• Chapter 26: Oral Presentations
Avoiding Presentation Pitfalls (Common Errors)
Planning Your Presentation
Delivering Your Presentation
How to Manage Listener Questions
Oral presentations vary in style, range, complexity, and formality. These talks
may be designed to inform, to persuade, or both.
• Avoiding Presentation Pitfalls (Common Errors)
- Speaker
- Makes no eye contact
- Seems like a robot
- Hides behind the lectern
- Speaks too softly/loudly
- Sways, fidgets, paces
- Rambles or loses her/his place
- Never gets to the point
- Fumbles with notes or visuals
- Has too much material
- Visuals
- Are nonexistent
- Are hard to see
- Are hard to interpret
- Are out of sequence
- Are shown too rapidly
- Are shown too slowly
- Have typos/errors
- Are word-filled
- Setting
- Is too noisy
- Is too hot or cold
- Is too large or small
- Is too bright for visuals
- Is too dark for notes
- Has equipment missing
- Has broken equipment
• Planning Your Presentation
- Work from an explicit purpose statement
- Analyze your listeners
- Who are my listeners (strangers, peers, superiors,
clients)?
- What is their attitude toward me or the topic?
- Why are they here?
- What kind of presentation do they expect?
- What do they already know?
- What do they need to know?
- How large is their stake in this topic?
- Do I want to motivate, mollify, inform, instruct, warn?
- What are their biggest concerns or objections?
- What do I want them to think, know, or do?
- Analyze your speaking situation
- How much time will I have to speak?
- Will other people be speaking before or after me?
- How formal or informal is the setting?
- How large is the audience?
- How large is the room?
- How bright and adjustable is the lighting?
- What equipment is available?
- How much time do I have to prepare?
- Select an appropriate delivery method
- The memorized delivery
- The impromptu delivery
- The scripted delivery
- The extemporaneous delivery
- Preparing your presentation
- Research your topic
- Aim for simplicity and conciseness
- Anticipate audience questions
- Outline your presentation
- Plan your visuals
- Prepare your visuals
- How to design readable visuals
- Make visuals large enough to be read from anywhere in the
room
- Don't cram too many words, ideas, designs, or type style,
into a single visual
- Keep words and images simple
- Boil message down
- Break information into chunks
- Summarize with key words, phrases, or short sentences
- Use 18-24-point, sans serif type)
- How to design understandable visuals
- Display only one point per visual unless previewing or
reviewing
- Give each visual a title that announces the topic
- Use color sparingly, to highlight key words, facts, or the
bottom line
- Use the brightest color for what is most important
- Label each part of a diagram or illustration
- Proofread each visual carefully
- Rehearse your delivery
• Delivering Your Presentation
- Cultivate the human landscape
- Get to know your audience
- Display enthusiasm and confidence
- Be reasonable
- Don't preach
- Keep your listeners oriented
- Introduce your topic clearly
- Focus on listeners' concerns
- Provide explicit transitions
- Give concrete examples
- Review and interpret
- Manage your visuals
- Prepare everything beforehand
- Arrange everything beforehand
- Follow a few simple guidelines
- Manage your presentation style
- Use natural movements and reasonable postures
- Adjust volume, pronunciation, and rate
- Maintain eye contact
- Manage your speaking situation
- Be responsive to listener feedback
- Stick to your plan
- Leave listeners with something to remember
- Allow time for questions and answers
• How to Manage Listener Questions
- Announce a specific time limit
- Listen carefully
- If you can't understand a question, ask that it be
rephrased
- Repeat every question, to ensure that everyone hears it
- Be brief in your answers
- If you need extra time, arrange for it after the
presentation
- Don't be defensive about a hostile or skeptical
reaction
- If anyone attempts lengthy debate, offer to continue after the
presentation instead of getting into a contest
- If you can't answer a question, say so and move on
- End the session with "We have time for one more question" or
some such signal
