Make a Presentation They’ll Remember Speaker Name Title Date Presentation Outline I. Basic Best Practices II. Performance Excellence III. The Importance of Practice IV. Perform for Your Audience V. Making a Good Presentation Great VI.Scoring and Final Tips I. Basic Best Practices Basic Best Practices •One slide: 30 seconds. Thus, 10 slides as a general guideline. •Memorize key points you must make. •Energy and enthusiasm can go a long way •Look like you are in control AND enjoying yourself: SMILE! •Rehearse your answers beforehand to avoid rambling and confusion. •You can introduce new material, including slides, as part of the Q & A as long as it is relevant. •Prepare clear, logical thoughts and answers to anticipated questions •TAKE YOUR TIME! vs II. Performance Excellence: Look The Part Look the Part Not Appropriate: T-shirts Baggy Jeans Torn Jeans Sneakers, Boots Hats, Caps, etc Short Skirts Not Matching = UNCOORDINATED Look the Part Appropriate Men: Collared shirts Slacks Nice Jeans Sweater Jacket Women: Skirts Pants Dress Jacket Blouse Sweater All clothing should be appropriate size and fit: not too big, not too small. Although not required, men can benefit from wearing jackets. III. The Importance of Practice Importance of Practice Practice Tips: •Review your notes multiple times before you present. “The best way to conquer stage fright is to know what you’re talking about.” •Keep your chin up (literally!) •Each team member should understand every aspect of the apparatus, not just the part they are presenting. •Have clear elocution of what you are saying. -Michael H. Mescon •Videotape yourself and ask non-team members for critiques •Practice hand-offs and transitions Know Your Audience Judges will be a mix of engineers and marketers. Therefore you must plan language and graphics accordingly: •Engineers want to see: » Process Outline – plan before you build » The Iterative Process- how trials led to changes in your design » Creativity in engineering thought •Marketers want to see: » » » » vs Marketers - intimidated by engineering Interested in the group dynamics Simple explanation of what a law is used to determine Model Demonstrations- intuitive designs/graphics to illustrate key points IV. Perform for Your Audience Presentation Suggestions -Smile at the audience and look relaxed. Establish and maintain eye contact while speaking. -Team members should be engaged at all times. When not speaking: 1. Look at the presenter, even nod in agreement from time to time. 2. No hands in pockets No Eye Contact -Have a captain for the Q&A session who will handle the distribution of questions. It is okay to actually call on someone for each question. vs -Get everyone involved in answering questions. Answer without slang (“yes” not “yeah”) -Do not answer questions that were not asked. If your teammate has adequately answered, don’t feel compelled to “add one more thing” unless it improves the original answer. Eye Contact Delivery Keys DELIVERY KEYS: Pace, Gestures, Tone, Expression “Beauty without expression is boring” Pace: Know when to stop, pause, and go. Do not fear dead air - gains attention. Build to something. Gestures: Be in sync with what you are saying. A gesture can be planned and practiced. Examples: -Ralph Waldo Emerson Open and wide arms = accessible and authentic Nod and wag at a question = “Good one, and I have an answer. Listen up….” Delivery Keys Tone: Modulate your voice to gain attention and to energize. Quiet = listener leans in. Loud = listener feels the heat. Facial Expression: Smile = confidence. Smile = “We’ve got that one figured out.” Squinting, lip biting, little nod = thinking about it. Bill Clinton Speaks at the 2012 Democratic National Convention V. Making a Good Presentation Great Presentation Tips •“Show and Tell” of robot is okay as long as you stay within the presentation time frame. -This may require moving a desk to provide access to judges. Do this in the set-up time. -Choreograph any movement of the robot during rehearsals. •Pacing is CRITICAL for success: Ensure timing is properly planned (do not rush final slides to finish on time) •Use a wireless mouse to prevent crossing in front of each other or the projector while talking. Use a laser pointer to point things out on your slides. •Do not be wedded to PowerPoint -- Prezi has been very effectively used in the past to illustrate a team’s process and engineering principles. Presentation Tips Good Execution Ideas: -Introduction of Team Members & Coach (Names, Graduating Year, etc.) -Agenda/Outline- the basic project elements you will cover (Project Overview, Process of Development, Engineering Principles, Challenges, Lessons Learned, etc). -Explicit presentation of Engineering Principles including how each was applied. >For the marketing judges each principle should be explained briefly. -Anticipate some frequently asked questions and who will respond—e.g., What was your biggest challenge? How did you decide your roles? Things To Avoid: -Running out of time -Reading slides word for word -Rushing your speech -Being coached -Unequal distribution of speaking time (including Q & A) VI. Scoring and Final Tips Scoring (1) Project overview: • • • • What was the PROCESS used to come up with your design? How did the concept EVOLVE and WHY? How did you go about your DECISION MAKING PROCESS? How did you RUN your project (manage time, meeting location, biggest challenges?) Tell your audience: • How you divided up your duties. • How you made critical decisions and what the decision path looked like (chart…). • Time line your project followed. • How you worked together and specific roadblocks that occurred in project management. Scoring (2) Engineering Principles: Present what engineering principles were used in your design(s). Not just the principle, but some data or chart that shows how the principle was applied. Explain both principle and application and learning. A layman must understand what the principle helped solve. (3) Presentation: 5 polished minutes will score well. No more than 10 slides as a guideline. No small writing on slides (must be easily visible from 15 feet) No white letters on white background or black letters on black backgrounds. Logical, professional, pleasant, confident. No hiding behind each other. No stepping on each other’s answers. Visually attractive as a team and as a presentation. Imbed pictures and videos in your presentation. Use of visual aids during presentation or Q & A. This is a PERFORMANCE that needs to be PRACTICED. Final Tips • Remember your oral presentation is 5 minutes with a 10 minute Q&A. • Be mindful to pace yourself. • An oral presentation is a performance – a group effort. Preparation = Relaxation = Success • Watch your time. • Share the spotlight • Be remembered for something. Thank You! Questions?