Mastering Presentations
Tips and Techniques
Presenting
“There are two things that are more
difficult than making an after-dinner
speech: climbing a wall which is
leaning toward you and kissing a girl
who is leaning away from you.”
- Winston Churchill, former
British Prime Minister
Materials in this class are based on the Project Management Institute,
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) –
Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013.
Project Management Institute (1)
“…to advance the practice, science and profession of project
management.”
“…resources and information available only to members.”
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)
• The Body of Knowledge is the sum of knowledge within the
profession of project management.
•
The PMBOK® Guide is a book that identifies that subset of the Body of
Knowledge that is generally recognized as good practice.
PMBOK is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
(1) As defined on the PMI.org website, What is PMI (http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/About-Us-What-is-PMI.aspx)
Materials in this class are based on the
Project Management Institute, A Guide
to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth
Edition, Project Management
Institute, Inc., 2013.
PMBOK is a registered mark of the Project
Management Institute, Inc.
Project Management Institute
“…to advance the practice, science and
profession of project management.”
“…resources and information available
only to members.”
As defined on the PMI.org website, What is PMI?
(http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/About-Us-What-is-PMI.aspx)
A Guide to the Project Management
®
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)
• The Body of Knowledge is the sum
of knowledge within the profession
of project management.
• The PMBOK® Guide is a book that
identifies that subset of the Body
of Knowledge that is generally
recognized as good practice.
1st Rule of Great Presentations
You can be a good presenter if you
learn the skills for
presentation success.
What Would You Like to Learn?
How to present?
How to improve your
presentations?
How to stop being scared?
STOP!
It’s not a presentation...
It’s a conversation.
You are sharing information with people
that want and/or need that information.
They want you to succeed.
WE’RE ALL CHEERING FOR YOU!
Fear
“According to most studies, people's number
one fear is public speaking. Number two is
death. Death is number two. Does that
sound right? This means to the average
person, if you go to a funeral, you're better
off in the casket than doing the
eulogy.”
- Jerry Seinfeld, stand-up comedian,
actor, writer, and producer
Fear
The fear is irrational.
One way to fight it
is to do it.
Glossophobia
The list of treatments for Glossophobia
include:
 Behavior therapy
 Psychotherapy
 Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
 Exposure therapy
 Relaxation techniques
 Medication
Always seek professional medical advice about any
treatment or change in treatment plans.
“A book may give you excellent suggestions
on how best to conduct yourself in the
water, but sooner or later you must get
wet, perhaps even strangle and be half
scared to death. There are a great many
wetless bathing suits worn at the
seashore, but no one ever learns to swim
in them. To plunge is the only way.”
- Dale Carnegie, The Art of
Public Speaking
Why Do a Presentation?
“Public speaking is the art of diluting
a two-minute idea with a two-hour
vocabulary.”
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
35th President of the
United States
Make Your Points
• The Delivery
• The Room
• The Material
Make Your Points Again!
The Delivery
How to Speak
• Use variety
• Vary volume and pace
• Eliminate vocal and
visual noise
The Delivery
Slow Down!
You’re going too fast!!
The Delivery
How to Look
Use Your Hands!
It’s more difficult NOT to use them!
Use gestures to emphasize points
Language and gestures are related
The Delivery
How to Engage
The Delivery
How long do you think you have to
make a favorable first impression?
Enthusiasm Counts!
The Room
• Sound check
• Room setup
• Seating
arrangement
• Visual aids
Practice, Practice, Practice
•
•
•
•
•
•
Test the equipment
Practice in different parts of the room
Role play
Time yourself
Videotape yourself
As backup, bring:
– Your computer
– A flash drive
– A hard copy
The Material
 Have confidence!
 Be honest (it helps
to be right…)
 Be timely and
relevant
The Material
Miss-Steaks
Burn You!
Communicate with Power!
Can you communicate with power?
Give it a try using this short speech
by a grand master of
speaking over sixty
years ago.
TRY IT!
“Never give in.
Never give in.
Never, never, never —
In nothing great or small, large or petty.
Never give in except to
convictions of honor and
good sense.”
- Winston Churchill
The Material
Distractions can be good!
Give out something.
Pass something around.
Timing is everything…
Control the distractions.
Be Honest
“Honesty is such a lonely word.
Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard.
And mostly what I need from you.”
- Billy Joel, American musician
and pianist
Some Rules for Humor
• Make sure YOU think the joke
or lines are funny
• Be able to repeat the piece
confidently and comfortably
• Be sure your choice is not
offensive to anyone (gender,
race, age, disability, politics)
Remember…
• Bad jokes are forgiven if they are short
◦ Eliminate words, but keep what’s needed
• Practice on various audiences
◦ Change the timing
• Insulting can be funny…or NOT!
Slides
These are all 32pt. font, but…
•
•
•
•
Which is easier to read from a distance?
Which is easier to read from a distance?
How easy can you read this from a distance?
Is this one easier to read from a distance?
• Now is this a little plain?
Can you read your slides when
viewed at 30% zoom?
Give ‘em a break!
The average attention
span is only about
20 minutes!
Animation
 How much should you do?
 Is this enough?
 Is this too much?
 When is it appropriate?
 And when is it just
annoying?
Good?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Initiating (13%)
Planning (24%)
Executing (30%)
Monitoring and Controlling (25%)
Closing (8%)
Taken from Examination Content Outline. Percentage does not
reflect importance but rather proportion of time on that area.
Better?
Group
% of Exam
1 Initiating
13
2 Planning
24
3 Executing
30
4 Monitoring & Controlling
25
5 Closing
8
Taken from Examination Content Outline. Percentage does not reflect importance but
rather proportion of time on that area.
Best?
Executing
30%
Monitoring
&
Controlling
25%
Closing
8%
Planning
24%
Initiating
13%
Taken from Examination Content Outline. Percentage does not reflect importance
but rather proportion of time on that area.
Good Information, Bad Delivery
Same Information, Better Delivery
Process Groups
Knowledge Area
Project
Procurement
Management
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Plan
Procurement
Management
Conduct
Procurements
Monitoring &
Controlling
Control
Procurements
Closing
Close
Procurements
Pet Peeves
And now, let’s dim
the lights, so I
can show you
computer slides
and read the
exact text of the
slides to you.
Omne Trium Perfectum
• Everything that comes in threes is perfect
or
• Every set of three is complete
 The Three Stooges
 Three Little Pigs
 Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Your Message
• Make your point
• Explain it
• Make it again
For example: What 3 main points will you
remember from this presentation?
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
When things go wrong…
Notice this doesn’t say “IF things go wrong…”
How do you react?
Do NOT make excuses!
Do NOT throw your team under
the bus!
Do NOT apologize!
SIMPLY MOVE ON!!
ALWAYS be ready!
• Practice speeches that you will
never make
• Be ready to make an impromptu
speech
• Do not miss the opportunity
LISTEN!!!
Be Enthusiastic
• There is no substitute for your
excitement
• Show your passion
• Act as if this is the
most important thing
in the world!
Be Yourself
• Don’t try to imitate others
• Don’t try to shelter your emotions
• Don’t be afraid to
expose a bit of your
humanity
Learn from Great Speech Makers
Look for the skills they used and adopt them…
Breathe!
“The right word may be effective, but
no word was ever as effective as a
rightly timed pause.”
- Mark Twain, American
author and humorist
DO NOT
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE
FOR ANY REASON
EVER…
RUN
LATE!!
Thank You!
Thank the audience
Thank the people that set up the event
Thank your team
Questions
“Before I refuse to take your questions,
I have an opening statement.”
- Ronald Reagan, 40th President
of the United States
Contact Information
www.leadershiptechniquesllc.com
Lisa Hammer, PMP: (301)667-3915
lisa@leadershiptechniquesllc.com
David B. Newman, PMP: (240)446-6231
dave@leadershiptechniquesllc.com
Leadership Techniques, LLC
Reliable - Dynamic – Relevant
"No one would have
crossed the ocean if he
could have gotten off
the ship in the storm."
- Charles Kettering,
American inventor