Presentations
On Visuals
Just because we can make our slides look like a
circus
Doesn’t mean we should!
Never under estimate the power of slides that
are:
– comprehensible
– elegant
– clear
Tips on Using Visuals
Only add visuals that serve a purpose—that
add information or style to the slide.
For example, what does the clip art on this
slide do?
Nothing.
A Rule of Thumb
Here’s a tip:
Add information, not pictures.
If your audience thinks, “Why is that on there?”—
you’ve missed the mark.
What about sounds and motion?
If sound and motion don’t add information to your
presentation, be very careful.
Don’t distract the audience from your topic.
Also, it’s annoying!
Have a beginning.
Interest us! Use:
an interesting statistic
a rhetorical question
an unusual fact
an appropriate application
Forecast and signal transitions
between points.
Begin with a forecasting statement so we can
follow you.
Insert transitions between every major point.
Use the skills you’ve learned so far.
A boring presentation doesn’t show much you-attitude.
Nor does one that is too complex or technical for the
audience.
Nor does one that has nothing to do with the audience.
Make it obvious that you’ve thought about the needs of
your audience.
Remember, oral presentation are
different than writing.
People can’t re-listen to your speech—people
can reread your writing.
Have a Finish.
And a finish is not:
“Uh. Okay. I guess that’s it.”
That’s not the thing you want your listeners to
take away.
Answering Questions
Sometimes you’re not going to know the answer
to a question.
It’s okay to say that you don’t know. Then offer to
look into it and email them a response.
Final Project Slides
What you did plus examples
What you learned that you want your
classmates to know—how can they benefit
from your experience?
Answering Hostile Questions
Sometimes people will ask you hostile questions.
Above all, keep your cool.
Rephrase the question so it’s not so negative,
and answer it.
Answering Unclear Questions
If you get a vague question—and you will at
some point—restate it as best you can and
ask, “Is that what you’re asking?”
This gives a person a chance to really figure out
what he or she is asking.
Taking Time with Questions
Because you don’t know every question that will
be asked, you can’t have the answers
memorized.
It is perfectly all right to think about it a moment
before answering.
This is much better than a half-garbled answer
that doesn’t show much thought.
Taking Time with Questions II
If pausing makes you uncomfortable, say,
“Let me think about that for a moment.”
Think about it. Then answer it.
Tricky Tip
If there’s some piece of information you want to
communicate but can’t figure a way to put it in
the presentation . .
or
You want to seem really really smart . . .
Plant a friend in the audience with a pre-arranged
question that you know the answer to.
You can do it!
You can do this!
Give yourself some time, and write a
presentation that will knock our socks off!