Recipe For an Effective

Presentation

Plan, Prepare, Practice

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Planning Your
Presentation
Objectives
 Determine the purpose and desired outcome of
your presentation
 Analyze the needs and expectations of your
audience
 Assess the situation in which you’ll give your
presentation
 Select an appropriate medium for your
presentation

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Why plan?
“Failure to plan is planning to fail”

Savestime
Improves the quality of the presentation
Makes the presentation more effective
Makes the presentation more enjoyable

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How do you plan?
What is the purpose and desired outcomes
of this presentation?
Who is the audience for my presentation
and what do they need and expect?
What is the situation (location and
setting) for my presentation?
What is the most appropriate media for
my presentation?

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Questions for Determining Your
Purpose and Outcomes
Why am I giving the presentation?
What is the primary purpose of this
presentation?
What are the secondary purposes of this
presentation?
What should the audience know or do as
a result of this presentation?

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Types of Presentations
 Informative presentations
 Persuasive presentations
 Demonstrations
 Training presentations

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Informative presentations
 Informative presentations provide your audience
with background information, knowledge, and
specific details about a topic.
 Examples:
Academic or professional conference presentations
Project status briefings
Lunch or dinner speeches
Reports at company meetings

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Persuasive presentations
 Persuasive presentations have the specific
purpose of influencing how an audience feels or
acts regarding a particular position or plan.
 Examples:
 Sales presentations
 Recommendations
 Motivational presentations

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Demonstrations
 Demonstrations are specific types of
presentations that show an audience how
something works.
 Examples:
Overview of products or services
Software demonstrations
Process explanations

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Training presentations
 Training
presentations provide audiences with an
opportunity to learn new skills, or to be educated
on how to perform a task
 Examples:
Seminars and workshops
Educational classes and courses

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Types of Presentations

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Determining the Outcome of Your
Presentation
Goal of a presentation should be to help
the audience understand, retain and use
the information presented.
Focusing on the outcomes forces you to
tailor your message for your audience

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Writing Purpose and Outcome
Statements
Shouldbe just two or three sentences
Examples
◦ Purpose – to demonstrate to the faculty the use
of the classroom projection equipment
◦ Outcome – the staff will understand how to
use the equipment and will want to use the
equipment

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Summary – Questions to Determine
Purpose and Outcome
Why am I giving this presentation?
What is the primary purpose?
What are the secondary purposes?
What should the audience know and/or do
as a result of the presentation?

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Analyzing Your Audience’s
Needs and Expectations
The more you know about your listeners,
the more you’ll be able to adapt your
presentation to their needs
Know whether the audience is composed
of
◦ Your superiors
◦ Your subordinates
◦ Your peers
◦ Decision makers
Demographics
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Demographics
Age
Gender
Education
Expertise with the topic
Cultural background

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Questions For Analyzing Your
Audience
Who will be listening to my presentation (peers,
superiors, subordinates)?
What does the audience expect me to talk about
What does the audience want to know?
what are the general demographics of the group?
How will the audience use the information?
What may be the major concerns to my
proposals?
What do I want the audience to think/know/do as
a result of my presentation?

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Assessing the Situation for Your
Presentation
Planning an effective presentation is a
matter of learning to adapt your content to
your situation, that include:
◦ The setting
◦ Time constraints
◦ Circumstance (size of audience)

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Questions for Analyzing the
Situation for Your Presentation
How much time will I have for my presentation?
Will I be speaking alone or with other people?
How large will the audience be?
How formal or informal will the setting be?
What will the room be like, and how will it be
arranged?
What equipment will be available for my
presentation (chalkboard, overhead projector,
slide projector, computer projection system)?

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Quick Quiz
1. Which presentations goal is to influence
feeling or action?
2. Which presentation presents facts and details?
3. Your goal in giving a presentation should be to
help your listeners _____
4. What are the benefits of focusing on the
outcomes of your presentation?
5. ____ features include age, gender and
educational level

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Selecting the Appropriate Media
 Chalkboard
 Whiteboard
 Notepad and easel
 Flip chart
 Posters
 Black-and-white or color overheads (transparencies)
 Handouts
 35mm slides
 Computer-projected visuals, such as PowerPoint
slides
 Websites or broadband media including
videoconferencing

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Selecting the Appropriate Media

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Sample Presentations
 Never criticize your competitor http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ksAR_YxDb8E&feature=channel
 How to start a business for only $500
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y&feature=fvw
 How to peel a hard boiled egg without peeling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1jCfzQtl04&feature=related
 Effective Information Visualization by Matthias Shapiro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l-Dby7-JG4&feature=related
 Defending the Indefensible by Anil Dash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=B4x7mvMMJVI&feature=channel
 How to Work a Crowd by Alexis Bauer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLDJG-F-maQ&feature=related
 Richard Gere stands up for tribe

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