Presentation Skills

Learning to present information, ideas, concepts, and opinions in different formats is a study skill you will build on over time. We will look at giving presentations as a key communication skill throughout this topic.

Skills required

There are various skills that are required when presenting. As a presenter, you must ensure you engage with your audience.

Non-verbal body language

In conjunction with speaking to your audience, you must pair this with body language to effectively present and engage the audience. The following are examples of how to pair body language when you are speaking.

Eye contact

Ensure you use eye contact when facilitating. Look around in varied directions to the audience, use cue cards if needed, but only look down occasionally.

Posture and positioning

Your posture should be relaxed but formal, open, and friendly. Stand or sit where you can be seen, vary direction at times to include all of the audience, no fidgeting or distracting movements.

Gestures

Gestures should be used for emphasis and clarity, not too much, natural, to direct the audience's attention to visuals.

Other presenting factors

Speech considerations

Ensure you are speaking at a consistent pace, not too fast and not too slow. Do not yell at your audience but speak clearly. Use language consistent with your topic and what your audience is likely to understand. Finally, speak clearly; follow a structure and avoid speaking of too many topics in one go. Always finish one topic and then move over to the next.

Visual aids

Visual aids should be used to clarify and support verbal presentation, rather than distracting.

Structure

Your presentation should have an introduction, middle/body and conclusion. It should have a logical flow, grab interest, and maintain audience interest.

Timing

You must ensure you keep to time limits. Too long and the audience will disengage, too short and you will not cover all of the information you need to.

Personal presentation

When presenting, your personal appearance and attire should be suited to the context and level of formality. Neat and tidy attire for example, shows respect to the audience.

Presentations: visual

Visual presentations present information, ideas, concepts, and opinions to an audience using visual aids and formats. The visual formats might support a live or pre-recorded verbal presentation or might be solely visual, using a combination of text and images.

There are many visual presentation formats, tools, and aids available. There is a growing number of digital applications to choose from as well as other non-digital visual formats.

Consider the following:

• PowerPoint
• Sway
• Prezi
• Canva
• Google Slides
• Video clip
• Whiteboard
• Interactive whiteboard
• Flip charts
• Paper handouts
• Posters
• Academic posters
• Presentation boards
• Pamphlets
• Portfolio photographs
• Slides
• Etalks or Microsoft Teams video conferencing
• Demonstration - physical
• Display-objects

Digital presentations

One digital visual presentation tool is Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint uses individual slides to create a slideshow-style presentation. Other slideshow-style tools are Microsoft Sway and Google Slides. Prezi is A presentation tool alternative to the slideshow- style. Prezi uses one large slide or canvas, allowing the viewer to zoom in and out to different content sections.

When using a slide show style presentation tool, there are some clear designs and dos and don'ts.

Read the following table from Microsoft’s “Tips for Creating and Delivering an effective presentation.”

Tips for creating an effective presentation include:

Tips	Details
Choose a font style that your audience can read from a distance	Choosing a simple font style, such as Arial or Calibri, helps to get your message across. Avoid thin or decorative fonts that might impair readability, especially in small sizes.
Choose a font size that your audience can read from a distance	Avoid using font sizes smaller than 18pt, and you may need to go larger for a large room with the audience far away
Keep your text simple and minimise the amount of text on your slides	Use bullets or short sentences, and try to keep each to one line, that is, without text wrapping. You want your audience to listen to you present your information rather than read the screen. Some projectors crop slides at the edges, so long sentences may be cropped.  You can remove articles such as ‘a’ and ‘the’ to help reduce the word count on a line.
Use art to help convey your message	Use graphics to tell your story. However, don’t overwhelm your audience by adding too many graphics to a slide.
Make labels for charts and graphs understandable.	Use only enough text to make label elements in a chart or graph comprehensible.
Make slide backgrounds subtle and keep them consistent.	Choose an appealing, consistent template or theme that is not too eye-catching. You don’t want the background or design to detract from your message.
Use high contrast between background colour and text colour.	Themes automatically set the contrast between a light background with dark-coloured text dark background with light-coloured text.
Check the spelling and grammar	To earn and maintain the respect of your audience, always check the spelling and grammar in your presentation.

^{Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/tips-for-creating-and-delivering-an-effective-presentation-f43156b0-20d2-4c51-8345-0c337cefb88b}

In storytelling, there is always a beginning, middle and end, usually referred to as a three-act structure. There are plenty of other ‘narrative/storytelling techniques such as ‘The Hero’s Journey', 'Freytag’s Pyramid', or 'Fichtean Curve.’ For simplicity, the three-act structure is perfect.

Storytelling is important when delivering a presentation because it enhances communication, engages the audience, and makes your message memorable.

Capturing attention

Stories have a unique ability to capture and hold the audience's attention. You can create an emotional connection with your listeners from the start by incorporating narratives, anecdotes, or personal experiences. This helps to hook their attention and create a favourable environment for your message.

Relatability

Stories make information relatable and humanize your content. By presenting facts and data in the context of a story, you provide real-life examples and scenarios that the audience can relate to. This enables them to better understand and remember the key points of your presentation.

Emotional impact

Stories have the power to evoke emotions. Appealing to your audience's emotions can make your presentation more impactful and memorable. Emotional engagement helps people connect with your message on a deeper level, fostering a stronger connection between you and your audience.

Enhancing understanding and retention

The narrative structure of a story helps to organise information in a logical and coherent manner. When you present information as a story, you create a clear structure with a beginning, middle, and end. This structure aids comprehension, making it easier for the audience to understand complex ideas and retain the information long after the presentation is over.

Persuasion and influence

Stories are persuasive tools. You can influence your audience's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours by telling a compelling story. Stories have the ability to shift perspectives, challenge assumptions, and inspire action. Incorporating storytelling techniques can be highly effective if you want your presentation to have a lasting impact.

Memorable messages

Facts and figures alone are often forgotten, but stories stick in people's minds. When you deliver a presentation with a captivating narrative, the key messages become more memorable. Your audience is likelier to remember the story and the core ideas or takeaways you want to convey.

Knowledge Check Activity