1. Oral Presentations

2. Overview Presentations in St. Lucia Presentation tips Overcoming your fears Template we use

3. Good news and bad news The fear of speaking in public is the #1 fear of all fears (The fear of dying is #7!). However, it can be stress free and done easily. It can even be enjoyable! There are tricks to the trade

4. Presenting in St. Lucia St. Lucia Ministry UVM student projects

5. Presenting in St. Lucia cont’d Each project group will give an oral presentation Formal setting and often televised Format: 20 minutes per project followed by 5 minutes of questions Practice the night before and during semester

6. Communication tips: know your audience The success can only be measured from the audience’s perspective Focus on the “brains” of the audience

7. Communication tips: begin powerfully • Begin powerfully by making contact with your audience • Posture, eyes and the way you move • Start with a joke or tell a story they can relate to • People remember certain things about a presentation

8. 40 word memory exercise car deck table tree snow bottle money dog pole sand sky dog plant book soap spoon music plant rug Groucho Marx plant cellar gate pillow dog presentation skills trunk paper road knife stool hay smile string plant wheel air expert rain bird

9. Audience’s memory Studies show audience’s memories tend to remember the beginning, the end elements repeated over and over or unusual things in presentations

11. PowerPoint tips Do not read from slides word for word Use words and phrases as cues Use visual aides (e.g. pictures and graphs) Face your audience Don’t be interrupted by distractions Technical difficulties – bring backup! Spell check Group support: never go against the family

12. Communication tips • Let your body talk • Posture • Eye contact • Smile • Movement • Voice • Pause • Watch the ughs, etc…

13. Getting over the fear factor Startle pattern (relax with posture) Breathe Get your blood moving Comforting thoughts – they want you to succeed! You always look better than you feel

14. Practice makes perfect • Visualize success -Relax when visualize • Practice • Deliver presentation aloud to yourself • Tape record presentation • Give your presentation to a colleague • Practice in front of a mirror

15. Remember You’re in control and you’re the man or woman Confidence and the ability to communicate information is everything

16. References • Great book on oral presentations: • Present Yourself by Michael J. Gelb

17. Project Title page Include your names and affiliation

18. Overview (have a slide for each bullet) Introduction (Problem Statement) Project Background ( Project Concept which includes goal and project partners) Project Objectives Methods Results Conclusions