Business Communication

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Building Strong
Presentations
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Strategically Thinking about the
Presentation

 There are 5 key elements of any presentation:

 Audience

 Content

 Presentation skills

 Visuals

 Creativity
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Audience
 Presentations should be geared towards EVERYONE in the audience; not
only specific people.

 You can use handouts to help the audience follow along / know what to
expect.

 You must understand your audience’s background:

 Who are my audience?
 What is their background?
 How much knowledge do they have?
 What are their expectations?
 Will the audience be familiar with the topic?
 What is the best way to grab their attention?
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Content

 The content you include in your slides in terms of text should

be very limited to only essential information.

 This is not a novel! You can’t expect audiences to read pages

on your slides.

 The text on your slides is meant to help enforce important

information.

 It adds to your presentation; it isn’t your presentation.

 Text should be clear and legible. Use a font style and size that
is appropriate and easy to see/read.
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1-5-5 rule
 The 1-5-5 rule states that you should have:
 1 idea per slide

 5 bullet points per idea

 5 words per bullet point

 Complete sentences (except for definitions and quotes) and

paragraphs are for essays; not for presentations!
 The number of slides is not important (as long as it’s manageable).

 Of course, this is a general guideline and you need to think about

what is required/appropriate for your presentation.
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Having a Narrative
 The order of slides in your presentation should be the following:
 Title slide: Includes the title of your presentation; your name, title, and
affiliation
 Outline slide: Optional (good for your own purposes)
 Introduction: Should include the objective of the presentation (thesis
statement); background information; and any key terms that need to be
defined.
 Body: Explain the key points needed to prove the thesis. Use stats and
current research as needed.
 Conclusion: Wrap up and connect back to objective/thesis.
 References: All borrowed information needs to be cited/referenced using the
citation style of the discipline (APA/MLA/Chicago).
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Visuals The key of a presentation is the visuals since

the purpose is to SHOW not TELL.
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Visuals - Font

 Font color: Should contrast

well with the background
color of the slides.

 Font size: Should be at least

size 18.

 Font style: Should be easy on

the eyes (Arial, Times New
Roman, Cambria, Calibri are
good choices). Avoid block
letters, cursive, etc…
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Visuals – Images

 The general rule is one image per slide (not including

logos).

 Images should be appropriate to the context.

 Images should be suitable to the topic.

 Images used should be cited.

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What not to do…
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What not to do…
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What not to do…
 z Using Images as Symbols

 If you are certain that your audience will universally understand the
symbol you intend with a certain image, feel free to utilize it to help
clarify your idea or add interest/color to your presentation.
 z Visuals – Graphs / Diagrams

 PPT has many utilities such as ‘Insert Table’ and ‘SmartArt’ available for
use to more clearly and easily depict/explain your information.

 This is better than writing out your information in blocks of text as it’s
usually easier for the audience to visualize and understand.
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Videos should be used with
Visuals - caution. They should not take
Videos the place of the presentation;
rather support it.

You need to be wary of the length

of the video and have watched it
completely before placing it in
your presentation.

You also need to ensure that the

video will actually play in the
room / hall you will be presenting
in.
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Creativity

 You must be moderate in your creativity and make sure it is

appropriate for the context you are in.

 However…

 Being creative in the following ways allows you to stand out and be
memorable:
 Using a new/unconventional approach in presenting your content.
 Having a unique style in delivering your message (the way you hook the
audience, your humor, use of pauses/questions, etc…)
 Including a modern/interesting choice of visuals.
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Presentation Skills

 This is the most important aspect of your presentation!

 Content makes up only 7% of the overall impression on the

audience.

 Body language makes up 55%.

 Tone, pauses, pacing, and overall language make up the remaining

38%.

 (It would be nice to include a pie chart here to show this in a

clearer and more interesting way!)
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You must be able to lead the audience!
 Move at the pace of the audience. You are the professional on the topic; not them!
Speed up for things they may already know and slow down for new/challenging topics.

 Watch out for signs you are losing your audience

(fidgeting/yawning/whispering/sleeping).

 Use ‘we’ instead of ‘you’ or ‘I’.

 Find common ground between yourself and the audience.

 Make sure your personal appearance is in line with the context of the presentation and
space you are in.

 Use your voice to hold interest through pauses for suspense, raising the voice for
questions (even rhetorical), lowering your voice to indicate an end, etc…

 Keep body language open and welcoming and also natural.

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Presentation Topics

 Choose a number between 1 and 18…

 The topic associated with the number you choose will

be the subject of your presentation…

 You MAY switch topics with a friend BUT each

student MUST present on a different topic…

 If more than two students present on the same topic,

all will receive a grade of zero…
1. The Importance of Organization in a Employees
Business
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11. Types of Business Communication
2. The Importance of Time Management for
12. Mental Health in the Workplace
Entrepreneurs
13. Skill Development at Work
3. Creative Problem-solving in the
workplace 14. Preventing Burnout at Work

4. Workplace Relationships 15. The Changing Face of Women in the

Workplace
5. Conquering Stress in the Workplace
16. How Technology is Changing the way we
6. Communication at Work: It’s importance
Work
and what could go wrong
17. The Best Employee
7. Building strong CVs
18. Working from Home
8. Personal Appearance at Work
19. Discrimination in the workplace
9. How to Motivate your Employees
20. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance
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Questions?