Transcript Document 7621740

Chapter 13– Strategies for Effective
Oral Presentations
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The goal of the presentation is to communicate, clearly and
concisely, the results and implications of an experiment or of
some statistical research, and perhaps to recommend some
action.
Know your audience. Before constructing the presentation,
think about to whom the presentation is intended. The
presentation should be understandable to your intended
audience, but should not get bogged down in trivial details.
Think about the backgrounds of the intended readers – what
are they likely to know already about the topic?
What do the audience know about you? You may need to
formally introduce yourself, or be introduced. You may need to
provide information about yourself to the person doing
introductions.
Ground Rules
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How much time will you be allowed for your
presentation? You will need to allow time for the
introduction, and time for questions. Generally, you
should assume that your presentation will occupy
about 80% of your allotted time.
Is this a stand-alone presentation? Or part of a
sequence of presentations? How are the other talks
related to yours?
Will the audience be allowed to ask questions during
your presentation? Or will there be a question-andanswer session at the end?
What are the facilities?
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Will you use a flipchart as a visual aid? Transparencies with an
overhead projector? Powerpoint? Be familiar with the
equipment and the room in advance. It is awkward (and not
likely to impress your audience) if you are fumbling with the
equipment during the talk.
If you will use Powerpoint to present your talk, be prepared with
a back-up, in case there are technical problems. I always make
transparencies as well.
Will you need to provide written material to members of your
audience? The presentation itself may not give adequate time
for interested members of the audience to learn about the
research. If a written version is needed also, copies should be
available to hand out at the beginning of the presentation.
Sections of the Presentation
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Greeting and introduction
Preview
Background
Descriptions of the research
Results
Conclusions and recommendations
Greeting and Introduction
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Thank the audience for the opportunity
to speak to them.
Look them in the eye during this time,
to get their attention.
State the title or goals of your talk,
without the distraction of visual aids.
Preview
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Give the audience an outline of your talk, so that
they are prepared for what they will hear and see
The outline should include the following general
headings (to be edited for specifics):
Background
The Experiment
Results
Conclusions and Recommendations
Comments
Background
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In this section, give the audience the general
information that they will need to understand
the conduct and relevance of the research.
Keep in mind what the audience may or may
not know about the topic.
Do not get bogged down in commonly known
details, so that you lose your audience.
The Experiment
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Describe, specifically, how the data were collected.
Explain terminology that may be specific to the topic
area.
Results of the Data Analysis
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Summarize the results in language understandable to the
audience. If your audience consists of business executives, they
may not be familiar with some statistical terminology. Don’t,
however, present them with the complex statistical details if
they do not have the background to understand. Remember,
those who are interested will have the written report available
to read.
If you are asked to explain some of the data analysis, be
prepared to do so.
A table or figure should be a stand-alone piece of information.
The reader should be able to understand the content without
referring to the text of the report.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
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Tie all of the pieces together in a
summary.
Recommend specific actions, if
appropriate, or discuss future directions
for follow-up research.
Invite questions from the audience.
Style
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Practice. Few people can speak extemporaneously on statistical analysis or
scientific research.
Be enthusiastic in your presentation; you are selling your skills and trying to
make a good impression.
Speak with enough volume to be heard in the back of the room. Know your
voice volume. Will you need a microphone? Will one be available? If not,
practice the presentation as though you were speaking to someone seated in
the back of the room.
Don’t just read from your visual aids. You should be very familiar with the topic;
use the visual aids primarily as cues for what comes next. The audience will use
the visual aids to gather information.
Appearance matters. Is this presentation part of a job interview? A professional
meeting? Dress appropriately.
Keep a pleasant expression on your face. It is easier to do so if you have
practiced so that you are confident about your presentation.
Look at the audience. You may glance at the visual aids for cues to guide you,
but you should speak to the people in the audience.
Speak at a rate that will communicate, not confuse or bore your audience.
Visual Aids
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The purpose of the visual aids is to help the audience to understand
the presentation; they augment the words of the presenter. Look at
the audience.
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Each slide should be uncluttered, addressing only a few points of the
talk. Leave white spaces.
Use a type size that will be easily visible from the back of the room.
The minimum size would be 18 points, for the text of a slide, larger
type size for titles. Don’t use fancy fonts; use Arial or Helvetica.
Use bullets for lists.
Color can enliven your presentation.
If you are using transparency slides, keep them in order. You may
need to refer to a specific slide to answer a question from the
audience.
Proofread your visual aids.
Rehearse
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Do several rehearsals, starting several days before
the presentation. Practice will help you to overcome
stage fright and make your presentation smoother
and more interesting to the audience.
After rehearsing in private, you may want to ask a
friend or colleague to serve as a practice audience.
Edit your presentation for clarity and time
constraints. Cut the presentation, rather than
speaking faster.
Use relaxation techniques to overcome fear.
Question-and-Answer
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If an audience member asks you a
question to which you don’t know the
answer, say that you don’t know.
You may need to collect your thoughts
before answering a question.
Answer to the entire audience.
Maintain eye contact during this period.
Check List
Use the Oral Presentation Checklist on
page 162 of the text as you are preparing
your presentation.