Small Business Resource Power Point Series Giving A Presentation

Introduction This PowerPoint takes you through the stages involved in the planning and delivery of a presentation. Consideration will also be given to the effective use of PowerPoint slides in your presentation.

A Good Presentation  Has a clear structure  Encourages independent thinking  Uses clear explanations  Is delivered with enthusiasm

Structure Your presentation should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Beginning – Tell your audience what you are going to say. Middle – Say it. End – Tell them what you said.

Plan Your Presentation  Choose your topic  Plan your presentation outline  Build the talk from your outline  Choose your delivery method(s)

Delivery Methods Consider using one or two of the following:  Video  PowerPoint  Overhead Projector  Handouts  White/Black board

Know Your Audience It is important that your talk is geared to the knowledge level of your audience. Research your audience to avoid going over their heads, or boring them. Do not talk down to your audience.

Timing Know the time constraints for your presentation, and leave time for questions. A typical audience has an attention span of around 20 minutes, so get important points in early.

Adding Interest Use humour, when appropriate, to add sparkle to your talk. Demonstrations also add interest. If you are using a whiteboard or overhead projector, different coloured pens will help to add emphasis.

Delivering Your Presentation  Introduce yourself and give your credentials  Tell your audience the rules  Speak loudly and clearly  Pace yourself  Make eye contact  Bring your talk to a clear end

Any Questions? At the beginning of your talk, make it clear whether questions are allowed at any time, or if you will take them at the end. Repeat questions asked, so everyone hears, and make your answers clear and concise.

Using PowerPoint PowerPoint slides need to be clear, easy to read and understand. As a general rule –  Don’t use more than 5 or 6 words in a title  Don’t use more than 9 words per line  Don’t use more than 7 lines of text per slide

Colour Colour is great for highlighting text, but don’t go overboard! Too many different colours will make your slides difficult to read. Use contrasting colours for text and backgrounds. White on a dark background, or black on a light background is fine. Beware of white backgrounds!

Highlighting Bold text stands out very well, as does text in italics. Be cautious using underlining as it can make your slide too busy. Space lines out evenly, avoid gaps in your text, and don’t use too many different fonts.

A Picture Tells 1000 Words Pictures, charts, and graphs are very useful in conveying meaning. Don’t crowd your slides though, try to use a separate slide for each picture or graph.

Which Graph? Give some thought to which sort of graph will convey your message best. You could use:  Line Graphs  Pie Charts  Bar Graphs  Scatter Chart

Line Graph

Pie Chart

Bar Chart

Scatter Chart

Tables Also consider tables for getting your message across. JanFebMarchApril

One Last Point Once your presentation is ready, the last thing you must do is practice, practice, and then practice again. You are now ready to face your audience and deliver an interesting and informative presentation.

PowerPoint Content As such, the contents should not be relied upon and professional advice should be taken in specific cases. In addition, none of the content of this PowerPoint or related publications or links will form any part of any contract between us or constitutes an offer by Strategic Marketing Ventures Ltd

Powerpoint User Guidelines These Power points are for the personal use of members of any of the online marketing resource centres provided by Small Business Resource Ltd. Members may download these Power points and re-brand and amend provided the following attribution is stated at the end. “This Powerpoint has been sourced from Small Business Resource Ltd”

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