Copyright Brenda R. Sims 2014
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Plan an effective presentation
Prepare the content
Create visual aids
Rehearse
Prepare for emergencies
Make it dynamic
Effective Presentations
Require Planning
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Will you use technical or industry
terminology or acronyms?
◦ If so, will the audience understand the
terminology and/or acronyms?
Is the audience familiar with the topic?
 Do they have a positive attitude about
the topic?
 Do they have a negative attitude?
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What do you want to accomplish?
 Do you want to
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◦ Inform?
◦ Persuade (sell)?
◦ Both?
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Will the audience expect
◦ A formal presentation?
◦ An informal presentation?
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What do you want the audience to do
with the information?
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Know the time allowed for the
presentation
◦ Listening takes twice as long as reading
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Condense your presentation into its
key points
◦ Refer the audience to written research,
reports, handouts, etc. for details
Prepare and Organize for
Success
Grab the audience’s attention
 Preview
 Support
 Summarize
 Ask for questions
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Get the audience engaged
◦ Ask a question
 By show of hand, what does . . . ?
◦ Tell a brief story
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Tell the audience what you will talk
about
◦ Use the order used in the presentation
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Use one or more of the S.E.A.T.E.D
approaches
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Use statistics that relate to the topic
◦ Statistics bring credibility
◦ Vague and not credible
 Sales are up in the southwest region.
◦ Specific and credible
 Sales in the southwest region have
increased 12% between June 2013 and June
2014.
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Use examples that
◦ relate to the topic
◦ the audience can understand
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Use an analogy—especially for
technical information
◦ Life is like a box of chocolates
◦ “... worrying is as effective as trying to
solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubble gum" - Baz Luhrmann, Everybody’s
Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
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Use the testimony of experts
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Use a visual aid
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Demonstrate your topic
◦ Videos
◦ Films
◦ Prototypes
◦ Photos
End with power
 Use one of the “SEATED” approaches
to close
 Know when to end
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“Who has the first question?”
Define (or avoid) terms they may not
understand
 Clarify and support unfamiliar
information, claims, or
recommendations
 Include information they will expect
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Keep the Audience
Engaged with Visual Aids
Stay focused
 Remember key points
 Follow the organization of your
presentation
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Stay in your allowed time
 Remember what you planned to say
 Explain complicated ideas
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Slides prepared with PowerPoint
Prezi
tm
tm
Films and videos
 Demonstrations or prototypes
 Handouts (of professional quality)
 Posters (of professional quality)
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or
Select backgrounds without images
behind the words
 Use phrases, not sentences when
appropriate
 Brand the slide for UNT (or your
organization) when appropriate
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Hydroelectric power has these
disadvantages:
◦ It causes the loss of wildlife habitats
◦ It takes significant amounts of land for
constructing the reservoir
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Disadvantages of hydroelectric power
◦ Loss of wildlife habitats
◦ Loss of land
Sans-serif type
 Type size the audience can read
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◦ 28-32 point type for text
◦ 36-48 point type for headings
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Uppercase and lowercase letters
◦ No all capital letters
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Ample white (negative) space
Practice Really Does
Make Perfect
If possible, arrange the room to make
you comfortable
 Place the laptop so you can use it as a
“teleprompter”
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Use a clicker
 If presenting with a team, determine
who will advance the slides
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Don’t stand in front of the screen
 For team presentations, when you
aren’t speaking, sit
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You just never know
Take backups of the slides
 Take backups of visual aids
 Have a backup plan if you will be using
the Internet
 Bring copies of the slides
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And Make It Dynamic
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Before the presentation
◦ Shake hands
◦ Make casual conversation
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Introduce all members at the
beginning of the presentation
◦ Saves time during the presentation
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Avoid awkward transitions such as
◦ “Now John will talk about”
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You know more about your
presentation than the audience
Talk slowly and distinctly
 Look the audience in the eye
 Speak with enthusiasm and confidence
 Avoid verbal pauses
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◦ “um,” “ah,” “uh,” “you know”
Don’t read the slides
 Keep within the time allowed you
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Use verbal transitions to alert the
audience to a change
◦ “My second point is”
◦ “Next, I will discuss”
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Use visual aids to signal a change
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Plan the presentation to take slightly
less than the allowed time
◦ A few minutes short is better than a few
minutes too long
Repeat the question
 Take a few seconds to think before you
answer
 If you don’t know the answer, say “I
don’t know, but I’ll find out”
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