E

Cla s s ro o m

MAKING S U C C E S S F UL ORAL PRESENTATIONS

A Guide
1. NIRDOSH
Lakehead University Th under Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E l
ood communicatio n skills are critical for succ .essful professional performance in the areas of plant operations, project planning, resea rch, design , managem ent , and sales- the jobs most frequ entl y held by today' s engin eers. An enginee r must communicate with his subordinates to get thin gs done, with his superiors to get projects and bud gets approve d, and with the public to maint ain his company' s goo d image. Indu stry' s constant lament is that the uni versities are not developin g adequate co mmunication skill s in their stude nts. Sk illed co mmunication is an art to be learn ed and developed thro ugh hard wor k and pract ice. An orator may be born, but a good communicator is made. Many universities now include courses on making oral techni cal presentations,I 1-3 ] and eve n some industries, realizing the importance of co mmunication in getting thin gs do ne profitabl y, have started relevant tra inin g cour ses for their employee s in interp ersonal commu nication skills and social styles.131 Engineering students at Lakehead Uni versity take at least one course in technical writing. Eve n tho ugh there is currentl y no requ ired co urse de voted to o ra l co mm unica tio n in the c urric ulum, in structors in th e C he mica l Eng ineering Department introd uce students to the art o f succes sful speak ing in their co urs es. Th e purpose of req uirin g oral presentations is to give each stud ent in the clas s the opp ortunit y to do original research in a specified area and to collect ively ex change kno wledge
Inde r Nirdosh received his BSc and MSc in chemical engineering from Panjab University (India) and his PhD from Birmingham University (United Kingdom). He j oined Lakehead University in 1981 , and his research interests are in the fields of mineral processing and electrochemical engineering.

throu gh inform al discussions. Thi s exerc ise help s the student s develop their pow ers of communication and pers uasion. It not only prepares them for making ef fective presentation s for their final-year undergradu ate degree resea rch projects (a course require me nt ), but it a lso helps th em acquire co nfide nce fo r th eir eventua l ent ry into the main stream work for ce. The foll owing steps are used to achieve the abo ve obj ecti ves:
~ Guida nce is pro vided fo r making oral pre senta tions through the use of a Handout (see next pa ge). The students ar e as ked to pr esent individual and/ or group sem inars all a lab they ha ve done. Sometimes a list o] top ics relevant to the course is pr epar ed and the stu de nts are asked to choose the topic of thei r liking (e.g.. they are encouraged to select all a rea ill which they have some p ractical experience thro ugh a summe r j ob ). Guidance is given Oil how to obtain information/data fro m literature, how to screen the da ta fo r selecting the most appropriate info rmati on, and how to present the semina r.

~ Extra tim e is spent with students who ar e ext raordinarily shy orfearfu l of the thought of having to f ace WI audience to make a f ormal p resentati on (the re ar e occasionally some student s who belong ill thi s ca tego ry}, This usually takes abo ut three to fo ur pra ctice runs bef ore the stude nt becomes CO Ill [o rt able ill makin g a p re sentati on-s-the student is asked to fi rst pr esent the semina r to an other person (a fri end or inst ructor) 011 a one- to-o ne basis and more than once if necessary. and then to group partneris], f ollow ed by the fi lial pre sentation ill front of the entire clas s. ~ Aft er eac h presentation, detai led written feedback is given to the stude nts Oil the strengths and weaknesses of each presentation. This ass ists them ill ma intaining the strengths and working on the weaknesses fo r imp rovi ng their ove rall semiliar p resentation skills.

The follow ing is the hand out given to the stude nts. It is discussed in det ail in cla ss and pract ica l demon strati ons are made to indi cate the effectiveness of different relati ve font sizes, bo ld letters, icons, bord ers, person al shadows on the scree n depending on the sta nding position, etc.
Chemical Engineering Education

Copyright ChE Division o{ AS EE 1997

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Skilled com m unic ati on is an art to b e learned and de vel op ed through hard work an d practi ce. A n orator m ay b e born, but a g ood com m unicator is made. . . . Even though th er e is curren tly no required course devoted to oral com m unica tion in th e Fac ulty , instr uc tors in th e Chemical Engineering Departm ent in tro d uce stu den ts to th e art of successful sp eak ing in th eir cours es.

--------------------------------lIANDOUT
W ritte n and oral co mm unication skills are important if on e is to succeed as a practicing engi neer. Thi s handout will ass ist yo u in deli verin g a goo d se minar. Please note the following:
[J Review the handout ca refully in the ligh t of the de mo nstra tions made in class to observe se lection of

proper borders, relativ e fonts, use of pointer , sta nding positi on , etc.
[J Discu ss the dr aft -slid es with me at least two wee ks before the sem inar [J If so desired, practice the talk ov er and ove r by yo urse lf. out loud, and then present it to another person (a

fr iend or instruc tor) . Th is step is stro ng ly suggested.

[J After the se minar, you will be give n det ailed writte n co m me nts highlig hting the streng ths as we ll as the

weaknesses of yo ur present ation accordi ng to the checklist give n at the end of thi s hand out.

Research
Acq uire suitable tec hnical information fro m book s, manu als and j ourn als. Mak e a note of appropr iate referen ce(s) for a subsequent citatio n. Exe rc ise j udge me nt in choosi ng the most re leva nt da ta from the information co llec ted . Review thi s data w ith your gro up me mbe rs (if appl icabl e) and with the instructo r. Prepare informati ve slides . Ensure that your tal k will answe r the th ree main q uesti on s: (I) W hat was done') (2 ) Ho w was it do ne '? (3) What was the significance of the study'?

Use different colors to disti ng uish different item s o n the sa me overhead. but do not over-color any slide . Do not put too much information o n anyo ne slide , and avoid overcrowding . Five to eig ht lines per slide should be co nsidered as maximu m. (If the a udience ca nnot eas ily read it. it is not wor th presenti ng!) Never pho tocop y full pages from book s o r j ournals. T he prin t is too sma ll to be eas ily read . Use a larger fon t or big lettering- the writing should be legib le from the back of the roo m. Print in bold letters. Th e titles and subtitles sho uld be in fonts lar ger than those used for the text. Arrange va rio us items (e.g.. in a tlowsheet) on the o verhea d/ slide in the same ma nner as yo u wo uld like an interior designer to arra nge yo ur living room . Your audie nce should enjoy yo ur display. Use appropriate and relev ant icons (e.g ., a $ sign when dis cuss ing the eco no mic ana lysis). Th ese make the slide and the pres ent atio n lively and interesting . Icon s sho uld be used sparingl y, ho wever. and o nly if they do not cl utier the slide(s) .

Preparing Visual A ids (Overheads or Slides)

Pre pare the ove rheads/s lides in an interest ing mann er. Preferab ly, box each slide with a ppropriate border s. T he first slide sho uld contain the tit le of the tal k and the na me(s) of the speaker(s). The sec ond slide sho uld give an ol'en'iew of the talk. Thi s slide will give the introduction to the topi c and prepare the audience as to what to ex pect in the se minar. Th e seco nd-to-las t slide sho uld descr ibe ex plic it concl usions. The last slide sho uld give an overa ll S lII lI /II GI)' of what was prese nted . (So metimes, th e last slide may be dedic ated to Ackno wledgments .)
lVill l er / 997

Mental Preparaion
See yo urse lf as a "Sp ecial ist" or an " Expert " in the area of yo ur tal k. Plan you r presen tation ca refully . Gi ve ex tra thoug ht to your ope ning and clos ing remarks. Compose an o utline and wo rk within its do ma in.

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 Plan o n invol vin g the aud ience. A lwa ys rem ember that your purpose is to share inform ation . to inform or to per suade. and not to impress or ov erwhe lm yo ur audience. Be co nfide nt. Confidence is an auto matic by-product of hard work . Do yo ur best. Rehearse yo ur talk in yo ur mind . Practice the tal k o ver and ove r. o ut lo ud. by yo urse lf. Wh en con fident . make a mo ck presentat ion to friend s. A lways aim to fini sh the talk 011 time. A lwa ys rem em ber that yo u ma y ha ve an excelle nt idea. but unl ess it is co mmun icat ed effectively. its wort h will rem ain unexplo red .

enjoy it as much as yo u do. Ex plain each di sp lay w ith patien ce . Take yo ur time and do not change the slides too qui ckly. As a ru le of thumb. keep thc di splay on for at lea st 50-75 seconds . While exp laining a graph. first ex plain the x- and y-axe s full y (variables . dim en sion s. rang e of variation. etc.). followed by the legend, if an y, and the n the plous ), If yo u have fini shed d iscu ssing a slide and do no t wis h to display the next slide right away. sw itc h off the projecto r to bring the focus of the audie nce who lly o n yo u.

Presentin g the Talk

Dress up for the ro le of an " Invited Keynote S pea ker" (always dress up for the ro le you have to play). Gr acefully wa lk to the podium and take a dee p breath. Feel the crowd so that yo u ca n wor k with the ener gy of the audi en ce . Make eye co ntac t w ith all and gree t them with a smile. Ex press tha nks to the person who introdu ced yo u and invited yo u to speak. Stand tall and stra ight and int rodu ce yo urse lf (and yo ur gro up members if it was not alr ead y don e). Have yo ur opening rem ark s co mmitted to mem or y and begi n yo ur talk o n a positi ve note such as. "Good Morning (afternoon/e vening) ladies and gentlemen. I wo uld like to thank yo u for com ing out today (this eve ning/ tonight) to listen to my (our) presen tation .. ," A lway s reme mbe r to sm ile (smiling is co ntag io us). Refrain fro m loo king too se rious o r panic-stricken . A cheerful spea ker is liked by all. (PIca se note that a ce rtain degr ee of ner vou sness is inevitabl e, and always re member that yo ur a udience is made up of rea l peop le w ith sensitivity, emo tions, and fee lings.) Presen t the talk in yo ur ow n ind ivid ual and inno vative ma nner. Keep the presentation techni cally sound and re main enthusiastic about the top ic. Maint ain goo d hum or. Do not, ho we ver. dilute the g rav ity of the tal k by too much hum o r. T he audience should not get the impression that you arc fri vo lous. Use you r j udge me nt. Ma intain good ey e co ntact with the audience . Refrain fro m look ing o nly at one individu al or gro up of indiv id ua ls in the audience , or at the walls , the ce iling , o r the floor. Look right into the ey es of the audience . Check , and adj ust if needed, ever y displ ay on the screen. Ma ke sure that the di spl ay is properl y centered o n the sc ree n. not carelessly placed at an ang le or partia lly abo ve or belo w the scree n, and th at it is in pe rfec t focus. Be cautious of yo ur standing positio n in relation to the screen and the audience. Stand near the scre en, o n o ne side. T his prevent s ob str ucti ng the view of so me audience mem ber s. Gi ve a g uided tour of eac h slide. using a pointer (rather than hand s and finge rs). so th at the audie nce can under stand and

Knoll' the material yo u arc presenting. Avoid co ntinuo us read ing from notes and cue ca rds . Rem emb er that yo u are prese nting a seminar and are not partici pating in a paper-readi ng co ntes t. Reading breaks the co nt inuity of the talk. decreases eye co ntact with the aud ience . and g ives thc a ppearance of bei ng unp re pared. Use yo ur slides as yo ur refere nce tex t. You may. how ever. make up a keyw ord o ut line o n o ne sheet o f pap er to serve as a road map of you r tal k. Remember the three go lde n rules: pract ice. prac tice . pract ice !
State the co ncl usio ns exp lici tly. and su mmarize the talk . Th an k all those who hel ped yo u in yo ur resear ch and prep ara tion . C lea rly ident ify and ack nowled ge data obtained fro m any o thc r gro up and thank ot her member s or g roups for sharing thei r data for your presentati on . Remain stan ding while answering any q ues tions afte r the se minar. Answering q uestio ns while sitting is rude . Whcn answer ing a quest io n. yo u sho uld repea t the q uestion s. if necessar y, so tha t every o ne in the aud ience hear s it. Yo ur manner should sho w that qu estio ns are welco med . Ext end a prop er invit ation to the next spea ker fro m yo ur gro up. whe n necd ed . Introd uc ing a spe ake r nic ely is a very respo nsible jo b because it affec ts the way the aud ience perceives and recei ves the spea ker. Know the spea ke r. his/her school. yea r of g rad uation. ex pertise. hobbi es. ac hieve me nts, and the title o f his/h er tal k.

Do Not .. .
Leave the proje cto r o n without any slide bein g dis playe d. Sta nd between the audie nce and the sc ree n (b loc king the view of the audience ) o r bet ween the projector and the sc ree n (throwing a shado w o n the sc recn). Sp eak in a low vo ice or d rown the vo ice tow ard the end of a
sentence.

Co ntinue to read from notes. espec iall y while describing the apparatus or the experime ntal proced ure . Look at o nly the a udience or o nly the sc ree n-a lterna te atte ntion between the two . Remove the di spla y too quick ly. Ment ion key numeri cal va lues of results/d ata on ly o rally w ithout displayin g them o n the scree n (depriving the audi ence of the audiov isual effect). Pre pare so me (or all) slides in a hurry. or in freehand .
Chemical Engineering Education

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 Refrain from smi ling A nswer q ues tions while sitti ng . Forget to o rga nize the slides before the sem inar and fumb le th rough them to find the o ne you need . Whi sper to the cha ir, to a gro up-part ner. or to anyo ne on the podium, or pack yo ur pa pers and slides when so meo ne is ask ing a questio n. T his not only sho ws disre spec t to the audience but also poses the risk of yo ur not under standing the question fully.

Invit e and formall y introduce the next speaker Or igina lity of sty le Voice clarity Use appropriat e colors S mile Use hum or T urn off projector whe n not in use Use the pointer appropri atel y Stand thro ugho ut the prese nta tion and question period Display dat a and numerical values of resu lts O rga nize slide s Do not whi sper: pay full attention to quest ion s T ha nk all who helped A void any specific con spicuo us ges tures/habits. such as tappin g the table. grinding the feet o n the tloor. playin g with obje cts such as a pe n. a keyri ng , or a poin ter, freq uent ner vou s co ughing , standing still with han ds clasped behind, etc.

Checklist for Giving Feedback to the Students

Personal app earance and approach to the podium G ree t the audience and thank the int rodu cer See to qu alit y of ove rhea ds/s lides Be sure of technical co nte nt C hec k the screen display Readin g fro m no tes Main tain eye contact with the aud ien ce

------------------------------DISCUSSION
Th e stude nts work hard and take interest in prep arin g for and making a good present ation . Th e alumni invariabl y ex press app reci ation for having und ertaken thi s exercise at schoo l, as is ev ident from the foll owin g excerpt from a lett er written by a former student: no hard- and-fast rul es for how the tra ining sho uld be given, however. It depend s on fac tors such as class size and the nature of the students. In the a uthor 's ex perience , eve n the shyest stude nt starts fee ling co mfortable in mak ing an acce pta ble present ati on by the second se minar he or she delivers. Altho ugh providin g a one-to-one a udience is not alwa ys possibl e unless the class size is fairl y sma ll (as is the case at Lak ehead Unive rsity), the author has found that it goes a lon g way in brin ging the stude nts to their best potential. Simil arl y, writte n feedbac k on the stude nts' presentation is quit e helpful to them , bu t thi s is also possibl e only with sma ll-size classes. For larger classes, stude nts may be enco uraged to pract ice the talk on their ow n, or wi th a friend , and sho uld be adv ised to keep the chec klist in mind in lieu of wri tte n feed bac k by the instru ctor.

". .. since I ha ve been workin g, there is only one person who can deliver a pr esentation properly . .. . . I am almost tempted to give my notes (to othe rs) so that I can f ollow what they 're tryin g to do. . . "
The feedback from stude nts has also been enco urag ing. Th e following are exa mples of typi cal co mme nts mad e by them :

"Th e comments on 011 1' presentat ions are vel)' helpful. There were things I didn 't realize I did , such as hit the ove rhead scree n, leav ing it shaking. The statement of 0111' good points fo r the pr esentations were a must and are milch app reciated . . . " ". . . oral pr esentation of the 1V0rk is a pe rfect learn ing oppo rtunity . . . it also pro vides an oppo rtunity to learn the weaknesses and streng ths one has . . . "
It should be emp ha sized that a proper "Intro duction" and effective "Conclusions" are the two mo st imp ortant sections in a presenta tion . The rea ders are encouraged to refer to Osborne and Os bo rne!"! and Pea bod y' P' for hel pfu l di rection s on preparing these two sections .

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Th an ks are du e to the man y stude nts who participated in oral presentation s ove r the years and who have helped evolve the hand out.

REFERENCES
1.

2.

3.

CONCLUSIONS
Th e author feels that train ing in or al present ati on s in eng ineering courses should be part of the curric ulum. Th ere are
WillieI' / 997

4. 5.

Brew st er, B.S., and W.C. Hecker , "A Course on Making Oral Tech nical Presen tations," Client. E ng . Ed., 22,48 (1988 ) H an zevack . E .L., an d R.A. McKean , "Teac h ing Effective Oral Pr esentations as Pa rt of t he Senior Desi gn Course," Chem . E ng. Ed., 24, 28 (1990) McConica , C., "A Course in Com mu nicat ion Skills for the Corporate Environment of th e 1990s ," Chem. Eng. Ed., 29, 158 (1995 ) Osbo rne , M., and S. Osborne, Pu blic Sp eak ing, Houghton Miffiin , Bos ton, MA (199 1) Peabody, G.E. , How to Speak Effecti vely, 2n d ed., J oh n Wiley, London , UK (1950) 0

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