Effective Presentations = Эффективные презентации. Практикум

Introduction

•Welcome the audience.

•Saywhatyourpresentationwillbeabout:theaimsandobjectives.

•The introduction should catch the attention. Perhaps a provocative statement or a humorous anecdote:

″Genetically-modified crops could save millions of people from starvation″.

″The first day of my vacation job went with a bang, but it wasn’t my fault that the microwave exploded″.

The Middle should outline your argument or develop your story

•In five minutes you will only have time for two or three main points and allow everything else to support these. List your main headings and any key phrases you will use.

•Don’t try to say pack too much content in or you will talk nonstop trying to get all your content and the audience will switch off with information overload long before the end.

•Use graphics or anecdotes to add variety.

Conclusion

•Briefly summarise your main points.

•Answer any questions.

•Thank the audience for listening. Look at the audience again, smile and slow down.

•The end should be on a strong or positive note — not tailing away to ″...well that’s all I’ve got to say so thank you very much for listening ladies and gentlemen″. You could try something along these lines:

″Hang-gliding is brilliant, so try it — you’ll believe a man can fly!″

″The danger is increasing — if we don’t all act soon it could be too late!″

The above has been neatly summarised as ″Tell them what you will tell them (introduction), tell them (development), tell them what you told them (conclusion)″.

In preparing your talk, first jot down any interesting points you want to include in your talk, put these in a logical sequence, then try to find an interesting title, and a good introduction and ending.

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For a 15 minute presentation on ″Why you are the right person for the company’s graduate recruitment programme″ the following might work:

•1 minute introduction — what you are going to tell them;

•2minutesonthechallengesfacingtheorganisationinthecurrent market: economic downturn, competitors, potential areas for growth;

•4 minutes on ″What skills the organisation requires in their graduate recruits″;

•6 minutes on evidence showing that you have these skills;

•1 minute summary of your key points;

•1 minute asking for and answering questions.

Using PowerPoint, Overhead Projector or Flip Chart

•You may be allowed to use an overhead projector (OHP), data projector, or flip chart as part of your talk. If you think that you might like to use one, then it’s wise to try to practice on one beforehand so you know what you are doing!

•Before you start check the computer and the lighting. make sure no bright lights are illuminating the screen.

•Stand to one side of the projector/flip chart, so the audience can see the material.

•Face and speak to your audience, not the screen. Inexperienced PowerPoint presenters have their backs to the audience most of the time!

•All too often the slides are just a security blanket for the speaker, not visual aids for the audience.

•Don’t use too many slides: three or four should be sufficient for a short presentation. For a 15 minute session 8 would be the absolute maximum and probably less. Don’t have too much text on each slide — no more than about 40 words. Each slide should last for at least 2 minutes. The more slides and the more words on each slide, the less the audience will listen — whereas the less and simpler slides you have,thebetteryouwillcommunicate.Planyourpresentationcarefully and only use slides where they will clarify points.

•Don’t try to write too much on each slide: 30 to 40 words in a largefontsizeisampleforonetransparency.Usenoteformandbullets rather than full sentences. It is very hard for a member of the audience

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to read slides and listen simultaneously — they are unlikely to do doing either well. The best slides contain just one word.

•Slides can contain prompts to remind you of what you will say

next.

•Use a large (about 24 point) SANS font such as Verdana or Lucida Sans. DON’T PUT EVERYTHING IN UPPER CASE AS THIS LOOKS CRUDE. Check that the slides are easy to read from a distance.

•Use colour and bold for emphasis but don’t use too much colour. Have a good contrast e.g. dark blue text on a cream background.

•Pictures, especially tables, diagrams and charts are good. PowerPoint is excellent for the delivery of pictures and diagrams and they will help to break up and add variety to the long streams of text seen in many (bad!) presentations.

•A little humour can grab the attention of the audience. For example, some performing crocodiles.

•Don’t get carried away with flashy PowerPoint transition effects as these may distract attention from the content.

•If using PowerPoint use the Format. Apply design template command. It gives you a wide range of nicely preformatted slide designs to choose from and saves you a lot of time.

•Write down your main points on a postcard sized piece of card as a prompt and also as a backup in case the technology fails!

•Too many bullets can machine gun your audience to sleep! Good presentations will have a variety of slides: some with bullets, some without and many with images and charts.Twenty slides with 5 bullets oneachmeansyouaretryingtogetacrossonehundredpoints,whereas the average person will absorb at most 5 points from a presentation.

1.3. Effective Presentation Techniques — The Top 103

We have condensed all of the presentation techniques down to the most effective. Here are the Top 10 effective presentation techniques.

1. Use visual aids. Using pictures in your presentations instead of words can double the chances of meeting your objectives.

3 Effective presentation techniques — the top 10 // Presentation magazine [Электронный ресурс]. — URL: https://www.presentationmagazine.com/effective- presentation-techniques-the-top-10-149.htm

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2.Keep it short and sweet. There is an old adage that said — ″No one ever complained of a presentation being too short ″. Nothing kills a presentation more than going on too long.

There are some college professors who will penalise a short presentation (most lecturers see no problem in droning on), but for most people a shorter presentation is better. Keep your presentation to under 22 minutes if you can.

3.Use the rule of three. A simple technique is that people tend to only remember three things. Work out what the three messages that you want your audience to take away and structure your presentation around them. Use a maximum of three points on a slide.

4. Rehearse. Practice makes for perfect performance. Many experts say that rehearsal is the biggest single thing that you can do to improve your performance. Perform your presentation out loud at leastfourtimes.Oneoftheseshouldbeinfrontofarealscaryaudience. Family, friends or colleagues. Even the dog is better than nothing.

5.Tell stories. All presentations are a type of theatre. Tell stories and anecdotes to help illustrate points. It all helps to make your presentation more effective and memorable.

6.Lose the bullet points — don’t put your speaker notes up on the screen. Bullet points are the kiss of death for most presentations. Most people use bullet points as a form of speaker notes. To make your presentation more effective put your speaker notes in your notes and not up on the screen.

7. Video yourself. Set up a video camera and video yourself presenting. You will see all sorts of mistakes that you are making, from how you are standing, if you are jangling keys, to how well your presentation is structured.

8. Know what slide is coming next. You should always know when presenting which slide is coming up next. It sounds very powerful when you say ″On the next slide [Click] you will see…″, rather than a period of confusion when the next slide appears.

9.Have a back-up plan. Murphy’s law normally applies during a presentation.Technologynotworking,powercuts,projectorblowing a bulb, spilling coffee on your front, not enough power leads, no loudspeakers, presentation displays strangely on the laptop — all of these are things that have happened in presentations that I have given.

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Have a back-up plan. Take with you the following items — a printed out set of slides — (you can hold these up to the audience if you need to), a CD or data stick of your presentation, a laptop with your slides on it. Just in case it goes wrong.

Guess what? When you have back-ups — you seldom need to use them.

10. Check out the presentation room. Arrive early and check out the presentation room. If you can make sure that you see your slides loaded onto the PC and working on the screen. Work out where you will need to stand.

1.4. Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations4

Slideshows are quick to produce, easy to update and effective to inject visual interest into the presentation. However, slideshows can also spell disaster even for experienced presenters. The key to success is to make certain your slide show is a visual aid and not a visual distraction.

•Use the slide master feature to create a consistent and simple designtemplate.Itisfinetovarythecontentpresentation(i.e.,bulleted list,2-columntext,text&image),butbeconsistentwithotherelements such as font, colors, and background.

•Simplify and limit the number of words on each screen. Use key phrases and include only essential information.

•Limit punctuation and avoid putting words in all capital letters. Empty space on the slide will enhance readability.

•Use contrasting colors for text and background. Light text on a darkbackgroundisbest.Patternedbackgroundscanreducereadability of text.

•Avoid the use of flashy transitions such as text fly-ins. These features may seem impressive at first, but are distracting and get old quickly.

4 Tips for making effective PowerPoint presentations // Presentation magazine [Электронный ресурс]. — URL: https://www.presentationmagazine.com/effective- presentation-techniques-the-top-10-149.htm; Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations // National Conference of State Legislature [Электронный ре- сурс].—URL:http://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff- coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx

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•Overuse of special effects such as animation and sounds may make your presentation ″cutesy″ and could negatively impact your credibility.

•Use good quality images that reinforce and complement your message. Ensure that your image maintains its impact and resolution when projected on a larger screen.

•If you use builds (lines of text appearing each time you click the mouse), have content appear on the screen in a consistent, simple manner; from the top or left is best. Only ″build″ screens when necessarytomakeyourpointbecausebuildscanslowyourpresentation.

•Limit the number of slides. Presenters who constantly ″flip″ to the next slide are likely to lose their audience.Agood rule of thumb is one slide per minute.

•Learn to navigate your presentation in a non-linear fashion. PowerPointallows thepresentertojumpaheadorbackwithouthaving to page through all the interim slides.

•Know how to and practice moving forward and backward within your presentation. Audiences often ask to see the previous screen again.

•If possible, view your slides on the screen you’ll be using for your presentation. Make sure slides are readable from the back row seats. Text and graphical images should be large enough to read, but not so large as to appear ″loud″.

•Have a Plan B in the event of technical difficulties. Remember that transparencies and handouts will not show animation or other special effects.

•Practice with someone who has never seen your presentation. Ask them for honest feedback about colors, content, and any effects or graphical images you’ve included.

•Do not read from your slides. The content of your slides is for the audience, not for the presenter.

•Do not speak to your slides. Many presenters face the direction of their presentation rather than their audience.

•Do not apologize for anything in your presentation. If you believe something will be hard to read or understand, don’t use it.

•When possible, run your presentation from the hard disk rather than a floppy disk. Running from a floppy disk may slow your presentation.

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Fonts

•Select a single sans-serif fonts such asArial or Helvetica.Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman or Palatino because these fonts are sometimes more difficult to read.

•Use no font size smaller than 24 point.

•Use the same font for all your headlines.

•Select a font for body copy and another for headlines.

•Use bold and different sizes of those fonts for captions and subheadings.

•Add a fourth font for page numbers or as a secondary body font for sidebars.

•Don’t use more than four fonts in any one publication.

•Clearly label each screen. Use a larger font (35–45 points) or different color for the title.

•Use larger fonts to indicate importance.

•Use different colors, sizes and styles (e.g., bold) for impact.

•Avoid italicized fonts as these are difficult to read quickly.

•Avoid long sentences.

•Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

•Limit punctuation marks.

•No more than 6–8 words per line.

•For bullet points, use the 6×6 Rule. One thought per line with no more than 6 words per line and no more than 6 lines per slide.

•Use dark text on light background or light text on dark background. However, dark backgrounds sometimes make it difficult for some people to read the text.

•Do not use all caps except for titles.

•Put repeating elements (like page numbers) in the same location on each page of a multi-page document.

•To test the font, stand six feet from the monitor and see if you can read the slide.

Design and Graphical Images

•Use design templates.

•Standardize position, colors, and styles.

•Include only necessary information.

•Limit the information to essentials.

•Content should be self-evident.

•Use colors that contrast and compliment.

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•Too many slides can lose your audience.

•Keep the background consistent and subtle.

•Limit the number of transitions used. It is often better to use only one so the audience knows what to expect.

•Use a single style of dingbat for bullets throughout the page.

•Use the same graphical rule at the top of all pages in a multipage document.

•Use one or two large images rather than several small images.

•Prioritize images instead of a barrage of images for competing attention.

•Make images all the same size.

•Use the same border.

•Arrange images vertically or horizontally.

•Use only enough text when using charts or graphical images to explain the chart or graph and clearly label the image.

•Keep the design clean and uncluttered. Leave empty space around the text and graphical images.

•Usequalityclipartanduseitsparingly.Agraphicalimageshould relate to and enhance the topic of the slide.

•Try to use the same style graphical image throughout the presentation (e.g., cartoon, photographs).

•Limit the number of graphical images on each slide.

•Repetition of an image reinforces the message. Tie the number of copies of an image to the numbers in your text.

•Resize, recolor, reverse to turn one image into many. Use duplicates of varying sizes, colors, and orientations to multiply the usefulness of a single clip art image.

•Make a single image stand out with dramatic contrast. Use color to make a dramatic change to a single copy of your clip art.

•Check all images on a projection screen before the actual presentation.

•Avoid flashy images and noisy animation effects unless it relates directly to the slide.

Color

• Limit the number of colors on a single screen.

• Bright colors make small objects and thin lines stand out. However, some vibrant colors are difficult to read when projected.

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• Use no more than four colors on one chart.

• Check all colors on a projection screen before the actual presentation. Colors may project differently than what appears on the monitor.

General Presentation

•Plan carefully.

•Do your research.

•Know your audience.

•Time your presentation.

•Speak comfortably and clearly.

•Check the spelling and grammar.

•Do not read the presentation. Practice the presentation so you can speak from bullet points.The text should be a cue for the presenter rather than a message for the viewer.

•Give a brief overview at the start. Then present the information. Finally review important points.

•It is often more effective to have bulleted points appear one at a time so the audience listens to the presenter rather than reading the screen.

•Use a wireless mouse or pick up the wired mouse so you can move around as you speak.

•If sound effects are used, wait until the sound has finished to speak.

•If the content is complex, print the slides so the audience can take notes.

•Do not turn your back on the audience. Try to position the monitor so you can speak from it.

1.5. The Seven Deadly Sins of PowerPoint Presentations5

It’s not surprising PowerPoint© slideshows have become the norm for visuals in most business presentations. Slideshows are quick to produce, easy to update and effective to inject visual interest into the presentation. However, slideshows can also spell disaster even for

5 Sommerville J. The Seven Deadly Sins of PowerPoint Presentations // Department of Earth & Climate Sciences [Электронный ресурс]. — URL: http:// tornado.sfsu.edu/geosciences/classes/m595/PowerPoint_HTMLPresentations/ DeadlySins.html

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experienced presenters.The key to success is to make certain your slide show is a visual aid and not a visual distraction. For the best results, avoidthesecommon″sevendeadlysins″ofPowerPoint©presentations.

1.Slide Transitions And Sound Effects. Transitions and sound effects can become the focus of attention, which in turn distracts the audience.Worseyet,whenapresentationcontainingseveraleffectsand transitions runs on a computer much slower than the one on which it was created, the result is a sluggish, almost comical when viewed. Such gimmicks rarely enhance the message you’re trying to communicate. Unless you are presenting at a science fiction convention, leave out the laser-guidedtext!Leavethefade-ins,fade-outs,wipes,blinds,dissolves, checkerboards, cuts, covers and splits to Hollywood filmmakers. Even ″builds″ (lines of text appearing each time you click the mouse) can be distracting. Focus on your message, not the technology.

2.Standard Clipart. Death to screen beans! PowerPoint© is now

so widely used the clipart included with it has become a ″visual cliché.″Itshowsalackofcreativityandatiredadherencetoastandard form. First, make certain that you need graphical images to enhance your message. If you do, use your own scanned photographs or betterquality graphics from companies such as PhotoDisc (www.photodisc. com) or Hemera’s Photo Objects (www.hemera.com). Screen captures can add realism when presenting information about a Website or computer program. Two popular screen capture programs are Snagit (www.techsmith.com)forWindowsandSnapzPro(www.ambrosiasw. com) for Macintosh. Both are available as shareware.

3.Presentation Templates. Another visual cliché.Templates force you to fit your original ideas into someone else’s pre-packaged mold. The templates often contain distracting backgrounds and poor color combinations.SelectagoodbookonWebgraphicsandapplythesame principles to your slides. Create your own distinctive look or use your company logo in a corner of the screen.

4.Text-Heavy Slides. Projected slides are a good medium for

depicting an idea graphically or providing an overview. Slides are a poor medium for detail and reading.Avoid paragraphs, quotations and even complete sentences. Limit your slides to five lines of text and use words and phrases to make your points. The audience will be able to digest and retain key points more easily. Don’t use your slides as speaker’s notes or to simply project an outline of your presentation.

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