Chapter 13– Strategies for Effective Oral Presentations The goal of the presentation is to communicate, clearly and concisely, the results and implications of an experiment or of some statistical research, and perhaps to recommend some action. Know your audience. Before constructing the presentation, think about to whom the presentation is intended. The presentation should be understandable to your intended audience, but should not get bogged down in trivial details. Think about the backgrounds of the intended readers – what are they likely to know already about the topic? What do the audience know about you? You may need to formally introduce yourself, or be introduced. You may need to provide information about yourself to the person doing introductions.

Ground Rules How much time will you be allowed for your presentation? You will need to allow time for the introduction, and time for questions. Generally, you should assume that your presentation will occupy about 80% of your allotted time. Is this a stand-alone presentation? Or part of a sequence of presentations? How are the other talks related to yours? Will the audience be allowed to ask questions during your presentation? Or will there be a question-and- answer session at the end?

What are the facilities? Will you use a flipchart as a visual aid? Transparencies with an overhead projector? Powerpoint? Be familiar with the equipment and the room in advance. It is awkward (and not likely to impress your audience) if you are fumbling with the equipment during the talk. If you will use Powerpoint to present your talk, be prepared with a back-up, in case there are technical problems. I always make transparencies as well. Will you need to provide written material to members of your audience? The presentation itself may not give adequate time for interested members of the audience to learn about the research. If a written version is needed also, copies should be available to hand out at the beginning of the presentation.

Sections of the Presentation Greeting and introduction Preview Background Descriptions of the research Results Conclusions and recommendations

Greeting and Introduction Thank the audience for the opportunity to speak to them. Look them in the eye during this time, to get their attention. State the title or goals of your talk, without the distraction of visual aids.

Preview Give the audience an outline of your talk, so that they are prepared for what they will hear and see The outline should include the following general headings (to be edited for specifics): 1. Background 2. The Experiment 3. Results 4. Conclusions and Recommendations 5. Comments

Background In this section, give the audience the general information that they will need to understand the conduct and relevance of the research. Keep in mind what the audience may or may not know about the topic. Do not get bogged down in commonly known details, so that you lose your audience.

The Experiment Describe, specifically, how the data were collected. Explain terminology that may be specific to the topic area.

Results of the Data Analysis Summarize the results in language understandable to the audience. If your audience consists of business executives, they may not be familiar with some statistical terminology. Don’t, however, present them with the complex statistical details if they do not have the background to understand. Remember, those who are interested will have the written report available to read. If you are asked to explain some of the data analysis, be prepared to do so. A table or figure should be a stand-alone piece of information. The reader should be able to understand the content without referring to the text of the report.

Conclusions and Recommendations Tie all of the pieces together in a summary. Recommend specific actions, if appropriate, or discuss future directions for follow-up research. Invite questions from the audience.

Style Practice. Few people can speak extemporaneously on statistical analysis or scientific research. Be enthusiastic in your presentation; you are selling your skills and trying to make a good impression. Speak with enough volume to be heard in the back of the room. Know your voice volume. Will you need a microphone? Will one be available? If not, practice the presentation as though you were speaking to someone seated in the back of the room. Don’t just read from your visual aids. You should be very familiar with the topic; use the visual aids primarily as cues for what comes next. The audience will use the visual aids to gather information. Appearance matters. Is this presentation part of a job interview? A professional meeting? Dress appropriately. Keep a pleasant expression on your face. It is easier to do so if you have practiced so that you are confident about your presentation. Look at the audience. You may glance at the visual aids for cues to guide you, but you should speak to the people in the audience. Speak at a rate that will communicate, not confuse or bore your audience.

Visual Aids The purpose of the visual aids is to help the audience to understand the presentation; they augment the words of the presenter. Look at the audience. Each slide should be uncluttered, addressing only a few points of the talk. Leave white spaces. Use a type size that will be easily visible from the back of the room. The minimum size would be 18 points, for the text of a slide, larger type size for titles. Don’t use fancy fonts; use Arial or Helvetica. Use bullets for lists. Color can enliven your presentation. If you are using transparency slides, keep them in order. You may need to refer to a specific slide to answer a question from the audience. Proofread your visual aids.

Rehearse Do several rehearsals, starting several days before the presentation. Practice will help you to overcome stage fright and make your presentation smoother and more interesting to the audience. After rehearsing in private, you may want to ask a friend or colleague to serve as a practice audience. Edit your presentation for clarity and time constraints. Cut the presentation, rather than speaking faster. Use relaxation techniques to overcome fear.

Question-and-Answer If an audience member asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer, say that you don’t know. You may need to collect your thoughts before answering a question. Answer to the entire audience. Maintain eye contact during this period.

Check List Use the Oral Presentation Checklist on page 162 of the text as you are preparing your presentation.