Pathway to Effective
Presentations
Handout packet
Pathway to Effective
Presentations
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7 Stages for Planning Your Presentation – p.3
4 Parts of a Persuasive Speech – p.7
Presenting with Visual Aids – p.8
10 Tips for More Effective PowerPoint Presentations – p.9
Resources List – p.12
A few words about handouts…
Give someone a handout and he will read it – if not the moment he gets it, the first moment he is bored
with your talk. Even if you explicitly state, “You won’t need to review this chart for another hour,” I can
guarantee the recipients are not hearing your instructions because they are already studying the chart.
It’s just human nature, and that’s not something you are going to change.
So whenever possible, distribute handouts at the end of your talk, and design them to serve as a
summary of the major points. This timing helps keep the audience’s focus on you and provides them
with one less potential distraction. If the audience must refer to handouts in the course of your
presentation, distribute them as close to that moment as you can. And when event organizers from The
Bizarro World insist you send all handouts in advance so they can incorporate them into conference
notebooks, just say, “That’s okay, I’ll distribute them myself.” You may ruffle some feathers, but you will
be better serving your audience, and that should always be your bottom line.
– Andy Goodman, “Why bad presentations happen to good causes.”
My standard handout is built around the idea that if I never see these people again, here are the 10
most important things they need to change the way they work.
– Dynell Garron, The Funder’s Checklist
Page 2 of 12: Pathway to Effective Presentations – Teresa Ilinitch & Josh Hinson
Planning Your Presentation: 7 Steps
(adapted from Billingham, 2003; Bowman, 1998)
You can simplify the planning process for your presentation by breaking it down into seven steps:
1. Identify the purpose and define the goals
2. Select the topic
3. Consider the audience
4. Determine the structure
5. Complete your research: know your material
6. Organize your presentation
7. Practice!
#1: Identify the purpose and define the goals – “WHY?”
Presentations usually have one of the following purposes:
1. To inform
2. To persuade
3. To build goodwill
Given the purpose of your presentation, what is your goal? What do you want your audience to do
differently after hearing your presentation? If your purpose is to inform, what do you want them to
know or think differently? If it is to persuade, what action do you want your audience to take? If you’re
building goodwill, what will influence how your audience feels? Your answers to these questions will
help determine the structure, style, and content of your presentation. For example, many presentations
in the School of Social Work will require you to inform your instructors and classmates about your
research findings, but some may call on you to build a case in which you persuade potential funders or
decision makers to support your program or intervention.
#2: Select the topic – “WHAT?”
Once you know what you want your presentation to accomplish, you can select an area of focus to
achieve your objective. For example, if your goal is for decision-makers to adopt a policy that will
guarantee access to healthcare for all members of a community, then your presentation will need to
focus on convincing your audience of the need for such a policy and the steps necessary for its
implementation. In order to narrow the topic to your particular needs, you’ll need to:
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Conduct preliminary research on the subject
Review literature and resources
Gather information that supports your case
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#3: Consider the audience – “WHO?”
Once you know the “why” and “what” of your presentation, you’ll need to take into consideration who
you’ll be talking to. In general there are four types of audiences:
1. Captives – these are people who are attending your presentation because they are required to.
Are they resentful? If so, you’ll need to be especially careful to engage them in a way that is
non-threatening and keeps their attention.
2. Pragmatists – these people may have some say in whether or not they will attend, but they have
not necessarily decided that they agree with your point of view. Your job is to tell them what
they need to know.
3. Socially motivated – these folks come to your presentation because they are already motivated
to support a cause, or because they belong to a group that supports your cause.
4. Committed – these people already know who you are and where you stand; they are attending
because they want to be there and hear what you have to say.
Determine what kind of audience you have, or how many people in the audience fall into each of the
above the categories, and adjust your presentation style accordingly. You also need to determine the
demographic composition of your audience:
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Size of the audience will help determine your delivery style, the amount of interaction you can
realistically expect to have with audience members, the type of audio/visual materials you
should use, and the number of handouts you should make.
Age distribution will help determine the reference points you use. For example, an audience
consisting mostly of people born in the 1990s may have an easier time relating to examples of
social movements stemming from the wars in the Middle East and Gulf regions than examples
from the Vietnam era.
Gender composition will also help you to establish appropriate reference points. If your
audience is a men’s support group, the use of the pronoun “he” may be more appropriate than
it would be for a group of mixed gender.
How do audience members rank within their organization? In relation to your position? This
can influence the tone of your presentation and the appropriateness of its content. Are
decision-makers present? If not, who are you trying to persuade?
How familiar is audience with your topic? This will in part determine how much background
information they need.
Level of education of audience members will influence the type of language and presentation
style you use.
What kind of reaction can you expect? Based on what you know, is your audience likely to be
supportive or hostile?
Finally, put yourself in the audience’s shoes and ask, “WIIFM: What’s In It For Me?” Remember that your
presentation is for THEM, not YOU.
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#4: Determine the structure – “HOW?”
Now that you know why you are presenting, what you want to accomplish, and who you are presenting
to, you can begin to decide how you want your presentation to look. Consider the following:
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What type of context are you working within? This may include the “when” (time of day, length
of presentation, and order of your presentation related to other presentations), the “where”
(including the location, room, facilities, and equipment), and any specific instructions (such as
your instructor’s assignment description, or the Town Council’s guidelines for presentation
format).
What are your key points? You know enough about your audience now to know what
information they have and what information they need. Now distill the information that you
want to deliver into memorable points.
In addition to providing key points, ask yourself, “What’s ONE thing I most want them to
remember?” Elizabeth Urech (2004) says that audiences forget 50% of what you say within 24
hours, and 90% within two weeks. What one thing do you want your audience to remember
after two weeks?
What delivery format will you use? Younger audiences tend to prefer an interactive
presentation with videos and participatory exercises, whereas professional audiences may
prefer (or require) a formal lecture-style presentation. Find out as much as you can about the
organizational culture and your audience’s preferences so you can select the appropriate
format.
What materials do you need to deliver your presentation? Are you doing an activity? If so, do
you have all of the props and supplies you need? Do you have enough handouts? If you’re using
a PowerPoint presentation, is your laptop or flash drive compatible with the AV equipment that
you’ll be using to project it?
#5: Complete your research: know your material
While you won’t be able to share ALL of the information and data that you have, you should have
enough information to be thoroughly knowledgeable about your topic. This means being able to field
questions from audience members in a way that shows them you know what you’re talking about.
Plagiarism caution: As Martin Cox (2007) points out, “It is essential that you cite the source for any and
all materials that you draw from anyone else, even if you paraphrase. IF YOU DRAW MATERIAL FROM
ANY SOURCE OTHER THAN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, YOU MUST CITE THE SOURCE. Failure to cite your
sources correctly is a form of plagiarism, and may include substantial academic penalties.”
Cox cites five basic rules to avoid plagiarism:
1. Take clear and consistent notes when researching.
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2. Record complete source citations on each page of notes.
3. Indicate in your speech any words, ideas, examples, or organizational structures that are not
your own.
4. When you paraphrase ideas, credit their originator.
5. When in doubt, cite the source.
#6: Organize your presentation
Perhaps the single most important step in preparing a presentation is organizing your information in
such a way that it makes sense to the audience. Here are some steps:
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Prepare an outline. See “4 Parts of a Persuasive Speech” below.
Finalize format. Given the format that you have decided on for your audience, see how you will
use that format to cover all parts of your outline.
Prepare materials. Now that you know the order of your presentation and the format you’ll use
to deliver it, you can put together your slides, activities, and handouts. You’d be surprised how
many presenters START with a PowerPoint slide show and then tailor the rest of their
presentation to fit it!
Prepare supporting notes or script for yourself. These are the “speaking notes” that you will
use to remind yourself of what you want to say, not to be confused with handouts or
PowerPoint notes.
#7: Practice!
Here are some essential tips for polishing your presentation so that it shines!
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Rehearse out loud, either alone or with an audience.
Rehearse in a quiet room free from distractions.
Use the notes you plan to use on the day.
Use the method you will use on the day: sitting, standing, mixture.
Always rehearse with your ACTUAL visual aids.
Take it seriously.
Amend and improve your notes after every rehearsal.
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4 Parts of a Persuasive Speech
(adapted from Billingham, 2003; Bowman, 1998; MacNamara, 1996)
Aristotle said that persuasive speech should have four parts:
1. Introduction
2. Central theme
3. Discussion
4. Conclusion
You’ve probably heard this simplified as:
 Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em.
 Tell ‘em.
 Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.
We recommend that you combine the two…
#1: Introduction – “Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em.”
In this portion, the presenter puts the subject before the audience in a way that grabs their attention
and makes it relevant to them. Some tactics for achieving this include:
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An opener: brief comments, then a “shocker” – a startling statistic or news item that illustrates
the gravity of the issue.
An appropriate quote.
A short list of facts or figures.
A rhetorical question.
Challenge or call to action
#2: Central theme – “Tell ‘em.”
This is the speaker’s thesis or point of view.
#3: Discussion – “Tell ‘em some more.”
This is an examination, one by one, of speaker’s reasons for believing the proposition, and the evidence
that supports those reasons.
#3: Conclusion – “Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.”
In closing, you summarize your argument and offer supplementary comments. Remember to:
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Summarize your message
Repeat key points
Ask for an action
Recreate verbal imagery used in the opener, but with the addition of your solution
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If you began with an anecdote, end with another, but with a memorable twist or play on words
End on a positive note
Remember also that THIS is what the audience will remember; what was the ONE thing you wanted
them to remember after two weeks? What was your goal? Find out if you accomplished it.
Presenting with Visual Aids (Billingham, 2003)
It is impossible to over-emphasize the fact that your visual aids are not a substitute for communication.
They are there to help you and your audience. They are for clarifying complex information and adding a
pictorial or diagrammatic element to the spoken word. Otherwise excellent presenters often “fall apart”
when they use visual aids because they try to let them carry the message.
Follow the basic principles of giving your presentation, to help ensure that visuals are aids, rather than
deterrents, and make sure they do not overpower your presentation.
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Keep facing forward, even if the visual is being projected to the area behind you.
Maintain your upright posture, so that you look and sound good.
Make sure your face remains animated.
Don’t let the visuals draw attention from you.
Project your voice and personality even more than usual.
Don’t let the visuals sap your energy, concentration, or focus
If you are using visual aids, you must rehearse.
Presenting with PowerPoint
More than any other visual aid, PowerPoint tends to draw the attention of the audience away from the
speaker, which breaks the speaker-audience relationship. You need to inject energy to prevent this
happening.
1. Take the presentation with you on disc and/or CD – with a back-up too.
2. Have a fall-back plan, such as OHP [overhead projector] foils, so that you can still present if the
technology does not work.
3. Be prepared to present with just you as the visual aid.
4. Arrive at least 45 minutes early if you have to set up the PowerPoint presentation – and always
assume there will be some setting up to do.
5. Make friends with any technical experts on site.
6. Set up the room so that everyone can see the screen.
7. Ensure the screen-saver is turned off or it may switch in while you are speaking.
8. When presenting, concentrate on your audience, not the screen.
9. Don’t check the image each time you change slides: what is on the laptop or monitor is also on
the screen.
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10. Let your audience look at each slide, then inject energy to bring attention back to you. This
moves the focus between you and the screen, as appropriate.
11. Remember, people won’t listen and read at the same time. If shoeing something complex, allow
time for studying it. When about half the audience is look back to you, draw the rest back: “As
you can see…”
12. When projecting onto an electronic whiteboard, do not draw attention to points by touching the
screen, which may make it move to the next slide.
10 Tips for More Effective PowerPoint Presentations
-Dustin Wax (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/10-tips-for-more-effectivepowerpoint-presentations.html)
1. Write a script.
A little planning goes a long way. Most presentations are written in PowerPoint (or some other
presentation package) without any sort of rhyme or reason.
That’s bass-ackwards since the point of your slides is to illustrate and expand what you are going to say
to your audience. You should know what you intend to say and then figure out how to visualize it.
Unless you are an expert at improvising, make sure you write out or at least outline your presentation
before trying to put together slides.
And make sure your script follows good storytelling conventions: give it a beginning, middle, and end;
have a clear arc that builds towards some sort of climax; make your audience appreciate each slide but
be anxious to find out what’s next; and when possible, always leave ‘em wanting more.
2. One thing at a time, please.
At any given moment, what should be on the screen is the thing you’re talking about. Our audience will
almost instantly read every slide as soon as it’s displayed; if you have the next four points you plan to
make up there, they’ll be three steps ahead of you, waiting for you to catch up rather than listening with
interest to the point you’re making.
Plan your presentation so just one new point is displayed at any given moment. Bullet points can be
revealed one at a time as you reach them. Charts can be put on the next slide to be referenced when
you get to the data the chart displays. Your job as presenter is to control the flow of information so that
you and your audience stay in sync.
3. No paragraphs.
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Where most presentations fail is that their authors, convinced they are producing some kind of standalone document, put everything they want to say onto their slides, in great big chunky blocks of text.
Congratulations. You’ve just killed a roomful of people. Cause of death: terminal boredom poisoning.
Your slides are the illustrations for your presentation, not the presentation itself. They should underline
and reinforce what you’re saying as you give your presentation — save the paragraphs of text for your
script. PowerPoint and other presentation software have functions to display notes onto the presenter’s
screen that do not get sent to the projector, or you can use notecards, a separate word processor
document, or your memory. Just don’t put it on the screen – and for goodness’ sake, if you do for some
reason put it on the screen, don’t stand with your back to your audience and read it from the screen!
4. Pay attention to design.
PowerPoint and other presentation packages offer all sorts of ways to add visual “flash” to your slides:
fades, swipes, flashing text, and other annoyances are all too easy to insert with a few mouse clicks.
Avoid the temptation to dress up your pages with cheesy effects and focus instead on simple design
basics:
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Use a sans serif font for body text. Sans serifs like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri tend to be the
easiest to read on screens.
Use decorative fonts only for slide headers, and then only if they’re easy to read. Decorative
fonts –calligraphy, German blackface, futuristic, psychotic handwriting, flowers, art nouveau,
etc. – are hard to read and should be reserved only for large headlines at the top of the page.
Better yet, stick to a classy serif font like Georgia or Baskerville.
Put dark text on a light background. Again, this is easiest to read. If you must use a dark
background – for instance, if your company uses a standard template with a dark background –
make sure your text is quite light (white, cream, light grey, or pastels) and maybe bump the font
size up two or three notches.
Align text left or right. Centered text is harder to read and looks amateurish. Line up all your
text to a right-hand or left-hand baseline – it will look better and be easier to follow.
Avoid clutter. A headline, a few bullet points, maybe an image – anything more than that and
you risk losing your audience as they sort it all out.
5. Use images sparingly
There are two schools of thought about images in presentations. Some say they add visual interest and
keep audiences engaged; others say images are an unnecessary distraction.
Both arguments have some merit, so in this case the best option is to split the difference: use images
only when they add important information or make an abstract point more concrete.
While we’re on the subject, absolutely do not use PowerPoint’s built-in clipart. Anything from Office
2003 and earlier has been seen by everyone in your audience a thousand times – they’ve become tired,
used-up clichés, and I hopefully don’t need to tell you to avoid tired, used-up clichés in your
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presentations. Office 2007 and non-Office programs have some clipart that isn’t so familiar (though it
will be, and soon) but by now, the entire concept of clipart has about run its course – it just doesn’t feel
fresh and new anymore.
6. Think outside the screen.
Remember, the slides on the screen are only part of the presentation – and not the main part. Even
though you’re liable to be presenting in a darkened room, give some thought to your own presentation
manner – how you hold yourself, what you wear, how you move around the room. You are the focus
when you’re presenting, no matter how interesting your slides are.
7. Have a hook.
Like the best writing, the best presentations hook their audiences early and then reel them in. Open
with something surprising or intriguing, something that will get your audience to sit up and take notice.
The most powerful hooks are often those that appeal directly to your audience’s emotions – offer them
something awesome or, if it’s appropriate, scare the pants off of them. The rest of your presentation,
then, will be effectively your promise to make the awesome thing happen, or the scary thing not
happen.
8. Ask questions.
Questions arouse interest, pique curiosity, and engage audiences. So ask a lot of them. Build tension by
posing a question and letting your audience stew a moment before moving to the next slide with the
answer. Quiz their knowledge and then show them how little they know. If appropriate, engage in a
little question-and-answer with your audience, with you asking the questions.
9. Modulate, modulate, modulate.
Especially when you’ve done a presentation before, it can be easy to fall into a drone, going on and on
and on and on and on with only minimal changes to your inflection. Always speak as if you were
speaking to a friend, not as if you are reading off of index cards (even if you are). If keeping up a lively
and personable tone of voice is difficult for you when presenting, do a couple of practice run-throughs.
If you still can’t get it right and presentations are a big part of your job, take a public speaking course or
join Toastmasters.
10. Break the rules.
As with everything else, there are times when each of these rules – or any other rule you know – won’t
apply. If you know there’s a good reason to break a rule, go ahead and do it. Rule breaking is perfectly
acceptable behavior – it’s ignoring the rules or breaking them because you just don’t know any better
that leads to shoddy boring presentations that lead to boredom, depression, psychopathic breaks, and
eventually death. And you don’t want that, do you?
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Web Resources
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10 Tips for More Effective PowerPoint Presentations
(http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/10-tips-for-more-effective-powerpointpresentations.html)
Dealing With Presentation Disasters (http://www.strategiccomm.com/disasters.html)
Effective Presentations: Kansas University Medical Center Online Tutorial Series
(http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/effective.html)
The Girl Effect (http://www.girleffect.org/question)
How to Deliver a Bad Presentation: Ways to confuse, bore, or annoy your audience
during(http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/training/page6703.cfm)
How to Design a Bad Presentation: Ways to misuse visuals, text, and animation in a PowerPoint
presentation (http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/training/page6702.cfm)
Life After Death By PowerPoint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSPPFYxx3o
Making Presentations that Stick (video)
(http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2010/04/making-presentations-thatstick.html)
Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes
(http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/Uploads/PDF/Why_Bad_Presentations_Happen_to_Good
_Causes.pdf)
Books
Billingham, J. (2003). Giving presentations. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
Bowman, D.P. (1998). Presentations: Proven techniques for creating presentations that get results.
Madison, WI: CWL Publishing Enterprises
Cox, M.R. (2007). What every student should know about preparing effective oral presentations. Boston,
MA: Pearson
Macnamara, J. (1996). The modern presenter’s handbook. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
Urech, E. (2004). Speaking globally: Effective presentations across international and cultural boundaries,
2nd ed. Rollinsford, NH : Book Network International
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