ABI PP FOR CC

Making Effective Oral Presentations: 

Making Effective Oral Presentations Student Learning Advisory Service Gillingham Building

Making Oral Presentations: 

Making Oral Presentations Suggested definition: Communication skills include a mix of verbal, interpersonal and physical strategies needed to interact confidently and effectively with a range of audiences. A skilful communicator draws on a number of different means (e.g., graphical, visual, statistical, audio-visual and technological) to get their point across based on Oral Communication Toolkit www.griffith.edu.au/centre/gihe/griffith_graduate/toolkit

Effective Oral Communications: 

Effective Oral Communications Effective oral communication skills help students to: improve their academic performance increase employment options extend professional competences improve personal presentations

Effective Presentations: 

Effective Presentations Effective oral presentations have: Good content – well-researched and ideas and/or other material Clear structure – a form that holds the audience’s attention and carries the audience through the content Technical competence –Presenter speaks audibly, feels at ease in the physical space, can use the IT equipment

Effective Presentations: 

Effective Presentations But research suggests audience attitude is probably formed on the basis of something like: 7% content 38% tone and inflection of voice 56% body language

Shannon-Weaver Theory: 

Shannon-Weaver Theory Sender Medium Receiver BUT this is too simplistic – in fact: interference Feedback - dialogue Effective communication is said to be transmission from ‘Sender’ to ‘Receiver’ via a channel or medium

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Good oral presentations are thus as much an art as a technique Allow for the human dimension

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Prepare Leave plenty of time for researching topic Take time to draft then re-draft Develop AV material to support rather than summarise presentation Narrow the focus so the given topic is manageable within the available timeframe

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Identify the audience Find out who is likely to be there Assess their level of knowledge or experience in the given topic Consider what you need to achieve to address the interests of this particular group

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Structure the presentation so it Flows logically Begins with an introduction, moves smoothly through the main body, and reaches a clear conclusion Hangs together, with easy transitions between ideas and sections Stays within the time limit

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Practise In private Assess your own performance Watch the pace of the presentation Revise the flow of the material (do the links work effectively? Is all the material needed?) BUT avoid over-anxiety over ‘perfection’

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Maintain Audience interest by Keeping good eye contact Using direct language Repeating main points Using verbal and/or visual ‘signposts’ Varying tone and pace – using the voice Being aware of body language – positive and/or negative gestures, etc.

Principles for Oral Presentations: 

Principles for Oral Presentations Take charge Of yourself – be aware of nervousness and use this energy to good effect (‘keep the edge’ to avoid complacency) Remember MOST people feel nervous in front of an audience Take control of the presentation – make sure the equipment works, and you know how to use it; be aware of physical needs of group