How to Make an Effective Presentation
I
Giving a presentation is like taking our audience from start to finish on a journey. At the
start, your audience require some basic information before they can accompany you on the
journey. Once they have the information, they’re on your side, attentive and ready to listen to
every step of the journey along to your final message.
1)
Who:
Why:
The Start
Introduce yourself.
Tell your audience your destination – the reason they’re there to listen to you and
the purpose of your presentation.
Outline the roadmap – the main points that you’re going to develop and the order
in which you would like to develop these. The technique we use to give the
roadmap is called ‘sequencing’.
Put yourself into your audience’s shoes: address your audience’s needs. In your
‘start’ it can be useful to answer such questions as How long do I have to sit here?
What:
How:
Your ‘start’ should include these points but at the same time not be too long. 90 seconds
is a good guideline. An accurate ‘start’ helps to create a good impression and you should aim to
be grammatically accurate at this stage.
2)
The Finish (signal, summary, conclusion, closing remarks)
Stay in control until the very last second and follow these steps at the ‘finish’ of your
presentation.
Firstly, pause briefly and signal clearly that you are now ready to finish the presentation.
Then make your summary, giving a brief overview of what has already been said. The
summary is a reflection of your ‘what’ and looks back.
After this, give your conclusion. This is a reflection of your ‘why’ and looks forward to
what you want people to do or think after your presentation. It should follow logically from your
summary. Finally, make your closing remarks by thanking your audience and asking for
questions.
Vocabulary
Signal
So, that brings me to the
end of my presentation.
So, that completes our
presentation.
Well,
that
covers
everything I want to say.
3)
Summary
Conclusion
Closing remarks
Let me summarise what
we’ve looked at.
I’ll briefly summarise the
main issues.
I’d like to summarise.
Let me just go over the key
points again.
To sum up …
At this stage, I’d like to go
over …
To summarise, I’ll run
through my three topics.
I trust you gained an
insight into …
To conclude, I’d like to
leave you with the
following thought …
In conclusion, I’d like to
leave you with the
following idea.
In my opinion, the only
way forward is to …
Thank you for your
attention.
If you have any questions,
I’ll be happy to answer
them.
Thank you for listening.
Structuring
Signposting helps you structure and shape the main content of your presentation.
Signposts create ‘verbal paragraphs’ or ‘verbal signals’ and raise the attention curve at the
beginning and each point of your presentation. The technique allows you to guide your audience
through the structure of your presentation linking one point to the next.
Vocabulary
Moving on now to …
I would like to begin by …
Let’s now turn to …
I’d like to conclude this point by saying
That completes my overview of …
And this is …
My next point is …
Let’s start with my presentation.
So, first of all…
Now, turning to …
This leads me to a point …
Let’s just recap …
Next we come to …
That’s all I want to say about …
Now, what about ..?
Let me move on to …
So, that’s the general picture for
So, we’ve looked at …
So, that was …
So, that covers this point …
II: Connect with your audience
a)
Quotations: find something original or exciting. It helps to build credibility and create
interest.
b)
Shocking Statement: say something which is short and simple but unusual, surprising
and provocative. It helps to get a high level of attention with a shock effect.
c)
Expert Testimony: give object evidence or facts from an authoritative source. It helps to
be convincing and build credibility.
d)
Questions and Answers: ask something and then go on to answer it yourself. It helps to
raise expectations, engage the audience in problem-solving thinking.
III Use Visuals to Connect
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1) Visual Aids (PowerPoint presentations, flip charts, handouts, pictures, overhead
projectors, objects, etc.)
There should be no English spelling mistakes on a slide.
You shouldn’t use too many colours.
You needn’t include all details and data on your slides.
There shouldn’t be too many words on a slide.
A good presenter uses visual material to support the message and not to give the message.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
TTT when you present visual information:
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Touch – indicate what is relevant on the slide
Turn back to the audience, then …
Talk to the audience and not to the screen or wall.
NB: Grammatically inconsistent lists are confusing and difficult to follow. Simplify the text by
1) applying the ‘less is more’ principle and cutting the number of words and 2) making the bullet
points grammatically consistent.
Bullet points starting with verbs:

Attack market

Simplify product line

Cut prices
Bullet points starting with adjectives:

Larger market

Simplified products

Reduced prices
Bullet points starting with nouns:

Market attack

Simplification of product line

Price reduction
IV Top Up Your Techniques
Powerful techniques:
1) Repetition (of a word or a phrase) helps to clarify and consolidate the key points.
e.g. It’s a challenge, a real challenge.
2) Rhetorical Question creates expectation and a feeling of a dialogue. It is also a useful
tool for outlining or signposting the structure.
e.g. So, what is our second graduate programme?
3) The Rule of Three (three different words, three identical words, three phrases, three
sentences) produces a sense of completeness.
e.g. This is a very exciting option for those of you who are truly looking for variety,
opportunity and challenge.
4) Examples bring things to life as they create associations.
e.g. Let me give you an example of a Summit success story.