Presentation Skills

Jennifer L. Peel, Ph.D.

Director of Education Office of Graduate Medical Education

While hard work and good ideas are essential to success, your ability to express those ideas and get others to join you is just as important. Much of this verbal expression will be one on one or in small groups, but periodically you will be involved in more formal and public speaking in front of larger numbers. If this thought makes you nervous, you are not alone. Many speakers lack the skills and confidence to make effetcive presentations. We have all been victims of speakers who put us to sleep. Despite knowing how ineffective many speakers are, many of us have found that, despite the best intentions, we haven t fared much better. We knew the topic and the ideas were written down, but the presentation still didn t go well. Was it the way you delivered the presentation! Was it because the audience didn t seem interested!

The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.
-George Bernard Shaw

What was wrong with that?

What is our !ision of the ideal "resenter in our en!iron#ent?

Self$%ssess#ent
+

I always thin a great spea er con!inces us not by "orce o" reasoning but because he is !isibly en#oying the belie"s he wants us to accept.
-$.B. %eats

O&'ecti!es for (oda

) the end of the session, "artici"ants will &e a&le to*

utili+e e e contact, &od language and !oice to their ad!antage in a "resentation, a""l the , %-s in "re"aring content for a "resentation, de!elo" !isual aids that reflect good instructional design "ro"erties, and res"ond to .uestions in an effecti!e #anner.

General /o#"etencies

0nter"ersonal /o##unication Professionalis# Practice$)ased Learning 1 0#"ro!e#ent

Podiu# Panic
2or so#e "eo"le, the thought of gi!ing a "resentation is #ore frightening than falling off a cliff, financial difficulties, snakes and e!en death.

Dealing with Podiu# Panic

%udiences

are forgi!ing 3er!ousness is usuall in!isi&le )e ourself Practice dee" &reathing4 !isuali+ation techni.ues )egin in our co#fort +one

 /heck

out the roo# in ad!ance /oncentrate on the #essage )egin with a slow, well "re"ared intro5 ha!e a confident and clear conclusion )e "re"ared and "ractice

E e /ontact
3e!er let the# out of our sight. Looking the# in the e e #akes the# feel that the are influencing what ou sa . E e contact allows the "resentation to a""ro6i#ate con!ersation7the audience feels #uch #ore in!ol!ed.

)od Language
NO-NOs Lean on or gri" the "odiu# 8ock or swa in "lace Stand i##o&ile 9se a single gesture re"eatedl E6a#ine or &ite our fingernails

)od Language
NO-NOs /ross our ar#s in front of our chest 9se o&!iousl "racticed or stilted gestures /hew gu# or eat cand /lick or ta" our "en, "encil or "ointer

)od Language
NO-NOs Lean into the #icro"hone Shuffle our notes unnecessaril (ighten our tie or otherwise "la with our clothing /rack our knuckles Jangle change or ke in our "ocket

:oice

:oice 0ntelligi&ilit %rticulation Pronunciation :ocali+ed "auses O!eruse of stock e6"ressions Su&standard gra##ar

:oice :aria&ilit 8ate of s"eech :olu#e Pitch or tone E#"hasis

Pre"aring /ontent
%nal

+e our AUDIENCE. Define what ACTION ou want the# to take. %rrange our ARGUMENT to #o!e the#.

, %-s

%nal +e ;our %udience

What are their na#es, titles, &ackgrounds, reasons for attending, etc*? What are their &ig concerns? What are their o&'ecti!es, fears, hot &uttons, and attitudes?

%nal +e ;our %udience

What

is their "erce"tion of ou and our institution? What are their .uestions likel to &e? What is "ersonall at stake for the#? <ow #uch detail do the need?

Define What %ction

What

action do ou want the audience to take? Define it in ter#s of the audience. What will the feel, &elie!e, and do after hearing our talk?

%rranging ;our %rgu#ent

=. >. ,. ?. A. B.

Shake hands with the audience. Get to the "oint. Present our the#e. (ell @E#3. De!elo" our agenda "oint & "oint. Su##ari+e and reco##end.

;our turnC

:isual %ids

:isual %ids
Dnot the stars of the showE

Design /once"ts
F)ig FSi#"le F/lear

)ig
FShould &e a&le to read e!er thing fro# the &ack row F%t least >G "t, "refera&l ,B F9se the floor test

Si#"le
F3o #ore than B lines F3o #ore than H words "er line

/lear
F%rial or <el!etica F)lue &ackground with ellow te6t F%!oid o!eruse of red, shadows, ani#ation and transitions F)eware of &us &ackgrounds

/lear
F/li" art should add to the content FDitto on sound cli"s F9se a different &ackground onl to e#"hasi+e one slide

s d i % l e a & u s d i l : hou e s n th r-s o ke a e s" left.

;our turnC

Iuestions 1 %nswers
&oes anyone ha!e any 'uestions "or my answers(
-)enry *issinger

Iuestions 1 %nswers
)eginning

of a whole new interacti!e "resentation O""ortunit to #ake a "oint Most "resentations are won or lost here

Iuestions 1 %nswers

%ntici"ate lines of .uestioning 8ehearse Don-t rank .uestions Jee" answers &rief )e honest7don-t )S %!oid negati!e words

Don-t re"eat negati!e .uestions /larif .uestion Defer to e6"erts Mo!e our e es off .uestioner 0f negati!e, end our res"onse focused on so#e&od else

(<E 89LE

3E:E8 argue with a #e#&er of the audience.

0nstead*

Look at the .uestioner. 8e#ain neutral and attenti!e. Listen to the whole .uestion. Pause &efore ou res"ond. %ddress the .uestioner, then #o!e our e es to others.

Eas as % ) / K0 can-t Answer that .uestion Because *, &ut 0 Can tell ou*L

Self$%ssess#ent
+

Better to eep your mouth shut and appear ignorant than open it and remo!e all doubt.
-+ar Twain

O&'ecti!es for (oda

) the end of the session, "artici"ants will &e a&le to*

utili+e e e contact, &od language and !oice to their ad!antage in a "resentation, a""l the , %-s in "re"aring content for a "resentation, de!elo" !isual aids that reflect good instructional design "ro"erties, and res"ond to .uestions in an effecti!e #anner.

+a e sure you ha!e "inished spea ing be"ore your audience has "inished listening. -&orothy Sarno""