Presentation

Basics
Presentation Skills - Spring 2024
 1. Content
Presentation 2. Organization
3. Visuals
Components 4. Delivery
Organization and content
Presentations should generally have the basic structure
below:

1. Introduction
2. Main ideas
3. Conclusion
Introductions
Introductions should give the audience the information they need
to understand the main ideas of the presentation. They can include
the following elements:
- Greetings
- Attention grabber (surprising fact, thought-provoking question,
cool quote, or short story)
- The topic/purpose of the presentation
- An overview of what will be discussed
- Background information on the topic
Structuring Main ideas
- Main ideas should be logically structured (coherence); this can mean
- Chronological organization
- Problem → solution
- Cause → Effect
- Order of importance
- Main ideas should also be connected to each other by the presenter
through transitions from one main idea to the next (cohesion)
- The different parts of your presentation should be in balance; don’t spend
too much time talking about one aspect (or too little time talking about
another)
- Make sure that the audience is able to understand what you’re talking
about. Be sure to clarify details or concepts that they might be unfamiliar
with
Conclusions
Try to ensure that your presentation has a strong conclusion.
The following elements can be included (but do not have to be):
- Summarize main purpose and main ideas
- “Call to action”; tell the audience what they should do, think,
or feel after your presentation
- Thought provoking questions, quotes, statements
- Thank the audience
- Encourage questions, discussion
Example presentation: Background information
provided
Saturday Lunch
Overall Structure
Introduction Problem → Solution
Being hungry → Getting food
Example presentation:
Saturday Lunch Overall Structure
Chronological
Main ideas Problem → Solution
Example presentation: Take-away:

Saturday Lunch “Things don’t always go

according to plan, but this can
Conclusion lead us to the discovery of
excited new things.”
Timeline
1. Intro: Jamil is hungry and wants a kebab
sandwich from the hummus place
2. He goes to the hummus place #1. Unsuccessful.
3. He goes to hummus place #2.Unsuccessful
4. He goes to the Pelményi place. Success.
5. Concluding idea: “Things don’t always go
according to plan, but this can lead us to the
discovery of excited new things.”
Micro-presentation
To practice organizing presentation content, you will be
tasked with creating a minimum 1-minute presentation.
The topic can be anything related to your weekend.

Make sure that the presentation contains

- An introductory element
- Logically organized main ideas
- A strong conclusion
Delivery
There are several key aspects to pay attention to when
delivering a presentation

1. Posture
2. Eye contact
3. Voice (volume, tone)
4. Body language
5. Pace
6. Filler language
Visuals c e !
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Do
One of the fundamental benefits of limiting text in presentations is the enhancement of audience
engagement and retention. A presentation overloaded with text can overwhelm the audience,
leading to disinterest or cognitive overload, where the sheer volume of information impedes
comprehension and retention. Humans are predominantly visual learners; studies indicate that
people remember about 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they read, but about 80% of what
they see and do. By reducing text and incorporating more visual elements like images, graphs, and
charts, presenters can tap into this visual learning preference, making the content more digestible
and memorable. Visuals can convey complex information more succinctly and powerfully than text,
aiding in the audience’s understanding and recall. Moreover, minimal text encourages presenters to
speak more naturally and conversationally, rather than reading from slides. This not only enhances
the delivery style, making it more engaging and dynamic, but also fosters a stronger connection with
the audience. It encourages active listening, as the audience is not simply reading along with the
presenter. Additionally, sparse text allows for more flexibility in the presentation, enabling the
speaker to adapt their delivery to the audience's reactions and engage in more spontaneous
interactions. The focus shifts from merely presenting information to storytelling and discussion,
which are more effective in capturing and maintaining the audience's attention. In essence, by
embracing brevity in text, presentations become a tool for storytelling and engagement rather than
a mere conveyance of information, leading to a more impactful and memorable experience for the
audience.
One of the fundamental benefits of limiting text in presentations is the enhancement of audience
engagement and retention. A presentation overloaded with text can overwhelm the audience,
leading to disinterest or cognitive overload, where the sheer volume of information impedes
comprehension and retention. Humans are predominantly visual learners; studies indicate that
people remember about 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they read, but about 80% of what
they see and do. By reducing text and incorporating more visual elements like images, graphs, and
charts, presenters can tap into this visual learning preference, making the content more digestible
and memorable. Visuals can convey complex information more succinctly and powerfully than text,
aiding in the audience’s understanding and recall. Moreover, minimal text encourages presenters to
speak more naturally and conversationally, rather than reading from slides. This not only enhances
the delivery style, making it more engaging and dynamic, but also fosters a stronger connection with
the audience. It encourages active listening, as the audience is not simply reading along with the
presenter. Additionally, sparse text allows for more flexibility in the presentation, enabling the
speaker to adapt their delivery to the audience's reactions and engage in more spontaneous
interactions. The focus shifts from merely presenting information to storytelling and discussion,
which are more effective in capturing and maintaining the audience's attention. In essence, by
embracing brevity in text, presentations become a tool for storytelling and engagement rather than
a mere conveyance of information, leading to a more impactful and memorable experience for the
audience.