, colors etc. Changing it can also distract the audience.
Outline
Before you put togther your presentation, you must outline what you are covering. You want to list the message you want to deliver along with the visual aids you plan to use for that message. This will add order to your presentation. Not only will you have an order of presenting the information, but you also have all media aids separated into the right topics
Putting together the presentation
Once everything is organized it's time to put together the presentation. Remember it is a hybrid presentation so the audience will be splitting their attention between you and the visual aids. You want to be the main focus, the aids should support what you are saying not repeat it or take attention away from you. If your stating something orally there is no need to state it again via text. Not only do you want to avoid text that repeats what you are saying, you want to limit long typed out sentences all together. This allows the audience to quickly read any text that is on the presentation and then focus back on you. Generally you want to use more graphics, charts, pictures, or graphs over text. It is easier for an audience to listen to you while looking at a picture versus reading text.
Your audience is important, so take into consideration:
who is your audience?
Are they experts or students?
where do they come from?
Knowing your audience helps determine the amount of visual aids you will need. When putting together the presentation, you want to make it easy on the audience. They are there to see and hear you; you make your presentation easier to understand by providing visual aids.
Skills
In order to give a good hybrid presentation, the presenter needs to dominate the presentation not the visual aids. Therefore there are some skills required to be a dominant presenter. The attributes are important because they help drive the messages being delivered.
Voice
The audience needs to be able to hear and understand you; after all you are giving the oral part of the presentation. Aside from being loud enough (don't sound like your yelling either), you need to be clear so that people understand you. You need to establish a good pace and tone. Your tone and pace help keep the audience focused on you. You don't want to sound monotone and bore people. If using a microphone, adjust your volume accordingly so that you're not too loud and cause any microphone malfunctions that irritate the audience!
Speaking with Conviction
When speaking, speak with conviction. Show that you care and are passionate about your topic. You are presenting something to them so you need to persuade them. If you don't believe in what you are saying then why should your audience? You have to convince the audience that you know what you're talking about. Speak with strong positive energy and be careful to no overdo it.
Stage Presence and Body Language
Perhaps more important than voice is your behavior on stage. Don't let the stage swallow you; own the stage. Move around, walk back and forth, not only does this expose you to all of the audience and has them focusing on you, but it gives you a chance to make eye contact with them. You don't want to stay in one spot for several reasons: First it is disrespectful to the audience. If you stay in one spot only a certain part of the audience has a good view of you and it looks like you are presenting to that one area exclusively. Moving around allows all of the audience to see you and not feel left out.
Second, not moving around shows a lack of confidence, nervousness and makes it seem like your scared. Moving around shows the audience your not afraid of tripping and falling; it shows your confident and are trying to grab everyones attention. You do have to be careful about your pace. Pacing back and forth too much or too fast gives the impression that you might be nervous and/or worried. Your body language is important too. Are you smiling? Are you stiff? Are you moving you hands to much? The last thing you want to do is stand stiff behind a podium all the way on the left of a big stage. Walk around, run, jump, show some movement and life. It makes the audience feel like their watching a human being, not a robot!
Time Management
Time management is not just about knowing when to start and end a presentation. That is important, but time management has to do with more than that specifically managing the time you spend speaking and the time you spend on subjects and aids. You have to know when to pause and let the audience take in information. You might be giving them a lot of information, give them a few seconds to digest it. You also need to know when to pause and ask for questions. All questions need to be answered. It's an opportunity to clear things up and get the audience involved. Also important is the amount of time you spend on a subject. You don't want to spend too much time because it might get boring and you also can't spend a short time on it because it might not be fully explained.
Same goes for visual aids you can't leave them up there for too long (they get boring to look at). You have to leave them up long enough for the audience to get a good look and understand the meaning of it. Time management helps the presentation run smoothly.
Habits
There are a few habits to avoid. You want to avoid talking too much, it's easy to get caught up on a subject especially if the audience seems into it. Remember to manage time effectively, allow for questions and digestion of information. If the audience is into it, its ok to ride it out a bit longer; just don't drag it on.
Avoid "umm", you should know what your talking about and if you forget you have aids to help you, so no need for "umm". Finally avoid excessive body movements. It's ok to move your hands but don't make it seem like your waving at the last row. If you have a big stage move around at a nice pace; don't tire yourself out by getting into the habit of walking back and forth too much.
What not to do
Oral
Don't speak too fast. It makes it hard for the audience to keep up and understand you. Also don't chew gum or have candy in your mouth. Not only can you choke, but the audience won't understand you. Finally don't sound monotone; it bores the audience and puts them to sleep. You want to watch your volume you don't want to sound like your whispering. Be loud but don't scream. Be extra careful with microphones, don't talk too loud to them; you don't want those annoying sounds that hurt the audiences ears!
Visual Aids
Don't rely on the presentation itself. You don't want to read off a powerpoint because the audience can do it themselves. Reading off the powerpoint shows a lack of effort because it seems like you didn't really prepare a presentation. Remember you are the main focus not the presentation. Don't read directly off your notes either. It's ok to glance every few seconds, but don't stare at it endlessly. You want to look at the audience not the paper. Also avoid any distracting images; you don't want your crowd going "aww", "boo", "eww" or "yay". Unless your trying to get those responses, try not to use graphics that elicit that reaction.
Visual Aids
Visual aids are there to support you; not for you to rely on. Should your aids fail, you should be able to continue the presentation because you shouldn't need them. They are there to help drive your message. Also remember to limit text and use more graphics. It takes longer to read than to look at a picture. It is also easier to listen when looking at a picture rather than reading text. Think of visual aids as a luxury not a necessity.
Post-presentation
Once your done, thank the audience and see if there are any questions. This is the last opportunity to get the audience involved. If they don't ask questions, you can ask questions to get them involved. Be careful not to make questions too difficult to answer because then no one will answer! If no questions are asked, then thank and depart.
Conclusion
Overall, there is a common theme when giving presentations, no matter if it is an oral, online, or a hybrid presentation. In all cases, the speaker must strive to keep the audience engaged through a convincing and well-prepared speech. And it is important to remember, no matter how many visual aids are chosen, electronic or not, the focus of the presentation should be on the speaker, not any sorts of aids. Visual aids, at best, should enhance what a presentation is trying to convey.
ORAL AND ONLINE PRESENTATIONS
Introduction
Before making any sort of speech, there should be a formal planning process. Since oral presentations are the oldest form of formal speeches, there is an abundant supply of expert advice and tips on the process.
Scot Ober, author of Contemporary Business Communication, suggests to first determine the purpose of your presentation.
The purpose can be to
The purpose will determine how you set up the rest of your presentation.
A crucial step is organizing the entire presentation into an opening, body, and ending.
The opening of the presentation is critical as the audience will be most judgmental during this part, and one may capture the interest of the audience and retain their attention throughout the speech. Popular ways of starting a presentation include quoting a well-known person, asking a question, presenting a hypothetical situation, giving an anecdote/startling fact, or using visual aids. A preview of the presentation should be included in the opening.
The core of the content should be given in the body through a logical sequence. Statistics, examples and expert opinions should be continuously cited to establish credibility. It is also important to deal with negative information. Introducing the “con”s (instead of just pro’s side of your topic) will make your ideas more realistic.
The ending of the speech is the last chance to meet your objective. Thus, a summary of major points should be presented, as well as possible recommendations and conclusions. The end message to the audience should be simple and clear
The following video clip is from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXILI9Q1jIw and is a perfect example of what NOT to do
when giving a presentation
Table of Contents
Oral Presentations
Pre-Presentation
After analyzing the aspects of presentation-planning mentioned in the introduction, you must then choose an appropriate delivery method.
- Memorizing the speech
This is highly cautioned against, especially for business presentations. Memorizing undermines your ability to engage with the audience and will make your speech seem rigid and mechanical. Rather, one should memorize the beginning and ending of the presentation in order to have a solid start and finish point.- Reading off the presentation
If your topic is highly complex and technical, reading is advised so that none of the details will be lost. This form of delivery is commonly used by professors and researchers during conferences. However, reading during a business oral presentation is not recommended since it can be seen as a waste of the audience’s time. If you were going to read off the presentation to begin with, why didn’t you just distribute the copy to the audience and have them read it at their own leisure time?- Speaking from prepared notes
This is the most common form of delivery. Notes will ensure all your key points get addressed, while also allowing you to tailor your presentation to the audience. You will also have more freedom to use both verbal and non-verbal cues.Skills
- When Preparing
A study from 2001 on the implications of learning public speaking skills noted that oral presentations skills are very important for effective presentations. However, when observing medical students make presentations, many of them lacked summary skills. Due to a mass amount of data the students discovered, they were unselective when choosing which ones went into their presentations. Therefore, in the planning stages of presenting, it is important for one to be able to edit and prioritize information.A common way to learn skills in any field is to watch experts. However, this is not totally beneficial, as pointed out in the 2001 study. Experienced public speakers can still make great presentations just by improvising. Improvising is not recommended to the novice public speaker since one needs time to pick up on the art of public speaking. Rather, the beginner should stick to standard conventions as will be described later.
The 2001 study also showed the vast majority of students learn public speaking skills through trial and error, and that an explicit teaching model for public speaking has limited effectiveness. So, try and get as much practice in as possible and take the opportunity to make oral presentations whenever possible. You will likely learn from your mistakes and become a much better speaker overall.
- Nonverbal Cues
Nonverbal behaviors relate to the speaker’s credibility and persuasiveness. Therefore, good nonverbal cues are necessary for the audience to remember and believe your presentation. One study found greater vocal and facial pleasantness led to a greater perceived competence and composure. More moving around the room on the part of the speaker led to audience believing the speaker was social, relaxed, and dominant. The more fluent and variety of pitch affects the speaker’s persuasiveness.Since it harder for one to control his/her nonverbal actions than controlling his/her verbal actions, one should focus on the nonverbal attributes only after the rest of the presentation is ready. Four important factors to focus on are voice quality, pitch variety, eye contact, and body movements.
- When receiving feedback
The study from 2001 also inferred that students in rule-based professions (little room for personal opinions and contrasting theories), such as medicine and law, take feedback in the form of rules, when they should be seen in terms of context and audience. For example, just because a feedback tells you not to define technical terms, that does not mean never define these terms. If your audience is highly professional and experienced, there is no need to explain certain terms. Deciding what goes into your presentation is part of audience analysis.Habits
- Eye Contact
When making eye contact with someone, make sure you hold the eye contact for about 3 seconds. This way the audience will be paying attention to you. Also, if one is intimidated by having so many people stare at him/her, they can follow the advice of Dr.Rosenburg, a public speaking professor at Rutgers University. Instead of staring at someone’s eyes, aim at their forehead. They won’t even tell the difference!- Put yourself in the Audience’s shoes
Try and make your presentation interesting. This way members of the audience will want to listen to your presentation. You can do this by asking yourself what is a common topic the audience cares about and how can I tie that to my presentation?- End by asking questions
Don’t leave your audience confused. Ask for questions at the end. One person’s question may possibly clarify one of your points for everyone.What not to do
Visual aids
Post-presentation
Online Presentations
Online presentations are increasing throughout the business world. Powerpoint presentations, video conferencing, and other multimedia tools help presenter’s get their message across online. Although these presentations may not always involve face-to-face communication, they still require certain skills to capture an audience’s attention and keep it throughout the whole presentation.
Pre-Presentation
Skills
1) Short is hard-but powerful
-Breaking down complex thoughts into simpler ones allows the audience to grasp the key points of the presentation
2) Drama captures attention
-Dramatic build up can increase interest in one’s presentation
3) Stories make it real
-Personal stories and anecdotes allow the audience to develop personal connections with the speaker. They also can make a presentation more interesting.
4) Props add spice
-Using props effectively can give any presentation a boost by captivating attention and by putting abstract ideas into physical terms.
5) Titles matter
-The title of the presentation is the first words the audience sees. Make sure the title grasps their attention with out over wording.
6) Content must deliver what’s promised
-Keeping on track and staying on topic is essential to a successful presentation. Only talk
about what you promised.
Habits
What not to do
Visual Aids
Post-presentation
Hybrid Presentations
Hybrid presentations consist of a mixture of oral presentation and use the of multiple media aids. Media aids can consist of videos, graphs, websites and anything else that provides information that is relevant to the presentation. The most common tool used to bring together the oral presentation and the media aids is PowerPoint. Hybrid presentations are effective because information that is being presented orally, is also presented visually, allowing the audience to get a better grasp and understanding of the presentation. At the same time the visual aids help the audience retain information more effectively.
Pre-Presentation
- Consistancy
When giving a hybrid presentation it is important that everything is consistent, that is your oral presentation and media aids need to relate with each other. Whatever aid is being displayed visually, should have to do with what you are presenting orally. This should remain true throughout the whole presentation, at no point during the presentation should you display any content that has nothing to do with what your presentaing orally. This will cause the audience to get confused or lose focus on the presenter because they are focusing on what is being displayed. You also want your presentation itself to be consistent. Use the same templates, fonts, colors etc. Changing it can also distract the audience.- Outline
Before you put togther your presentation, you must outline what you are covering. You want to list the message you want to deliver along with the visual aids you plan to use for that message. This will add order to your presentation. Not only will you have an order of presenting the information, but you also have all media aids separated into the right topics- Putting together the presentation
Once everything is organized it's time to put together the presentation. Remember it is a hybrid presentation so the audience will be splitting their attention between you and the visual aids. You want to be the main focus, the aids should support what you are saying not repeat it or take attention away from you. If your stating something orally there is no need to state it again via text. Not only do you want to avoid text that repeats what you are saying, you want to limit long typed out sentences all together. This allows the audience to quickly read any text that is on the presentation and then focus back on you. Generally you want to use more graphics, charts, pictures, or graphs over text. It is easier for an audience to listen to you while looking at a picture versus reading text.Your audience is important, so take into consideration:
Knowing your audience helps determine the amount of visual aids you will need. When putting together the presentation, you want to make it easy on the audience. They are there to see and hear you; you make your presentation easier to understand by providing visual aids.
Skills
In order to give a good hybrid presentation, the presenter needs to dominate the presentation not the visual aids. Therefore there are some skills required to be a dominant presenter. The attributes are important because they help drive the messages being delivered.
- Voice
The audience needs to be able to hear and understand you; after all you are giving the oral part of the presentation. Aside from being loud enough (don't sound like your yelling either), you need to be clear so that people understand you. You need to establish a good pace and tone. Your tone and pace help keep the audience focused on you. You don't want to sound monotone and bore people. If using a microphone, adjust your volume accordingly so that you're not too loud and cause any microphone malfunctions that irritate the audience!- Speaking with Conviction
When speaking, speak with conviction. Show that you care and are passionate about your topic. You are presenting something to them so you need to persuade them. If you don't believe in what you are saying then why should your audience? You have to convince the audience that you know what you're talking about. Speak with strong positive energy and be careful to no overdo it.- Stage Presence and Body Language
Perhaps more important than voice is your behavior on stage. Don't let the stage swallow you; own the stage. Move around, walk back and forth, not only does this expose you to all of the audience and has them focusing on you, but it gives you a chance to make eye contact with them. You don't want to stay in one spot for several reasons: First it is disrespectful to the audience. If you stay in one spot only a certain part of the audience has a good view of you and it looks like you are presenting to that one area exclusively. Moving around allows all of the audience to see you and not feel left out.Second, not moving around shows a lack of confidence, nervousness and makes it seem like your scared. Moving around shows the audience your not afraid of tripping and falling; it shows your confident and are trying to grab everyones attention. You do have to be careful about your pace. Pacing back and forth too much or too fast gives the impression that you might be nervous and/or worried. Your body language is important too. Are you smiling? Are you stiff? Are you moving you hands to much? The last thing you want to do is stand stiff behind a podium all the way on the left of a big stage. Walk around, run, jump, show some movement and life. It makes the audience feel like their watching a human being, not a robot!
- Time Management
Time management is not just about knowing when to start and end a presentation. That is important, but time management has to do with more than that specifically managing the time you spend speaking and the time you spend on subjects and aids. You have to know when to pause and let the audience take in information. You might be giving them a lot of information, give them a few seconds to digest it. You also need to know when to pause and ask for questions. All questions need to be answered. It's an opportunity to clear things up and get the audience involved. Also important is the amount of time you spend on a subject. You don't want to spend too much time because it might get boring and you also can't spend a short time on it because it might not be fully explained.Same goes for visual aids you can't leave them up there for too long (they get boring to look at). You have to leave them up long enough for the audience to get a good look and understand the meaning of it. Time management helps the presentation run smoothly.
Habits
What not to do
- Oral
Don't speak too fast. It makes it hard for the audience to keep up and understand you. Also don't chew gum or have candy in your mouth. Not only can you choke, but the audience won't understand you. Finally don't sound monotone; it bores the audience and puts them to sleep. You want to watch your volume you don't want to sound like your whispering. Be loud but don't scream. Be extra careful with microphones, don't talk too loud to them; you don't want those annoying sounds that hurt the audiences ears!- Visual Aids
Don't rely on the presentation itself. You don't want to read off a powerpoint because the audience can do it themselves. Reading off the powerpoint shows a lack of effort because it seems like you didn't really prepare a presentation. Remember you are the main focus not the presentation. Don't read directly off your notes either. It's ok to glance every few seconds, but don't stare at it endlessly. You want to look at the audience not the paper. Also avoid any distracting images; you don't want your crowd going "aww", "boo", "eww" or "yay". Unless your trying to get those responses, try not to use graphics that elicit that reaction.Visual Aids
Post-presentation
Conclusion
Overall, there is a common theme when giving presentations, no matter if it is an oral, online, or a hybrid presentation. In all cases, the speaker must strive to keep the audience engaged through a convincing and well-prepared speech. And it is important to remember, no matter how many visual aids are chosen, electronic or not, the focus of the presentation should be on the speaker, not any sorts of aids. Visual aids, at best, should enhance what a presentation is trying to convey.
References
Relevant News Articles:
1. http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2010/11/create-compelling-presentations-with-the-three-q-method/
This is from LifeHacker Magazine
2. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Speaker__MPs_must_seek_permission_before_using_photos-111163924.html__
"Members of Parliament must seek permission before using photos" by Trinidad Express Newspapers 12/1/2010
3.http://www.missiontolearn.com/2008/04/6-online-presentation-tips-from-60-second-lectures/
6 Online Presentation Tips from 60 Second Lectures
4.http://mashable.com/2008/02/16/forget-powerpoint-online-presentations/
13 Online Presentation Applications
5 The Perils Of Powerpoint by Thomas R. McDaniel, Converse College, and Kathryn N. McDaniel, Marietta College
https://eee.uci.edu/news/articles/0510ppt.php
Research Articles/ Book Chapters
1.Contemporary Business Communication, Chapter 11
Scot Ober
2009
2.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.00233.x/full
Learning Oral Presentation Skills
A Rhetorical Analysis with Pedagogical and Professional Implications
Richard J. Haber, MD, Lorelei A. Lingard, PhD
3. Burgoon, J.K. (1990). Nonverbal Behaviors, Persuasion, and Credibility. Human Communication Research, 17(1), 140-169
4.http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=4&sid=610ad829-4e4f-401f-826b-607da03aefa3%40sessionmgr13
Online Presentations: How to Keep your Audience Engaged
5.http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&hid=4&sid=610ad829-4e4f-401f-826b-607da03aefa3%40sessionmgr13
Powerful Presentations
6. Katherine Tomasco, How To Prepare Effective Slides For Oral Presentations
http://www.ehow.com/how_5640183_prepare-effective-slides-oral-presentation.html
7.
PowerPoint Presentation Skills Tips for Effective Presenting
http://www.presentation-skills.biz/presentation-delivery/powerpoint-presentation-skills-tips-for-effective-presenting.htm
8.
How to Create a Presentation
http://www.presentation-skills.biz/presentation-planning/how-to-create-a-presentation.htm
9. A Research Guide for Students
http://www.aresearchguide.com/3tips.html
10. (2008). Establishing Best Practices for the Use of PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid. Human Communication, 11(2), 193-200
Videos
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXILI9Q1jIw
"Funny Presentation Training - how many errors can you find?" by Booher Consultants