Presentation technique

crazy_guy

Got a presentation on criminal law in 2 weeks infront of a large number of people. Not used to everyone listening to what i have to say to be honest. Is it best to have cue cards with prompts on or a written script. I think both have pros and cons, but wondering what works best for other people as i'm in the dark at the moment. Any other good advice on presentations?

Thanks in advance

mitcho_uk

To make a good presentation you need to know exactly what your talking about, dont worry too much about the actual slides as you should be able to just tell the people the information, the slides are there as guidance for you and to provide structure to what you are saying. The best advice I can give to you is to practice practice and practice. Good Luck

aurora_borealis_2

Don't use a script, there's nothing worse. Make sure you're confident about your material and use powerpoint to guide you. Make eye contact with various around the audience but don't stare like a nutter :rotfl:

I've got a big one this week but I know my stuff for this one. No one ever gets used to them really, even after years :rolleyes:

crazy_guy

aurora_borealis wrote:

Don't use a script, there's nothing worse. Make sure you're confident about your material and use powerpoint to guide you. Make eye contact with various around the audience but don't stare like a nutter :rotfl:

I've got a big one this week but I know my stuff for this one. No one ever gets used to them really, even after years :rolleyes:

Thats ok then! I will def use prompts i think as i've seen a few presentations where people read of a script and its cringe worthy. I've done one before and as i was nervous i read it so fast no-one knew what i was going on about

Only thing i'm worried about prompts is my mind going blank, i will have powerpoint there but i want it perfect! Wish i would get used to them, though this is my last for this year!

aurora_borealis_2

crazy_guy wrote:

Thats ok then! I will def use prompts i think as i've seen a few presentations where people read of a script and its cringe worthy. I've done one before and as i was nervous i read it so fast no-one knew what i was going on about

Only thing i'm worried about prompts is my mind going blank, i will have powerpoint there but i want it perfect! Wish i would get used to them, though this is my last for this year!

If you go blank just 'fess up and move to the next. It's happened to me
Try and make a funny and just carry on. Everyone understands

basill

crazy_guy wrote:

I've done one before and as i was nervous i read it so fast no-one knew what i was going on about

Me too, when you practice you must avoid racing through, what will sound normal to an audience can sound stupidly slow when you are running through to yourself.

I remember some of the rules from a presentation skills course, first you tell them who you are and what you are going to say, then tell them. Finally summarise what you have told them. Lastly let them ask questions in case they missed anything the first three times!

I think having a whole script is fatal as the temptation is to keep your head down and read word for word. Much better is to break it down into chunks and use cards or powerpoint to remind you what you have to say next.

Good luck

B

molotov_3

Also the problem with scripts is that you dont tend to learn what you are saying, lose your place and then spend time trying to find where you were. In my experience, having slides which prompt what you are going to say, rather then a long speach, is much more helpful. Audiences often tend to be more positive to speakers who actually look at them.

Good luck!

Savvy_Sue

Make sure your powerpoint presentation is not too complicated! Just because you CAN get the text onto the screen in 16 different ways doesn't mean it's a good idea to do so!

And, my mother's advice, remember the deaf old lady at the back! Don't shout at her, but do speak clearly and if you look at her (she'll be there somewhere!) she'll be able to hear you better. If you have a beard, that's especially important because to a certain extent she lipreads, and a beard can obscure your lip movements.

Good luck!

mikeyd

Would have to agree with what has been said above.
Reading from a script is not a good idea, and it is not very good for the audience to listen to.
Prompt Cards are ok but most of your prompts should be on your powerpoint slides.

Another thing with powerpoint slides is do not have too much text on them - the audience is there to listen to you speak, not spend all the time reading text on slides, and the audience will quickly lose concentration is they have large amounts of text on each slide to read.

Good luck!

I should really spend less time on MSE and get back to preparing my own physics presentation for next week

someone

best to have cue cards. if u are worrying write a script but DO NOT USE IT. I have always had good presentation skills

For nearly every presentation i do i make my own clipart (sometimes if im running late i will combine a number of clipart with the bits i need to make a new one). It takes time and you have to have the skills to do it but it looks grate

Another thing is look at your slide. Is it a visual aide or what you are going to say? If it’s a visual aid, well done, if its what you are going to say then make it a visual aid.

Remember your slides should be a reference (along with cue cards) not a bible. Your key point should be on the slide but not all your sub points unless these are quite complex.

Say it with pictures if you can pull it off ( http://news.zdnet.com/2300-1040_22-6044137-9.html http://news.zdnet.com/2300-1040_22-6044137-22.html ). Crop and edit them so they blend in with the background. Therese nothing worse than a white box pics in a slide

Visit http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/ for more information about presentations and good look.

p.s. One final point is ask yourself how many times has this background been used in past presentations? If you have time customise your master slides and make the backgrounds as unique as you are, make yourself stand out.

And remember the best presentations are normally when there’s not much on the slides but the presenter knows his/her message and can communicate it well

Swattie

Think more about you and how you would be most comfortable presenting.

Some people are best behind a stand where they can grasp the sides and 'hide' a little - very good if you're a fiddler or twitcher - and easier if you want to read from cue cards.

Some are relaxed and confident ad-libbing, but you really need to know your stuff for this one, and feel better if they can pace, just a little, and gesture.

What you don't want is for anything you're doing to take the audiences attention away from what you're saying.

Have a couple of dry runs and find your own style, get a couple of friends, colleagues to point out any bad habits - or repetitive phrases eg 'you know', or 'obviously' (MY PET HATE) or 'at the end of the day' - so you can change them before hand. A week before is good for this so you have time to make changes. If your own material isn't ready that early - just speak on anything that you know about to practice.

Good luck