Abstract
Effective presentations begin by organizing ideas properly. Here, research into the subject matter should be sought and then a theme developed. A script should then be prepared; this should be followed by sound development of oral presentations where one should look for statistics, metaphors and the like to convey one’s message. Visual aids must be relevant, clear and concise. Vocal delivery should be such that speech patterns, intonation and rate of delivery must be optimal. The speaker should involve his audience by challenging them and using them as illustrations. Feedback should be garnered through calls and questionnaires and lastly, effective presentations skills such as maintenance of interest levels must also be embraced. These are all elements that must be involved in developing effective presentations.
Introduction
Presentations can be a painstakingly difficult challenge to carry out if an individual does not possess the right skills and techniques to do so. The beauty about presentations is that these techniques are not impossible to acquire and they do not require special talents for implementation. Prior to examining specific details on the topic, it is essential to understand its definition. Presentations are relevant in almost all spheres of life for instance when trying to get admissions into a certain college or high school or when doing a job interview.
However, for this paper, the topic will be restricted to the business arena. A presentation is a combination of a message, an audience and tools required to educate, explain or convince people of an issue. The most successful presentations are those ones which are appealing, brief and uncomplicated. (Zanna & Darley, 1999) The latter can even transform a seemingly monotonous meeting into an informative and exciting affair. These details shall be examined below.
What makes for an effective presentation
Speakers must ensure that they organize their ideas effectively. Thorough research should be done in every aspect of the subject matter so as to develop confidence when doing the presentation. New information should be sought from media reports, expert opinions, books, journals, company reports and other areas of expertise. This can go a long way towards gaining new insights into the area under discussion thus impressing the audience or maintaining their attention.
This means that a presenter will possess greater chances of influencing his audience or selling his /her ideas to them. When all the necessary information has been collected, then presenters must then decide which information is key to their subject matter. Thereafter, a logical sequence of these ideas must be created. In order to do this, the ideas must revolve around a certain theme. A theme will provide the speaker with a purpose for which he or she can work around.
For instance, one’s theme may be to sell a new hair product to his work team. Another’s speakers purpose may be to entertain his or her audience or alternatively, one’s theme may be to inform people about the benefits of renewable energy. Once this is clearly outlined, then one can now develop the rest of the presentation with clarity. (Zanna & Darley, 1999)
Organization of ideas also encompasses preparation of a script. This script must possess three major components. First of all, a speaker must have an introduction. Here, one should state the purpose of the presentation – where a thesis statement is necessary. Thereafter, one should summarize some of the issues that will be discussed in the presentation. After the introduction, a speaker must then prepare the body of the presentation.
This section is divided into small subtopics that basically delve deep into the matter under discussion. For instance, when an image consultant is talking to a group of media anchors about the importance of good grooming, some of the components that could be found in the general body of the presentation may include; the importance of image in today’s business arena’, ‘how to combine colors effectively in one’s wardrobe’, ‘how to make make-up work for you’, ‘matching one’s personality to one’s appearance’ and ‘choosing the right hair do’. All these sections must be related to the overall theme and must remain relevant. Lastly, a speaker must then summarize all the ideas he /s he has discussed. This can entail restating the thesis and repeating some major points.
Preparation and development of oral presentations is also fundamental in ensuring that a presentation is at its best. Here, one must ask oneself what one is expecting to achieve after the presentation. In answering this question, then one must be able to tap into the key messages that one hopes to deliver while carrying out the presentation. While the latter messages may be quite wide, it would be more helpful to reduce this number to a manageable amount. Aside from that, it may also be necessary to look into the knowledge base of one’s audience and then decide what would be the most effective way of meeting some of their knowledge gaps. This will be the issues that need to be really conveyed to them. (Hill, 2006)
In order to make these oral presentations effective, it may be crucial to think of metaphors, statistics, stories and analogies that the audience can relate to. To include this effectively, it would be important to consider the type of event that must be covered in the presentation. Here, one must look for ways of merging the latter with the former. For instance, if one was addressing the question of global warming in eastern Australia among a group of scientists, then one would have to employ the use of more statistics and facts than the use of humor. Nonetheless, there are always new ways of propagating messages to differing audiences.
Oral presentations are done when the speaker thinks of creative ways of vocalizing his words. Sometimes, it may not just be the message itself that counts. More often than not, the manner in which this message is vocalized actually carries the day. It should be noted that the oral part of any presentation is what forms the basis of a successful or a failed endeavor. Other aspects of the presentations serve as mere reinforcements while this section is what can be referred to as the ‘meat’ of the presentation. (Kenny, 2002)
Visual support is a crucial part of any effective presentation given the fact that people have a sixty percent chance of remembering what was said with visuals than a thirty percent chance without them. Visual support can go a long way in ensuring that some difficult concepts have been clarified. Besides this, visual support enhances the speed of message delivery because people can easily relate to the product. One must follow certain steps when thinking of visual support. First of all, one can derive maximum benefit from a visual if it is among the last things to be added in a presentation because it must be designed to boost the original script and not vice versa.
However, one must keep it in mind when developing one’s presentations that there are several visuals out there. These may range from simple script handouts, flip charts, power point presentations, DVD inputs etc. When selecting a visual aid, it would be effective to consider the event that necessitated the presentation in the first place. For instance, for client proposals, some may use flip charts; however, in the case of a fundraising event targeting hundreds of thousands of people, a video presentation might do the trick. This step should then be followed by preparation of a story board in which all the images to be used are gathered together.
Vocal support is crucial to an effective presentation because without it, then the audience might as well be reading the material from an independent source. Here some elements of good vocal delivery must be utilized. Vocal delivery is enhanced by a thorough rehearsal of the script prior to the presentation. The speaker must adhere to sound elements of good verbal communication. For instance, one must be audible, also, one can think of adding in some doses of humor so as to bond with one’s audience.
Aside form that, one’s tone should vary from time to time so as to bring out those issues that need emphasis. Good vocal delivery also encompasses the use of clear language with minimal use of jargon that may confuse the listeners. Non verbal communication is also essential here and one must work on the kind of image that one is presenting to one’s listeners. (Alley, 2003)
Audience involvement is another crucial part to effective presentations. The first step towards doing this is by studying one’s audience. One should be aware of some demographic features such as age, professional background, income status, gender etc prior to making a good presentation. For instance when discussing new methods of beam reinforcement to a group of civil engineers, one would have to resort to construction jargon, on the other hand, when discussing effective ways of conserving energy among non environmentalists, more neutral language would be appropriate. Studying one’s audience also assists in knowing the best method of communicating with them. For example, western audiences tend to respond well to speakers’ invitations to participate. This is in contrast to some traditional African communities that may consider such behavior impolite.
One can involve an audience in one’s presentation by asking them questions or by asking them to ask questions. However, the latter approach should only be chosen when the speaker is well versed with his subject matter. Otherwise, one may place oneself in a position where one cannot answer the questions and thus appear incompetent before the audience.
In certain scenarios, it may be plausible to involve the audience in what one is doing by asking them to be used in illustrating one’s ideas. For instance, if a motivational speaker is talking to a number of people about the importance of team work, then he can request two people to try and carry something heavy and do the same with one person. This contact can effectively demonstrate to the audience what the speaker was saying in so many words. Also, this kind of audience involvement can be regarded as part of the visual aids that the speaker is utilizing when carrying out his or her presentation.
Audience involvement can also be done by making the audience repeat what is being said. This form is common in motivational settings because it is a great way to make listeners respond to the speaker. This usually gets them fired up and ready for the next ideas being put forward. A speaker can do this for most of his sub themes so as to make them stick in the minds of the audience. This can also be done by asking them to say it out to their neighbor or to the persons sitting next to them. Lastly, one can involve his audience in one’s presentation by making some analogies that relate to them. For instance, one can ask audiences about what they are already familiar with and then look for effective ways of merging this with the presentation. (Woosley, 2004)
Carrying out feedback is another fundamental aspect of good presentations. This is because one can assess whether one’s message was well received. In other words, questions such as ‘were my objectives achieved?’ or ‘did the audience conceptualize my ideas?’ can be answered by ensuring that feedback is effectively covered. This can be done through a series of avenues depending on the resources available to the presenter and the type of message that was being propagated.
One easy way of getting feedback from an audience is by asking them to fill in a questionnaire. Here, members can be asked about what they thought of the presentation, what they learnt from it and what they would like to see changed in the future. This can serve as an invaluable source of information to the speaker about some of the rough edges in his or her presentation.
One can also get feedback from one’s attendants by making calls. Here, the participants may be asked similar questions to the ones stated with regard to the questionnaire. This can go a long way in ensuring that the message was well understood and that the attendants ask what they did not see in the presentations. Such calls are normally common when a presentation’s major purpose was to sell a certain product. Here, the speaker can seek to iron out some of the problems that the consumers can be facing while carrying out some of the propositions that had been made by that respective individual. (Tufte, 2004)
Lastly, one can get feedback from one’s audience by embracing information technology. Here, one can direct participants to the presenter’s website or a blog in which the presentation is being discussed. The internet offers participants discretion that permits them to speak their mind without having to worry about what the other person will think about them. Besides this, they have a lot of time to ponder over their ideas.
Presentation skills are fundamental in creating successful presentations. Here, speakers must look out for a series of issues. First of all, utmost care must be taken to ensure that the length of the presentation is appropriate. In other words, the combination of both the oral and visual supports must fall in line with stipulated time schedules. If the speaker exceeds his /her time limit, then chances are that he / she may be stopped and thus be unable to deliver his /her main message. In the event that there are no time constraints, the speaker may still be in danger of boring the audience thus impeding message delivery.
On the other hand, if the presentation is too short, then chances are that the presenter may eliminate crucial ideas or points that may be essential in causing the audience to fully understand the topic. Given these two scenarios, a presentation must neither be too long or to short; the right amount of time should be chosen later embracing all the latter matters.
Another issue that speakers must take into account is the presentation’s logic. All the issues being covered must be such that they are synchronized. Speakers should refrain from jumping between ideas. For instance if a speaker was tackling the ‘ethics in real estate’ it would make more sense for the presenter to begin with the code of conduct and then deal with some challenges in real estate. Such a speaker can then end the presentation with recent media reports on rogue real estate dealers and suggestions given on how their ethical challenges can be handled.
Clarity is another important aspect of good presentations skill. Here, care must be taken by the speaker to ascertain that all the ideas, statements and issues are communicated in a clean and concise manner. For instance, it would be more effective to avoid complicated terminologies if the audience under consideration may not be able to understand it. Aside from that, clarity can also be brought about by the way the speaker communicates verbally to his or her audience. (Kenny, 2002)
Interest levels are essential in assessing whether certain presentations adhered to good presentation skills. Here, there must be care to ensure that the speaker engages with the audience. This is a good indicator of a successful presentation because if the audience is not interested in what the speaker has to say, then chances are that all the goals of the presentation may not be met. Some of the ways in which interest levels can be analyzed are; if the audience maintains eye contact with the speaker, if they laugh at the speaker’s jokes, if they respond to the speaker’s questions etc. A presenter’s ability to answer all the latter questions in the affirmative will depend on his ability to merge vocal delivery, visual support and audience involvement in the presentation.
A speaker’s delivery rates can be an important aspect of effective presentation skills. Here, the speaker needs to consider a series of internal and external factors when deciding this. For instance, if the speaker is communicating in a secondary language, then one may have to slow down so as to permit members of the audience to internalize the matter. Also, one must ensure that the rate of delivering the presentation resonates with the issuance of visual aids. This is because members of the audience cannot read the visuals and listen to the speaker at the same time. There should be pauses in between to allow for the former. Speakers need to consider other factors such as familiarity of the audience with the subject matter, the complexity of the topic under discussion and the length of the presentation.
Presentation skills also entail an assessment of how useful the visual aids actually are in bringing out the message. This means, that visual’ content must be directly related to what is being said.
Conclusion
Effective presentations encompass a combination of issues. First, one must organize one’ ideas logically and coherently, this should then be followed by effectively preparing oral presentations when doing this. Delivery methods must be such that they maintain the audience’s attention. Besides this, one must involve the audience through questions, metaphors and illustrations, feedback should be sought through questionnaires, phone calls or web blogs and effective presentation skills used such as logic, good use of visual aids and others.
References
Alley, M. (2003). Crafts in scientific presentations. New York. Springer Publishers.
Hill, M. (2006). How to give a bad talk. Web.
Kenny, P. (2002). Public speaking for engineers and scientists. Bristol. Hilger Ltd.
Tufte, E. (2004). Visual display in Quantitative information. Chesire. Graphics press.
Woosley, J. (2004). Using visual grammar to enact effective visual communications. Neuroscience Trends Journal, 12(3): 330.
Zanna, M. & Darley, J. (1999). The beginning social scientist. New York. Random House publishers.