Talks and Presentations

Talks and Presentations Planning Objectives What is the aim of your talk? What do you want to achieve? Audience Who are you talking to? What do they need to know? Planning Content What is the important information to get across? Are you sure what you’re saying is interesting? Organization Is the talk clear and logical? Are you using signposting language to make the talk easy to follow? Introducing the Topic This morning I’m going to… Today I’d like to The aim of my presentation this morning is to… I’ve divided my presentation into… My talk will be in… First, I’d like to… Then, I’ll focus on… After that we’ll deal with… Finally, we’ll consider… Referring to Questions Feel free to interrupt me if there’s anything you don’t understand. Do interrupt… If you don’t mind, we’ll leave questions to the end. There will be chance for you to ask (all your) questions at the end. Introducing Each Section So, let’s start with… Now let’s move on to… Let’s turn our attention to… This leads me to… Finally, (lets consider) Summarizing Sections & Checking Understanding That completes my … So, to summarize… Is that clear? Are there any questions? Referring Backwards & Forwards I mentioned earlier… I’ll say more about this later. We’ll come back to this point later. I’ll go into this in more detail later. As you know… As I’m sure you’re aware… Referring to Visual Information This slide/diagram shows… If you look at this graph you can see… What is interesting in this graph is… I’d like to draw your attention to… Concluding That concludes my talk… That brings me to the end of my presentation. If you have any questions I’d be pleased/I’ll do my best to answer them. Thank you for your attention. Dealing with Questions That’s a good point. I’m glad you asked that question. Can I get back to you on that later? I’m afraid I don’t have …with me/at present. I’m afraid I’m not the right person to answer that. Planning Visual Information Are you showing too much information on the screen or slide? Can you use the visual display equipment correctly? Practice Have you practiced giving the talk? Have you checked the timing? Planning: Visual Aids Presentations are long so make sure there is something visual to increase interest. Make sure the visuals are relevant and do not distract from the points you want to make. Make sure the venue can support your planned visual aids. If you’re unsure, have a backup system. Planning: Visual Aids Make sure diagrams are easy to read and understand as well as visually appealing. If using PowerPoint, make an extra blank slide at the end to avoid black screens or returning to your desktop. Make sure your desktop is work-friendly or have you presentation on screen before connecting to the projector. Consider models or samples carefully. Delivery Nerves Nerves are a part of public speaking. Try to breathe deeply. It’s calming and slows speech. Find a calming technique that works for you. Voice You need to speak loudly and clearly. Watch your pacing and intonation. Avoid a monotone. Delivery Body Language Try to give the impression that you are relaxed. Avoid nervous gestures or movements. Keep eye contact as much as possible. Stand rather than sit, but don’t block visual aids. Don’t pace, but also avoid being too static. Delivery Visual Information Don’t present too much information at a time. Focus the audience’s attention on what you want them to look at. Give them enough time to take in the material. Questions Answer questions in a polite diplomatic way. Don’t ramble when answering questions.