Lecture 6: Oral Presentations NGN110: Introduction to Engineering and dcomputing Dr. Fadi Aloul Oral Presentations Objective is the same as for written communication to furnish information and convince the listener. Method is different: Written report is meant to be glanced at, read and then studied. Oral presentation is a one-shot deal that is done quickly Must be simple Summarize what is in the written report Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 2 1
Oral Presentation s Outcome 13% Other 3% Stimulating 44% Boring 40% Sleepy Wall Street Journal: Motivational Systems survey of 200 large company V.P.s Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 5 We Learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss with others, 80% of what we experience, 95% of what we teach to someone. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 6 2
Preparing for a Good Presentation 1. Planning 2. Designing 3. Creating 4. Delivering Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 7 Preparing for a Good Presentation 1. Planning Why what is the purpose of the presentation? Who who is the audience? (e.g. age, background, language) Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 8 3
Preparing for a Good Presentation 1. Planning Why what is the purpose of the presentation? Who who is the audience? (e.g. age, background, language) When what are my time constraints? Where what are my space constraints? Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 9 Preparing for a Good Presentation 1. Planning Why what is the purpose of the presentation? Who who is the audience? (e.g. age, background, language) When what are my time constraints? Where what are my space constraints? What what should I include? Summarize the thoughts (e.g. main + supporting points, etc) Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 10 4
Preparing for a Good Presentation 2. Developing Define slides structure Start with attention getter (fact, picture or question) Audience must believe in your slides Include good content Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 11 Preparing for a Good Presentation 3. Creating Clear well-designed attractive slides Audience must understand them 4. Delivering Be natural Don t memorize Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 12 5
What is wrong with this slide? Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 13 What is wrong with this slide? Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 14 6
What is wrong with this slide? Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 15 Creating Good Slides Rule 1: Make The Text Clear Use 24-point type for ALL CAPITALS. Use 28-point type for Capitals and Lowercase. Improve visibility by using Tahoma or Arial font type rather than Times (more suitable for the report). e.g. This sentence is written using Tahoma This sentence is written using Arial This sentence is written using Times Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 16 7
Creating Good Slides Rule 1: Make The Text Clear Legibility 12 Size of print on typed page Legibility 18 Legibility 24 PowerPoint Legibility 28 Legibility 36 Recommend Legibility 44 Titles Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 17 Creating Good Slides (2/2) Rule 2: Keep The Slides Simple At least twice as simple as in the report. Round off numbers. Substitute Symbols for words ($, %). Avoid speling & grammatical mistakes Use 6 lines per slide. Use 6 words per line. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 18 8
Creating Good Slides Rule 3: Make The Slides Entertaining Better to have more slides with less on each slide. Audience get bored from looking at the same slide while you speak through many points. Select a good background template. Add visuals, animations, etc. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 19 Creating Good Slides Rule 4: Don t Read From The Slides Do not use them as notes to read from. Use them to structure a concept or to emphasize a group of ideas. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 20 9
Creating Good Slides Rule 5: Use Colors For Purpose Use color to distinguish an important fact or to symbolize the meaning of a word or to emphasize a recurring theme throughout the presentation. Do not use colors for decoration. Use dark background if using light font color. Use light background if using dark font color. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 21 Creating Good Slides Rule 6: Opening & Closing Greet the audience. Introduce yourself. Summarize the goal of the talk. Include an outline. Follow a logical story. Draw conclusions. References. Thank the audience. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 22 10
Creating Slides vs. Delivering Presentations Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 23 Delivering Good Presentation Rule 7: Body movement - Don t Distract the Audience Stand in such a way so that you do not distract the audience. Don t block the screen. Look at the audience and maintain eye contact. Limited body movement. Don t hide behind podium. Stand straight. Smile. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 24 11
Delivering Good Presentation Rule 8: Talk To The Audience Don t memorize. Speak clearly & avoid a monotone. Project your voice speaking to the back row. Think of it as a communication with the audience rather than a presentation to the audience. Involve audience. Little humor is OK. Be confident. Follow the time. Learn to pause. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 25 Delivering Good Presentation Rule 9: Dress Well Never dress beneath the level of the audience. If they are wearing suits, dress a suit! Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 26 12
Delivering Good Presentation Rule 10: Be Natural, Not Perfect Do not be afraid to make mistakes; mistakes are unavoidable. Better to be comfortable than be a perfect someone you are not. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 27 Delivering Good Presentation Rule 11: Be Confident - Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse BEFORE the presentation: Rehearse alone with an ipod. Rehearse in front of colleagues. Rehearse in front of video-taping equipment. Rehearse in a library silent room. Rehearse in front of your cat or dog. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 28 13
Delivering Good Presentation Rule 12: Encourage Questions Questions mean that the audience was paying attention. Pause before responding. Repeat the question loudly, people in the back might have not heard the question. Keep eye contact with all the audience (not only the person who asked the question). Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 29 Delivering Good Presentation Rule 13: Seek Feedback Ask your colleagues, the attendees, the session moderator (e.g. your instructor) for feedback on your visual aids & your presentation as a whole. Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 30 14
Make Sure Your Equipment Work Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 31 Thank You faloul@aus.edu http://www.aloul.net Dr. Fadi Aloul Page 32 15