GIVING PRESENTATIONS “ You can have brilliant

GIVING PRESENTATIONS

“ You can have brilliant ideas but if you can’t get them across, you brains won’t get you anywhere. I’ve known a lot of engineers with terrific ideas who had trouble explaining them to other people. It’s always a shame when a guy with great talent can’t tell the board or committee what’s in his head”. Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler corporation.

Why do we give presentations ? Presentation skills complement professional skills They help you to become better professionals.

Know your audience What they know and think about the subject? adapting to audience knowledge What’s in their minds? How long will they listen? getting them to engage in the presentation: listen read talk /discuss/question handle papers/ samples What approach will interest them?

Know what you want to achieve: your aim Keep your aim in mind, then you will be able to: omit any unnecessary information/ irrelevant details limit the number of points you make sound explicit Define your key messages to support your aim Be selective: no more than 3 messages

Aims and messages: how they work together Your aim : I want to change the club’s accounting procedures. Your messages : We need to change our accounting because the current processes were set up in 1952 and are no longer appropriate for the size of our membership, nor are they in line with modern accounting requirements. A new procedure will ensure that (1) our funds are secure , (2) that our methods are up to date , and (3) will allow us to invest membership fees more profitably.

Organise: sort out your ideas to clarify and convince “ Audiences tend to be tolerant. They can put up with many characteristics of speakers that are normally regarded as weaknesses in public speaking. Unusual dress, poor grammar, “funny accents” may be readily tolerated and overlooked by listeners. One of only a few things that can cause them to become downright hostile to the speaker is poor organization. ” Thomas Leech “ How to prepare, stage and deliver a winning presentation”

A three-part the beginning the middle the end

The beginning How we form impressions of people

The beginning The opening comment Weather, location, traffic, etc. Not a joking matter At the start Greet people ↓ Welcome them ↓ Thank them for attending ↓ Thank them for being punctual ↓ Comment on the weather, traffic, office or number of people

Introductions Your name First name …(a tiny pause) … Last name Good morning! For those who do not already know me, my name is Tom … Adams. Your organization and authority I am a fifth-year undergraduate in modern languages, and have been invited to talk to you about what life is like as a university student

Introductions How long you will be speaking; Whether they can interrupt or whether or you will take questions at the end; Whethere will be handouts, or they should take notes;

Introductions Schedule My presentation/ talk/lecture will take /last about 20 minutes We’ll be having a coffee break at about. . We’ll be stopping for lunch at …

Introductions Inviting questions If anyone has any questions, please feel free to interrupt me at any time. If you have any question, please stop me at any time, and I will be happy to answer them. Please stop me at any time if you have questions. Discouraging questions At the end of my talk, there will be a question and answer session. I would appreciate it if you could keep your questions till then. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have at the end of the presentation.

Introductions Handouts I’ll be distributing the handouts in a few moments… The handouts are over by the door… I’ll be giving you a short handout at the end. I’ll be giving out copies of my overhead transparencies at the end. I have some handouts here, that I’ve prepared, that I will distribute at the end.

Your talk in outline State the purpose of your presentation by giving an outline of your talk. To do this clearly and effectively use “presentation verbs”: report on, discuss, highlight, update, fill in, etc Example : I will be talking about: The academic side — how much work you are expected to do, how it’s different from school; What it’s like managing your money; And the bit I’m sure you will want to hear about – the social side

Your talk in outline (1) Greeting (2) Stating the purpose (3) Structure (1) Ok, let’s get started. Good morning everyone. Thanks for coming. My name is X. (2) Today I am going to be reporting on the results of the market study of the new system. (3) I’ve divided my presentation into three parts. Outline: Firstly, … Secondly, . . . Thirdly, … I will start off by filling you in on the background of the new project. Then, I’ll move on to highlight what I see as the advantages of the new system Finally, I’ll be giving you an overview of the potential benefits of the new system.

Better beginnings: further ideas Quotations As O. Miller once said: “The person who uses a lot of big words is not trying to inform you; he is trying to impress you”. I will keep my talk simple to let you focus on the practical side of things. In 1957, it was said that … It has been said that … As a not very famous writer once said Make it a current affair: You may have read recent newspaper articles claiming …

Better beginnings: further ideas Tell them what you’re not going to tell them: “ I am not going to tell you about the event I organised for 250 people with just tow weeks’ notice, nor about the brochure I produced which resulted in a 5% increase in membership. I’m not even going to tell you about the programme I ran for 12 newly-graduated recruits. Instead, I would like to tell you about …”

Putting the start together Opening comment Introductions (names, authority) Stating the purpose An outline of what’s to follow Schedule Questions Handouts Good morning everyone. I’d like to start by saying what a pleasure it is to be inside these offices, which I have driven past every day for the last two years. My name is Janet King, and I’m here to give you a short talk about cricket, and what cricket has taught me that I believe would be useful to your organization. I’ll be drawing on my experience as a player in my school’s first eleven, and a captain of my university team. The three areas I plan to cover are: Teamwork, including people management Energy Working under pressure My talk will last about ten minutes, and then I’ll be happy to answer any cricket questions you have. I’ll be giving you a short handout at the end, but do take notes as well if you feel moved to take up cricket immediately!

Steve Parker Opening comment Introducing oneself and showing authority Purpose Questions Schedule Outline Handouts

The Good and the Bad 1. I’d like to begin my presentation with quite a lot of statistics, so please pay attention as it is quite a complex subject as well. 2. I heard a great joke on the radio this morning. There was an Englishman, a Frenchwoman and a German, or was it an Italian? Anyway … 3. If you have any questions, or you don’t follow anything I say, please feel free to interrupt me at any time. 4. Ladies and gentlemen, it is an enormous pleasure and an immense honour for me to be here with you today. I am overwhelmed by the occasion and I know I speak not only for myself, but for my whole department when I say those simple words which express gratitude — thank you so much. 5. I don’t know whether you’ve heard about reorganisation, or how much you may know, so I’ll start at the beginning. In 1965 …

The Good and the Bad 6. My presentation will last for about one hour and I hope we’ll have time for questions at the end. 7. Good morning, everyone. I am here today to explain how the reorganisation of the company will affect you. 8. First of all, I’d like to apologise as I haven’t had a lot of time to prepare this presentation. 9. Can you raise your hands if you can hear me at the back? Thank you, and as I have a quite voice please raise your hands during my presentation if my voice drops too much. 10. I’m not a native speaker of English so if you don’t understand anything I say, please feel free to interrupt me at any time.

Structuring the middle Recognizing that people will “drift off” KIS Use three whenever possible

Structuring the middle The non-deductive approach Fact + Fact therefore Conclusion The sky has been grey all mooring, the wind is in the East where the weather has been wet for some time, and it’s April which is traditionally a showery month. Therefore, I believe it will rain. The deductive approach Conclusion because Fact + Fact I believe it will rain because the sky has been grey all morning, the wind is in the East where the weather has been wet for some time, and it’s April which is traditionally a showery month.

Structuring the middle Discursive presentations State your opinion: The argument for this need: The argument against this need: The summing up: We need to buy a school bus Less highway congestion; current car pollution; create safer school surroundings Complaints from parents, inconvenience The advantages outweigh the disadvantages

Structuring the middle Make paragraph breaks clear I’ve told you something about Austen’s use of irony. I would now like to tell you a little about her use of metaphor. That brings me on to … I would now like to move on to … So far we’ve looked at… Now I’d like to … To go back to what I was saying … Time’s moving on, so let’s turn to the third area. Let me give you an example/ To give you an example …

The ending Finish strongly: don’t overlook the importance of the end Outline your main points Memorise for maximum impact Slow down to deliver your final words clearly Introducing the end: Let me sum up. Firstly we looked at …, secondly at …, and last, but not least, at … To recap (on) (the main points), Now that I am reaching the end of my talk I would like to draw together …

The ending Ending with style Pose a question Do we really want to go in this way ? Call for action Can this club really afford not to modernize its procedures? Tell a story Finally, I would to tell you about an incident that took place in the building on Tuesday morning …

Steve Parker’s presentation What were the main points of his presentation ? 1. 2. 3. 4 What is his conclusion? What does Steve Parker use to make his end more memorable? What words does he use to ask for questions? What physical gesture does he use when summing up? What gesture does he use when asking for question?

The ending So, …………… , we’ve ………… the reasons why we need to improve our capacity, the three ways we could do this and their cost implications and, ……………. . . . , it seems to me that the best solutions to our problem is the third option – that of finding partners. Thank you for ………………… and if you have got …………. questions, I’d be………. . to …………. and answer them.

The ending: the Good and the Bad 1. I seem to have overrun my time and I must apologise, to those of you who are left, for keeping you an extra 45 minutes. Thank you for staying. 2. Thank you for your attention and if you have any more questions, I’ll be happy to answer them. 3. Well, I think I’ve said everything I have to say… Let me see if I’ve forgotten anything. 4. So, in conclusion, I would like to recommend that we go ahead with this project. Thank you for listening. 5. If you look at this transparency …. and this one …. sorry to rush you through, but unfortunately, we’ve run out of time.

The ending: the Good and the Bad 6. I’m sorry but there doesn’t seem to be any time left for questions. 7. If there’s anything else you’d like to know about our products, I’ll be happy to try and answer your questions. 8. As I said at the beginning, I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to prepare this presentation, but I hope it wasn’t too bad. 9. So, thank you for your time and we’d be very happy to hear any suggestions you may have to solve this problem. 10. Oh dear, is that the time? I’ve got through half of what I wanted to say.

Visual aids: what are they? Power. Point Whiteboards or blackboards Flip charts Overhead projectors (OHPs)

Visual aids: do we really need them? Negative aspects to visual aids: no flexibility : they set the pace of your presentation; tend to be a substitute for a presentation; can overpower speakers; time-consuming; equipment problems

Visual aids: do we really need them? However, visual aids : involve more senses; help people to understand recall figures; save time on explanation; make abstract ideas more concrete; create memorable images in your mind

Visual aids: keep it simple Make sure each visual has a heading; One slide per 2/3 minutes; Keep visuals uncluttered: no more than one point to each visual; words are not visuals: highlight the main points: keep text to a minimum think of mottoes and slogans: fewer words have more impact.

Visual aids: keep it simple Environmental Policy We have consistently shown an environmental policy which is: • fully coordinated with our other activities • constantly improves with time • adopts a range of new and innovative measures Our Environmental Policy • Integrated • Improving • Innovative

Visual aids: be visible Type size Ariel 20 Verdanna 22 Sans serif typefaces, please: Times New Roman 20 Ariel 20 A picture is worth a thousand words

Visual aids: dealing with numbers Put figures in order US households penetration of consumer electronics % Camcorder 39 Car CD player 31 Colour TV 98 Cordless phone 81 Home CD player 57 Home theatre system 25 Personal computer 60 VCR deck 94 Wireless phone 66 Direct-to-home satellite 17 DVD player 25 US households penetration of consumer electronics % Colour TV 98 VCR deck 94 Cordless phone 81 Wireless phone 66 Personal computer 60 Home CD player 57 Camcorder 39 Car CD player 31 DVD player 25 Home theatre system 25 Direct-to-home satellite

Visual aids: dealing with numbers Keep comparisons close Winnipeg Edmonton Saskatoon Calgary Regina 788, 000 776, 000 764, 000 731, 000 Winnipeg 788, 000 Edmonton 776, 000 Saskatoon 764, 000 Calgary 731, 000 Regina 731,

Visual aids: dealing with numbers Round figures complex easier simple € 698, 762. 84 € 699, 000 Almost € 700,

Visual aids: dealing with numbers Provide a summary Sales (see Table A) are closely spread across the territories, although sales in the west are higher than other areas and substantially higher than in the east. Sales of Orange are twice as high as any other item and sales of Green are disproportionately high in the west. Table A: Sales, 2002, by territory West North South East Average Orange 840 830 820 800 823 Blue 420 380 360 393 Yellow 390 380 360 380 Green 470 330 340 300 360 Red

Visual aids: successful tables Successful tables: they are designed for explaining patterns and trends they keep numerical information to a minimum Simplicity of layout Clarity of wording Attention to page design

Dealing with numbers: successful tables Simplicity of layout: keep grid lines to an absolute minimum Table A: Sales, 2002, by territory West North South East Average Orange 840 830 820 800 823 Blue 420 420 380 360 393 Yellow 390 390 380 360 380 Green 470 330 340 300 360 Red

Visual aids: dealing with numbers Clarity of wording: Comprehensive table titles (reference number, subject, date/period, units) Labeling columns and headings: avoid abbreviations; include sources on tables; Tables rather than TABLES

Visual aids: dealing with numbers Attention to page design: tables: centered or aligned to the left; principle of plain figures; columns should be as wide as the data demands

Visual aids: get in shape Column graph Casino attendance most popular in North of England 1996/97 to 1998/

Visual aids: get in shape Bar graph Casino attendance most popular in North of England 1996/97 to 1998/

Visual aids: get in shape Line graph Urban area accidents peak at 40 mph Fatal accidents,

Visual aids: get in shape Pie chart Inpatients are a small proportion of patients West Manchester General Hospital, 1999 Total 320,

Describing graphs Title: informative and active % , Sales by region for 2003 Sales slump in north-east House prices by quarter House prices escalate Number of staff by age and gender Older males dominate senior ranks

Describing trends Up: verbs Rise/increase: climb, soar, mount, ascend, grow, escalate, upsurge, advance, boost, multiply, shoot up, skyrocket. The original estimate of $500 million has now climbed to a staggering $1300 million. Profits have soared dramatically in recent months. Production has dropped while prices and unemployment have skyrocketed. The price of petrol shot up by 35% overnight.

Describing trends Down: verbs Fall/decrease: drop, plunge, plummet, reduce, descend, collapse, decline, sink, dwindle Car sales are expected to plummet in Europe and North America during the next two years The stock market plunged 30 points when the news was announced. House prices in the northeast dropped sharply. Pay increases have sunk to around seven per cent.

Describing trends Adjective + rise (increase) To show a small change Slight, small, moderate, modest, marginal To show a regular development Gradual, steady To show a considerable, striking or unexpected change Sharp, big, considerable, dramatic, enormous, huge, large, major, marked, significant, substantial, vast, dramatic, sudden, steep, rapid, abrupt To show much an amount increased/decreased by Twofold, threefold, etc, 15 per cent

Describing graphs There is/ was/ has been a(n) … The graph/ this year’s figures show(s) a(n)… The 80 s saw a(n) … The company, etc achieved/ suffered/ had a(n)… Opinion polls, analysts report a(n)… The factory has achieved a steady growth in output. This year saw a slight increase in the number of job applicants. Analysts report an unprecedented surge in demand. Both companies experienced a 10 per cent fall in profits in the first quarter of the year

Describing trends Rise Level off Fluctuate Peak (reach a peak) Recover Bottom out Fall Stand at Remain stable

Describing trends:

Describing trends Demand increased slightly/steadily/ tremendously / disappointingly. Interest rates rose sharply/ considerably/ keenly/ marginally. Profitability slumped moderately/ disastrously/ suddenly/ rapidly. The price of oil fluctuated enormously/ wildly/ gradually/ dramatically.

Business presentation Part 1 1. How does the manager open his presentation? What phrase does he kick his presentation off with? 2. What is the significance of the following facts and figures? 9 ________________________ 250, 000_____________________ 3________________________ 60, 000______________________ Part 2 1. What techniques does he use to structure the middle of his presentation. 2. What three problems was the company having with the website? A ______ B _________ C _______ 3. Having improved the website, what are E-stock’s two current objectives?

Presentation: describing trends Part 3 1. Draw a graph showing the trend Gary Gale describes in his talk. 2. Comment on how Gay Gale structures the concluding part of his presentation

Managing your presentation: handouts Handouts – when? Before Presenter may lose contact Presenter will find it difficult to build an argument Good in one-to-one presentations During In small groups — in sets Distributing process should be foolproof After Let people know at the very beginning At the door

Managing your presentation: handling questions Make it clear at the start when you would prefer questions Discouraging questions Inviting questions at the end of your presentation “ I have given you an overview of the situation, and I am sure some of you might like more information about some areas, so who would like to begin with the first question? ” “… For example, I wonder whether some of you might like more information about the differences between natural language acquisition and language learning”.

Managing your presentation: handling questions When the question arrives: Do not change character (manner, body language or expression) Welcome the question: Acknowledge – “ Good point/ Mmmm – good question ); Don’t back away – take a step forward. Repeat and clarify : If I’ve understood your question correctly, you are saying … So what you are asking is … Well, the question is … Is that right ?

Managing your presentation: handling questions Answering the question: keep it brief; 80: 20 rule for eye contact; check back – Does that answer your question/ Is that OK? No question? “ No questions? In that case I’ve managed to make the process clear. I would like to repeat that I truly consider that this is the best way forward, and that if we are to start implementing the changes this year, a decision needs to be made by the next month. Thank you for your time”.

Managing your presentation: handling questions Tricky situations: Know-it-all let them share their experience a bit, but not too much I didn’t mention this before because I wanted to avoid such a high level of technical detail, but as you know …) Monopoliser break off eye contact Thank you for filling us in on what is happening in this field. Next question? Nitpickers deflect the question back to the audience How do others handle this situation?

Managing your presentation: handling questions Tricky situations (continued): Attackers don’t get on the defensive Humour You’ve already said it don’t: “I’ve already explained that”. do: “I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear. The situation is …”. “As I mentioned earlier …” You don’t know the answer be honest, apologise: promise to find out and get back to the questioner: Can I get back to you on that? refer the question to someone in the audience

Managing your presentation: handling questions 1. I’m afraid I don’t see the connection. 3. I don’t know that off the top of my head. 5. I think I answered that earlier. 7. Interesting. What do you think? 9. I am afraid I am not in a position to comment on that. 11. I am glad you asked that. 13. To be honest I think that raises a different issue. 15. I’m afraid I don’t have that information with me. 2. Sorry, I don’t follow you. 4. Can I get back to you on that? 6. Good point. 8. Well, I said … 10. I wish I knew. 12. Well, as I mentioned earlier. 14. That’s a very good question. Responses to good questions Responses to difficult questions Responses to unnecessary questions Responses to irrelevant question

Managing your presentation: keeping to time How to keep to time: Rehearse with visuals Decide what to drop Allow for some pauses 1 page, font 12, double-spaced = 2 minutes.

Giving your presentation: overcoming nerves Why do we get nervous? The fear of looking foolish There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare, Hamlet Our instincts say “Don’t!” The situation is important

Giving your presentation: overcoming nerves How we form impressions of people

Giving your presentation: body language People who stand well look confident; Natural and relaxed-looking position; stand upright and firm Wrong posture — wrong voice Moving about – “reaching more people” Don’t “rock”, sway or dance – move to funnel your energy into your presentation. Stand rather than sit. Use hand gestures for emphasis. Open arms gestures are a plus! Don’ fidget – it makes you look nervous.

Giving your presentation: eye contact Make eye contact Don’t look at one person for too long (3 -5 seconds person) 80/20 % Move your focus from one part of the group to another

Giving your presentation: projecting your personality Present with E’s E Be (and look) confident. Concentrate on your audience xcitement nergy nthusiasm

Giving your presentation: sounding good Being audible Warm up your voice before you start Breathe deeply to fuel your voice with breath Open wide! Project your voice – aim for the back. Articulate the words Mr Knightly’s likely to be slightly sprightly nightly. Betty’s beautiful border’s blossoming blue begonias.

Giving your presentation: sounding good Sound interesting Vary the sound/pitch of your voice. Don’t speak in a monotone Avoid dropping your voice at the end of each sentence to stop people dozing off. I would like to make a start on my presentation. I would like you make a start on my presentation to you. Vary the speed: go faster to excite and slower to show importance Pause often and look round the audience When I looked at our results for the last year I realized that … this team has exceeded all our expectations.

Giving a team presentation Rehearsing the team Rehearse handovers When you take over, thank the speaker Ann: I will now hand over to Pau l who will explain the steps we need to go through to make the changeover. Paul: [facing Ann] Thank you Ann. [then to the audience] I would like to spend the next fifteen minutes talking you through… A: Now, I know some of you are concerned about the recent performance of E-Stock, our online subsidiary. So, I’ve asked Gary Gale, our new head of e-business, to bring us up to date. Over to you, Gary. B: Thanks, Michelle. To start off then, . . Being a team on the day.

Putting the start together Fairly formal More friendly Erm, perhaps we should begin Ok, let’s get started Good morning, ladies and gentlemen Morning, everyone On behalf of …, may I welcome you to. . Thanks for coming… My name’s … I’m … For those of you who don’t know me already… As you know, . . . I’m responsible for … I’m in charge of … This morning I would like to … What I want to do this morning is … discus … talk to you about report on … tell you and present … and show you If you have any questions that you would like to ask, I’ll be happy to answer them Feel free to ask any questions you like as we go along Perhaps we may leave any questions you have until the end of your presentation And don’t worry there will be plenty time left over for questions at the end

Stating the purpose OK, let’s get started. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming. I’m … This morning I’m going to be: showing talking taking reporting telling 1. ………………. . to you about the videophone projector 2. ………………. . about the collapse of the housing market in the early 90 s. 3. ………………. . you how to deal with late payers. 4. ………………. . a look at the recent boom in virtual reality software companies. 5. ………………. . on the results of the market study we carried out in Austria.

Stating the purpose (continued) … so, I’ll begin/ start off by … making outlining bringing giving filling 1. ………………. . in on the background of the project 2. ………………. a few observations about the events leading up to that collapse 3. ………………. company policy on bad debt. 4. ………………. you an overview of the history of VR. 5. ………………. you up-to-date on the latest findings of that study.

Stating the purpose (continued) … and then I’ll go on to …. put discuss make highlight talk 1. ………………. what I see as the main advantages of that system. 2. ………………. the situation into some kind of perspective 3. ………………. you through our basic management procedure 4. ………………. detailed recommendations regarding our own R&D. 5. ………………. in more depth the implications of the files in front of you.

Stating the purpose (continued) … and then I’ll go on to …. put discuss make highlight talk 1. ………………. what I see as the main advantages of that system. 2. ………………. the situation into some kind of perspective 3. ………………. you through our basic management procedure 4. ………………. detailed recommendations regarding our own R&D. 5. ………………. in more depth the implications of the files in front of you.

Effective openings Suppose your advertising budget was cut by 99% tomorrow. How would you go about advertising your product? According to the latest study by 2050 , only one in every four people in Western Europe will be going to work. And two will be old age pensioners. You know , R&D is 90 % luck. When I think about creativity, I am reminded of the man who invented the microwave oven. He spent years messing around with radar transmitters, then noticed that the chocolate in his pocket started to melt. Statistics show that in the last ten years more people have legally emigrated to the United States then to the rest of the world put together – about a million o а them half a year, in fact. Now, over ten years, that’s roughly equivalent to the population of Greece. Problems Amazing facts Stories

Effective openings Have you ever wondered why Americans are easier to sell to than Europeans? And why nine out of ten sales gurus are American? You have? Well, if I could show you what stops Europeans buying, would you be interested? I read somewhere the other day that the word’s highest paid executive works for Disney and gets $230 million a year. Now, that’s about $2000 a minute. That means he is currently making more money than Volkswagen. How many people here this morning hate going to meetings? Just about everybody, right? Well, imagine a company where there were no meetings and everything ran smoothly. Do you think that’s possible? Have you ever been in the situation where you’ve had to negotiate with the Japanese? I remember when I was working in Nagoya and everybody had told me that the Japanese don’t like saying no. So in meetings I just kept saying yeah to everything. And they hated it. It turned out that yeah sound like no in Japanese. Problems Amazing facts Stories

Signposting 1. You want to start discussing the question of the US market – Moving on to /To move on to / If I could just move on to … 2. You want to add more details and information about last year’s figures – To expand on last year’s figures / I’d like to expand on … a little before we move on 3. You would like to repeat the main points – I’d like to recap on the main points 4. You want to refer to an earlier point – the question of clinical research methods – Going back (for a moment) to the question of clinical research methods/ Let’s go back to …

Signposting 5. You want to depart from your plan and consider the alternatives – Let’s digress for a moment and consider the alternatives 6. You want to change direction and start talking about the targets for the next year- Let’s turn now to/ I’d like to turn now To turn now to … 7. You want to give a deeper analysis of and comment on the Russian trade practices — To elaborate a little on the Russian trade practices 8. You just want to repeat the basics – To summarise

Signposting 9. You want to finish your talk by repeating what you said at the beginning of your presentation – I’d like to conclude (if I may) by repeating what I said at the beginning of the presentation/ To conclude