Effective Business
Presentations
Richard W. Moore
GBUS 600
Objectives



Describe common types of business
presentations.
Analyze what makes effective
presentations.
Describe how to plan a presentation.
Informative
Presentations

Objective: to inform
Tell them what you are going to say
Say it
Tell them what you said
Informative Presentation
Outline
I Introduction
– Arouse interest
– Introduce your three points
II Body
– Organized logically
– Explain each point with memorable anecdote
or fact
III
Summary
– Summarize key points with a twist. (.i.e. look to
the future)
Setting the Tone

First message:
– I’m comfortable
– I’m knowledgeable
– I’m positive and energetic
Arousing Interest

Startle

Shaggy dog story

Demonstrate

Audience participation
Persuasive Presentations
Persuasive Outline
I
II
Arouse Interest
Describe or explain action or product


III
Prove and visualize


IV
Personalize benefits
Give evidence of benefits
Get audience to see themselves taking action
Convince them they can do it
Move to action

Be specific and immediate
Tips on Panel
Presentations







Have an MC provide introductions, overview
and continuity
Have continuity in AV
Assign roles based on strengths
Plan seating, standing, moving
When not presenting get off stage
Panels require extra practice
Minimize hand-off time
What Makes Effective
Delivery?
Word Choice

Choose memorable words and phrases
– Repeat key words and phases
– Watch the connotation of words in
different contexts
Pronunciation

Be more formal

Be more precise
Inflection

Exaggerate slightly to express
emotions
Volume



Speak to the person in the back of the
room
Vary volume to hold audiences
attention
Vary volume to emphasize key points
Rate of Delivery

Vary rate to hold attention

Slow down to emphasize key points
Gestures and Posture
Do!

Let hands go

Reinforce key points with gesture

Move around

Stay close to audience
Good Posture
Gestures and Posture
Do Not!

Look back at the screen

Hide behind podium or use podium death grip

Pace, rock, shuffle

Put hands in pockets

Hold things in you hands
Bad Posture
Eye Contact

Use eye contact to keep the audience
involved

Make and break contact with individuals

Look all the way right and left

Don’t look back at screen.
Read the Audience


Stay in touch with feedback on your
performance
Respond to what you see in the
audience
Power Point
The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
You are the star,
Not your Power Point slides
Keep It Simple
(Like this slide)
Avoid Clutter That Does
Not add Value

Clutter is extra things you don’t need.
– Unnecessary formation



Too many levels of information
Clip art that doesn’t add value
Long sentences and bullet points that go on
and on and don’t add value by providing
new information but just take up a lot of
space and are hard to read on the screen.
See what I mean?
6 X 6 Rule
6 Lines
 6 Words
 Per slide

Make It Easy To Read

Font

Contrast

Clutter
Focus on Visuals Over
Words




Especially in technical Presentations
Use graphs, tables, charts
One idea to a display
Consider design
One-Stop ABC Analysis
Process





Step 1: Traditional line item budget
Step 2: Distribute all costs to responsibility
centers
Step 3: Process map
Step 4: For each responsibility center
measure cost drivers by activity
Step 5: Use cost driver to allocate costs to
activities calculate cost per unite of service
One-Stop ABC Analysis Process
One-Stop ABC Analysis Process
STEP 1
Traditional
Line Item
Budget
STEP 2
STEP 4
Distribute
all costs to
Responsibility
Centers
For each
Responsibility
Center,
measure
Cost Drivers
by
Activities
• Space Allocation
• Time Allocation
Process Map
STEP 3
STEP 5
Use
Cost Drivers
to Allocate
cost to
Activity,
calculate cost
per unit of
service
Avoid Eras
Planning a Presentation
1.
2.
Identify objective
Analyze audience
•
•
3.
Characteristics and interests
Context of presentation
Plan presentation
•
•
•
Outline
Plan attention getter
Plan visual aids
Planning a Presentation
4.
Practice
•
•
•
5.
Cut to length
Practice with visual aids
In panel practice hand-offs
Arrive early
•
•
Get the set up you want
Test visual aids
Power Point can not
substitute for clear thinking
and complete writing.
Check out Tufte
Final thought
"There are always three speeches, for
every one you actually gave. The one
you practiced, the one you gave, and
the one you wish you gave."
-- Dale Carnegie
Your thoughts and
questions