Seminar 1. How to make an effective presentation

A presentation is your opportunity to shine or blow it. I`ve seen careers take quantum of a good performance, or receive severe setbacks for poor performances

Thomas Leech

OUTLINE

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

PART 2: 7 STEPS TO PLANNING & DELIVERING AN

EFECTIVE PRESENTATION

PART 3:

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

• How to make your speech memorable

• Great presenters

• Public speaking myths & realities

Every once in a while, we are entrusted with the task of presentation. It may be to present a research paper, a plan or explain a new process that you have helped create. Whatever the reason and however mane presentations you`ve given before, it`s something that not everyone is comfortable doing.

Memorable speakers

Exceptional speakers manage to inspire their audience to take actions.

Audience members leave with the intention of doing something.

This power to inspire has many names: charisma, persuasion, allure, influence.

Whatever we call it, it all comes down to one thing: the ability to move people.

What makes a great presenter?

Presence/Centering

Great presenters have presence and are centered.

Why is one speaker so compelling while another is good and pleasant to listen to? The answer is, The great one has presence. What does that mean?Great presenters take time to focus. They have rid their minds of all the extraneous thoughts and are completely focused on listeners and the message they are delivering. They forget about themselves and are completely involved in the moment.

Heart/Passion

Great presenters love their topic(s) and present with passion and a feeling of heart.

They have so much passion for their subject that they pull us, as listeners, right into the middle of their presentation.

Energy/Enthusiasm

Great presenters exude energy and enthusiasm, whether on or off the platform. We don`t mean a rah-rah type of enthusiasm. What is seen in most great speakers is almost quiet, but magnatic quality that evolves from natural energy and true enthusiasm. They, sometimes almost quietly, convinces their listeners to embrace their ideas and actions.

Confidence/Control

• Great presenters have developed a quiet, but obvious confidence and have the ability to control every situation “ foreseen and unforeseen. They always have a backup plan in case the projector fails or the room is not set up as requested, or some other catastrophe hits “ the great presenter knows exactly what to do.

 Public Speaking Myths and Realities

Myth 1

Good speakers are born, not made. I was not born a good speaker, so I am a hopeless case.

Reality 1

People are not born as good speakers. They require preparation and practice in order to become effective speakers.

 

Myth 2

I failed the first time I spoke in front of people, so I will fail again.

Reality 2

Many successes start with failure. Thomas Watson, the President and Founder of the FBI says,

In order to succeed, double your failure rate

Myth 3

If I follow exactly what someone says and does, I will be as effective as that person.

Reality 3

Other people`s styles are extremely useful as models, but you must present in the way that is most comfortable and effective for you.

PART 2: WHAT CONSTITUTE AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION?

1 Content refers to the info that the speaker has chosen to convey. Has the speaker made a good  choice in terms of: level“ does it correspond with the needs and interests of the audience

quantity of info in available time

 accuracy if the info correct

2 Structure refers to the organization of the info chosen: does the presenter have a clear beginning, middle, end?

3 Delivery refers to techniques used by the speaker to have an impact on the audience:

• voice- variety of volume

• pauses

• tempo  to maintain the audience`s interest

• body language

• eye contact  to establish a good rapport with the audience

• visual aids  to provide sufficient support to reinforce the speaker`s massage

4 Language refers to traditional categories of language forms which are the main tools to communicate the message .Are they used correctly in terms of grammar, vocabulary & pronunciation? Does the presenter speaks fluently, develops the topic coherently & appropriately, uses a wide range of vocabulary resources and idiomatic language naturally and accurately?

(Fluency derives from the Latin verb fluere meaning to flow. The Oxford Dictionary defines the adjective fluent as expressing oneself quickly & easily. Though all native speakers speak differently: some faster, some more slowly  it is the perception of the listener that lies at he heart of fluency  to reach a natural flow in the language.)