Abdelmalek Essaadi University

ENSA College – Al Hoceima

English

Stream: GC1/S1 2021/2022

Prof. E. BOUAZZA
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Giving a Presentation: Types, Structure and Guidelines

Introduction
Everyone has to give presentations at some point. Whether presenting at a work
meeting, or giving a talk at a conference, the ability to give an effective, engaging, and
persuasive presentation is very beneficial for your professional and life career.
A presentation is a form of oral communication that can be used in various speaking
situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. Most
presentations have a common objective: they are given in order to inform, instruct (train) or
persuade.
Types of presentations
Informative presentations
An informative presentation is factual, concise and to the point. Informative presentations are
typically used:
➢ to inform the audience (listeners) about a specific event or project,
➢ to provide company updates,
➢ to present to your team or line manager the progress of a project.
Informative presentations have a clear and accurate direction. They may not require
slideshows, but they can be used if a lot of information need to be relayed.
Instructional presentations
They are typically used:
➢ to instruct the audience on a specific topic.
➢ to give the audience specific directions or orders,
➢ to teach the audience new skills.
Persuasive presentations
They are typically used:
➢ to convince your audience to understand or believe your stand point on a topic,
➢ to convince the audience to take certain actions,
➢ to persuade the audience, investors or business partners to sell services and
products.
Persuasive presentations are often used in politics. The politician wants to convince the
listener to vote for them. In business, a sales presentation is about persuading the client to
choose your product or service.
Decision-making presentations
They are typically used:
➢ when the company needs to settle on specific policies,
➢ to make choices about the company’s organizational structure.
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Decision-making presentations are interactive because the presenter introduces an idea or set
of ideas that the entire group in attendance will need to work on. This type of presentations
can be found in business meetings, government meetings, or all-hands meetings.
Preparing for a presentation
Preparation
"If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail".
Planning:
➢ Plan your presentation carefully.
➢ Careful preparation will make you more confident and help you to overcome pitfalls
➢ This will give you control of your presentation and your audience will positively
listen to you.
Think about the objective:
➢ Think about what you want to achieve,
➢ Are you aiming to inform, persuade, or instruct your audience?
Think about the Audience:
➢ Whom exactly will you be addressing?
➢ What do they need to know? What do they already know?
➢ What will they expect in terms of content and approach?
Prepare your content:
➢ Brainstorm your ideas first then, craft the entire text and create any slides and other
supporting visual/audio materials.
➢ Decide which are most relevant and appropriate to your audience and to your
objectives.
➢ Be selective! Don’t try to cram too much into your presentation.
Rehearsal
Rehearsal is a vital part of preparation. It refers to the session of exercise or practice, usually
private, in preparation for a public performance.
➢ Plan to rehearse your presentation out loud several times,
➢ This will give you a chance to identify any weak points or gaps.
➢ If you have to give a presentation in a short period of time, then more practice will
help you deliver it with ease and confidence within the
time allotted for the presentation.

The structure of the presentation

The introduction
The introduction is a very important part of your presentation. This is the first
impression that your audience has of you. Try to grab your audience’s attention when
introducing your topic.
The introduction is used to:
➢ welcome the audience.
➢ introduce yourself.
➢ introduce your subject.
➢ outline the structure of your presentation.
➢ mention the visual aids that you will use
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 ➢ give instructions about questions.

The body
The body is the ‘real’ presentation. If the introduction is well prepared and delivered, you will
now be relaxed and confident.
➢ All the information should support the aim of your presentation.
➢ Do not forget to illustrate through examples.
➢ You will have to limit the content, as time is precious!
➢ Guide the audience by using expressions to tell them where you are going.
➢ Indicate when you have finished one point and then go on to the next one.

The conclusion
Some strategies for an effective conclusion:
➢ Summarize the main points.
➢ Ask a provocative question or make a surprising statement to leave an impression on
the audience.
➢ Give recommendations if appropriate.
➢ Thank the audience,
➢ Invite questions.

Presentation guidelines
Some key points to remember while delivering a presentation:
Do not hurry
➢ One of the most frequent mistakes that people do to sabotage their own presentation
is talking too quickly.
➢ Some presenters get nervous and whip through their presentation leaving the
audience bewildered.
➢ Don’t speak too fast neither too slow to make the audience interested in the subject
matter.
Maintain eye contact
➢ Don't stare at one particular person.
➢ Look around your audience as you speak.
➢ Eye contact maintains a good rapport.
Voice quality
➢ You must be clearly audible at all times,
➢ If you vary your intonation, your voice will be more interesting to listen.
Body language
➢ Stand rather than sit when you are delivering your presentation.
➢ Be aware of any repetitive hand gestures or awkward mannerisms that can irritate
your audience.
➢ Your body language is crucial to getting your message across.
➢ Move naturally around the stage.
How to deal with questions
➢ Be ready to deal with any hostile question.

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 ➢ Try to predict what questions will be asked so that you can prepare your response in
advance.
➢ Be polite with all questioners. Diplomatic answers are a good disarming tactics.
➢ If you find yourself bombarded with questions, suggest that the audience keeps any
further questions until the end of the presentation.
Conclusion
Certainly, presentations are primarily designed to inform, instruct or persuade rather
than to entertain or inspire. Successful presentations at work are a key part of the business
communication skills.
Giving an effective presentation requires a lot of efforts to make. As a presenter, you
have to consider the type of presentation you will be giving, what type of speaking skills you
need, what presentation style you have, what aids, if any, you will be using and more
importantly, what kind of audience you will be addressing.
Following the suggestions for planning, preparation, and presentation guidelines
already outlined will put you on your way to creating and delivering an effective presentation.