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Dienstag, 15. Februar 2011

Tutorial 2: Presentation Skills


Introduction:

Nowadays, conducting presentations has become of elemental importance in almost every job. It is getting so common that you already have to do presentations as part of a job interview.  Thus, you have to convince the interviewer to get your dream job, but how? Skills in creating and designing a presentation are definetely crucial (e.g. use programs like Microsoft Power Point or Apple Key Note), but there is more to consider, namely your presentation skills, your presentation style. This tutorial will give you some insights “how to make an effective presentation”.


The Golden Rules for a “WOW” presentation
 I divided the golden rules into several rubrics to make the difference more clearer:

Content:
  • Do your Homework: You need to know what you are talking about. Make some research and add additional information.
  • Have an Agenda: Make the audience clear what you will talk about and what the audience can expect from you.
  • Have a catchy Conclusion: Summarize in own words and be enthusiastic as you were at the beginning.
  • Give room for questions: Make at the beginning of your presentation clear that there will be room for addressing questions. You can do it in between or just at the end of your presentation. It is your decision!
Design and Layout:
  • Use Images where you can: Be careful with small, pixelated images! Those pictures can have an opposing effect
  • Keep the Word Count low per slide: Use bullet point or key words instead of whole sentences
  • Be Careful with Animations: Too many animations can make your presentation look unprofessional. Use animations only for grabbing special attention in particular situations
  • Have a Consistent Layout: e.g. check for different font sizes, font styles etc.
  • Avoid Clutter: let some white space open!
  • Make the Text Big Enough: Ensure readability!
  • Be Careful with Colorful Backgrounds. Depending on the light influence in the presentation room  the audience can not read the slides
  • Use Graphs or Smart Arts to explain concepts
  • Use Videos or Audios: Be careful! It should not be too long, otherwise the audience will lose attention.
Present it your Way:
  • Practice: Simulate at least once your presentation at home and imagine a virtual audience. Thereby you get a feeling of the presentation flow. Practice transition from slide to slide to make the presentation liquid.
  • Give the Audience enough Time to Read your Slides or Watch the Pictures: It is clear that you know the slides by heart, but the audience first to read everything.
  • Smile to your Audience: You have to radiate confidence and the impression you are feeling well
  • Have Eye-Contact with the Audience: Do not be shy! Eye-contact is the number 1 business rule. Demonstrate confidence!
  • Be Sure to have Inflection in your Voice: It is very important to change the voice level during the presentation and not become monotonous in presenting.  “Play with your voice” to keep the audience’s attention and direct them by e.g. raising your voice to the most important points of your presentation
  • Use Gesticulation and Mimic: Be as active as possible to get the attention you deserve. You should even walk around a little bit, for instance move from the right to the left side of the screen, but not to often. I recommend move 2-3 times if have an presentation of around 20 min.
  • Walk Back to your Seat with a Smile: Even it was not perfect, you should show that you are satisfied with the result. Always express confidennce
  • If possible: Use a Clicker, so you do not have to stand near the computer.
  • Provide an Handout!
Conclusion:
Although there are some rules each presenter should give attention to, you have a lot of freedom to make your presentation unique. You should always have a good feeling with your presentation and you always should personalize your presentation. There are so many ways to differentiate your presentation from other presentations, e.g. layout, structure, presentation style.

If you really want to impress other people, e.g. your interviewer, you can make use of a new presentation paradigm that is emerging: It is called “zooming presentation”. Programs like Prezi, AHEAD or even Plugins like Plex for Microsoft Power Point are are online available. These zooming presentations are different from the tradition ones, since they are based on one infinite canvas on which all content is presented. It is like a big map you can use. You can create complex visual messages and use a nonlinear structure. Finally, check out this link to see what exactly the zooming presentation technology is about. It is very interesting.

References:

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