Speaking professionally... Oral Presentation Skills

1. Speaking professionally...Oral Presentation Skills Adam Warren a.j.warren@soton.ac.uk02380 594486

2. Aims and Objectives • why are you are making a presentation? • what do you want to achieve? • what message do you want the audience to take away? • what will they will gain from listening? set yourself a written list of three goals

3. Advance publicity • info for conference programme: • title of talk - make it sound attractive • summary - what are you going to talk about? • objectives - what will people get out of it? • structure - how many people? how will it run? • what resources/equipment will you need? • objective is to attract an audience • most conferences run parallel sessions

4. The Audience • to hold their attention, you need to know: • who you are talking to • their level of prior knowledge • roughly how many people will be there • how can you grab their attention? • how can you interact with them?

5. Gaining attention • make the audience listen to you from the very beginning of your talk • plan the start carefully • relate your talk to familiar concepts using: • examples • anecdotes • analogies

6. Interaction • involve your audience to help them learn and remember more • be sensitive to atmosphere • use analogies and anecdotes • get them to do something • ask them direct questions • ask for questions

7. Selecting material • what to choose, what to leave out? • always more material than time available • a limit to how much the audience can absorb • select relevant material which: • the audience understands and find interesting • can be explained by a variety of means such as examples, statistics, graphs and analogies

8. The structure of your talk • organise your material into: • the introduction • the main body • the summary or conclusion creating OHP slides can help you do this

9. The introduction • introduce yourself • describe (briefly!) what you are going to talk about and its context • briefly outline the structure of the talk don’t spend more than 2 minutes on this

10. The body of your talk • cover what the audience • needs to know • wants to know • divide material into ‘bite-sized’ chunks • provide a logical sequence • use examples and visual aids

11. The summary • what message do you want the audience to take away? • summarise main points • ask for and deal with questions • conclude on a high note • let the audience know you have finished

12. Prepare yourself • preparation time will reap benefits in the moments before and during your presentation - think about the following: • coping with nerves • using prompts and visual aids • how you will stand and talk

13. Coping with nerves • being nervous is natural - it’s a good sign and shows the adrenaline is flowing • make nerves work for you not against you: • rationalise about why you are nervous • take a few deep breaths to calm yourself • rehearse well, time your presentation and know your opening lines by heart

14. Don’t panic! • if you do ‘dry up’, lose track of what you are saying or have a technical problem: • pause - have a drink of water • regain your composure • backtrack if necessary • start when you are ready if you can’t fix technical problems quickly, revert to your contingency plan

15. Prompts • don’t read from a script - it is lifeless and boring to listen to • use prompts to keep you on track • use thin card so they don’t rustle • use a large font, so you can read them from a distance • highlight the main points

16. Using visual aids • are they relevant and easy to read? • clear and concise text • clear colours and good contrast • use diagrams • show charts and graphs rather than data • practise your talk with the visual aids • mark in your notes when they are to be used

17. Stand and deliver • if you have a choice, make sure: • the audience can see you clearly • you are not surrounded by distractions • windows with bright sunshine, passing traffic • you are not disturbed by external noises • all equipment and controls are to hand • there is somewhere to put your notes

18. Speaking • speak clearly - don’t rush • project your voice - speak to be heard at the back of the venue • have a glass of water available • introduce unfamiliar jargon and acronyms • keep track of the time • relax! talk to your audience, not at them

19. Posture • your gestures, body language and facial expressions should help support what you are saying and help you project a confident image. • stand up straight; a sloppy posture invites a negative reaction from the audience • move around, but don’t sway or pace

20. Do’s and don’ts • look at the audience, scanning rather than focusing on one person • talk to the audience, not to the floor, ceiling, flip-chart, whiteboard or your notes • use your hands to emphasise a point, but don’t wave them around • don’t put your hands in pockets or grip the podium

21. Check out the venue • if possible, visit the venue beforehand • be aware of any danger zones such as wires and steps • find out what equipment is present • will you need to organise other resources? • will you need to rearrange the furniture? • if so, allow plenty of time before your talk

22. Test the equipment • make sure you know how it works • room lighting? • power sockets for computers and projectors? • have a contingency plan in case of technical problems • OHP slides in case of computer problems • handouts which could be photocopied at the last moment

23. Final preparations • rehearse your presentation out loud(in front of others, if possible) • pay attention to timing - cut material if you are going to take too long • plan your timetable around your presentation to make sure you arrive in plenty of time • allow time for delays and hitches

24. Resources • this presentation and other useful links are on the Web at:http://www.lateu.soton.ac.uk/events/workshops/OPS/OPSdetails.aspx