IMPRESSIVE
PRESENTATIONS
Copyright © 2004 by the
Center for Professional
Communication
Basic Business
Presentation Skills
HOW
we say things
counts at least as much
as WHAT we say.
WHAT MUST THEY KNOW
SCOPE
• What deserves time
• What can you cut
CRITICALITY
• What really matters
• What will grab them
ORDER
• What pattern makes it easy
Attention
Need/Problem
• Attention Getter
• Thesis Statement
• Audience Motivation
• Content Overview
• Restatement of the problem
• Research that supports problem
Solution
• Statement of Solution
• Research and other information that positively
supports solution
Benefits
• Short and long-term benefits of solution - WIIFM
Action
• Specifically request action for audience to take
Hybrid Persuasive Sequence
Basic Presentation Skills
Audience Analysis
 Attire
 Voice
 Physical Presence
Q&A

Understand Your Audience
Who is my
audience?
What
do I
want?
What do they
expect?
Audience Analysis


Size
Demographics


Psychographics


Consider attitudes, values, lifestyles, and opinions.
Geographics


Consider age, occupation, gender, ethnicity, race, education
level, and religion.
Consider audience members’ places of origin, presentation
locale, intercultural communication influences, similarities
and differences in cultural standards and expectations.
Complex Information
Nerves

Everyone has them

Recognize the physical symptoms
Sweating
 Tense muscles
 Stomach “butterflies”
 Dry mouth
 Rapid heartbeat


Practice
Professional Attire








You never get a second chance to make a first
impression.
Survey results say more skin revealed = less
power/credibility/influence
Conservative is always acceptable
Stylish, but not high-fashion
Dark or neutral suit color
Shined dress shoes
Belt loops => belt that matches shoes
Nothing to attract attention away from what you have
to say
Professional Attire

Men
 Conservative
tie
 Long-sleeved solid-colored white (or very light-colored)
shirt
 Light-colored suits April-August only
 Clean shaven
 No jewelry unless wedding ring
 Hair short or secured off face and neck
This …
Not This …
Professional Attire

Women
 More
fashion choices = more mistakes
 Pantyhose and unrevealing foundation garments
 Skirts/pants with traditional waistbands (set at actual
waistline)
 Solid-colored white or light-colored shirt
 Small stud earrings and wedding ring
 Hair short or secured off face and neck
 Heels up to 3”—no open toes or heels
This …
Not This …
Professional Attire

Women – Skirt Length?
 “dresses
that hit just below the knee – universally the most
flattering length. This length says “Take my work seriously,
and my sartorial elegance means I’m a good bet for senior
positions.” This is the sweet spot of skirt length as far as I am
concerned because ‘too short’ reminds us of recent grads
and gets the wrong kind of admiration from male colleagues
and questionable looks from female colleagues – neither of
which is helpful to your long term career goals.
Suzanne Doyle-Morris, PhD is an author, academic, entrepreneur, international
speaker and accredited executive coach specializing in strategic career
development and leadership coaching for high-potential executive women.
Voice






Pitch
Rate
Volume
Be conversational
Adapt to the audience
Pauses 3-seconds or less
Graffiti
UM
Like
Ya
Know
Yeah
UH
Graffiti
Identify
Fillers
Replace
Pause
Find
Patterns
Anticipate
Physical Presence

Gestures


Movement


Relaxed but purposeful
Posture


Natural but controlled
Back straight but relaxed
Eye contact
 Direct
and sustained
Rapport Building
Your posture says a
thousand words
Your hands help you
connect
Eyes are the window
to your soul
NO
LECTURNS
or
PODIUMS
No Scripts!
 Why?
 It
interferes with an essential goal: connecting with your
audience nonverbally.
 Your audience may assume you are not knowledgeable
about your material.
 You could sound memorized and too rigid, rather than
confident.
 Tip:
 Key words are memory triggers of a point to be made,
not full statements of the point.
No Scripts!
 If
you absolutely cannot present without reminders then
…
 For
shorter presentations you may use key words
either on slides or on one note card.
 For longer presentations (over 20 minutes per
speaker), you could use one sheet of paper with
a brief outline.
Common PowerPoint Mistakes
1.) People tend to put every word they
are going to say on their PowerPoint
slides. Although this eliminates the
need to memorize your presentation,
this ultimately makes your slides
crowded, wordy, and boring. You
will lose your audience’s attention
before you even reach the bottom of
your…
Bad Color Schemes
Clashing background and font colors can lead to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Distraction
Confusion
Headaches
Nausea
Vomiting
And loss of bladder control
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Data vs. Effectiveness
Amount of Animation vs. Effectiveness
Effective,
but
Boring
ADD Only
Dizzying
Simple, but
Useful
Trapezoid
Effective Dull
and
Amusing
Triangle
Static and
Dull
Active, but
Ineffective
Busy, but
Useless
Active
&
Confusing
Dull, but
Static
Original chart from: www.whattofix.com
Q & A Do’s








Assign content experts
Bring reference materials
Practice answers
Maintain your presence
Listen carefully
Clarify questions
Rephrase
Use silence
and Don'ts



Don’t refuse to answer
Don’t make up responses
Don’t leave team members
dangling
TIPS FOR A DYNAMIC DELIVERY

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
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PRACTICE!
Know your material, but never memorize.
Look at your audience at least 80% of the time.
Vary your voice, expression, and body language.
Use selective notes.
Stick to your allotted time.
Slow down and listen to yourself.
Don’t apologize (unless you really did something wrong!).
Remember to use natural gestures.
PRACTICE!
To Do the Very Best You Can…
PRACTICE
Utilize the
Neeley Professional Development Center
for practice
and for coaching.