1. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 1 Communication Skills (603281) Oral presentation Planning Your presentation

2. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 2 Objective To learn the steps in planning your presentation

3. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 3 Steps in planning your presentation What is my objective for this presentation? Who will be my audience? How long have I got to make my presentation? What media will I use? Where will I be giving the presentation? The delivery of your presentation.

4. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 4 What is my objective?? What do I want my audience to know, understand, do as a result of listening to my presentation. Keep your objective in mind throughout planning and delivery of your presentation, so that your audience will gain a clear understanding of what you are saying and why you are saying it. Audience appreciate clarity and purposefulness

5. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 5 Who will be my audience? Who will be listening to my presentation? How many people? How much are they likely to know about my subject? How can I make my presentation interesting for this type of audience The better you know your audience the more effective your presentation will be, because you may then tailor content and style of delivery to meet their needs.

6. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 6 What do I want tell them? Think about your objective Make a list of main topics you need to include. Gather information about these topics which will enable you to meet your objectives Don ’ t be tempted to include much! Organize your material into a logical sequence.

7. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 7 How long have I got to make my presentation? This may be defined for you by the individual or organization who has asked you to give the presentation If it is up to you keep it short! Research has shown that in the first part of a presentation of forty minutes, an audience will be very attentive at the beginning. Over the next ten minutes, they will gradually lose interest. Twenty minutes after this, their attention will reach its lowest point. Then, once the end is in sight, their attention will rise rapidly, reaching the first level of attention at the beginning.

8. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 8 How long have I got to make my presentation? In view of this analysis: –Include the most important points for your audience to remember at the beginning and end of your presentation. –Try to use visual aids and a variety of presentation methods during the middle period of your presentation, when attention is flagging, to maintain interest.

9. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 9 What media will I use? Think about ways to keep your audience interested during your presentation Solid talk without reference to PowerPoint slides, OHTs, visual/aural aids, handouts, flip-chart notes and so on is likely to send your audience to sleep. Visual aids also help an audience to retain information.

10. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 10 What media will I use? Visual aids may be used to: –explain — more clearly than a verbal explanation alone may do –corroborate — providing evidence for what you are saying –impact — stressing certain key points to remember

11. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 11 What media will I use? Keep visual aids bold and simple and don ’ t use too many, as they can overwhelm your message. Think about why you are using any visual aid — does it achieve one of the above purposes? Visuals are there to support your story, not to tell it.

12. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 12 Where will I be giving the Presentation? Find out if possible where you will be delivering your presentation and check on the following: –What is the size and shape of the room? –What facilities are available within it; PowerPoint presentation facility, OHP + screen, flip chart, white board, video/DVD, tape/CD player, microphone, tables …… ? –Will you be easily visible to your audience? –What are the seating arrangements? Are they appropriate for the activities you are planning? –Is the room accessible, easy to find?

13. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 13 Where will I be giving the Presentation? It is not always possible to find out about these things in detail in advance, so arrive with plenty of time to spare before your presentation, to allow you to set out the space and your equipment before the audience arrive.

14. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 14 The delivery of your presentation A presentation may be excellent on paper, but fail to engage an audience because of the way in which it is delivered. To ensure that your audience remain attentive and interested and remember a good proportion of what you have said, you need to think carefully about the following elements of your presentation:  Structure  Methods of delivery  Timing  Appearance  Voice, posture and gesture  Supporting materials

15. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 15 Structure Clarify the objective of your talk at the outset and give the audience a structure for what you are going to say, dividing your talk into sections. Remember that the most important points you wish to make should be mentioned in the first five minutes and repeated in the last five minutes. During the middle portion of your presentation try to vary your method of delivery. Use signposting — when you reach the end of an idea/argument/section, briefly summarize where you have got to and indicate where you are going next.

16. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 16 Methods of delivery Decide on the best means of communicating your ideas for each section of your presentation. It is best to speak directly to your audience at the outset, establishing eye contact and building rapport. After this, you may wish to use PowerPoint slides, OHTs, visual aids, video/DVD clips, handouts … Try to work out ways of involving people — asking questions and using a flip-chart or whiteboard, small group/pair discussion, handouts, short exercises, passing round objects relevant to the subject matter …

17. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 17 Methods of delivery It is helpful to tell people if you will be providing handouts of important sections of your talk. Summarizing key points on a handout makes it more likely that your audience will re-visit your talk and thus retain more of the information which you have presented. Always use the last five minutes of your presentation to reiterate your key messages — speak directly to your audience to re- establish eye contact and compel attention.

18. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 18 Timing Remember that a short paced (but not rushed!) presentation has maximum impact. Try out your presentation if possible beforehand, to find out how long each section is likely to last and to pace your delivery accordingly. Most people average about 100 words per minute.

19. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 19 Appearance Your audience will make initial judgments about you based on your appearance. Your aim should be to create an impression of authority, assurance and being in control. This may be achieved by dressing conservatively in formal clothes and looking well-groomed. Dark colors convey more authority than light.

20. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 20 Voice, posture and gesture Make sure that you pitch your voice loudly enough to be heard at the back. If there is a sound system, check that you can use it and that it works. During the presentation, change the emphasis, modulation and speed of your speech. Use pauses for effect. Most importantly, show enthusiasm for your subject. Use short, simple and direct words.

21. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 21 Voice, posture and gesture You will be communicating with your audience, even before you speak, by the way you look and the way you stand. Check beforehand that you can move around the furniture without obscuring your visuals or falling over leads or tables. Take up an alert stand in a prominent position. Smile! Gestures can help you to emphasize a point, inject humor, convey emotion — but avoid being repetitive in your use of gestures, as they may become irritating. Try to adopt an ‘ open ’ position — do not cross your arms in front of you, try to relax and don ’ t fidget.

22. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 22 Supporting materials Any materials you use during your presentation must be carefully selected and produced in order to enhance what you are saying rather than detracting from it. When producing visual aids, consider the following points:

23. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 23 What is the purpose of the aid? To explain, to corroborate, to create impact? Make one single point per visual. Put this point in the title of the visual. Use simple words or graphics to show what the title says. Do not use visuals when opening or closing — keep up eye contact to stay with the group. Talk about what the visual illustrates before showing it — make the point and then reinforce it. Supporting materials (cont).

24. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 24 Supporting materials (cont). Do not speak whilst changing visuals or when your back is to the listeners — re- establish eye contact and then talk. Check all materials carefully for spelling and grammatical errors. Distribute handouts at the end of your talk, unless you intend to give your audience time to read the material in the middle of your presentation

25. Banda Ramadan-planning oral presentation 25 Summery Steps in planning your presentation –What is my objective for this presentation? –Who will be my audience? –Who long have I got to make my presentation? –What media will I use? –Where will I be giving the presentation? –The delivery of your presentation.