presentation

Get started:

First of all, relax

Identify your biggest fears about presenting.

Get started:

prepare for the presentation

• Confirm the logistical details
• Review your audio-visual (A/V) requirements
• Identify what you need to bring to your presentation
• Practice your presentation,
• Plan your arrival

Attributes of the best presentations

Attributes of the best presentations

• Setting clear expectations about the objectives of the presentation.
• Stating at the outset when it will be all right to ask questions.
• Making eye contact with the audience.
• Using energetic body language and a dynamic speaking style.
• Asking the audience engaging questions.
• Using quick surveys to gauge audience understanding.
• Incorporating an element of mystery or surprise.
• Telling relevant stories.
• Using audio, video clips, or movie clips – in moderation to balance the use of slides.
• Using diagrams or images rather than bullet points.
• Involving and connecting with the audience.
• Appearing to enjoy giving the presentation.
• Speaking conversationally rather than in a formal tone.
• Establishing a dialogue with the audience.
• Speaking at a pace that‘s easy to listen to.
• Using humor to connect with the audience.
• Using metaphors and analogies to relate information to everyday things.
• Presenting material that‘s relevant to today‘s business environment.
• Using relatively few slides.
• Using slides designed to communicate important and relevant ideas

Attributes of the worst presentations

Attributes of the worst presentations

• Opening with ―We have a lot of slides to cover and only an hour to cover them.‖
• Showing signs of not caring about the audience, the topic, or the presentation.
• Spending too much time establishing their credentials.
• Not explaining what listeners are going to leave with.
• Not stating whether or when questions would be welcome.
• Plodding through half the slides, then racing through the rest, telling listeners they could read them on their own.
• Explaining basic things in a condescending way.
• Providing minimal or no explanation of unfamiliar terminology and acronyms.
• Reading the slides or reading from a script.
• Not engaging the audience.
• Exhibiting tense body language and lack of eye contact.
• Moving around too much.
• Constantly saying um … um … um …
• Lacking spontaneity and speaking in a monotone.
• Facing the screen rather than the audience.
• Belittling people whose views differed from the presenter‘s.
• Trying to fake an understanding of the technology with technically savvy engineers.
• Dancing around a question instead of admitting to not knowing.
• Showing slides filled with tiny type or difficult-to-read color combinations.
• Having an overload of media: constantly switching among audio, video, slides, etc.
• Being unable to continue the presentation when the laptop died.