presentation template

presentation template

Creating Effective Presentations

1. Introduction

Creating slides for a presentation is an interesting task and on the face of it appears deceptively simple. But we all know it’s not like that. We must have sat through one too many boring, badly done presentations to know that creating a slide show can be a tricky thing to get right. It’s really about much more than the slides themselves. Planning and preparation, delivery, using handouts and doing the all-important post-presentation follow-up all form part of the presentation process. But getting the slides right is a key part of the process. This is particularly true in the current age of electronic communication, where a slide show is a common and rich way of sharing ideas. The electronic slide show has the added advantage over its non-electronic forbearers, in that it can be used as an ‘anytime, anywhere’ self-explanatory or an interactive learning experience. But to capture these advantages we must get the slides right. Coming back to the importance of the slides, what we need to remember is that a slide is primarily a visual medium. The old cliché that ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ is true. This tells us that wordy slides are generally bad slides. Our aim is to create slides that tell a strong, clear story.

2. Planning and Organizing

One of the most important factors in a successful presentation is to plan thoroughly. Take time to figure out what the exact purpose of the presentation is. Ask yourself, what do I want to accomplish? What do I want the audience to walk away with? These are important questions because everything done in the preparation of a presentation should be designed to meet the needs of the audience. It is essential to know who the audience is going to be, how many people there will be, and the level of knowledge the audience has on your topic. The content, terminology, and presentation of a presentation designed for professionals in a specific field will be much different than a presentation for students on the same topic. One must also take into consideration where the presentation will take place, know if your use a persuasive tone in your response. There may need to be specific accommodations made for different environments. For example, if a presentation is to be given outside, one must be ready to deal with uncontrollable factors such as weather and noise. Another factor that is essential to the planning stages of preparing a presentation is to know how long it is going to take. The presentation duration would possibly affect the choice of information and the method of presentation, and hence would have organizational implications. Once all this information is determined, the presenter can then start to develop the presentation’s goal and create a mental image of how the presentation would be. The goal can be framed as what the presenter wants to accomplish at the end of the presentation. Creating a mental image of the end product would also help the presenter in having a clear idea of what the presentation should give. This would help in reviewing the presentation to check if it gives the desired output. With the scenario in mind, the presenter can decide on what is best to prepare and use for the presentation of the topic.

3. Design and Visuals

One of the most important aspects of any presentation is the visual impact that it makes. This begins with the design of the slides. Slides should only contain summarised points from the speaker’s talk – they should not repeat what the speaker is going to say. The fact that the information is summarised forces the speaker to only talk about points he/she understands well. The rest of the design will focus on being consistent. PowerPoint comes with a wide selection of themes and templates. Remember to stick to one text and background colour throughout the presentation; the simplest way to create a consistent presentation is to use a simple light background and dark text. Text should be as large as possible whilst still looking formal. Remember to include pictures or media when appropriate as these will make the slide more interesting – however, don’t try to insert too many as they may obscure your points. A graph or table can be more efficient than text, but these should be well labelled. Visuals refer to your body language, eye contact, the clothes you wear, interaction with any media, and the media itself. Make sure that you look at your audience and not at the board or your notes – people will not listen if they don’t have eye contact and it gives the impression that you are not confident about what you are saying. Personal appearance forms the basis for judgement of your character – it was once said that a first impression is formed in the first 30 seconds and is based 90% on your appearance. Wear something that fits the occasion but still makes you feel comfortable. Any interaction with your media should not distract the audience from what you are saying, and the media itself should not overshadow you. Finally, and most importantly, all media must work and it mustn’t take more than a minute to set up. Time is easily lost here.

4. Delivery and Engagement

Your presentation performance is largely responsible for your perceived credibility and reliability to your audience. Sound delivery and a strong engagement strategy are what make a good presentation a great one. Within the first 2 minutes, 75% of your audience will pass judgment on your credibility and the strength of your message, all based on performance and body language. It’s critical to exude confidence, and the best way to develop confidence is thorough preparation. Rehearsing out loud is the only way to ensure a good delivery. Appropriate use of gestures and body movement can create excitement and enhance your point. Move with a purpose, don’t pace. Emphasize your points with smoothly coordinated visual aids. Do not turn your back on the audience to read slides. Eye contact is the most important form of non-verbal communication. It imparts a sense of personal involvement between the speaker and the audience and creates a bond, a union of souls. Finally and most importantly, vocal delivery can make or break your presentation. Varying vocal pitch, rate, and volume can create interest and highlight important points. Quality of speaking voice takes more time to change, but can be improved through practice and voice exercises. After looking your best and practicing several times in front of a mirror, try filming yourself to critique your own delivery and assess its clarity. Delivery is something that should be constantly improved and refined. After being thoroughly confident in your verbal delivery, consider the integration of alternative presentation tactics to engage your audience and make your message more compelling. Body movement and gestures can create excitement and enhance your point. A friendly and open manner will greatly enhance audience rapport. A study done by Burgoon et al. showed that compliance rates are higher when a speaker exhibits a relaxed demeanor. Primarily concentrate on making the audience involved by using several bridging tactics to go beyond mere persuasion and toward creating a relationship between the speaker and the audience. Answering questions and encouraging dialogue prove very effective in maintaining audience interest. Depending on what your presentation encompasses, you might encourage audience participation and integrate small group tasks. Although alternative presentation strategies are more difficult than the simple reading of a paper, the potential pay off is immense in terms of a more effective message and audience. Overall, remember the necessity of a strong delivery and engagement tactics in sealing a powerful message and attaining attitude and behavior change on the part of the audience. A polished performance can enhance the weakest of messages. Measure success not by personal accolade, but by the ability to become a powerful and consistent agent of change in the world.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the success of most organizations in the 21st century is greatly dependent on the ability of their employees to effectively communicate and share knowledge. The paper has sought to provide methods and guidelines to ensure the team members are capable of presenting a message to an audience. This is essential, for it is often the case that the best idea or solution may not be followed simply because it was not presented clearly enough to convince others. The first step proposed was for the presenter to consider the audience and their needs before preparing the presentation. The most reliable way to do this is to try and put yourself in the audience’s place and think about what would be the most effective way to get the message across. Another simple but often neglected step to effective presentations is preparation. It is easy to spot a presentation which lacks thorough preparation and it gives the audience the impression that the message is unimportant. The presenter must be enthusiastic about what they are presenting and if they are not, it is often better to simply not give the presentation at all. Visual aids are also an effective tool to get a message across, but it is important not to rely on them too heavily. Some members of the audience may not fully understand the message until it has been explained to them and visual aids can also have a tendency to steer the focus of the presentation away from the original message. Finally and perhaps most importantly, a presenter must be able to effectively communicate the message to the audience. Eye contact and body language are key factors in how a message is presented and making a conscious effort to improve these skills can vastly improve the quality of a presentation.