The University of Manchester Library

My Learning Essentials

Presentation skills

@mlemanchest
er
Session outline

Preparation
Writing
Delivery

Tips
 Got to www.menti.com and use the code
XX-XX-XX

What makes a good

presentation?
Preparation
Understand your task

What are you being asked to do?

What are the marking criteria?
How long is it supposed to be?
What have you been asked to do?

A 15 minute group
presentation of your
preliminary assessment of the
investment potential in
companies operating in the
cosmetics industry and the
research questions that you
intent to examine in the group
report.
Preparation
Preparation – understand your task

Your subject area

What you know

Your brief
Preparation – writing your presentation

Introduction
Content
Conclusion

Photo by Aaron Burden

Preparation – writing your presentation

What is your key message?

How will I structure my presentation?
What visual aids will you use?
Practice – Practice – practise!

Bay Area Bias via Flickr.com CC BY-ND 2.0

Practise

In front of a mirror
To course mates /
group member
To friends or family

Photo by
Delivery
Delivery – projection and pacing

Project your voice

Speak at an even pace
Use short pauses for emphasis
Delivery: eye contact

Helps to show the audience you are interested

Move between supportive friends
Delivery: body language

Use gestures to emphasise key points

Avoid turning your back on the audience
Feedback

You are likely to be your harshest critic

Take in the praise of others

Kit via Flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0

Tips
"Stand to the left of screen. Your audience will
anchor on you, then read across, then come back
and anchor on you..."
The presenter and the presentation are complimentary
to each other - like Batman and Robin
The slides are NOT the presentation
They shouldn’t say everything

You will
Before 42 words

Results from a survey show that two teachers

out of ten have a working knowledge of how
to operate the Hewlett Packard computer and
inkjet printer.
The same number of teachers has knowledge
about available computer software for
teaching written language skills.
After 16 words

20% of teacher surveyed can:

operate HP computers & printers
use software to teach writing skills
We are visual, let the audience absorb the image….then
you can “sell” your message on that hook.
 How do we retain information?

Simple text and visual 65%

Visual 30%

Text 10%
Increase retention by 30%

Show slides for 14 to 21 seconds

BEFORE talking about them

(University of Colorado in Bolder, 1984)

The average attention
span is only…
18 minutes
Attention and Pacing
Learning is serious stuff and very difficult. You must
pay attention at all times. You are not allowed to have
fun!
Visual ‘commercial break’s’

Around every 15
minutes have a visual
related to your
content.
Humour is good for
learning
Engage your audience

Ask questions
Help make a connection with examples
Take polls
Build in time for discussions
Think-note-pair-share almost always builds
engagement
Brains see yellow first
Colour visuals increase
willingness to read by up to 80%

Colour enhances learning and

improves retention by more than 75%
of people perceive that "presentations that use
77% colour are better able to communicate than
those that use black and white.
Points to remember…

Timing your presentation (practice this!)

Reading from the slides/notes (avoid
this!)
Make key points and themes stand out
and ensure they are understand (on your
slides and in your speech!)
Connect with your audience (as much as
you can!)
Points to remember…

Finish on time! (remember this!)

Listen to and think about questions (but
not too long!)
Participate actively in the discussion (but
not too actively!)
Keep behaving professionally! (you know
what this means!)
Use the support available…
Online resources
Face to face workshops
What if I’m still stuck?

1. General drop-in:
Wednesdays, 12 – 1, -104 Alan Gilbert Learning
Commons

2. Referencing drop-in:
Fridays, 2 – 3, Ground
floor Main Library
Thank you for listening and happy writing!

uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.u
k