Presentation Skills

1.     Definition: Presentation Skills

2.     What is an Effective Presentation?

3.     The Structure of Presentation

4.     Key Elements/ Components of a Presentation

5.     Principles of Effective Presentation

6.     Types of Presentations

7.     Barriers of Effective Presentation

 

1. Definition:

“Presentation skills are the skills you need in delivering effective and engaging presentations to a variety of audiences.”  These skills cover a variety of areas such as the structure of your presentation, the design of your slides, the tone of your voice and the body language you convey.

Importance of Presentation Skills

Interaction with others is a routine job of businesses in today’s world. The importance of good presentation skills is established on the basis of following points:

1.       They help an individual in enhancing his own growth opportunities. In addition, it also grooms the personality of the presenter and elevates his levels of confidence.

2.       In the case of striking deals and gaining clients, it is essential for business professionals to understand the audience. Good presentation skills enable an individual to mold his message according to the traits of the audience. This increases the probability of successful transmission of messages.

3.       Lastly, business professionals have to arrange seminars and give presentations almost every day. Having good presentation skills not only increases an individual’s chances of success but also enables him to add greatly to the organization.

2. What is an effective presentation?

An effective presentation makes the best use of the relationship between the presenter and the audience. It takes full consideration of the audience’s needs in order to capture their interest, develop their understanding, inspire their confidence and achieve the presenter’s objectives.

3. Structuring your Presentation

 What is the Structure of the Presentation?

Structure is important because a well-organized presentation creates an impression that you know what you are talking about-you will gain the audience's trust and they will be more likely to listen to you. A structure provides a logical flow so that you can provide the information that the audience needs to follow your presentation. The structure will help you become more comfortable following this flow. There is a natural structure for presenting and the following structure formalizes this process.

Purpose

To determine your purpose, ask "What are the main points I want my audience to take away from my presentation"? This provides a focus for you and the audience is clear on what they will gain listening to your presentation.

Audience pre-assessment

It is important to identify the characteristics, knowledge, and needs of your audience so that you are delivering the 'right' presentation to the 'right' audience. Know who your audience is, what they want/need to know and what is their background. This step is done before the presentation or throughout.

Opening your Presentation/Bridge

This is also known as the hook (a thing designed to catch people's attention). It is designed to grab the audience's attention and provide them with a reason to be interested in the presentation.

Body of Presentation

This is the major portion of the presentation. It is necessary that it connects directly to your purpose or bridge. Cover enough points to achieve your purpose (no more) and be sure to support your points clearly and concisely.

Closing your Presentation

This is the final impression that you will leave with your audience-make sure it is a strong one. Connect back to your purpose and let them know where you have been. Leave your audience with a clear understanding of your points.

4. Key Elements of Highly Effective Presentation

In fact, research shows that words are the least important part of communication when you have face-to-face conversations with others. So, before you utter another word to another person, memorize this list of the 8 key elements of highly effective Presentation: Effective Presentation is based on trust, and if we don’t trust the speaker, we’re not going to listen to their words.

Be Prepared - Being prepared is by far the most important element. How many times do you practice your speech? As a general rule, you should spend about 30 hours of preparation and rehearsal time for every hour you will be speaking. Use a tape recorder or videotape yourself. This will help you to get an accurate picture of how you speak.

Give of Yourself - Use personal examples and stories in your speech whenever possible. Make sure your stories help to emphasize or support your point. The stories must match your message. Use examples from your personal and professional life to make your point. In either case, be willing to give of yourself by sharing some of yourself with the audience.

Stay Relaxed –

 To stay relaxed you should be prepared. Also, focus on your message and not the audience. Use gestures, including walking patterns. Practice the opening of your speech and plan exactly how you will say it. The audience will judge you in the first 30 seconds they see you.

Gentle eye contact & Kind facial expression

 Gentle eye contact increases trustworthiness and encourages future cooperation, and a happy gaze will increase emotional trust. However, if we see the slightest bit of anger or fear on the speaker’s face, our trust will rapidly decrease.

Warm tone of voice

The tone of your voice is equally important when it comes to understanding what a person is really trying to say. If the facial expression expresses one emotion, but if the tone conveys a different one, neural dissonance takes place in the brain, causing the person confusion. The result: trust erodes, suspicion increases, and cooperation decreases.

Expressive hand and body gestures

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that expressions of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, sadness, and surprise were better communicated through vocal tone than facial expression, whereas the face was more accurate for communicating expressions of joy, pride, and embarrassment. And in business, a warm supportive voice is the sign of transformational leadership, generating more satisfaction, commitment, and cooperation between other members of the team.

Relaxed disposition & Slow speech rate

You can easily train your voice to convey more trust to others, and all you have to do is slow down and drop your pitch.  This was tested at the University of Houston: when doctors reduced their speaking rate and pitch, especially when delivering bad news, the listener perceived them “as more caring and sympathetic.” Harvard's Ted Kaptchuk also discovered that using a warm voice would double the healing power of a therapeutic treatment.

 Brevity & The words themselves

Brevity means concise and exact use of words in writing or speech If you want to express joy, your voice needs to become increasingly melodic, whereas sadness is spoken with a flat and monotonic voice.  When we are angry, excited, or frightened, we raise the pitch and intensity of our voice, and there’s a lot of variability in both the speed and the tone.  Your degree of relaxation is also reflected in your body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice, and any form of stress will convey a message of distrust. Research shows that even a one-minute relaxation exercise will increase activity in those parts of the brain that control language, communication, social awareness, mood-regulation, and decision-making.

Conclusion

Continually explore your personal style using any or all of the above suggestions in different combinations for different effects.  Always be yourself— even in the most formal of surroundings you will need to be yourself and avoid any behavior that might be off-putting to your audience— always be deliberate and clear in your use of your voice and physical actions.

 

The Key Components of a Presentation

Making a presentation is a way of communicating your thoughts and ideas to an audience. Consider the following key components of a presentation:

1.     Context

Ask yourself the following questions to develop a full understanding of the context of the presentation.

When and where will you deliver your presentation?

There is a world of difference between a small room with natural light and an informal setting, and a huge lecture room lit with stage lights. The two require quite different presentations, and different techniques.

Will the presentation be within a formal or less formal setting?

A work setting will, more or less by definition, be more formal, but there are also various degrees of formality within that.

Will the presentation be to a small group or a large crowd?

Are you already familiar with the audience? With a new audience, you will have to build rapport quickly and effectively, to get them on your side.

2.     Presenter

The role of the presenter is to communicate with the audience and control the presentation. Remember, though, that this may also include handing over the control to your audience, especially if you want some kind of interaction. You may wish to have a look at our page on Facilitation Skills for more.

3.     Audience

The audience receives the presenter’s message(s). However, this reception will be filtered through and affected by such things as the listener’s own experience, knowledge and personal sense of value.

4.     Message

The message or messages are delivered by the presenter to the audience.  The message is delivered not just by the spoken word (verbal communication) but can be augmented by techniques such as voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact (non-verbal communication), and visual aids.

The message will also be affected by the audience’s expectations. For example, if you have been billed as speaking on one particular topic, and you choose to speak on another, the audience is unlikely to take your message on board even if you present very well. They will judge your presentation a failure because you have not met their expectations.

5.     Method

How will the presentation be delivered?

Presentations are usually delivered directly to an audience.  However, there may be occasions where they are delivered from a distance over the Internet using video conferencing systems, such as Skype or Whatsapp. It is also important to remember that if your talk is recorded and posted on the internet, then people may be able to access it for several years

External Varibales

Many factors can influence the effectiveness of how your message is communicated to the audience. For example, background noise or other distractions, an overly warm or cool room, or the time of day and state of audience alertness can all influence your audience’s level of concentration. As a presenter, you have to be prepared to cope with any such problems and try to keep your audience focussed on your message.

6.     Reviewing your presentation

1.      Once you have written your presentation make sure that you review its content. Ask yourself:

2.      does the presentation meet your objectives?

3.      is it logically structured?

4.      have you targeted the material at the right level for your audience?

5.      is the presentation too long or too short?

 

7.     After Presentation:

Developing a conclusion

Your conclusion is another important stage in your presentation. You can use it to remind your audience of your main points, draw these points to a stimulating conclusion and leave your audience with a lasting impression of the quality of your presentation. The following structure provides a powerful conclusion:

a review of your title or subject area
“In this presentation, I wanted to explore the relationship between X and Y.”;

a summary of your main points
“We have discussed the following points…”;

a summary of the process you have been through
“By looking at X we have found that Y …”;

a conclusion clearly drawn from your main points

(this must be supported by the detail of your presentation)
“It is clear that there can be no substantive relationship between X and Y”;

a parting statement to stimulate your audience’s thoughts.

Its been an honor to meet you and looking forward to the next presentation

 

Type of Presentation:

The first step in preparing a presentation is to define the purpose of your presentation.

The following is an overview of several common types of presentations and their purpose. Each presentation type requires a specific organization technique to assure they are understood and remembered by the audience. The suggested organizational structure is also provided.

Informative Presentation

Keep an informative presentation brief and to the point. Stick to the facts and avoid complicated information. Choose one of the following organizational structures for an informative presentation:

Time

Explains when things should happen, Works best with visual people or people who can see the overall organization or sequence of events. Use words like "first," "second," "third," to list order

Place

Explains where things should happen, Works best with people who understand the group or area you are talking about. Use words like "Region 1, 2, 3, or 4" to explain the order

Cause and Effect

Explains how things should happen, Works best with people who understand the relationship between events. Use phrases like "Because of _____, we now have to ______"

Logical Order

Simply list items in their order of importance Works best with people who are accustomed to breaking down complex data into components in order to digest the material.

Instructional Presentation

Your purpose in an instructional presentation is to give specific directions or orders. Your presentation will probably be a bit longer because it has to cover your topic thoroughly. In an instructional presentation, your listeners should come away with new knowledge or anew skill.

1.       Explain why the information or skill is valuable to the audience

2.       Explain the learning objectives of the instructional program

3.       Demonstrate the process if it involves something in which the audience will later participate using the following method

4.       Provide participants the opportunity to ask questions, give, and receive feedback from you and their peers

5.       Connect the learning to actual use

Arousing Presentation

Your purpose in an arousing presentation is to make people think about a certain problem or situation. You want to arouse the audience's emotions and intellect so that they will be receptive to your point of view. Use vivid language in an arousing presentation -- project sincerity and enthusiasm.

1.       Gain attention with a story that illustrates (and sometimes exaggerates) the problem

2.       Show the need to solve the problem and illustrate it with an example that is general or commonplace

3.       Describe your solution for a satisfactory resolution to the problem

4.       Compare/contrast the two worlds with the problem solved and unsolved

5.       Call the audience to action to help solve the problem

6.       Give the audience a directive that is clear, easy, and immediate

Persuasive Presentation

Your purpose in a persuasive presentation is to convince your listeners to accept your proposal. A convincing, persuasive presentation offers a solution to a controversy, dispute, or problem. To succeed with a persuasive presentation, you must present sufficient logic, evidence, and emotion to sway the audience to your viewpoint.

1.       Create a great introduction because a persuasive presentation introduction must accomplish the following:

2.       Seize the audience's attention

3.       Disclose the problem or needs that your product or service will satisfy

4.       Ask for the decision that you want to be made

5.       Ask for the course of action that you want to be followed

Decision-making Presentation

Your purpose in a decision-making presentation is to move your audience to take your suggested action. A decision-making presentation presents ideas, suggestions, and arguments strong enough to persuade an audience to carry out your requests. In a decision-making presentation, you must tell the audience what to do and how to do it. You should also let them know what will happen if they don't do what you ask.

1.       Gain attention with a story that illustrates the problem

2.       Show the need to solve the problem and illustrate it with an example that is general or commonplace

3.       Describe your solution to bringing a satisfactory resolution to the problem

4.       Compare/contrast the two worlds with the problem solved and unsolved

5.       Call the audience to action to help solve the problem and give them away to be part of the solution

 

 

6. Barriers to Effective Presentation

Q1: What do you mean by a barrier to communication? List all the important Barriers to effective communication?

The process of Presentation has multiple barriers. The intended communique will often be disturbed and distorted leading to a condition of misunderstanding and failure of communication. The Barriers to effective communication could be of many types like linguistic, psychological, emotional, physical, and cultural, etc. So, here are some important barriers to the ineffective presentation.

1.     Linguistic Barriers

The language barrier is one of the main barriers that limit effective communication. Language is the most commonly employed tool of communication. The fact that each major region has its own language is one of the Barriers to effective communication. Sometimes even a thick dialect may render the communication ineffective

2.     Psychological Barriers

There are various mental and psychological issues that may be barriers to effective communication. Some people have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia, depression, etc. All of these conditions are very difficult to manage sometimes and will most certainly limit the ease of communication.

3.     Emotional Barriers

The emotional IQ of a person determines the ease and comfort with which they can communicate. A person who is emotionally mature will be able to communicate effectively. On the other hand, people who let their emotions take over will face certain difficulties.

A perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective communication. Emotions like anger, frustration, humor, can blur the decision-making capacities of a person and thus limit the effectiveness of their communication.

4.     Physical Barriers to Communication

They are the most obvious barriers to effective communication. These barriers are mostly easily removable in principle at least. They include barriers like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment used for communication, closed cabins, etc. Sometimes, in a large office, the physical separation between various employees combined with faulty equipment may result in severe barriers to effective communication.

5.     Cultural Barriers of Communication

As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large office may have people from several parts of the world. Different cultures have different meaning for several basic values of society. Dressing, Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets, and the general behavior will change drastically from one culture to another.

Hence it is a must that we must take these different cultures into account while communication. This is what we call being culturally appropriate. In many multinational companies, special courses are offered at the orientation stages that let people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and tolerant of others.

6.     Organizational Structure Barriers

As we saw there are many methods of communication at an organizational level. Each of these methods has its own problems and constraints that may become barriers to effective communication. Most of these barriers arise because of misinformation or lack of appropriate transparency available to the employees.

7.     Attitude Barriers

Certain people like to be left alone. They are introverts or just people who are not very social. Others like to be social or sometimes extra clingy! Both these cases could become a barrier to communication. Some people have attitude issues, like huge ego and inconsiderate behaviors.

Certain personality traits like shyness, anger, social anxiety may be removable through courses and proper training. However, problems like egocentric behavior and selfishness may not be correctable.

8.     Perception Barriers

Different people perceive the same things differently. This is a fact which we must consider during the Presentation skills. Knowledge of the perception levels of the audience is crucial to effective communication. All the messages or communique must be easy and clear. There shouldn’t be any room for a diversified interpretational set.

9.     Physiological Barriers

Certain disorders or diseases or other limitations could also prevent effective communication between the various channels of an organization. The shrillness of voice, dyslexia, etc are some examples of physiological barriers to effective communication. However, these are not crucial because they can easily be compensated and removed.

10. Technological Barriers & Socio-religious Barriers

Other barriers include the technological barriers. The technology is developing fast and as a result, it becomes difficult to keep up with the newest developments. Hence sometimes the technological advance may become a barrier. In addition to this, the cost of technology is sometimes very high.

Most of the organizations will not be able to afford a decent tech for the purpose of communication. Hence, this becomes a very crucial barrier. Other barriers are socio-religious barriers. In a patriarchal society, a woman or a transgender may face many difficulties and barriers while communicating.