OBJECTIVE: What is the objective of your presentation?

• In most presentations you are SELLING something: stimulating interest in it; informing about it; encouraging the listeners to get involved somehow.
• In a ‘soutenance de stage’ at school, it is not to give all the facts; it is not to inform the jury about the company, it is to ‘sell’ yourself, your professional development & competence.
• In a business presentation, it is to ‘sell’ the idea, the project or the product. Whatever the objective, in all cases you are selling yourself. The listeners won’t be convinced by the ‘product’ unless they are convinced by you. So EVERYTHING about you is vital: appearance, dress, confidence, command of the language, use of technology, attention to detail, consideration of the audience (by not being too long or boring!!) etc etc

GENERAL

• keep strictly to the parameters required, for example re TOPIC and TIMING
• adapt written report language for spoken presentations - make notes on hand-held cards - don’t read text in full sentences from A4 sheets
• don’t read word for word from notes or a written report
• don’t put lots of text onto slides or transparencies (What is the audience supposed to do? Read it? If so, what are YOU doing in the meantime? They won’t all finish reading at the same time. You will lose control of the flow of the presentation. Are YOU going to read it? No! you can’t read text off the OHP which the audience can read for itself!)
• look at the audience, and at as many individuals as you can - don’t turn your back on them - look at images on the OHP, don’t turn to look at the screen behind you!
• never sit down
• don’t be apologetic - dominate the audience - you are the expert when you give a presentation - convey this feeling to the audience - don’t be humble!!
• relax, smile, don’t rush - if you show nervousness, the audience will become uneasy - communicate confidence, even if you don’t feel it

AIDS & EQUIPMENT - GENERAL

• have a contingency plan in case there is a power cut or other crisis
• transform figures and statistics into charts; use charts, photos, maps & diagrams where possible
• DON’T READ TEXT FROM A4 SHEETS!!! put KEYWORDS on to postcard-sized cards and IMPROVISE.
• many maps and charts have masses of information - give the audience time to absorb it
• don’t rush the use of slides & transparencies - give the audience time to absorb the detail
• use a pointer to highlight areas of the screen you are talking about
• sort & sequence slides/transparencies carefully in advance - ensure they are coded/numbered in case you drop them
• ensure all slides/transparencies are clear, with appropriate size, font and colour
• consider colour carefully & choose colours which are clear - red on blue does not work!
• don’t move any sort of projector when it is on or cooling-down
• make sure all the audience can see the screen easily
  

OHPs/BEAMERS

• make sure you have practised IN ADVANCE how to switch it on and focus it!
• use the pointer on the OHP, not the projection screen (so that you can keep facing the audience)
• attach an A4 paper printout to each transparency - they will be easier to identify and sort out if you drop them!
• make sure the projector has a reserve bulb fitted
• clean the lens before use

STRUCTURE

• put the plan on the screen - if the presentation is full and complex, review the structure periodically
• learn and practise the key structuring/signposting language: ‘Moving on to the question of ....’, ‘As for the economy, ....’, ‘As you can see from this chart, ...’ etc

PRESENTATION SOFTWARE

• don’t feel pressured to use it - many brilliant presentations have been done without it, and in many business situations the OHP is more appropriate and will remain so for many years
• don’t expect computer software to do your job - you are still the critical factor in a presentation
• do not put too much bare text on the screen - short non-sentence summaries and plenty of graphics are required
• get your software loaded in advance if possible : have a backup diskette - double check any equipment in advance

POWERPOINT

• Exploit it : don’t just put list of words and headings, but include charts, graphs, photos, diagrams where you can.
• Do NOT put loads of text on the screen - put keywords you can TALK from.
• PUT ALL FIGURES INTO SOME KIND OF CHART.
• STATISTICS: USE COMPARISONS - don’t tell us that there are 80,000 miles of railway line in China without giving the figure for a few other countries, either in total or in terms of miles per inhabitant or in some other meaningful way.
• CHECK COLOURS: DON’T PUT RED HEADINGS ON A BLUE BACKGROUND.
• Link display to what you say and GIVE THEM TIME TO ABSORB GRAPHICS
• Don’t read verbatim from notes : improvise from headings. (THIS IS FUNDAMENTAL)
• Don’t put your notes on the desk - you have to look down too far to read them.
• DO NOT USE A4 NOTES ...... PÜT THEM ON SMALL CARDS IF NECESSARY

The MOST IMPORTANT VISUAL AID - YOU

• The MOST important aspect in a presentation is your personality! If you lack charisma, enthusiasm and the ability to interest and motivate people, then you must work on this!! IT IS POSSIBLE to improve your personality by focussing on MICRO-SKILLS:
• SMILE: ENJOY (OR PRETEND TO ENJOY) THE EXPERIENCE
• DON’T GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU ARE APOLOGISING EITHER FOR YOUR OWN PERFORMANCE OR FOR THE BORING NATURE OF THE TOPIC
• BE CONFIDENT: YOU ARE THE EXPERT ON THE TOPIC - MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL THIS
• DON’T MOVE ABOUT TOO MUCH - IT INDICATES NERVOUSNESS
• LOOK AT THE AUDIENCE AND SPEAK CLEARLY IN SENTENCES
• VARY THE PITCH of your delivery : DO NOT SPEAK IN A MONOTONE.
• BE INTERESTING : ADD SOME DRAMA, ADD A JOKE, ASK SOME QUESTIONS, TELL A REAL-LIFE STORY
• RAISE THE VOLUME OF YOUR VOICE : YOU ARE NOT IN A CONVERSATION AT THE COFFEE-MACHINE : YOU HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER AND MORE CLEARLY THAN NORMAL - YOU ARE GIVING A PERFORMANCE!!!
• ENSURE STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION IS CLEAR & LOGICAL

PRONUNCIATION

• learn pronunciation of key words - if ‘development’ appears in your presentation 20 times it will be painful for the audience to listen to you mispronouncing it each time
• stress the key words
• make your voice FALL at the end of a sentence
• PAUSE at the end of key sentences - look round at your audience to see if your message has sunk in
• DON’T SPEAK TOO FAST - check comprehension by looking at audience