Presentation Skills Presentation skills are highly valued by - - PDF document

Presentation Skills

Presentation skills are highly valued by employers, who are keen to recruit staff who can communicate information clearly and effectively. Giving a presentation is often part of the recruitment process – you may be asked to prepare a presentation for an interview or during an assessment centre, take part in a group presentation or even find yourself giving an impromptu presentation in answer to an interviewer’s question. It is a useful skill to have as you may be required to give presentations in your chosen line of work. Preparation stage 1 - first thoughts  Why? Purpose Why are you doing the presentation? Is it to inform, persuade, train, sell...? And what is the specific aim? For example, is it to give information about a specific topic or persuade a panel you are the best candidate for the job?  What? Key points Decide on your key points, and the most important message you want the audience to take away. Research your topic – what resources do you need to prepare your presentation, e.g. reports, financial data and subject related information?  Who? Audience Think about your audience and who they are. Your tone is likely to be more formal for senior staff than for your fellow team members. What is their prior knowledge of the subject? You will want to show them you understand the issues. The size of the audience may affect the amount of interaction.  When? Time How much time is allowed for presentation and questions? Think about your listeners’ attention span (which is usually around 20 minutes) and identify three to five key points and an appropriate time for each.  Where? Location Find out about the room and seating plan, if possible, as they can affect interaction and discussion. Check equipment and visual aids (PowerPoint, screen, flip chart) to find out what is provided and what you should bring. Preparation stage 2 - planning your presentation This stage of your preparation will include research, planning the structure of the presentation, preparing visual aids and practising.  Research If your presentation is for an interview or assessment centre, you may be asked to cover:

• a project undertaken during your course
• a topic of your choice
• a scenario or brief provided by the company.

In the latter case it is important to do some thorough company research, using their website and any company

• literature. You will probably have to decide between several options and explain your reasoning. Research relevant

facts and statistics and make sure you have supporting arguments for the points you make. Be prepared to justify your viewpoint during questions afterwards.

 Structure When you are working on the content of your presentation you might find it helpful to use post-it notes for the different points, and move these around to build your structure or make a mind map of your ideas and then write

• ut the presentation. Alternatively, you may prefer to work direct into PowerPoint, using the notes and visuals.

Think about the ‘Rule of 3’: the introduction, main section of your presentation, and conclusion (or: say what you are going to tell them, tell them, say what you have told them).

• Introduction

Try to make an impact with your opening to get the audience’s attention – you might start with a quotation, anecdote, provocative fact or (rhetorical) question, and then introduce yourself and say why you are giving the

• presentation. Anecdotes or humour may be useful to gain the audience’s attention and add a human touch,

but use them with caution, and avoid causing offence or trivialising the issues. The audience is most likely to remember what comes early in your presentation, so state your main message or argument near the beginning, and then back it up and explain your reasoning. Turn up in time to check the room and equipment and welcome the audience as they arrive. Introduce yourself and the aim of the presentation, outline structure, and indicate when you will take questions (small group maybe as you go along, larger group at the end).

• Main section

Your main messages need to be broken down into a logical sequence; make it clear when you are moving on to the next point and use mini summaries at the end of each section. About three main points will be enough for a 10 minute presentation.

• Conclusion

Summarise what you have said, indicate what the next steps might be, thank the audience and invite questions (if you are prepared to take them). Write out your presentation in note format – these are for you to refer to, not to read out, so just note down the key themes and use bullet points. It is helpful to have notes on cards, as they are easy to hold and refer to, but make sure they are numbered!  Visuals When you are planning your presentation, think about different learning styles and consider how you will maintain interest – remember, people recall:

• 20% of what they hear
• 30% of what they see
• 50% of what they see and hear
• 70% of what they do

This means the audience will remember much more if you use visuals rather than just talking, and you can create

• pportunities for interaction, e.g. questions; using props or artefacts, if appropriate, to help people remember

what you have been telling them. Make sure you familiarise yourself with any equipment you are using such as laptops, projector screen, etc, so arrive with time to spare to allow for this.

• Slides provide a focus for what you’re saying, but the audience should be listening to you, not reading

through lots of text on the screen. Keep slides simple to make an impact, with key points and clear, consistent layout. They should help the audience follow your presentation, but don’t fall into the trap of reading your PowerPoint slides to them.

• If you are using flip charts, prepare them in advance, make sure they are clearly legible; you may like to use

a blank page between two pages of written material so you can reveal information at the appropriate point in your presentation.

• Hand-outs can be useful to provide background information, and in case of equipment failure; they will

also give the audience or interviewers something to help them remember you. Tell the audience you have hand-outs, so they are listening to you rather than writing notes.

• Objects/props if appropriate (or requested) you may find it helpful to bring items with you to illustrate your

points or for the audience to handle.  Practice Review your presentation to check it has a logical structure, communicates the key points, is suitable for the audience and keeps to the allotted time. Rehearse your presentation, out loud, in front of a mirror, or in front of friends, make any adjustments and check the timing. Practise several times so you feel confident about delivering your presentation and don’t need to refer to your notes too much. Delivering your presentation  Memorise the first couple of sentences so you can connect with the audience without looking at notes. You could show you want to communicate with them by asking ‘Can everyone hear me at the back?’  Outline the key themes, explain what you will be talking about and the structure of the presentation, indicate whether you will take questions at the end, make the transition to your next point clear: ‘and now we’ll move

• n to...’ and let the audience know you’re about to finish, ‘and in conclusion...’ so you get their attention as

you sum up your presentation.  Involve the audience by using ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘you’. Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon and idioms.  Voice – make sure you are heard, don’t speak too fast (a common effect of feeling nervous); pause and change pace to make your presentation easier to listen to. Avoid ending sentences with an upward inflexion (like a question) – a downward inflexion will make you sound more confident and persuasive.  Body language – standing tall with your back and neck straight will help you project your voice and look more

• confident. Make sure you have open body language, make eye contact with individuals and groups in the

audience, smile, move around a little – don’t pace, but don’t remain static. Make sure the audience can see the screen and don’t turn your back on them to read your presentation – use your note cards or notes on a

• monitor. If you are writing on a flip chart, stop talking to write, and turn back to face the audience before

continuing.  Dress – wear clothes which are smart but comfortable, and check the back view too.  Questions – thank the questioner, then repeat or paraphrase the question to clarify what is being asked and make sure everyone has heard; this also gives you a few seconds thinking time. Give concise answers, and if you don’t know, don’t pretend, but offer to get back to the questioner later.  Nerves - being a little nervous is natural and can even make you perform better. You can help keep your nerves in check by good preparation. Make sure you are familiar with your material so that you can talk from brief prompts and feel confident about the timing of your presentation. Try some breathing and relaxation exercises, and arrive in good time, so you have the chance to build a rapport with the audience before you start. Team presentations Preparation for a team presentation will be similar to the steps outlined above, but be clear who is going to do

• what. Practice is especially important to ensure a smooth transition between sections of the presentation and

different speakers. Make sure all slides are formatted the same way. Start by introducing each team member and saying what they will be talking about; hand over to the next speaker at the end of your section, and the final speaker should summarise the key messages.

Impromptu presentations You may be asked to give a presentation on the spot, without prior warning. If this happens, don’t panic, and use the guidelines above to structure your thoughts. The ‘Rule of 3’ is useful in this situation – for example, you might build your presentation around, past, present, future, or situation/problem, options, solution. This approach can be particularly helpful in response to questions such as ‘Tell me about yourself’, which you can view as a mini

• presentation. If you are asked ‘Why should we appoint you?’ your mini presentation could include: introduction,

the organisation’s current situation (from your research and knowledge of the market), the skills they need, evidence that you have these skills, summary. Useful resources  www.kent.ac.uk/careers/presentationskills.htm for more useful tips on making presentations.  For general help and ideas – www.businessballs.com/ (look up Presentations in the alphabetical index in the top left hand corner)  www.presentationmagazine.com/ articles, advice and templates for presentations.  The Assessment Centre DVD includes a section on presentation; log in to watch from www.york.ac.uk/careers in the Apply for Jobs section; Applications, CVs and interviews; Assessment centres  Reference books in Careers and Placements including:

• Weissman: Presenting to Win
• Bradbury: Successful Presentation Skills.

Please note: The websites listed here are not intended to represent a comprehensive list. Careers and Placements cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites.

June 2018