1

Presentation skills

2.1 Preparation

2.2 Media choices

2.3 Delivery

2.4 Questions

2

Timetable

Week Date Topic Who and Where

1 7 Oct 3-4pm Introduction All in 1L61

2 10 Oct 3-4pm Library skills (Sally Smith, library)

Group 1 in Lib103

3 17 Oct 3-4pm Library skills (Sally Smith, library)

Group 2

in Lib103

4 28 Oct 2-3pm

3-4pmPresentation skills

Student presentations

All in 1L61

5 4 Nov 2-3pm

3-4pmWriting skills

Student presentations

All in 1L61

3

Preparation

4

Structure is all!

A clear, understandable structure to your talk helps the audience to follow it:

• Hypothesis (introduction)

• Design of test (method)

• Results of test

• Conclusions

5

Check out your audience

• How many?

• Background?

• What do they know?

• What don’t they know?

• Aim at the student, not the expert!

6

Length of your talk

• Too much material – commonest error

• Rule of thumb: 2-3 minutes per slide

• One main point per slide

• Time is subjective! Speaker time, audience time.

• Rehearse timings

7

Scripting your talk

• Don’t read a script

• Prepare one to rehearse timings (not more than 100 words per minute)

• Use summary notes – cards?

• Visual aids are prompts but don’t design them as such

8

Media

9

Choice of media

• Just talk! Audience just sleeps.

• OHP slides – quick, simple, low tech

• 35mm slides – elaborate preparation, loss of control

• Powerpoint – compelling tramlines

• Whiteboard - complex argument

• Flipchart – interactive

10

Too much on one slide

11

Avoid tabulated data

12

Poincare Section

U

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

B

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

Poincare Section

U

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

B

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

Appropriate graphics settings

13

Ghastly colours & too much detail

14

Lazy and illegible

15

Delivery

16

Before the talk

• If possible, have a rehearsal in the lecture room

• Before session, make sure you are familiar with equipment

• Practise where to stand, practise use of pointer

17

Timing

• Before talk – make sure you can see a clock or bring your watch

• Pace yourself

• Don’t let persistent questioner take control

18

Being heard – engage audience

• Face audience, not screen!• Head up, shoulders back• Breathe from diaphram• Address yourself to back row• Use your hands

19

Respond to audience• Keep eye contact (roving!)

• Watch the body language (boredom, incomprehension, inappropriate amusement)

• Respond to signals from the audience

20

Nerves• It is natural to be a bit nervous

• Use that to help you

• Ensure you are physically comfortable

• Glass of water

• Most people are on your side!

• Relax tension with a joke or comment.

21

Questions

?

22

Handling questions

• Make sure you understand – repeat it

• Clarify question: “Do you mean…..” (thinking time)

• Say something (positive)

• Try to avoid closing things off: “I haven’t looked at that, but we did find that…..”

23

Questions as feedback

• Questions mean that dialogue has begun

• Learn from questions – even the ill conceived ones tell you something

• Say something

• Keep discussion going – avoid the closed ended answer

• Leave time for questions