ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS Radhika Jaidev

OBJECTIVES At the end of the lecture, you should be able to: Understand the purpose of a proposal presentation Prepare your individual presentation Plan a good team presentation Prepare yourself to respond to questions

STEPS TO A PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION 1.Know your purpose & audience 2.Select content based on significance in decision-making 3.Organize your presentation 4.Write out your presentation 5.Rehearse your presentation

THE PURPOSE OF MAKING PRESENTATIONS Could be any one of these or a combination  Inform  Persuade  Entertain When presenting a proposal, your key purpose has to be to persuade.

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE AUDIENCE Who are they? Names? Department? Position? Gender? Possible response?? How much do they already know? What are their roles in this context? Are they decision-makers?

A purposeful presentation is about being selective

The ‘Elevator Test’ Can you sell your message in seconds- the time taken to get from one floor to another in a lift? Can you crystallize the essence of your proposal and write it in one sentence on the back of a business card?

Selecting your content Too much content will  Drown your audience in facts and figures – overkill!  Make them lose focus of what you are proposing  Make you lose your impact on them  Confuse and delay decision-making  Select the most essential info to make your point.

How to select essential content?  State the position as it exists that leads directly to the problem  State the problem and explain it carefully  State the possible options to resolve the problem? (Include key definitions, facts and figures, concrete examples, case- studies, illustrations/pictures, quotes from experts, etc. to support the above-mentioned claims)  Make your recommendation purposefully. Explain why your team’s proposal is the optimal option given the context.

Convert written language to spoken language  Don’t sound colloquial or use slang but Use personal pronouns, active voice & active verbs. Insert pauses for effect. Ask rhetorical and direct questions. Invite the audience to view the issue from your perspective  Avoid jargon wherever possible

Plan your presentation with your team in mind  Strategize how each member will contribute to the whole  There is only one purpose for every team member- for your team’s proposal to be accepted!  Your team approach must be unified and consistent: cross-referencing among team members; recapping / summing up as you go along; handling Q/A

INTRODUCTION  Use an attention getter to put your audience in a receptive frame of mind for your proposal  Ask questions- rhetorical or direct  State an unusual fact or shocking statistic  Tell a joke- be sure that it works  Quotes

Attention-getters v=2_VvIr1KkLo

THE BODY OF A TEAM PRESENTATION  Every member  must know the other members’ parts  can deliver in his/her personal style but there must be a consistency in the slides – colour, titles, font, layout, etc.  You may want to have a common theme for dress & general appearance  Every team member should have the same purposeful style of presentation!!

To Conclude  Review main points by reiterating main arguments stating benefits of the proposal calling for action  Make a memorable statement  Signal that you are ending  Do not introduce new points  Do not end abruptly

REHEARSING YOUR PRESENTATION  Don’t learn your speech by-heart  Know it well – go over it many times in your mind  Practise  from note cards with your visual aids  in front of a mirror with the correct tone, volume, pauses and gestures  observe your own non-verbal language- facial expressions, body posture, expression in your eyes, smile, etc.  get feedback

Pay attention to the Non Verbals  Body Posture and Movement  Gestures  Eye Contact  Facial Expressions  Voice Modulation and Projection  Pauses

What to do with your hands when speaking?? ?v=ooOQQOQdhH8&feature=rel ated ?v=ooOQQOQdhH8&feature=rel ated

Using your voice Speak slowly Intonation & Pitch Modulation  Stress on some key words  Stronger  Clearer  Stretch  Information words Chunking  Break the sentences in small parts

Using your voice to your advantage v=evpn-U3t-i0

THE USE OF VISUAL AIDS  To Clarify  To Simplify  To Emphasize  To Summarize  To Reinforce  To Attract  To Unify

Developing your PowerPoint slides ?v=3QwC1cl0Wa4 ?v=3QwC1cl0Wa4

DURING THE PRESENTATION …  Dress appropriately  Be calm  Step up confidently  Get equipment and script ready before speaking  Establish eye-contact with the audience  Be comfortable  Address your audience consciously  Maintain eye contact  Do not sound mechanical

Question & Answer  Encourage questions Be polite and honest Prepare by anticipating questions Speak to all Clarify and rephrase questions if you have trouble understanding them at first