Empowerment Technologies

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Presentation Skills

Presentation Skills

A presentation is the delivery of a topic to an audience using a combination

of speaking and visual aids. In this lesson, we will learn how to create and
deliver presentations with the aid presentation programs.

Prezi
Introduction:
http://prezi.com/cdntnn993dyb/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
&rc=ex0share
Prezi is a web-based presentation program. Because it’s web based, it can be
accessed using an Internet browser and does not need to be installed in your
computer. Prezi can be used for free although they also offer paid services.
The main difference between the two is that presentations created using free
accounts can be viewed by anyone while paying users can make their
presentations private. For this lesson, we’ll be using Prezi’s free services.
How to create a Prezi account
Signing up is easy. Follow these steps to create your own prezi account:
Step 1:
Go to prezi.com and click GET STARTED

Step 2:
In the pricing page, click CONTINUE FREE to avail of Prezi’s free services.

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Step 3
Enter your first name, last name, email address and preferred password then
click Create your free Public account.
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Step 4
At this point you have successfully created your Prezi account. Click Get
started to view a short tutorial.

Creating your first prezi

Video Tutorial: https://youtu.be/WGckQjH_tMM
Now that you have an account, it is now time to log in and start creating your
first prezi. Follow these instructions and watch the video to get started:
Step 1. Go to prezi.com and log in using your email and password

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Step 2. In your dashboard, click Create a new prezi.

Step 3
There are 2 ways to do this next step. First, you can search for a template by
typing a keyword in the search bar. Once you’ve found one that you like, click
it then click Use template.
You can also choose to start from scratch by clicking Start blank prezi.
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Step 4
Whether you choose to use a template or start from scratch, you will be
directed to the prezi editor. Here you can add your contents and customize
your prezi. Follow the instructions on this video to get an idea:
https://youtu.be/WGckQjH_tMM

The Prezi Editor

Video tutorial:
https://youtu.be/_kwA4TU-x4Q
Tutorial article:
https://prezi.com/support/article/steps/getting-to-know-the-prezi-editor/
Top menu
The Prezi editor’s top menu contains many essential controls and
information.
The left side contains the title of your prezi, the undo (left arrow) and redo
(right arrow) buttons, the save button and the time when your prezi was last
saved

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On the right side, you will find the insert menu where you can add content
and the customize button.

From the right side, you can play your presentation, share your presentation,
change the screen ratio, and exit the Prezi editor.

Transformation tool
Use the transformation tool to manipulate and customize the objects in your
canvas. With it you can change the frame type, change the color, resize,
rotate, etc.
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Text box
Click anywhere in the screen to add a text box. Use it to add and customize
texts

Zoom buttons
Hover your cursor on the middle-right part of the screen to see the zoom
buttons. Click the + icon to zoom in, the – icon to zoom out, and the home
icon to display the whole canvas.

Left Sidebar
The rectangular box on the left side of the screen is the left sidebar. Use it to
add a new frame and edit your path. The path is the order in which your
frames are displayed.

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 Navigating your Canvas
Video tutorial: https://youtu.be/rdILh2hOnzc
Panning
To move around the canvas, click and hold anywhere in the screen using
your left mouse button then drag to any direction.
Zooming
There are several ways to zoom in and out of your canvas.
 Click Zoom to frame in the transformation tool
 Use the zoom buttons on the right side of the page
 Scroll using your mouse wheel
To learn more about Prezi, visit their knowledge base at:
prezi.com/support/article
There you will find many tutorials with articles and videos.

Creating an Effective Presentation

Not that you’ve learned the basic and some advanced skills in using
presentation tools, it is now time to focus on how you present your topic. The
following are some of the most common mistakes that presenters make.
After each one is a guideline that you can follow to to avoid making the same
mistakes.

(Source: RBS Empowerment Technologies)

Minimize
The mistake:
It is quite common for inexperienced presenters to use too many slides or
frames. Doing this will make the report unnecessarily long. The audience
may eventually lose focus and get bored.
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The solution:
Use as few slides as possible. Include only the most important details in the
slides and deliver the supporting details by speaking. This way, the audience
will have an easier time absorbing the topic.
Clarity
The mistake:
Presentations are almost always designed in computers with small screens
then presented in a bigger monitor or projector. Because of this, the scale of
the texts can be misjudged. The text can be too small when viewed from a
distance.
The solution:
Consider how your audience will view your presentation. If you will be
speaking to a large audience, use bigger fonts so your report can still be read
from the back of the room.
Simplicity
The mistake
Another common mistake that beginners make is to write the whole report
in the slideshow and just read it to the audience. This defeats the purpose of
using visual aids in your presentation. If what the slideshow and the speaker
say are the same, then the audience can just listen and not read the slides or
read the slides and not listen.
The solution
First of all, do not use your slideshow as a script. The slideshow should only
contain a summary of the report and not the report itself. Use bullets,
numbered lists and short lines instead of paragraphs and long sentences.
Visuals
The mistake
It’s easy to get over-excited with graphics, colors and fonts. Using too much
animation, bright colors and fancy lettering can distract the audience from
the topic.
The solution
Use simple design elements. It is ok to animate your slides and customize
your texts as long as they are easy to read and not distracting.

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Consistency
This is a mistake that is usually made by those who are just starting to learn
the features of a presentation program. The slides may end up looking
different from each other, with different fonts, different colors and an
assortment of non-uniform graphics.
The solution
Plan your design right from the beginning and stick to it throughout your
presentation. Most presentation programs allow you to set the default look of
every slide. Use this feature to keep your design uniform.
Contrast
The mistake
Some colors simply do not match. A mismatched background and font color
can render the text unreadable.
The solution
Make sure that your text has a good contrast with your background. Use a
dark background with light text and vice versa.
It is also important to remember that your slideshow or prezi is only one
part of your presentation. It is a useful part of your presentation but it is not
the most important part. Your main goal is to make the audience understand
your topic and ideas. Coming up with a cool prezi or slideshow does not
ensure that your presentation will be successful.
Here’s a short video about how to give a powerful presentation. Notice that
the speaker didn’t even use a presentation tool. He just used a white board
and a marker as visual aids.
https://youtu.be/i68a6M5FFBc