making effective presentations dr. ruth yontz department of finance university of illinois
TRANSCRIPT
Good presenters engage their audiences with
Skillful delivery Effective strategy Interesting, well-organized content Effective visuals Preparation
Sustained eye contact Make 3-5 seconds contact Do not read notes or the screen Face the audience, not the screen
Pleasant facial expression – smile! Effective gestures to emphasize
meaning Preparation and good timing
Skillful Delivery
Strong voice Volume
Speak to the back of the room Variation
Vary your pitch and volume Pauses
Pause to emphasize
Professional Q&A Ask for questions Be receptive to questions Wait for questions Group presentations – decide as a
team who will answer the question
Skillful delivery
Professional Q&A Repeat questions to
Confirm you understand Make sure everyone hears the question Give yourself time to formulate an
answer
If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so!
Skillful delivery
Effective Strategy Audience
Who is my audience or audiences? What do they already know? What is their attitude? What are their needs, interests,
concerns?
Effective Strategy Objectives
What do I want to achieve? What do I want the audience to know, do,
or feel?
Objectives strategy
I want the audience to Understand elements of a
successful presentation Know & practice techniques for
improvement Feel they can improve their skills Think that the workshop is useful Give better presentations
Interesting, well-organized content Introduction
Hook PIP – purpose, importance, preview
Body For receptive audience
Main point/recommendation, analysis, benefits For unreceptive audience
Analysis, benefits, main point/recommendation
Interesting, well-organized content Ending
Recommendation & benefits Next steps for action Summary (for longer presentations) Ineffective
“That’s all.” “That’s all I have time for.”
Effective Slides Why use visuals?
Emphasize key points for audience & presenter
Present information clearly, concisely, vividly
Types of visuals Text, chart, concept
Effective slides Use slides to structure your
presentation Use an agenda slide Use slide titles that create logical
connections between the agenda slide & subsequent slides
Effective slides Use design principles
Create slides that focus attention on the message
Avoid elements that distract from your message
Effective slides Slides are ineffective when they
Are difficult to read Do not have a clear message Present too much information Use a distracting design or animation Use too many colors
Preparation – rehearse, rehearse, rehearse Time your presentation – early Get comfortable with content
Do not memorize Practice
good delivery skills with slides with teammates for group presentation in room where you will present
Preparation – managing nervousness Prepare, prepare, prepare Prepare your introduction the most so
you are entirely comfortable with it Stretch & take deep breaths to relax Find friendly faces in the audience Look your best Anticipate difficult questions & be
ready to answer them
Managing nervousness Your nervousness is not usually
noticeable to your audience Your audience will not notice if you
forget to say something—pause and continue