10 how to do presentation

How to do presentation
The material of your presentation should be concise, to the point and tell an interesting
story. In addition to the obvious things like content and visual aids, the following are just as
important as the audience will be subconsciously taking them in:
- Your voice - how you say it is as important as what you say
- Body language - a subject in its own right and something about which much has been
written and said. In essence, your body movements express what your attitudes and thoughts
really are.
- Appearance - first impressions influence the audience's attitudes to you. Dress
appropriately for the occasion.
As with most personal skills oral communication cannot be taught. Instructors can only
point the way. So as always, practice is essential, both to improve your skills generally and
also to make the best of each individual presentation you make.
* Preparation
Prepare the structure of the talk carefully and logically, just as you would for a written
report. What are:
- the objectives of the talk?
- the main points you want to make?
Make a list of these two things as your starting point.
Write out the presentation in rough, just like a first draft of a written report. Review the
draft. You will find things that are irrelevant or superfluous - delete them. Check the story is
consistent and flows smoothly. If there are things you cannot easily express, possibly
because of doubt about your understanding, it is better to leave them unsaid.
Never read from a script. It is also unwise to have the talk written out in detail as a prompt
sheet - the chances are you will not locate the thing you want to say amongst all the other
text. You should know most of what you want to say - if you don't then you should not be
giving the talk! So prepare cue cards which have key words and phrases (and possibly
sketches) on them. Postcards are ideal for this. Don't forget to number the cards in case
you drop them.

Remember to mark on your cards the visual aids that go with them so that the right OHP or
slide is shown at the right time
Rehearse your presentation - to yourself at first and then in front of some colleagues. The
initial rehearsal should consider how the words and the sequence of visual aids go together.
How will you make effective use of your visual aids?
* Making the presentation
Greet the audience (for example, 'Good morning, ladies and gentlemen'), and tell them who
you are. Good presentations then follow this formula:
- tell the audience what you are going to tell them,
- then tell them,
- at the end tell them what you have told them.
Keep to the time allowed. If you can, keep it short. It's better to under-run than over-run. As
a rule of thumb, allow 2 minutes for each general overhead transparency or Powerpoint
slide you use, but longer for any that you want to use for developing specific points. 35 mm
slides are generally used more sparingly and stay on the screen longer. However, the
audience will get bored with something on the screen for more than 5 minutes, especially if
you are not actively talking about it. So switch the display off, or replace the slide with
some form of 'wallpaper' such as a company logo.
Stick to the plan for the presentation, don't be tempted to digress - you will eat up time and
could end up in a dead-end with no escape!
Unless explicitly told not to, leave time for discussion - 5 minutes is sufficient to allow
clarification of points. The session chairman may extend this if the questioning becomes
interesting.
At the end of your presentation ask if there are any questions - avoid being terse when you
do this as the audience may find it intimidating (ie it may come across as any questions? - if
there are, it shows you were not paying attention). If questions are slow in coming, you can
start things off by asking a question of the audience - so have one prepared.
* Delivery
Speak clearly. Don't shout or whisper - judge the acoustics of the room.

Don't rush, or talk deliberately slowly. Be natural - although not conversational.
Deliberately pause at key points - this has the effect of emphasising the importance of a
particular point you are making.
Avoid jokes - always disastrous unless you are a natural expert
To make the presentation interesting, change your delivery, but not to obviously, eg: speed,
pitch of voice
Use your hands to emphasise points but don't indulge in to much hand waving. People can,
over time, develop irritating habits. Ask colleagues occasionally what they think of your
style.
Look at the audience as much as possible, but don't fix on an individual - it can be
intimidating. Pitch your presentation towards the back of the audience, especially in larger
rooms.
Don't face the display screen behind you and talk to it. Other annoying habits include:
- Standing in a position where you obscure the screen. In fact, positively check for anyone
in the audience who may be disadvantaged and try to accommodate them.
- Muttering over a transparency on the OHP projector plate an not realising that you are
blocking the projection of the image. It is preferable to point to the screen than the foil on
the OHP (apart from the fact that you will probably dazzle yourself with the brightness of
the projector)
Avoid moving about too much. Pacing up and down can unnerve the audience, although
some animation is desirable.
Keep an eye on the audience's body language. Know when to stop and also when to cut out
a piece of the presentation.
* Visual Aids
Visual aids significantly improve the interest of a presentation. However, they must be
relevant to what you want to say. A careless design or use of a slide can simply get in the
way of the presentation. What you use depends on the type of talk you are giving. Here are
some possibilities:
- Overhead projection transparencies (OHPs)

- 35 mm slides
- Computer projection (Powerpoint, applications such as Excel, etc)
- Video, and film,
- Real objects - either handled from the speaker's bench or passed around
- Flip~chart or blackboard - possibly used as a 'scratch-pad' to expand on a point
Keep it simple though - a complex set of hardware can result in confusion for speaker and
audience. Make sure you know in advance how to operate the equipment and also when you
want particular displays to appear. Sometimes a technician will operate the equipment.
Arrange beforehand, what is to happen and when and what signals you will use. Edit your
slides as carefully as your talk - if a slide is superfluous then leave it out. If you need to use
a slide twice, duplicate it. And always check your slides - for typographical errors,
consistency of fonts and layout.
Slides and OHPs should contain the minimum information necessary. To do otherwise risks
making the slide unreadable or will divert your audience's attention so that they spend time
reading the slide rather than listening to you.
Try to limit words per slide to a maximum of 10. Use a reasonable size font and a typeface
which will enlarge well. Typically use a minimum 18pt Times Roman on OHPs, and
preferably larger. A guideline is: if you can read the OHP from a distance of 2 metres
(without projection) then it's probably OK
Avoid using a diagram prepared for a technical report in your talk. It will be too detailed and
difficult to read.
Use colour on your slides but avoid orange and yellow which do not show up very well
when projected. For text only, white or yellow on blue is pleasant to look at and easy to
read. Books on presentation techniques often have quite detailed advice on the design of
slides. If possible consult an expert such as the Audio Visual Centre
Avoid adding to OHPs with a pen during the talk - it's messy and the audience will be
fascinated by your shaking hand! On this point, this is another good reason for pointing to
the screen when explaining a slide rather than pointing to the OHP transparency.

Room lighting should be considered. Too much light near the screen will make it difficult to
see the detail. On the other hand, a completely darkened room can send the audience to


sleep. Try to avoid having to keep switching lights on and off, but if you do have to do this,
know where the light switches are and how to use them.
Finally ...
Enjoy yourself. The audience will be on your side and want to hear what you have to say!
* Poster Presentation of Research Work
Preamble
Right, you are to present your research work as posters. What do you do? Panic? What the
hell are posters? Surely you have posters of the Spice Girls or Take That (depending on
your inclination of course)! No, those are not the kind of posters we are referring to
although the purpose is similar. We are concerned with the use of posters to present
technical information, not images.
A poster is simply a static, visual medium (usually of the paper and board variety) that you
use to communicate ideas and messages. The difference between poster and oral
presentations is that you should let your poster do most of the 'talking'; that is, the material
presented should convey the essence of your message. However, that does not mean that
you can disappear to the pub or where ever you fancy. You have to 'stand-by-your-poster'!
Your task as the presenter is to answer questions and provide further details; to bask in
praises or suffer difficult questions; and to convince others that what you have done is
excellent and worthwhile.
Easy or what? But wait ... first, stop and think!
How much poster space are you allowed?
The purpose of poster presentations is not to have boards upon boards of information. Better
to hand out a report in that case. If you are presenting your poster at a conference or
convention, you would have limited space. The space you are allowed will determine the
content of the poster. Find out how much space you are allowed!
Is there a standard format?

Yes, there is! As with an oral presentation, there is normally:
- a Title page, telling others the title of the project, the people involved in the work and their
affiliation.


- a Summary of the project stating what you have set out to do, how you have done it, the
key findings and the main results.
- an Introduction that should include clear statements about the problem that you are trying
to solve, the characteristics that you are trying to discover or the proofs that you are trying
to establish. These should then lead to declarations of project aims and objectives.
- a Theory or Methodology section that explains the basis of the technique that you are
using or the procedure that you have adopted in your study. You should also state and justify
any assumptions, so that your results could be viewed in the proper context.
- a Results section that you use to show illustrative examples of the main results of the
work..
- a Conclusion section, listing the main findings of your investigation, and
- a Further Work section that should contain your recommendations and thoughts about
how the work could be progressed; other tests that could be applied, etc.
You therefore have to present certain pieces of information but have limited space. So,
before you rush away to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, spend a few moments or
even hours to plan your presentation. This is very important. Unlike oral presentations,
where some ultra-smooth talkers may be able to divert attention from a poorly planned
presentation, with posters, poor planning is there for all to see.
Planning
Planning is crucial if you do not want to be afflicted by the 'headless chicken' syndrome.
There are several stages in planning a presentation.
Gathering the information
First, ask yourself the following questions.
•

What is the objective of the investigation?

•

Has someone done the work before?

•

How have I gone about with the study?

•

Why did I follow this particular route of investigation?

•

What are the principles governing the technique that I am using?


•

What assumptions did I make and what were my justifications?

•

What problems did I encounter?

•

What results did I obtain?

•

Have I solved the problem?

•

What have I found out?

•

Are the analyses sound?

Although the above list is by no means exhaustive, you should get the gist. You have to
stand back and think again about the What's, the How's and the Why's of the work that you
have done. You have to examine critically, the approach that you have taken and the results
that you have got. Be ruthless in your assessment: better to be a masochist than the victim of
a sadist.
Ideally, you should have done this throughout your project anyway. In doing so, you will
have a clearer idea of the objectives and the contributions that you have, or have not, been
able to make. This means that you will know better, the information you have at your
disposal for presentation.
Such brainstorming often yields loads of responses. Jot your answers on a BIG piece of
paper, not necessarily in an ordered fashion. The intention is to note as many points as
possible, so that you do not miss any important aspects. The ordering and pruning of the
information come later. From your list, note the common areas, topics or pieces of
information, and group them together. Use colour or number coding, or circles and lines to
help you identify and categorise the information. This activity should help you focus further
on the content you can use with confidence.
Deciding on the content

If you follow the above presentation format guidelines, then the content is more or less
determined for you. However, given that you have limited space, you now have to decide
between what is important and what is not necessary. Your decision should be based on at
least 2 factors, namely:
- What are you trying to achieve by presenting the posters? Is it to sell a product? Is it to
tell people what you have done? Is it to tell people of a new discovery? Is it to convince
people that one product or technique is better than another?


- Who will be attending the presentation? Are they technical people? What is the level of
their knowledge of your subject area?
The answers to these questions define the type of content to include and set the tone of the
presentation.
Design
An advertising billboard is a poster. If well designed, it will be attractive and engender a
lasting impression; earnest but not boring. Importantly, it should shout out to you - "buy
me!" or you would think "I want that!" Similarly, in using posters to convey technical
information, they should be designed such that readers think "Yes!" or "I see!" and leave
with the impression that they have learnt something new.
Ultimately, poster design is a personal matter and different individuals will have different
views on how best to present certain information. Nevertheless, here are some 'rules-oftham' ™ to guide you:
- Plan, plan and plan!
- Keep the material simple
+ make full use of the space, but do not cramp a page full of information as the result can
often appear messy
+ be concise and do not waffle. Use only pertinent information to convey your message
+ be selective when showing results. Present only those that illustrate the main findings of
the project. However, do keep other results handy so that you may refer to them when asked
- Use colours sparingly and with taste
+ colours should be used only to emphasise, differentiate and to add interest. Do not use

colours just to impress!
+ try to avoid using large swathes of bright garish colours like bright green, pink, orange or
lilac. Yuck!!
+ pastel shades convey feelings of serenity and calm while dark bright colours conjure
images of conflict and disharmony.
+ choose background and foreground colour combinations that have high contrast and
complement each other - black or dark blue on white or very light grey is good.


+ it is better to keep the background light as people are used to it (for example newspapers
and books)
+ if you insist on having a dark background, use coloured paper so that you would not have
to spray white paper with ink. Not only is this cheaper, you would also not face the problem
of a soaked and distorted page.
+ avoid the use of gradient fills. They may look great on a computer display, but unless you
have access to a high resolution printer, the paper version can look really tatty.
- Do not use more than 2 font types
+ too many font types distracts, especially when they appear on the same sentence
+ fonts that are easy on the eyes are Times-Roman and Arial.
- Titles and headings should appear larger than other text, but not too large. The text should
also be legible from a distance, say from 1.5m to 2m.
- Do not use all UPPER CASE type in your posters. It can make the material difficult to
read. Just compare the two sentences below:
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS LINE WHERE ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE IN
UPPER CASE?
What do you think of this line, where only the first character of the first word is in upper
case?
- Do not use a different font type to highlight important points
+ otherwise the fluency and flow of your sentence can appear disrupted. For example,
. In this sentence, I want to emphasise the word 'emphasise'.

. In this sentence, I want to emphasise the word 'emphasise'.
+ use underlined text, the bold face or italics or combinations to emphasise words and
phrases.
+ if you use bold italicised print for emphasis, then underlining is not necessary - overkill!
- Equations
+ should be kept to a minimum


+ present only the necessary and important equations
+ should be large enough (see point 5)
+ should be accompanied by nomenclature to explain the significance of each variable
- A picture is worth a thousand words… (but only if it is drawn properly and used
appropriately)
+ graphs
. choose graphs types that are appropriate to the information that you want to display
. annotations should be large enough, and the lines of line-graphs should be thick enough so
that they may be viewed from a distance (see point 5)
. do not attempt to have more than six line-graphs on a single plot
. instead of using lines of different thickness, use contrasting coloured lines or different
line styles to distinguish between different lines in multi-line graphs.
. multi-line plots or plots with more than one variable should have a legend relating the
plotted variable to the colour or style of the line.
+ diagrams and drawings,
. should be labelled
. drawings and labels should be large and clear enough so that they are still legible from a
distance
. do not try to cramp labelling to fit into components of a drawing or diagram. Use 'arrows'
and 'callouts'
+ clipart
. should only be used if they add interest to the display and complement the subject matter.

Otherwise, all they do is to distract attention from the focus of the presentation.
. can also be 'dangerous' as you may spend more time fiddling about with images and
choosing appropriate cartoons than concentrating on the content.
- Check your spelling


+ there is nothing more amusing or annoying than spelling mistakes on public display,
especially if they are on the title page.
+ spelling mistakes give the impression that you have not put in the effort; careless; not
bothered; not worthy of high assessment scores.
- Maintain a consistent style
+ inconsistent styles give the impression of disharmony and can interrupt the fluency and
flow of your messages.
+ headings on the different pages of the poster should appear in the same position on all
pages.
+ graphs should be of the same size and scale especially if they are to be compared.
+ if bold lettering is used for emphasis on one page, then do not use italics on others.
+ captions for graphs, drawings and tables should either be positioned at the top or at the
bottom of the figure.
- Arrangement of poster components should appear smooth
+ you would probably be preparing sections of the poster on A4 sized paper before sticking
them onto mounting boards or display stands.
+ remember that you are using posters to tell a story about what you have done and
achieved. As in report writing, the way you arrange the sections should follow the
'storyline'.
+ sometimes it is helpful if you provide cutouts of arrows to direct attention to the sequence
of the presentation
+ use a new page to start off a new section
- Review, review and review
+ make draft versions of your poster sections and check them for

. mistakes
. legibility and
. inconsistency in style


+ try different layout arrangements
+ ask your partner, friends, colleagues or supervisor for their 'honest' opinions
+ be critical
* How to write a perfect presentation
Introduction
This site outlines the unique presentation writing method known as 'Why? How? Prove It!'
This method of writing presentations and speeches was developed by Graham Jones, a
leading British public speaker and trainer in presentation skills. The method ensures you
can:
•

Write a presentation quickly

•

Write a presentation that makes your material accessible to the audience

•

Write a presentation that is easy to remember

If you use Why? How? Prove It! in your work you will be amazed at how quickly you can
put together great presentations that will be easy to say and easy to remember.
Key message
Your presentation MUST have a key message. Leave your audience in absolutely no doubt

what you came to tell them. Don't lead them up to your messages - they won't stay the
course. Hit them between the eyes with your message right up front. You should provide
your key message within the first 15 seconds of starting your talk. Research shows that if
you don't do this you risk losing the attention of your audience.
Writing your key message should be the most time consuming and difficult part of preparing
your talk. Indeed, if you do not spend enough time on thinking through your key message
you may well be wasting your time - and that of your audience - when you come to give
your presentation. Poorly prepared key messages are frequently the problem that lies behind
badly written talks and speeches.
Your key message should contain:
- The main action or change in behaviour you want your audience to take as a result of
listening to you


- Reference to the audience
- Reference to an example that you'll elaborate on
- A good key message might be:
Since you are all marketing managers, I'm convinced that by the end of this morning's
talk you'll be absolutely determined to use our new marketing software that allows you
to gain access to research reports in a flash. In fact I'm sure you'll be so impressed
you'll be wanting a copy in the next 30 minutes.
As you can see this message says:
- WHO it is for - marketing managers
- WHAT they will do - use the new software
- WHY they will do it - to gain access to research
- WHEN they will do it - in the next 30 minutes
This message is also just 55 words long, which means you can say it in 18 seconds. Indeed,
if no-one wishes to listen to you after those opening 20 seconds they will still have
understood what you have come to tell them. The remainder of your talk would just be the
detail - but your message will have hit home without it.

Having said that, a good key message with a 'call to action' like the example (you'll be
wanting a copy in the next 30 minutes) means that your audience will be hungry for more,
so they will carry on listening.
To make sure they have got the message, though, make sure you repeat it right at the end of
your talk. This helps ensure the late arrivals also know what your message was.
Why?
Having provided your audience with your key message they will inevitably be asking
themselves:
'Why should I do that?' or 'Why should I think that?' or 'Why should that be the
case?'
In any event, all the questions that follow from an action-oriented key message are of the
'why?' kind. That means if the next stage of your presentation sets about answering these


questions your talk is following what the audience perceives as its route through the
material. The result is that you have them on your side immediately.
Many presenters prepare material that is only logical if you already know the subject or the
information that is being presented. But few audiences will know. Hence they become
quickly lost and have to work hard to pick their way through the information. Research
shows that audiences that have to commit the least mental effort are the ones most
likely to accept the material they are given. In other words, if you follow your own logic
you are making it much less likely that your material will be accepted or acted upon by the
audience.
If your talk follows the audience logic by immediately answering the 'why' style questions
you will be providing just what the listeners want, mentally. As a result, you will make your
material MUCH MORE LIKELY to be accepted and acted upon.
Having constructed your key message you simply have to think of all the reasons why your
audience should accept what you are saying or act upon your material. These reasons and
the detail behind them will form the first main section of your presentation
In our example, the presentation may go on to consider:

That marketing managers can't do their job without market research
That software makes accessing research easier
That there is no suitable program that works quickly enough for marketing managers
How?
So, your audience now knows what you expect them to do and why they should do it. Now
you need to answer their next inevitable question - how are they going to achieve what you
suggest?
In this section of your talk you need to provide some explanation of how your audience can
take the action you suggest or how they might go about changing their minds on a situation.
However, this is the least important part of your presentation. You are merely giving
ideas at this stage. Once people have bought into your idea by understanding why your key
message is important, the 'how?' they might do what you suggest is nice to know, but not
need to know material. Hence, the 'how?' may only be a couple of sentences of suggestions,
nothing very detailed.


Having said that, 'how' is an important part of the presentation as it necessarily follows the
logical set of questions being asked subconsciously by the audience. Hence to leave it
out disturbs the natural logic in the audience's mind and you lose support, reducing your
influence.
But don't waste too much breath on it. Your audience simply needs to check that 'how? has
been answered. Quite how they achieve tour desires will be up to them after your
presentation - you are just providing some guidance.
Prove It!
So, you've told your audience what you expect them to do, why they should do it and how
they can get on with things. But even though you may have got your message across, you
haven't really underlined it as yet. You need to provide evidence for your assertions - prove
what you have said is beyond dispute. The 'prove it' section of your talk is the most
important part you need to write, after the key message. So spend lots of time in planning
this.

You can prove your key message in several ways, but the main evidence will come from:
•

Personal examples

•

Case studies

•

Statistics

Individual, personal examples are immensely powerful - especially if you tell them as
stories. Case studies are in depth examples and can be useful, but they are more difficult to
tell as stories. Statistics are useful to help prove a point, but they do not carry as much
weight as examples and case histories. That's because people know that you can massage the
statistics in your favour, so they put less trust in them.
In our example the 'prove it' section may go on to consider:
The story about the marketing manager you met at a conference who said the program
had enabled much greater control of marketing programmes
The case study of the company which used the software and achieved a much happier
marketing team as a result
The figures from several companies that showed marketing efforts were 30% more
successful when the software was used


* Designing Presentation Visuals
Media Services, Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University

The URL for this file is: />Think of Your Listeners
- Listening is much more difficult than reading
"Listeners" listen somewhere between 25% and 50% of the time
- Information must be taken in "on the fly" with no backtracking
+ Short-term memory holds only 5 to 7 points
+ People remember only 10% of what they hear versus 50% of what they read
- If your audience only listens only part of the time and remembers only 10% of what they
hear, then your "window" of communication is around 2.5% to 5.0% of your total
presentation time!
Therefore:
- Pity your poor listeners!
- Do everything you can to help your listeners to listen and remember.
Design to Help People Listen
- Organize - provide structure and framework for the data you will present
+ provide a "jigsaw puzzle boxtop" for listeners to organize and reconstruct your verbal
message
+ list points to be covered and provide a "road map" of how you will get there
- Illustrate - help listeners to visualize - convert data to information
+ paint a picture
+ tell a story
+ make comparisons


- Repeat - improve audience reception of data
+ remember that "listeners" listen only 25 to 50% of the time
+ repetition often suggests importance
Visuals Should...
- Support your communication objective
- Enhance your verbal message, not detract from it
- Set tone and emotional content of verbal message with the use of colors and images

Good Visuals Are...
- Visible - You have to be able to see it to believe it
+ Visuals should be legible to most distant viewer
. Minimum legibility standards: one inch letter height on screen per 30 feet viewing
distance
. Data needed for legibility calculation
. Screen width
. Distance from projector to screen
. Lens rating of projector (in inches)
. Distance of most distant viewer from screen
+ Typewritten copy will not be visible!
. Enlarge it on copy machine
. Use 18 point type or larger when laying out transparencies on a computer
+ Limit number of words per line
. 3 to 4 per line optimal
. 6 to 7 maximum
+ Limit number of lines per visual


. Less than 10 per transparency
. Clear - Instantly recognizable in context to your verbal message
+ Focus on one idea per visual
. Avoid too much primary information
. Use color to focus on key information
+ Directly relate to communication objective
+ Complement verbal message
. Add impact or tone to message
. Provide overview or "whole picture"
. Simple
+ Eliminate extraneous information and clutter

+ Visually simplify using design, color, or overlays
Ways of Adding Variety
- Combine both left and right brain sensory channels
+ Left brain: words, sentences, symbols
+ Right brain: graphs, charts, symbols, pictures, etc.
- Add color for emphasis, but beware of color connotations
- Use movement with transparency pens, overlays, slide dissolves, etc.
- Change backgrounds to change pace or introduce new topic
- Change sequence of eye scanning (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) with design


* Using Overhead Projectors
Media Services, Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University
The URL for this file is: />Advantages of Overhead Projectors
- Face to face contact with audience
+ Eye contact possible
+ Can pick up verbal and nonverbal cues to understanding
- Projector located in front of room and near speaker for easy access
- Can be used to focus audience's attention
+ On to focus attention on visual material
+ Off to focus attention on speaker
- Effective in a fully-lighted room; audience can follow handouts or take notes
- Ability to modify transparencies during presentations
+ Highlighting important points with transparency pen
+ Writing on blank acetate film like a chalk board
- Sequence of material can be modified during presentation
+ Accommodates audience questions or interest
+ Can abbreviate or extend sections of presentation
- Unframed transparencies easy to store and transport; easily fit in file folder

- Overlays can be used to simplify complex information into layers
- Short lead time (minutes) for preparation of transparencies
- Low cost of transparency material
$.30 per sheet for one color


Disadvantages of Overhead Projectors
- Continuous tone color transparencies are costly
$1.50 per sheet for continuous tone color output from DeskWriter printer
- Overhead projector is bulky and heavy to transport
- Framed transparencies are bulky and difficult to store
- Pages from books cannot be used effectively without modification since text will usually
be too small for audience to read.
- Overhead projection is perceived as being "less professional" than slides in a formal
setting.
Presentation Techniques for Overhead Projectors
- Use ON - OFF switch to focus attention
+ ON to focus attention on visual
+ OFF to focus attention on speaker
Turn the projector off when you're not using it for extended periods of time to reduce
distraction for audience.
- "Chalkboarding"
+ Use projector stage like a chalkboard
. Acetate sheet or roll
. Water soluble transparency pen
+ Notes for presentation can be:
. Projected with presentation
. Added in conjunction with presentation
. Revealed one point at a time
+ Points in group discussions can be:

. Listed to verify communication
. Used to focus further discussion
+ Charts, grids, illustrations can be:
. Prepared in skeleton form prior to presentation
. Modified, filled in labeled, etc. during presentation
. Pointing for emphasis
+ Concentrate attention on message being covered
+ Use opaque shapes like pens, coins, arrows, etc.
. Highlighting
+ Use pen of different color from original. (Be sure to use water-soluble pen if you need to
re-use the original transparency.)
+ Use underline, circle, arrow, check, bullet, star, etc. as emphasis codes for your audience
- Progressive disclosure with opaque cover
+ Reveal topics one point at a time
+ Direct attention to point being covered
+ Prevent distraction
. Overlays
+ Simplify complex concepts
+ One part of complex whole can be presented at a time
+ Parts can be joined for discussion of whole
Overhead Projection Survival Kit
Below are a few essential items that may make the difference between a successful and
unsuccessful presentation using overhead projection. Some of these are especially important
if you will be presenting in a room without access to audio-visual support services.


- Extension Cord - Rooms sometimes have the power outlets located in the most
inconvenient locations. An extension cord may resolve such difficulties.

- Ungrounded Plug Adapter - Some buildings still do not have three-prong grounded
outlets. A two-prong adapter will allow you to use these older power outlets without
damaging the overhead projector plug.
- Spare Bulb - Most of the PLU overhead projectors have spare lamp changers inside the
projector. But a spare bulb is always good insurance. Make sure you know how to change
the bulb in case it burns out during your presentation. Do not touch the glass surface of
bulbs with your fingers, but handle bulbs by their metal or porcelain bases or with a
handkerchief.
- Transparency Pen - You may want to write on a transparency to illustrate, clarify, or
highlight a point. If you plan to use a transparency over again, be sure to use a watersoluble transparency pen. You may want to cover transparencies with clear sleeves to avoid
damaging your original.
- Acetate Film - Extra blank acetate film provides additional "chalkboard space" for
responding to audience questions and comments.
* Using Slide Projectors
Media Services, Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University
The URL for this file is: />Advantages of Slide Projectors
- Continuous tone color images are reasonably-priced
$0.70 to $1.00 each
- Many kinds of materials can be copied or captured
+ Copy stand
+ Photography
+ Flatbed color scanner
+ Slide scanner


+ Video frame capture
- Audience perceives slides as "more professional" than overheads
- Slides can be used to focus attention
+ Slide on screen to focus attention on visual

+ Blank or black slide to focus attention on speaker
- Slides and projectors easy to store and transport
- Overlays can be used to simplify complex information
Disadvantages of Slide Projectors
- No face to face contact with audience since room usually darkened
- Projector at back of room away from speaker
- Not effective in a fully-lighted room
- No ability to modify slides and sequence during presentations
- Longer lead time (2 to 5 days) for preparation of slides
Presentation Techniques for Slide Projectors
- Use of blank slides to focus attention
+ Focus attention on visual
+ Blank to focus attention on speaker
- Progressive disclosure
+ Reveal one point at a time
+ Add to lists on screen
- Use of dissolve unit and two slide projectors to fade slides in and out
- Link to audio track with cue tape


Slide Projection Survival Kit
Below are a few essential items that may make the difference between a successful and
unsuccessful presentation using slide projection. These are especially important if you will
be presenting in a room without access to audio-visual support services.
- Extension Cord - Rooms sometimes have the power outlets located in the most
inconvenient locations. An extension cord may resolve such difficulties.
- Ungrounded Plug Adapter - Some rooms do not have three-prong grounded outlets. A
two-prong adapter will allow you to use these older power outlets without damaging the
overhead projector plug.
- Spare Bulb - A spare bulb is always good insurance. Make sure you know how to change

the bulb in case it burns out during your presentation. Do not touch the glass surface of
bulbs with your fingers, but handle bulbs by their metal or porcelain bases.
- Coin - Slides sometimes warp or get stuck in the projector. The only way to resolve this is
to take the tray off using a screw driver or a coin in the slot in the middle of the tray. Be sure
however, that the plastic lock ring is on your tray before you remove the tray to prevent
dumping slides on the floor.
- Spare Slide Tray - Sometimes a tray will become damaged on the projector. The solution
is to move the slides to an undamaged tray.
- Numbered Slides - Numbering your slides in the upper right hand corner will provide
assurance that you can put the slides back in the tray in order if they spill out or get stuck.

* Oral Presentation Advice
Mark D. Hill


Computer Sciences Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison
April 1992; Revised January 1997
Things to Think About
- Oral Communication is different from written communication
Listeners have one chance to hear your talk and can't "re-read" when they get confused. In
many situations, they have or will hear several talks on the same day. Being clear is
particularly important if the audience can't ask questions during the talk. There are two wellknow ways to communicate your points effectively. The first is to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple
stupid). Focus on getting one to three key points across. Think about how much you
remember from a talk last week. Second, repeat key insights: tell them what you're going to
tell them (Forecast), tell them, and tell them what you told them (Summary).
- Think about your audience
Most audiences should be addressed in layers: some are experts in your sub-area, some are
experts in the general area, and others know little or nothing. Who is most important to you?
Can you still leave others with something? For example, pitch the body to experts, but make

the forecast and summary accessible to all.
- Think about your rhetorical goals
For conference talks, for example, I recommend two rhetorical goals: leave your audience
with a clear picture of the gist of your contribution, and make them want to read your paper.
Your presentation should not replace your paper, but rather whet the audience appetite for it.
Thus, it is commonly useful to allude to information in the paper that can't be covered
adequately in the presentation. Below I consider goals for academic interview talks and
class presentations.
- Practice in public
It is hard distilling work down to 20 or 30 minutes.
- Prepare
A Generic Conference Talk Outline