Lecture 2:

Presentation skills

2.1 Preparation

2.2 Media choices

2.3 Delivery

2.4 Questions
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 Timetable
Week Date Topic Who and
Where
1 7 Oct 3-4pm Introduction All in 1L61
2 10 Oct 3-4pm Library skills (Sally Smith, Group 1 in Lib103
library)
3 17 Oct 3-4pm Library skills (Sally Smith, Group 2
library) in Lib103
4 28 Oct 2-3pm Presentation skills All in 1L61
3-4pm Student presentations
5 4 Nov 2-3pm Writing skills All in 1L61
3-4pm Student presentations

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Preparation

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 Structure is all!
A clear, understandable structure to your talk
helps the audience to follow it:
• Hypothesis (introduction)
• Design of test (method)
• Results of test
• Conclusions

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 Check out your audience
• How many?
• Background?
• What do they know?
• What don’t they know?
• Aim at the student, not the expert!

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 Length of your talk
• Too much material – commonest error
• Rule of thumb: 2-3 minutes per slide
• One main point per slide
• Time is subjective! Speaker time, audience
time.
• Rehearse timings

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 Scripting your talk
• Don’t read a script
• Prepare one to rehearse timings (not more
than 100 words per minute)
• Use summary notes – cards?
• Visual aids are prompts but don’t design
them as such

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Media

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 Choice of media
• Just talk! Audience just sleeps.
• OHP slides – quick, simple, low tech
• 35mm slides – elaborate preparation, loss of
control
• Powerpoint – compelling tramlines
• Whiteboard - complex argument
• Flipchart – interactive
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Too much on one slide

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Avoid tabulated data

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Appropriate graphics settings

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Ghastly colours & too much detail

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Lazy and
illegible

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Delivery

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 Before the talk
• If possible, have a rehearsal in the
lecture room
• Before session, make sure you are
familiar with equipment
• Practise where to stand, practise
use of pointer
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 Timing
• Before talk – make sure you can
see a clock or bring your watch
• Pace yourself
• Don’t let persistent questioner take
control

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Being heard – engage audience

• Face audience, not screen!

• Head up, shoulders back
• Breathe from diaphram
• Address yourself to back row
• Use your hands
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 Respond to audience
• Keep eye contact (roving!)
• Watch the body language (boredom,
incomprehension, inappropriate
amusement)
• Respond to signals from the audience

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 Nerves
• It is natural to be a bit nervous
• Use that to help you
• Ensure you are physically comfortable
• Glass of water
• Most people are on your side!
• Relax tension with a joke or comment.
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Questions

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 Handling questions
• Make sure you understand – repeat it
• Clarify question: “Do you mean…..
” (thinking time)
• Say something (positive)
• Try to avoid closing things off: “I haven’t
looked at that, but we did find that…..”

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 Questions as feedback
• Questions mean that dialogue has begun
• Learn from questions – even the ill
conceived ones tell you something
• Say something
• Keep discussion going – avoid the closed
ended answer
• Leave time for questions
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 Thanks
• Afterschoool conducts three year integrated
PGPSE (after class 12 along with CA & CS) and
18 month PGPSE (Post Graduate Programme in
Social Entrepreneurship) along with preparation
for CFP / CFA / FRM. It also conducts
workshops on social entrepreneurship in schools
and colleges all over India – start social
entrepreneurship club in your institution today
with the help from afterschoool and help us in
developing society.
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 www.afterschoool.tk
social entrepreneurship for better
society

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