 The main
reasons for a presentation are to inform, to persuade or for a call to the
action. It's not to distract. Use additional objects such as a chart, a drawing,
an animation to improve the understanding of the message.
The first
question to ask after having agreed to give a presentation is to know how much
time is assigned to you. This will largely affect the kind of presentation
that you will be able to give and how you prepare for it.
Begin
with the end. Give your conclusion and take the rest of the time to explain
it. Don't forget a reminder at the end of the presentation.
The text
of slides consists of keywords. It's up to you to explain them and to give them
meaning.
Read the
tricks offered to the opening of the PowerPoint program. They can help improve
your presentation and avoid some traps.
Do not
overload a slide. The audience should be capable of finding quickly the main
point of the slide. Be clear and precise. What's important is your presentation
and not the special effects that you could add to your slides.
If need
be, give a reminder document of the presentation. Do it at the end. Otherwise,
everybody will have read your presentation even before you start.
Be consistant
! Use the same formatting, the same type of characters in the same
size throughout your presentation. This facilitates the reading of your text
for the audiance.
It's possible
to look for and to replace a word.
Ex: The advantages for the company X of your morning presentation can quickly
become those of the company Y for that for the afternoon. Use the replace option
in the Edit menu.
The kind
of equipment, premises and preparation for the presentation varies according
to the size of the group to that you go to present. There are three categories:
from 1 to 3 persons, from 4 to 25 persons and 25 and more.
The presentation
Do not put
more than 6 points per slide for dot lists.
Before
presenting, use the spelling option under the menu Tools. You could avoid some
embarrasing errors.
The main
title of the slide should be on a single row. limit yourselves to a maximum
of 5 in 7 words for the title.
The subtitle
is a summary of the slide and can several times take more than a row.
To end
the presentation gently, add a black slide at the end of the presentation. So,
when the slide show ends, you'll not return to slide mode.
At the
beginning of the presentation, inform the public if you prefer to be interrupted
for questions during the presentation or that you prefer to receive questions
at the end of it.
At the
beginning of the presentation, inform the public if you prefer that it asks
questions during the presentation or later in a question period or Q&A.
For a big group, it's better have a more formal tone. The Q&A phase is preferable
for small groups. But I followed an excellent presentation with 400 people that
had a Q&A period at the end.
Be honest.
If you don't have the answer to a question, say it at once. If the person wants
this data, you can contact them later with the answer.
Give the
time to the public to take notes.
Vary the
tone of the voice on the important points of your presentation or according
to the presented material. Don't put too much of it!
Technical aspect of the presentation
As soon as
you know that you'll have a presentation to give, to visit the place of the presentation.
Inquire on the availability of the premises and the available material. Maybe
they have resources that you would not have imagined such as of the special material
for the presentations. Ex: video, huge screens, projectors for computers etc.
Is there a technical respresentitive on the spot to help during the installation
of the equipment? Is the premise comfortable for the presentation? Is everybody
capable of reading comfortably the text of your presentation? Even from behind
of the room or hall ?
Before
the big day of the presentation, take the time to reserve the premises with
all the necessary equipment to practise your presentation. It's the moment to
verify some points. The persons in the heart of the premises can read the text
projected on the huge screen? Is the font used make the text difficult to read
? Will the people be capable of hearing you at the end of the room?
Make the
settling of the slide show on the computer that will be used for the
presentation. This precaution allows to discover some possible technical problems.
Make sure
that the font is big enough to be legible even from behind of the room used
for the presentation. Is you can't reserve the room before presentation day,
try this. Print your presentation. The text should be legible when you hold
the page at arms length.
Even with
all these preparations, make sure to have a contingency plan. If the computer
or the projector is defective, you can also have transparent slides in box
of major difficulty. At best, you can rent a computer for the period, install
your presentation software, install your presentation and still be ready in
time for the public.
Make a
security copy of your presentation: on floppy disk, on LS-120 disk, Zip drive
or flash memory. Some presenters even placed a copy of their presentations on
Web or copy of their document on the Internet. So that, the presentation is
also available from any computer connected to the internet.
Bring
a power bar to protection against power surges and static electricity. This
is really not the time to lose your computer. An extension cord also!
Remove
the screen saver before giving the presentation. It's not the time to pop in
during the presentation.
Colours
Try to have
the best possible contrast between your text and the back of your presentation.
For 35mm
slides, it's better to have a back plan sinks.
To have
the best possible effect, use 2 or three colors for the slide.
Do not
use the red or green colors to put of the accent on a word or on an object.
Between 10 % and 15 % of the population have difficulty differentiating these
colors.
Fonts
Use a single
font: Helvetica, Times...
Use the
size of the font and the effect such as to put in bold or in italic to add of
the bombast. Use a font without sérif for a better legibility.
Ex: With sérif T without sérif T
Don't
write a text in capital letter. Use capital letters only for the first letter
of a sentence.
You can
put a little spine by changing the font for a special effect. Don't reuse this
font at any other time; only one or two times during your presentation.
The white
and yellow color are the best for the text.
Charts
Put of the
accent on the part of the chart that should interest the public by using a more
brilliant color, a pattern that pricks the interest or by easing the other data.
[ Chart in example of the point]
You can
carry out a rotation of the chart on the three dimensions to give the best effect
to the chart.
Add a back
plan to the chart instead of with a white bottom.
Add an
picture to the chart that helps better to interpret the result of the chart.
Ex: An arrow pointing upward to demonstrate an increase of the profits.
Problems to be avoided
Use the K.I.S.S.
rule (Keep It Simple Stupid). Use simple terms targeted for the public.
Avoid putting
too many objects on a slide. Add an object, or a text, if it helps the undestanding
of the main point. The main objective of any presentation is that the message
is clear and be well understood by the audience.
Now that the presentation is ready, are you?
Set time
aside for practice. Once that's done, ask a charitable soul to listn you. Then,
ask for a constructive criticism on your presentation. Ask that are the key points
as well as the weak points. Who was badly understood? What needs polishing or
revision?
If you
can organize it, save your presentation on video. You can revise your presentation
yourself:
Do you
often reuse the same words?
Are your
explanations understandable?
Is your
voice clear?
Is your
body in a steep or abnormal position?
Don't
learn by heart your presentation. It becomes quickly evident to the public that
you're reciting a text. The assembled persons will lose interest and fall fast
asleep. Base yourselves on subjects and points to be covered.
Nohing
in your hands. Nohing in your pockets. And especially not your hands in your
pockets!
Be interested
in the subject, it's contagious! Especially if the subject is well explained
in terms that the audience understands.
Prepare
a small sheet of paper with points to cover. Thre should not be between 10 and
15 words to cover your presentation completely.
You should
again get ready. Master all the material that you have to cover. Even if your
presentation should be that a fly-by on a subject. You can go further if there's
an inquiry on a particular point, or to bring some clarifications on a point.
This implies also a gather more data than to just cover the bases on the subject.
You should become an expert of it.
Bibliography
Stand and deliver in style! Tom Yager, Windows Magazine, Flight(theft).
5, no 1, in January, 1994, p. 180
Creating dramatic graphics for your next office presentation ., Ralph
Blodgett, Windows Magazine, Flight(theft). 3, no 8, in September, 1992, p. 154
Show and tell, Dona Z. Meilach, Windows Magazine, Flight(theft). 7,
no 3, in March, 1996, p. 214
How to speak in public, Dale Carnagie, The publishing(editions) Québécor,
1994 , 203 pages
Anatomy of has great presentation, Patricia Calderon, Windows Magazine,
in June, 1998, p. 200
50 ways to make your company's tale memorable, the éditeurs, Mobile
computing & communications, septembre 1998, p. 74
www.3m.com/meetings
www.presentersuniversity.com
www.presentingsolutions.com
|
This site is hosted by 1&1.com
