The Presentation Cookbook

Are you a Master Chef or a Short Order Cook?

IntroductionHave you ever attended a successful dinner party? Do you remember what it was that made it so enjoyable? Was it the great food, the company, the entertainment? Chances are it was all these things. You can use these same ingredients to create and deliver an unforgettable presentation.This tutorial offers a variety of tips and suggestions to enhance your presentations. Choose the ones that best suit your needs, mix well, cook until done and enjoy.

Using this TutorialThis tutorial is organized into sections.Each section contains a cover page and multiple instructional pages.Instructional pages are composed of text and images.Use the navigation buttons shown below to move through the pages.Click this button to

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Planning

Ingredients

Preparing

Serving

Finishing

References

Menu

Planning

The VenueInformation about the venue is important. Determine room size, seating arrangement and audio-visual equipment ahead of time. Make provisions for the best seating configuration. If you’re splitting your audience into teams, make sure the room accommodates this setting. Find out specifics about projectors, screen size and audio systems. Look up the equipment on the Internet and confirm the equipment works with your PC. Have a method to control the room temperature. You don’t want it too cold, master chefs use fresh not frozen. Nor too hot, you want your presentation well done not your audience.

The GuestsEven a small amount of information about your audience is useful. This information helps you determine preferences and needs. The more your audience can relate personally with your message, the more memorable that message will be.Some factors to consider are: age, gender, culture, profession, and special needs. According to the Census Bureau, 5.3 percent of the U.S. population has difficulty seeing and/or hearing. Furthermore, people are living longer lives. As people age, they experience a decrease in vision, hearing, and cognitive abilities. More than 35 million Americans have a disability relating to the senses. Your audience will appreciate and remember considerations you make on their behalf. You can find out more in this article: Making Presentations Accessible to People with Disabilities.

Ingredients

RecipesWhen preparing a meal, you can find many recipes for the same entrée. Choose the best recipe for your audience and create an epicurean experience with your presentation.Keyboards, mice and scanners provide input to the computer. Human beings are equipped with input devices in the form of senses. Engaging several senses connects you with your audience and makes your message more memorable.

PresentationMaster Chefs frequently say we eat with our eyes first and there’s research to back it up. In 1977 a group of Swedish researchers found that we absorb more nutrition from food that we find appealing. And just as we wouldn’t want to eat something that looks unappetizing, we don’t want to experience an uninviting presentation. Using color, shape, motion, and visualization stimulates sight and interest. Even non-sighted individuals have the ability to visualize.Text heavy slides are the equivalent of feeding hospital food to your audience. It might be necessary but not something you want to remember.

MoodMusic sets a mood for your presentation.Through the prudent use of sounds and music you can elicit an emotional response from your audience.See this article by John O’Connor on Music and Emotion, Why Does Music Provoke Strong Emotional Responses? for some good ideas on “anchoring” your presentation with music.

FlavorAlthough your audience may be enjoying refreshments, you may not take advantage of taste to reinforce your message. Rather than the standard refreshments, consider relevant food and beverages. For example: providing PB&J or cheese sandwiches, juices, milk and apples for a presentation concerning teachers or educators.

FragranceResearchers are increasingly excited about recent studies concerning the sense of smell.Smell, more than any other sense, can be used to evoke memory. Yet, smell is seldom exploited as a tool. You can use strong, pungent odors to the more subtle approach of aromatherapy. The key is to match it to your message. For example: during a presentation on the dangers of pollution, pass around containers of foul smelling, polluted water.

FeelTake advantage of the beginning and end of presentations to shake hands with your attendees.Providing handouts, samples, or using a physical activity or a “hands-on” experience can also arouse the sense of touch.

Sixth SenseWhether or not you believe in extra sensory perception (ESP), you can easily use one technique: through out the presentation, repeatedly visualize your message. It doesn’t hurt and who knows, it just might help.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Razzle-dazzle in any presentation is fun. However, moderation is key. Remember you’re the presenter; the audio-visual aids are the trimmings.Stimulating one or two senses is enough. You don’t want eyes bigger than bellies. Too much superfluous information will leave your audience overstuffed instead of pleasantly full.

Preparing

The Right UtensilsPresenters focus on using technology as audio-visual aids. You may forget that technology is also a great preparation tool. The Internet provides a wealth of information for little or no cost. There are thousands of free presentation resources. Computer applications check spelling and grammar. You can easily obtain and analyze data, create graphs and format information. Technology saves time and effort. Research adds to the authority of your presentation topics.

The ThemeThemes provide a sense of familiarity and continuity to a presentation. Analogies and metaphors increase the ability to absorb and retain your message, especially in a technical presentation. They provide a “mental bridge” to the content of the presentation. Themes, analogies, and metaphors should be easily recognizable and relevant to your topic. For example: using a Gold Rush theme for a presentation on Investments at a location in San Francisco. For ideas, visit this site: A Language of Metaphors.

The MenuJust as a meal can be broken down into courses, a presentation is made of components. Although it can be more complex, every presentation should contain the following:The AppetizerThis is the introduction. Tell them who you are, what the presentation is about and why you’re the person to tell them about it. You can also start with an icebreaker. The Main CourseThis is the content of your presentation. During this portion you can add additional courses, such as games, quizzes, or multimedia. Or you can stay with just the entrée.The DesertThis is your summary. You want to reinforce the message of your presentation. Consider adding a little sugar in the form of a cartoon or anecdote to help your audience retain your message.

The Dinner ServiceUsing the right service is essential for any meal. Soup should be served in a tureen and bowls, not on a platter and dinner plates.When presenting, there are a variety of delivery methods.As in a multi-course dinner, using multiple techniques can add interest and appeal to your presentation.The key is using methods that help your audience understand why your message matters to them.

Dale’s Cone of ExperienceIn the second half of the twentieth century, the impact of technology on thought and learning became increasingly apparent. Edgar Dale, a major contributor to the study of educational communications, was fascinated with video as a teaching vehicle. He theorized and published Dale’s Cone of Experience in 1946. This cone diagrams Dale’s theory on the effectiveness of different media to the learning experience. The least effective (verbal symbols) are at the top of the cone. The most effective (direct, purposeful experience) is at the bottom.

Direct, Purposeful Ex-periences

Contrived Experiences

Dramatized Experiences

Demonstrations

Field Trips

Exhibits

Television

Motion Pictures

Recordings, Radio, Still Pictures

Visual Symbols

Verbal Symbols

The Learning Pyramid

Teaching Others

Practice by Doing

Discussion

Demonstration

Audio-Visual

Reading

LectureIn 1967, D. G. Treichler published the Learning Pyramid in the magazine Film and Audio-Visual Communications. The pyramid charts the retention rate for adult learners by information delivery method.Although attributed to the National Education Association's Adult Education Division in Bethel, Maine there is no actual documented research supporting the Learning Pyramid chart.Dale’s Cone of Experience and the Learning Pyramid remain theoretical, but they still have value in identifying the various methods of information delivery and placing them in an intuitive hierarchy.

Food for ThoughtIn 2007, Malloy and Miller published The learning pyramid: does it point teachers in the right direction?They concluded their findings with the following statement:“… students need to experience a variety of instructional methods and that direct instruction needs to be accompanied by methods that further student understanding and recognize why what they are learning is useful.”Continued research and studies from 1970 through today identified additional learning processes. A few examples are learning styles, multiple intelligence, service learning, and active learning.These studies help you avoid barriers and use methods that are more effective in the delivery of your presentations.

Hone Your CraftAlmost anyone can flip a burger, but it takes practice and study to become a gourmet cook. With approximately 17 million users worldwide, PowerPoint is the most used presentation tool. But a PowerPoint presentation can be feast or famine. It is easy to use and just as easy to make a boring presentation. Learn to use PowerPoint well and rise above the average. If you don’t use PowerPoint, become an expert in your preferred presentation software. Search the Internet for your own resources. Practice and prepare for your presentation multiple times.

Serving

Make It PersonalThink of your audience as participants. Using plural pronouns, such as We, Ours, and Us instead of I, Mine, You and Yours instills a sense of inclusion. “We’re doing this together” instead of “I’m telling you about something.” Your presentation becomes a team effort and encourages an emotional investment from your audience.If available, pay attention to name cards and address participants by name. Using individual names fosters a sense of intimacy and friendship from your audience. Get to know your sponsors or hosts. These people have invested their time and/or money in your skills. These are also the people you’ll depend on for equipment, special needs, etc.

The Maître d’sEvery audience has leaders and followers. Capitalize on leaders by allowing them to ask questions, initiate discussions and have some control of the presentation. For example: create an interactive menu in PowerPoint and allow them to choose the order of the topics. Answer questions as they arise and allow for discussion. Holding questions until the end of the presentation decreases the “give and take” of an interactive session. If the question asked is covered later in the presentation, say, “I’m glad you brought that up because we’ll cover it in a few minutes, next slide, next session, etc.”

The EntertainmentGames and interactive activities are a great addition to a presentation, from simple quizzes to more involved team contests. Fun and competition enhance and add to the learning experience.

Enjoy YourselfVery few dinner parties will be successful if the host or hostess isn’t having a good time. If your heart isn’t in your presentation, your audience will know it. Take steps to ensure an optimistic mind-set before you step up to the podium. Check out the The Power of Positive Attitude for motivation and inspiration.

Finishing

SolicitationsObtain feedback from participants at every presentation. Continuous improvement is essential. Keep solicitations simple and immediate. For example, a short survey of five questions with multiple-choice answers turned in at the completion of the presentation.

The Party FavorsThe final component of our presentation feast is the handout.Favors are a physical reminder of the event that extends beyond today. A well-chosen promotional item generates business for tomorrow. There are thousands of low cost promotional items available on the web. Use your favorite search engine and enter the keyword “promotional”.

References

ResourcesHarriet Brown (2006). Go With Your Gut, The New York Times Editorials, February 20, 2006L. Hallberg, E. Bjorn-Rasmussen, L. Rossander, and R. Suwanik (1977). Iron Absorption from Southeast Asian Diets. II. Role of Various Factors That Might Explain Low Absorption, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 30: 539–48.Victoria Zavres (2009). Anotec Theory of the Sense of Smell, Sticking Our Noses in Everything, ScribdJeremy W. Grabbe, Ann L. McCarthy, Charissa M. Brown and Arlene A. Sabo (2010). Olfaction and Emotion Content Effects for Memory of Vignettes, Current Research in Psychology 6 (1): 53-60

James P. Lalley and Robert H. Miller (2007). The learning pyramid: Does it point teachers in the right direction?, Education and Information Technologies 128(1): 64-79.Metiri Group (2008). Multimodal learning through media: What the research says, Cisco Systems: 24.John A. Sloboda and Patrik N. Juslin (2001). Music and Emotion: Theory and Research, Oxford University PressJohn A. Sloboda (1991). Music Structure and Emotional Response: Some Empirical Findings, Psychology of Music I9: 110-120