Presentation structure
How to prevent your audience from falling asleep
Using the overhead projector effectively
Nervous?
On being a good audience
Want to read more about giving presentations?
Presentation structure
A presentation, like any term paper or essay, should be well-structured. It should comprise three main sections, namely beginning, middle and end. Let's start with the beginning:
Beginning
A) State the purpose of your presentation and arouse the audience's interest.
i.e. why are you here?; what are you going to talk about?; why is it interesting or important?; why should your audience listen to you?B) Give an overview of the structure of your presentation so that your audience knows what to expect.
i.e. what are you going to talk about first, and next, ... , and finally ...?
Do not forget that your hearers should also be addressed in this section. If possible, involve them in some way.
End
In this section, you should summarise the main points and issues raised in your presentation. Suggestions for further discussion may also be raised.
How to prevent your audience from falling asleep
- Ensure your audience can hear you. If necessary, close any windows which may be open.
- Speak slowly and clearly.
- Make eye-contact with your audience. Make them feel that you are interested in them and want to communicate your ideas with them. If they get the feeling that you would prefer to speak to yourself only, they will fall asleep rather quickly.
- Vary the tone of your voice - there is nothing worse than listening to a monotone voice.
- Active audience participation not only keeps them awake longer, it also enhances the learning process. So, make them work - and learn! Ask them questions, get them doing tasks!
- Remember, spoken language is different to written language - so, when writing out notes for your presentation, don't forget that presentations involve the spoken word.
- Do NOT read out your presentation. Your audience are in front of you - talk to them or they will fall asleep! They do not need you to read to them - they can do that themselves at home. You are not, of course, expected to remember every single thing you want to say. Some tricks include the use of:
- postcards
Keywords written in large print on postcards serve to guide you through your presentation. You should not write too much on each postcard as keywords will not be seen at a glance and this will force you to read the postcard (which is what you are trying to avoid in the first place).
One idea per card is the general rule of thumb.
- overheads
Acetates (Klarsichtfolien) can be used very effectively to guide you through your presentation. They also serve to focus the audience's attention - and so prevent them falling asleep (immediately!). In addition, they reinforce the presentation and so help your audience remember the presentation. And last but not least, it has been found that speakers who use an overhead projector are perceived as being more professional, more credible, more interesting and better prepared than those who do not use visuals. Cf, however, using the overhad projector properly below.
- handouts
Handouts may also be used by speakers to guide them through their presentation. Handouts should not be cramed with information, but rather include key points, and possibly a small number of relevant quotes, examples or tasks. They should be well-structured and easily followed.
Whatever aids you use, make sure you practice your presentation (out loud) before the big day! A mirror is useful in this regard.
- Time your presentation - don't go over time as your audience will become agitated.
- Don't go off on tangents - be relevant to the subject-matter at hand throughout your presentation.
- Use examples to clarify points. Try to choose examples which are as near to real-life as possible.
- If you don't like the above tips, it might be an idea to bring an alarm clock and set this to go off at regular intervals :-)!
Using the overhead projector effectively
- Acetates should be typed - not hand-written (unless, of course, you use blank acetates and develop them "on-line" - i.e. in class)
- Ensure anything printed on your acetate is large enough to be seen from the back row. Size 18 Times New Roman is the recommended minimum size.
- Do not cram your acetate full of information - generally speaking, one chart or graph or alternatively five short lines of copy should be included on one acetate.
- If you wish to copy a table, graph or text from an existing source on to an acetate, ensure it is large enough. If not - use the enlarge button on the copier!
- A lot of people suddenly become very friendly with the overhead projector during their presentation - preferring to talk to it than to their audience - quite insulting for the audience!
- You should use a pen rather than your fingers to point to particular points on the acetate (this looks more professional and will also help to prevent you talking to the overhead projector rather than your audience).
- Familiarise yourself with the overhead projector before the class - you have a half an hour to do this between classes.
Nervous?
Don't worry - that's all part of the game ... - you'll need some adrenalin to motivate all those people in front of you anyhow! Remember, though, there's no need to be too nervous (I know - easier said than done
), the point of these presentations is to learn, so don't be afraid of making mistakes - everyone does and will.
On being a good audience
A good audience:
- asks questions
(Questions should be asked during the presentation, if a particular point or concept is not understood. Asking a question may help clear up a misunderstanding - this is better done straight away rather than at the end of the presentation).
- participates in a discussion following the presentation
- participates in class
- doesn't talk/ whisper during the presentation
Want to read more about giving presentations? Try out:
Patricia Fripp's article "Open and close your presentations with power"
