@ KU Leuven Karel Joos Study Advice Service November 14th 2017 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Tips and tricks 5: Presentation techniques @ KU Leuven

Karel Joos Study Advice Service November 14th 2017

Overview

• Introduction
• General
• Language
• Body language
• Content
• Support material
• Stress
• Exercice

Introduction

• Example : what do you want to change in this

presentation?

• Overview of relevant topics
• Suggestions to practise (exaggerate in opposite

direction)

Language

• Tempo
• Tempo of talking : better too slow than too fast
• Talk extremely slow
• Every syllable apart
• One syllable per second
• Tempo of presentation
• Pause between sentences
• Change tempo (important = slow)
• Articulation
• Talk with your teeth on one another

Language (2)

• Loudness
• Talk very loud
• Intonation
• Try to tell a stiff story for a child
• Build up tension
• Important vs unimportant
• Approval vs disapproval

Language (3)

• Goal
• Your public needs to understand at least what you are

saying

• Problems??
• You are not convinced yourself about what you are

saying?

• …

Body language

• Posture
• On two legs
• What happens if you talk on the tip of one foot
• Mimic
• Smiling, eyebrows, …
• Important vs unimportant
• Yes vs no
• Talk to yourself in a mirror

Body language (2)

• Eye contact
• Skip from one listener to another, make eye contact for

1’’

• Gestures
• Illustrate with your hands what you are saying
• Basic position?
• Spontaneous, enthusiastic
• Talk like explaining to a friend

Body language (3)

• Goal :
• As a human being with a story
• Not as a robot
• Problems :
• It is only the content that counts.

Content

1.

Clear structure

• Telling what your are going to tell
• Table of contents
• Return regularly to the table of content
• Consider your audience as outsiders!!
• Intermediate conclusions

2.

Key words

• You can’t read a full text
• Key words on cards (or on ppt)
• Reconstruct

Content (2)

3.

Addressing to public

• I – you

4.

Short sentences

• One subject, one verb, …

5.

Simple words

• No slang

6.

Examples, anecdotes

• Attractive, keeps people attentive

Content (3)

7.

Personal point of view

• Argumented point of view : “because”, “but I think”
• Indicate what’s in the article, what your idea is

8.

Conclusion at the end

• Summary
• Most important aspects
• “Are there any questions?”

Content (4)

• Goal :
• Bringing to life
• Problems
• “People already know what I will tell!”

Support material

• Sometimes it can be useful to support your presentation with different kinds of material, such

as a ppt, slides, … or possibly an other way of support (which we haven’t thought of at this moment)

• It is very important to keep in mind that it’s always better not to use too much text in this sort of support.

The more text there is on a slide, the more difficult it will be for the audience to grasp the heart of the matter of your presentation.

• Better is :

Stress

• Relax (first physically, then mentally?)
• Self-confidence
• Focus on audience, not on yourself
• Practise before mirror
• Practising in the room (or imagine room)
• Smile
• Good preparation (keywords, cards)
• Record yourself
• …

Try out

• Prepare short presentation (2’)
• Keywords
• Presentation for another student
• Standing
• Feedback
• Changing roles

Contact

• Study Advice Service

Naamsestraat 80 3000 Leuven 016/32 43 11 www.kuleuven.be/studyadvice

• Karel.Joos@dsv.kuleuven.be

Good luck!