How to Make Effective Presentations?
Introduction
With the rapid advancements in communication technology, more and more decision-making is taking place through PowerPoint Presentations. It is increasingly complementing the submission of summaries and files to seniors, particularly political bosses for soliciting decisions. A civil servant is invariably asked to give PowerPoint presentations in front of a select committee or the cabinet to explain and justify what he has written in the summary. It has no doubt eased the job of a civil servant but at the same time has created a lot of difficulties for those who are noskillfulul in public speaking.
Submission of a summary or an elaborate noting on the file provides a civil servant a veil of secrecy as well as ample time for the decision-makers to make a decision based on arguments he had submitted to plead his case. However, decision-making through PowerPoint presentations robs him of these two cushions. Now he must convince the political bosses and get a favourable decision within a short period in front of an audience that invariably is sceptical about the motives of the bureaucracy. It, therefore, demands a thorough command of PowerPoint Presentation, without which no civil servant can make his mark in the future.
With that importance in view, here are some suggestions that can make your presentation smooth and memorable, help boost your confidence, capture the attention of your audience up to your last point and during Q&A and help you receive positive feedback from them.
Features of Presentation
Certain features of a PowerPoint Presentation need to be kept in view while making it
- Captive Audience
Whether invited or coming on their own, the audience in front of you will remain seated for the next hour or so. Make listening to you a memorable experience for them in terms of the quality of content and its delivery, not a test of their patience.
2. Time Constraints
The average adult has a 20-minute attention span; if you want to keep your audience engaged, stick to the point!
3. Technological Dependence
You are delivering a speech that heavily relies on the proper functioning of certain equipment: as such complete mastery of the equipment used for PowerPoint Presentation is essential. Technology can fail you. Be prepared for that eventuality and have a backup plan ready.
4. Interactive
Although there is a lot of technology being used for a PowerPoint Presentation, in the end, it is one human being interacting with other human beings and not machines. That touch of personal interaction is the essence of a good PowerPoint Presentation.
5. Structural Rigidity
PowerPoint Presentation has a certain format. You do not have the option of an emotional outburst of a speaker or the liberty of a rock star performer. Follow those rules
Steps Involved
There are six steps involved in preparing and delivering a PowerPoint Presentation. These are
1. Planning and Research
The primary purpose of any presentation is to share information with others, so it’s important to have mastery over the subject. Be prepared with the right content by examining the previous papers/files, reading books, searching the internet, and verifying the sources of information. Do some research on your audience also and tailor your research according to their intellectual capabilities and professional background. Try to put yourself in their shoes to get a clearer idea about their needs and motivations and level of knowledge. This will help you to make a connection with each person in your audience so that they are attentive to what you say.
2. Structuring the Ideas
Once you have carried out enough research on the topic, make out a rough structure of what you are going to say in the presentation. Can you summarize all your discussions in one single sentence which the audience should take to their home as the lesson learnt?
3. Design and layout
How you will show it on the screen-how many slides and in what order? The colour schemes? The type of fonts and their size? How to use infographics, animation, diagrams tables, etc. Remember the “Golden Rule of 6”
I. Minimum slides in a presentation are 6x1 =6
II. Ideal slides in a presentation are 6x2 =12
III. Maximum slides in a presentation are 6x3 =18
IV. Ideal number of lines in one slide is 6x6 =36
V. Ideal number of words in one line is 6x1 =6
VI. Maximum minutes for presentation is 6x6 =36
4. Speech Writing/Notes
One should not take a chance of making a presentation without first preparing a written script. Of course, once prepared, you can jot down the main points on small pieces of paper when finally making the presentation
5. Delivery and Fear Control
After the above comes the most important question of delivery-even if you are a gifted speaker or have experience delivering countless speeches, do practice at least two or three times how to deliver the speech. If you’re talking to more than 100 people, you need to use a microphone and test the microphone before you start.
6. Questions and Answers
Lastly, the questions answer session is the toughest one because you never know who may pose a question that you have not researched or do not have sufficient knowledge of. However, the more research you have done, the easier it will be to handle it with confidence.
Six Parts of Presentation
There are 6 parts to any presentation
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Current position
4. Options
5. Recommendations
6. Conclusions
A brief description of the above will be in order
- Introduction
Start your presentation by seeking the permission of the chair and explaining the purpose of making a presentation. Also, explain the key issues you will be discussing and the moot point on which decision is required. Tell your audience what to expect and let them know what you will cover first, whether you’ll be taking questions during the presentation or at the end, and so on. Providing these signposts at the start of the presentation will give your audience a clear idea of what to expect so that they can concentrate on your presentation. Be brief but focused. Thank the chair for permission and the participants for their patience
2. Background
Explain the background of the case and the previous history of the case if it is a follow-up meeting. Some of the participants may not have read the summary submitted by you or maybe they are newcomers. Inform the participants about the progress made and the constraints/difficulties faced while implementing the decisions made during the last meeting. Do not blame others for your shortcomings. If other departments are involved, give their viewpoints also or let them express their views. Be brief but do not skip essential details
3. Current Position
Here the main case is to be explained. Discuss all the facts, figures, and findings. Avoid the use of jargon; explain if necessary. Apprise participants about the issues involved. Impress upon them the urgency and why a decision is to be taken one way or other
4. Options
Present all the options available. Discuss the pros and cons of each option/proposal. Normally following options are available in any situation
a) Let the status quo be maintained
b) We should revert to the original position
c) New path is taken with a tilt toward the status quo, an old position, or a new road is taken.
Do not give your recommendation at this point; just list down the options.
5. Recommendations
Recommend the option you prefer the most and give cogent reasons for your preference. Mention the likely negative fallouts. Explain why you prefer it as compared to other options. Be passionate but not emotional
6. Conclusion
Every presentation must end with a conclusion consisting of a few sentences- what you have covered and what is the decision point. An ideal presentation should end with a six/to the seven-line recommendation. Thank the chair/ participants for their patience and invite them for questions
Six Things to Do
- Stick to Main Point
Storytelling is now a buzzword and is quite fashionable among those who write on management topics. Telling stories can be a powerful tool for inspiring and engaging others but my advice is not to resort to such tactics. You are there to make a point not to tell a story. They invariably distract the attention of the audience. Always stick to the main point of your presentation and do not start telling cock and bull stories.
2. Maintain Eye Contact with the Audience
A presentation in which the speaker spends all his time looking at his notes or the screen is a complete failure from the start to the end. Always maintain eye contact with a maximum number of your audience as it establishes a personal connection and keeps people engaged. If your audience is small enough, try to make eye contact with each individual at least once but do not start staring at one person. If the audience is too large for this, try looking at people’s foreheads.
3. Speak Clearly and Vary the Tone/Pitch of your Voice
Frankly, public speaking is a difficult task and needs a lot of practice. Anyone can become nervous and start rushing through a presentation with the result that the audience could miss the most important points. If you do begin to feel nervous, take a moment to collect yourself, breathe deeply and start speaking each word slowly but clearly. . (One secret technique: when in doubt shout! Speak loudly.) If you’re talking to more than 100 people, you need to use a microphone and test the microphone before you start
4. Be Careful about Spelling, Grammar, and Acronyms
One of the most annoying things in a presentation is carelessness in making grammatical mistakes as it shows a lack of respect for the audience besides reflecting poorly on your calibre. Always ask someone to critically read the full presentation to find all the mistakes. Similarly, be careful in the use of an acronym if it is not a very well-known one i.e. UNO, USA, etc. Write the full term and its acronym in brackets when using it for the first time. Afterwards, you can use this acronym without parenthesis.
5. Use Simple Slide Style
Simple, concise, and consistent slides make a good presentation while slides with garish colours, unnecessary animation, or fonts that are too small to read can spoil it. When choosing colours, play safe. A dark background with white text works best in dark rooms, while a white background with dark text is easier to see in a well-lit room. White font on a dark blue background is the best bet. Do not use an image unless it is contributing something. Always make use of similar stylistic elements throughout for consistency.
6. Embed Your Font
Remember to embed the fonts in your presentation. Embedding will ensure that the font you used will display on a different computer system even if that font has not been installed on it. Otherwise, it will substitute a different font, often with embarrassing results making your presentation appear unprofessional
Six Things Not to Do
- Using Animation
The worst thing you can do with a presentation is to add animation to impress people. These are the favourites of the geeks and do not go well in a presentation prepared for a serious audience. I have never seen a flying monkey or a dancing logo in a presentation substituting a good argument.
2. Using Capital Words where not Necessary
The use of capital words where not necessary is not only distracting but amounts to shouting. Use a normal style of writing in your slides
3. Taking More Time than Allotted
How interesting the topic may be or how charming your personality is, never overstep the time allocated for your exposition. It is all the more necessary to be very careful in this respect if there are speakers who have to deliver their speeches after you. Prepare concise presentations and try to limit yourself to a few main points. The average adult has a 20-minute attention span, so, if you want to keep your audience engaged, stick to the point!
4. Cracking Jokes/Making Remarks
If you have a subtle sense of humour, do show it during the presentation as it keeps the proceedings lively. But do not try to be overtly humorous if God has not been kind to you in this respect. Cracking indecent, political, or personal remarks is strictly out of question.
5. Using Slides as Visual Aid
One of the most common mistakes presenters normally make is to write out everything they would like to say on the slides. Never treat your PowerPoint slideshow as the visual edition of your talk. Large sections of text are extremely difficult to read resulting that the audience will often lose interest in the speech. The PowerPoint slides exist to complement your talk, not duplicate it. Always use bullets that will serve as a guide to refer to you as well as to the audience who will be able to just scan the principal points and take notes while you speak. Practice your speech a few times and jot down any supporting details that complement each of your most important points
6. Fidgeting, Playing with Objects
It does not add to your presentation; rather provides opportunities for the audience to make fun of you afterwards.
Last Point
Always be prepared for any eventuality/technical hitch because technology can fail you. Remember Murphy’s Law “If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong “. To avoid this, make sure you’re using reliable equipment. Test your equipment setup as early as possible and re-test it before the actual presentation. For a really important presentation in a distant city, it’s safe to consider bringing a technician with you. If equipment/ tools failed you, you should be creative. Improvise. Use anything handy to present your ideas. Initiate a group activity or discussion. Do not grumble. Seek a positive response
Conclusions
PowerPoint presentation is an effective way of communicating and a helpful tool for decision-making for which proper application of critical thinking, strategic planning, project management, and problem-solving techniques are needed. It takes practice and effort to deliver a good presentation and avoid common pitfalls. These include not preparing properly, inappropriate content, and faulty delivery. Remember, public speaking is a performance where eye contact, body language, and gestures complement your message to keep your audience engaged.
Request
Thank you very much for reading the article
If you liked it, kindly express your appreciation by clicking my Ko-fi icon below
https://ko-fi.com/shahidhussainraja
And the clap icon below as many times as you like
Why not share it with your friends on social media? Knowledge is a common heritage of us all
And, kindly, do follow me as well as subscribe to my newsletter
You may like to read also
- Twelve Principles of Effective Negotiations
2. 8 Cs of Delegation of Authority
3. Digital Governance: A Public Policy Perspective
4. Public Policy Formulation-1: Definition, Types, & Components
5. How to Ask Good Questions?
