Oral Presentations

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Introduction

Admittedly, public speaking can be stressful and overwhelming. It requires attention to the needs of your audience, careful planning, and attention to delivery. However, oral presentations are also one of the most fruitful sources of personal growth as they develop communication skills and confidence in expressing opinions and facts. This section discusses all the useful techniques for delivering a good presentation.

...by students Ali I mainly left this side bar for you. You are welcomed to add your content here. If you want to add your content in the article, that's cool too. Oral Presentation The purpose of your oral presentation is almost the same as any piece of writing. Your oral presentation should include at least one of the following purposes: Communicating data analysis Discussing result of a research Persuading or informing audience about a particular subject matter Suggesting instructions on how to do a specific task Similar to writing, the key principals of a successful oral presentation are: Simplicity Clarity Logical organization Following these principals will greatly increase the chance of a great presentation. However, there are also significant differences between an oral presentation and writing. These differences include: Time restrictions Short attention spans Concentration of the audience Lack of a chance to revise the content of your presentation. Remember, the audience only gets one chance to hear your presentation. Guidelines for preparation and delivery 1.Think about your audience It is crucial to answer these questions when preparing your presentation What do they know about the subject? What terminology would they know? TIP: Make sure you address the lowest common denominator in your audience and adjust the presentation’s technical level appropriately. What do they need to know? What is their motivation for listening to you? What aspects of your subject would they be interested in? How much information can they absorb? TIP: If they are new to the topic, their level of absorption may be lower than an expert audience. Leave your audience with a clear picture of the gist of your contribution, and provide them with the source if they want to read further after the presentation. 2.Preparing the presentation It’s important to give your presentation a structure like your writing. As stated above, oral presentation has lots of common features and principles as writing. One of these features is the way you organize your speech using the ABC approach like you would for a piece of writing. This is to grasp your audience attention and help them follow closely. Here is an indication of how to organize your speech using the ABC format: Abstract Goal: Tell them what you are going to tell them Main points to include are: Get listener’s attention by telling own experience, statistics, humour or other effective technique applicable to your audience Clearly state the purpose – to sustain their attention List the main points of what you would cover Body Goal: Tell them what you said you would tell them The most important part of the presentation where you expound, discuss and support the Points stated in the introduction in the same order. Conclusion Goal: Tell them what you just told them The presentation should conclude with a well-planned ending. The following are the key points to include in your presentation. Summary: - A clear summary of your purpose and main points will ensure that the audience gets the big picture.It should answer the question, "So what?” telling the audience what was important about the information you conveyed. Use the same key words used in the body and make a fresh, brief, and concise re-statement of your case. This helps drive your main points home and ensures that your listeners have a clear understanding of your intentions. Emotional Response: If your speech is designed to arouse an emotional reaction, plan to make a strong appeal in the conclusion. Recommendations: If your presentation includes a recommendation, particularly one requiring action on the part of the audience, state it clearly as part of your ending. Plan the precise words you will use in your recommendation. Let your audience know exactly what you want them to do. Exit line: Do not flounder at the end. Make a crisp statement and end your presentation on a positive note. Plan and memorize the ending statement, then use it. 3. Stick to a few main points Do not try to include too much content in the time allowed. Audience’s short term memory has limited capacity so organise the presentation around few major points. In fact, did you know that listeners tend to remember groups of three items more than they do other size groupings? 4.Put your outline on cards, paper or cards It is important to remember that the best presentations are extemporaneous, where the presenter conveys his/her depth of the material by relying less on written material except for occasional reference. This also allows last-minute changes in phrasing and adding emphasis that improve delivering. However, the appropriate use of notes for reference makes a presenter look more natural.Depending on personal preference, a presenter can use different materials for writing speech notes. Refer to table 1 below to see the pros and cons of each of these materials TABLE COMING..... 5. Practice makes perfect Practice is the most important factor in making a good presentation. The effects of practice will be apparent on your attitude towards the material and the audience. Some effective techniques of practising for speech include: 1. Practise before mirror Good point: Allows hearing and seeing yourself in action Helps improve your confidence and familiarity with the material Limitation: Old- fashioned and difficult to efficiently evaluate your performance while speaking 2. Audiotape your voice Good point: You can identify the variation in speed or tone, or distracting fillers like 'um's, 'er's, 'like's and 'you know's). Limitations: Not useful for evaluating your physical performance like the use of gestures, eye contacts etc. 3. Practice before live audience Good point: Gives you a chance of getting feedback from others rather than evaluating Yourself. Makes the process seem very realistic Limitation: May not get honest feedback from the audience you have chosen for practicing. Content of presentation may not be suitable for chosen audience. Hence, impractical to expect fulfilling evaluation. 4. Videotape presentation Good point: Allows you see yourself as others (your audience) do and enables you carefully assess every aspect of the presentation like use of gestures, mannerism such as adjusting cloth, fiddling with tools etc. You can give the tape to other people and get as many feedback as you would like. Effective at minimizing nervousness – don’t have to worry about how you look or sound during the real presentation because you already know. 6. Speak vigorously and deliberately Vigorously = enthusiasm Deliberately = care, attention and emphasis on key words and phrases You have a limited amount of time and audience’s short attention span to work with - so it’s crucial to convey your interest in the topic and demonstrate your knowledge and enthusiasm. Remember: Engaging audience’s attention and maintaining their interest is just as necessary as informing them about the subject matter. Use the videotaping technique discussed above for evaluating your performance. 7. Avoid filler words Filler words like ‘um’s, ‘uh’s, ya know, ‘like etc tend to common in most people’s speech. In fact, in most cases you would be surprise to find out how much you use them and not even realize it. However, filler words are distracting and irritating to the audience. To avoid using filler words in your presentation, practise your speech as many times as you can because excessive use filler words tend to be indicative of lack of familiarity with the topic of discussion. It is also suggested that you replace filler words with strategic pauses for an effective speech. These short pauses allow readers to expect a change in subject. Best way to evaluate your self as to how much you use them would be to use the videotaping technique once again . 8. Use rhetorical questions Rhetorical questions are those that you ask to get listeners’ thinking. You don’t expect them to answer it but rather make them think about it and prepare them for the important information you are about to discuss following the question. When is it most effective to use rhetorical questions in your presentation? 1. As a grabber at the begging of your speech 2. As a transition between major points 3. As an attention-getter right before your conclusion 9. Maintain eye contact Always maintain eye contact and never turn your back on audience. Remember to visit every section of the audience as much as you can. 10. Use appropriate gestures Incorporate appropriate gestures in your presentation. This reinforces your speech and helps in maintaining the audience’s attention. Summary Oral presentations are similar to the writing process regarding the use of the ABC format. When presenting, remember to: A - state what you will be presenting (purpose) B - say what you said you were going to present (body) C - state what you just said again (conclusion) These simple yet crucial steps provide a strong foundation to a fabulous oral presentation. Further Reading http://people.engr.ncsu.edu/txie/publications/oral_presentation_skills.pdf http://www.scivee.tv/node/2903