Presentation Skills
Steve Cope
Student Learning Advisory Service
1:1 : [email protected]
Workshops
Drop-in service (10 mins)
Mon – Thurs 11.00 – 13.00
Fri 12.00 – 14.00
@kentuniSLAS
/SLASkent
The Student Learning Advisory Service
(SLAS)
Next to Santander Bank
Why give presentations ?
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Preparation for world of work
Required in almost every field
Personal development opportunity
Form of assessment
Effective Presentations
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Good content
well-researched, relevant, interesting
Clear structure
logical sequence
Competent delivery
audible, at ease, confident
An art & a technique which can be learnt
Planning (the content)
Brainstorm ideas & points to be included
Filter out key points
Group points together
Plan your line of reasoning (logical flow)
Rehearse delivery, familiarity, timing
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Set realistic targets
(time to research/ time to present)
Keep detailed bibliographical record
Planning the ‘story line’
Issue/ problem
Background
Your argument
Case study / examples
Conclusion
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Planning format
Know your content
Structuring your work
Introduction
3 or 4 main points
Conclusion
Decide on support material (for you)
Large print notes/bullets
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Getting Started
1 fearless volunteer required
Creating a presentation - Driverless Cars
You have a blank canvass (i.e. page)
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Communication
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noise
(visual) distractions
language
culture
Sender Mediumverbal/ non-verbal
Receiver(s)
message
Planning: Audience
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Who is coming?
What’s their level of knowledge/ experience?
What may (not) interest them?
Seating
Visibility
Sound
Planning: Venue
Delivery - inc. non verbal
Take charge of yourself & your body language
Voice (speed – volume – intonation)
Eye contact (continuous – overall)
Stance / posture (not too informal)
Hands (movement - position)
Appearance (make some effort)
State of mind (positive)12
Example 1
What improvements could be made in Laura’s
presentation style?
Laura: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt8YFCveNpY&feature=related
How are the issues resolved in her second attempt?
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Presentations are Physical
Deep Breathing:
reduces stress, improves posture, increases
cardiovascular capacity, strengthens organs,
relieves pain, improves digestion, detoxifies the
body.
Meditation & Yoga
Relaxation techniques
Life 14
Audience Friendly Delivery
pause before you talk
look around – establish eye contact – smile
greet the audience & introduce yourself
move through in sequence
check your timing (watch on table)
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Delivery – 2
pause between significant stages
use signposting language
keep looking up
stay focused
encourage questions, at the end
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Delivery cont.
Speak slowly and clearlyYou can use:
memory (your slides will prompt you)
notes, cue cards (not reading full text)
PowerPoint®, Beamer (LaTeX), Prezi
visual aids (graphs / charts, pictures,
handouts, video clips, activities…)
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Example 2
How could Yann improve his presentation
style?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kql-pvnid0s&feature=related
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Advantages of Slide Shows
Pre-prepared sequence
keeps you on track
Embed visual aids (video clips, pictures,
graphs)
You are in control of information displayed
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Technical Support
Support desk in library
SLAS
1:1 Training Sessions
https://www.kent.ac.uk/itservices/training/studentt
raining/index.html
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0
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20
30
40
50
60
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Per
cen
tage
Weeks
Figure 1: Relative Frequencies of Factors
Factor A
Factor B
Factor C
Factor D
Factor E
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Perc
enta
ge
Weeks
Figure 1: Relative Frequencies of Factors
Factor A Factor B
Factor C
38%
29%
2%1%
10%
1%
9%
6%3%1%
Figure 1: Uranium Production 2017
Canada S.Africa Gabon France USA
Argentina Australia Namibia Niger Others
38%
29%
10%
9%
6%8%
Uranium Production 2017
Namibia
Others
Figure 1:
Canada
S. Africa
USA
Australia
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30
40
50
60
70
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Am
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pco
Fem
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Perc
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Spark
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Span
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Tra
nsco
Xylc
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$M
Quarterly Turnover – 2017
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
0 50 100 150 200
Transco
Spanco
Femco
Xylco
Depco
Amco
Sparko
Perco
Betaco
$M
Annual Turnover - 2017
Figure 1. Breakdown by Quarter
Figure 2. Annual Comparison
Etiquette – The Do’s
One key message per slide
One slide per minute (approx.)
Minimum amount of words
Use the language on the slide
Use larger fonts (24 +)
Use readable fonts (e.g. Arial, Calibri, Verdana)
Be consistent
Explain relevance of all graphics, diagrams
Figure 1 shows…
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Etiquette – The Don’ts
Overload slides
Use white background – use grey / pastel shades
Mix font styles
Use unreadable ‘backgrounds’ or colour schemes
Use graphs as decoration
Overuse animation and sounds
Read the slides
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Keep it simple: avoid distractions
Well…?
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Suggestions for Improvement
How many presentation issues can you identify
on the following slide?
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Other ‘tips’
Don’t Forget details, one is permitted to utilise
memory aids in order to support your delivery
You can ask questions
Patience
honesty ,Keep calm
When inserting a hyperlink make sure that it is live,
i.e. you can click on it www.kent.ac.uk
It is not a good idea to write long sentences. But if you absolutely have to.
Then at least get the punctuation. Right ?
When using bullet points, are you consistent?
Don’t indent for no reason at all, unless this is a sub
point.
Overcrowding of slides means people can’t read them 28
Fears
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Forgetting details/ getting stuck
Interruptions
Not getting the message across
Boring the audience
Timing
Hostile/difficult questions
Fear can be energising(attempting something new - a challenge)
Fine tuning
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Have some water by your side
Tackle some practice questions beforehand (in a quiet place with no distractions!)
Practice pronunciation
Speak slowly and clearly
Turn your phone off
Uni Kent Employ @UniKentEmploy
Handling questions
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Be prepared
Questions are an opportunity
Listen carefully
Repeat question so that everyone can hear
Answer concisely
Take questions from around the room
Remain coherent - don’t ramble on or invent
answers
Positive Thinking
Helpful, supportive friends
Anxiety? Bach’s Rescue Remedy
Ask for help
Be positive about errors reflect - get feedback - learn - improve
Opportunity to practise in a safe environment
Practice with a SLAS adviser
Anyway … what’s the worse that can happen?
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In summary:
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Have a plan – what are you trying to achieve?
Use a logical, structured approach
Keep it audience friendly (visuals/sounds)
Rehearse (timing!) slow down…
Try to stay relaxed and calm
Maintain a clear delivery
Know your material
Be prepared for questions
Breathe deeply and stay focused!
What do you think?
How could you improve this presentation?
University of Bedfordshire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATfY8dvbuFg
Don’t go there…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1If_s-8BA2M
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References
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Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Breathing https://www.epainassist.com/fitness-and-exercise/why-are-deep-
breathing-exercises-good-for-your-health (Accessed 24 October 2018).
Driverless cars http://www.alphr.com/cars/1001329/driverless-cars-of-the-
future-how-far-away-are-we-from-autonomous-cars (Accessed 24 October
2018).
Gillet, A., Hammond. A. and Martala, M. (2009) Successful Academic
Writing. London: Pearson Longman.
Murphy, R. (2012) English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.