presentation skill hk

PRESENTATION SKILLS

Course Coordinator: Dolly Liu, BA (BFSU); MA (CUHK) Course Developer: Juliana Y Chan

ENGL A122 is a practical course that focuses on the skills students need to give academic, vocational or professional presentations. The course introduces students to different aspects of a presentation and enables students to deliver effective personal presentations. This is a foundation-level course, and it counts towards the '20-credit free choice' element of most undergraduate degree programmes.

Aims This course aims to provide students with a practical approach to mastering face-to-face presentations effectively. It guides students through all the principles needed for preparing and refining presentations so that they are appropriate for their specific audience and purpose. It also covers the use and development of visual aids, as well as non-verbal communication and skills related to delivery of your message and dealing with questions from the audience.

Contents The course covers the following topics:

• What is an effective presentation?
• Analysing the situation
• Building the presentation
• Managing body language and voice skills
• Managing visual aids
• Setting the stage and delivering the message

Learning support There will be regular two-hour tutorials and two day schools.

Assessment There will be three assignments, a compulsory video-taped oral presentation to be done in school (during one of the day schools) and a final examination. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Equipment You will need access to the internet, as well as a computer with PowerPoint, and a web browser which can play the audio and video components on the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

You will also need access to devices which can record your voice into MP3 format to complete the assignments.

Set book(s) There are no set books for this course.

Students with disabilities or special educational needs The audio and verbal components of the materials and assessment for the course may cause difficulties for students with impaired hearing or speech. You should seek advice from the Course Coordinator before enrolling on the course.

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27 Trainers share their Tips on how to improve Your Presentation Skills

For many people speaking in front of an audience is scary.

You must present a topic that you are supposed to know well (that’s why you were chosen to talk about it), while everyone in the room is staring at you. Hundreds of thoughts are going through your head…’Do I look ok? Are my clothes/hair/ makeup fine? Am I sweating? Should I stay still or should I move around? I can’t remember what to say.’

These are all common fears because we feel we’re under the microscope and everyone is focused on us analyzing every mistake.

To overcome anxiety about public speaking, you must learn how to improve your presentation skills.

Being able to present your ideas in a professional way is a necessary skill no matter the field in which you are working, whether you have your own business, or you work in a company or you have to sell cosmetics in a store.

The first step in solving a problem is acknowledging that you have an issue. Then you can start researching on your own and practice with a purpose.

To help you overcome your fear of public speaking, we reached out to 27 coaches and trainers and asked them:

Q. What is the most valuable advice for someone who wants to improve their presentation skills?

We received some awesome tips and techniques that you can use to deliver great presentations.

Drawn from countries across the world, our experts agreed that the technique which has most impact on the success of a presentation is Engagement…creating a two-way connection between us and the audience which ensures that we are addressing their needs and expectations.

Coming a close second in the top 3 presentation techniques our experts identified is Storytelling,  a technique which when used thoughtfully strongly impacts our authenticity and credibility.

In third place, a skill which can often get less attention than it deserves…Planning which of all the components of a successful presentation is, perhaps has the most widespread impact on our presentations.

We hope that you will find the practical tips on these and all the valuable insights of our experts useful as they share their experience drawn from years of working with presenters across a wide range of business sectors and situations. We thank them for their input.

Malcolm Andrews – Presentation Skills Trainer in Hong Kong

Bruce Au –  A.S. Watson Group

So the point is anyone can be a great presenter and is just the matter of how hard you put yourself into training and practice. Based on your personality everyone would have their own style of presenting that makes them feel comfortable and natural.

Go look at how great presenters present and gather your thoughts on their techniques or the way they speak. Trial and error on the techniques until you find a way that best suits yourself. In my opinion, another great way to arouse audience interest and get them to talk about it afterward is the use of story.

Tell a personal story or other stories that are relevant to the topic. Using a personal story has a great advantage because people will feel you are genuine and legit and they are more likely to buy-in to you.

Charlie Lang – Progressu

Most presenters tend to develop their presentation in the sequence they intend to give it, often following the model Opening – Body – Conclusion. However, it has proven to significantly improve the impact of a presentation if the development of the presentation is done in a reverse sequence.

Start by developing the conclusion which typically includes a summation of the key points followed by the key message you want the audience to take away and perhaps a call to action. Once this has been effectively crafted, go on by developing the body of the presentation, ideally following the ‘rule of 3’, such as 3 key points, 3 sub-points per key point, etc. Only then think about how you want to open the presentation, which typically includes an indication of the key message, the ‘map’ or overview of the key points and a ‘hook’, e.g. a rhetorical question or a short story or perhaps even an audacious lie.

Developing the presentation in reverse sequence forces you to first think very carefully what you want the audience to take away, thus your key points in the body will be very likely to be totally relevant. Once you worked through that, you will have a lot of clarity about all aspects of your presentation, allowing you to think of a very meaningful and high-impact opening.

Jasrin Singh – Eikaa

• Subject Matter Expertise – Be an expert on the topic you are presenting on. Knowing that you can answer any questions that are put to you, will boost your confidence.
• Authenticity – Know your true self and love your true self. One of the main reasons for nervousness on stage is trying to be someone you are not – or worrying about what people might think of you. Being deeply connected with your own soul exudes a confidence and charisma which cannot be got through “technical” expertise.
• Use Story Telling – nothing connects with and inspires people more than sharing stories where you personally have failed, succeeded, overcome limitations (relevant to your Subject matter)
• Deliver Value – No matter what the context of your presentation, think about how you can add value to your audience. Intend to uplift them and leave them with an impression of increase.

Jamie Dixon – Shaping Paths

For example, if you are trying to sell your apartment, then don’t tell them that it’s 200 square meters with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Tell them that the lounge is big enough to fit a ping pong table, you won’t have to fight with your partner in the morning over who gets to use the bathroom, and with that extra bedroom, you can have guests over to stay anytime you like.

Remus Zhong

Decide what information to present, then prepare any visuals, handouts, materials, and equipment that you will be using. Familiarise yourself with the content by practicing your delivery and timing. Any instructions should be clear, concise and specific.

Remember to allow time to carry out your instructions. Simplicity ensures that your session is understandable but not ‘dumbed down’, challenging but not too difficult to grasp. To do this, use:

• Short sentences
• Everyday words instead of jargon or technical terms
• Personal pronouns, like ‘I’ and ‘you’
• Active verbs instead of passive verbs
• A little humor

Stories help make your presentation memorable. After all, we are all wired to pay attention to (good) stories. A typical story flow goes:

• Connect (with the audience)
• Create (scenes in audience’s minds)
• Clearing (of prior messes)

Apart from full-fledged stories, you can share anecdotes and human interest stories. Just make sure that they are relevant to the topic of your presentation.

Sally Dellow – Dramatic Difference

For actors, nerves can power an electrifying performance. But for many others, they cause a blank brain, constricted breathing, shaking hands, fidgeting legs, tunnel vision and an opening paragraph peppered with “um” and “ah”.

The first part of managing your transition involves knowing what to expect:

Where will you be waiting before the speech: In the audience? Up on the stage? In the wings? Sitting or standing? Seated at a table or in a row of chairs? How big is the room? How far will you have to move from the waiting space to the speaking area? Will there be a lectern or can you move around? Are there steps up to the stage? How tall is the lectern? Is the projector on a table or ceiling-mounted?

Secondly, you need to make clear choices: Written notes or a laptop? Cue cards or A4 paper? Know the sequence of your slides, do some deliberate rehearsal…

Finally, as you move between waiting and speaking, do these three things with awareness:

1) Breathing

3) Moving in slow motion

All of this helps you feel safer and more in control. That keeps your head clear so you can connect with the audience and share your material with impact right from the first word.

Lily Ting – Asia Career Coaching

For example, in a self-introductory pitch people should not follow the chronological order, but rather start with key points such as their competencies, their passion, the highest or lowest in their life or even with a question. Then, the presentation has to be developed in a structured way. Using keywords can be useful to remember the sequence of the speech and ease the story, the demonstration etc..

The conclusion is as important as the start. It can be an illustration of the main theme, the outcome of an experience etc…It has to reiterate the key points presented at the beginning. Often it ends with a call for action. Apart from choosing the right words, demonstrating energy, getting the right tone, having the body engaged in the talk makes a definite difference in engaging the audience.

Iris Kloth –  Onwards & Upwards

First and foremost you get a sparring partner, you can explain the message you want to get across and by talking about it, make adjustments and amendments already.

Secondly, you’ll boost your confidence. A coach supports you towards your goals and is driven by your success. The feedback you get in the coaching process is invaluable and crucial for your success. In case you are dealing with fears and seemingly uncontrollable emotions, I am working on a short-term intervention called Wingwave. It kind of sorts out the fears and transforms it into positive energy. It feels quite magical to have a tool that in a very short time, helps you overcome your negative emotions, and even in some cases turns them towards the positive spectrum of liking public speaking.

Another key success factor with presentations is practice. Simulate the presentation, imagine the people in the room, anticipate questions and think about the answers. Be authentic and tell your story. Link whatever you are presenting to your own story or journey. The audience will enjoy hearing from people that are similar to themselves.

One of my preferred questions is, what is the worst that can happen? Usually, the fear is connected to the ego, self-confidence or fear of failure; remember the response you are getting from the audience is just feedback. And the beauty of feedback is that the choice is yours if you want to take it on board and if it is helpful on your onward journey.

Cristina Rodenbeck – Ignition Coaching

1. Each encounter is a presentation – The idea that presenting is only when you are up at a podium or in front of a room with Power Points slides behind you can be misleading; we can appear nonchalant and thus lose the opportunity to make a positive impression. Each encounter is a presentation – be ready and live up to each encounter.

2. First Impression and 3V’s of Communication – In business interactions, first impressions are crucial. A safe place to start is mastering Professor Albert Mehrabian’s 3 V’s of Communication: your visual, verbal, and vocal qualities because ultimately this is how you impact people. The 3 V’s is a great foundation for any human interaction.

3. Emotions can get in the way – It is not unusual to feel overwhelming nervousness when presenting or speaking in public. Stage fright can interfere with our ability to convey our message effectively. Rescue Remedy by Dr. Edward Bach can be really helpful. This ready-made flower remedy formula, which is 100% natural, can help you relax and focus on the task at hand.

4. Clarify your message – one of the greatest mistakes people make when it comes to communication and presentation skills is the lack of a clear and succinct message. Clarifying your message – the ONE thing you want people to remember after the presentation or communication – is key to a successful presentation.

5. Practice with feedback makes perfect – Practicing without feedback may mean that you stay in the blind spot. It’s important to get feedback so you know if what you’re saying is impactful and serves its purpose. Ask trusted colleagues, a manager, coach or mentor to evaluate your performance and give you specific feedback in a constructive manner!

Paul F Davis

Learn how to better connect with people. Be a lifelong learner, know what you are talking about, and only speak on what you are passionate about.

Kar Fei – Life Redesigned

The most valuable advice would be to turn your thoughts into structured and point form. When you present an idea, the best way to not lose people’s interest is when they know exactly how many points you have, and they know you are clear with what you want to say.

For example, when you start a presentation, tell them exactly that you have 3 things to talk about today. So in their mind, they are ready for 3 (or more) – and you will be able to keep them engaged and wait for all your 3 points.

This is one of the most important key for my clients who want to improve presentation and/or communication skills. Most of them speak before structuring their thoughts (or structured while speaking) – which makes them lose engagement and interests from other party.

Carole Stovall – SLS Global

1. Presentations are a type of language. To be the most effective, you need to know the cultural expectations of your audience, the country, and company you are working in! So immediately, be open to adapting your presentation style. Your objectives stay the same, but your style will usually need to change, regardless of how effective your presentation have been in the US.

2. Make No Assumptions about your presentation skills. What you have always done in your country may or may not be the most effective way to communicate in the country where you are. This is OK! Take inventory of the skills of the most successful people and executives where you are. Ask others what they think are the most successful presentations and why, then listen, learn and adapt.

3. Initially, create your presentations using feedback from others, from those who will provide a real critique. This can be difficult information to get when in an Asian country because criticism to your face is usually considered very rude. Make sure they know that you sincerely want this information and over time you can receive it. But it is critically important to understand how your communication is being received. So when giving your presentation, notice how people respond to what you are saying and how you are saying it – work to read the room. Then after your presentation, again seek out the feedback.

These steps can seem like they take a lot of time, but especially in the beginning, they will actually help people to work faster and faster when working in a different country.

If you notice that many things I have said are good things to do wherever you are, that is correct!! The biggest difference in foreign countries is to stop and always consider the culture where you are. But, culture is everywhere and is different from company to company as well as from country to country. Being AWARE of this fact and adjusting our style to the realities of where we are, who we are communicating with is the real secret. This is emotional intelligence at work!

Syed Irfan Ajmal

My most valuable advice for colleagues that want to improve their presentation skills would be to ensure their presentation is created and available in multiple formats (pptx, ppt, PDF and more) and that it is also available in more than one locations (e.g. email, 2 flash drives etc), and that they should still do their rehearsals as if there was no presentation that they can use.

This is especially important when there are power cuts or other issues (such as their MacBook’s flash drive not working on a Windows PC) so that they can do their presentation flawlessly. If they still want some kind of reading material, they should have a list of topics and related info written on an ordered list of flashcards.

Calum Coburn – The Negotiation Experts

1. In some countries, including Japan and China, the approach of starting your business presentation by promoting your company as being the best doesn’t go down very well. Japanese and Chinese are more modest and careful about self-promotion. It’s more of a ‘we’ than a ‘me’. Best to take some local advice from an agent or member of your team who is from your local country.

2. Passion sells. So think about the emotion you want your audience to receive your presentation with, and lead with this emotion.

3. Australian audiences and therefore presentations are not too dissimilar from our cousins over in America. Australians or Aussies like a sprinkling of humour, preferably self-effacing humour. We picked this up from our British ancestors. Humour is best added at the end of your presentation design, just as you add spices near the end of your meal presentation. Conversely, front-load your presentation with some humour. This relaxes your audience and allows your audience to better relate to you as a speaker.

Steve de Mamiel

In addition, it makes the presenter focus on answering a question rather than linearly delivering a set of facts with no natural conclusion. For example, if your presentation was on free trade, your could topic could be: “America needs to promote free trade and remove trade tariffs.” Or alternativity, the topic could “How American free trade could improve living standards of families..”

With that subtle change of topic, it raises questions with the audience that they expect to be answered, it personalizes the topic and directs the presenter through a logical discussion with a natural conclusion. The presentation can then follow a storyline that is easy for the presenter to prepare and present.

Terrance Leung – Progressu

As you getting more comfortable presenting, continuously develop and upgrade your style while being aware of how the audience feels about your presentation and seeking feedback as appropriate.

R!k Schnabel –  Life Beyond Limits

As a trainer of world-class speakers for the last 14 years, here is one tip that makes the greatest difference in a speakers ability to present with calm and power.

The aim is to move a speaker from fovic vision to expanded awareness.

What is it?

It’s the way we focus our viewpoint.

When we’re stressed or in hyper alert, we move into ‘tunnel vision.’ It’s an ancient neural pattern that we’ve had since hunting bison. We need tunnel vision (or fovic vision) to be able to predict where the bison will run to and how fast we need to run and at which trajectory to hit that beast with a spear. All while running.

Speakers in a nervous state are typically fovic, but the audience are certainly not bison. Though this way of looking at the audience will activate our sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. In other words, our ‘flight’ or ‘fight’ responses.

How do we calm ourselves down and give our best talk?

If you can expand your vision from fovic to ‘expanded awareness’ by taking in the entire landscape around you all at once, you will immediately start to calm down. This way of looking forward will have you seeing the sides of the stage as well as the audience and cause your brainwave patterns to move from high-level Beta waves (stress) to calming Alpha waves; the kind of brain patterns that comes from meditation and relaxation techniques.

Try it now and notice (once you get over the weirdness of it) how you start to calm your thoughts as you look forward and wiggle your fingers at the side of your head, near your ears. See your wiggling fingers as well as the audience and you will look forward to a relaxed, professional talk.

Speak out, speak up and change the world.

Trish Springsteen

In my opinion, there is not one single element to giving a great presentation – you need to have several pieces of the puzzle there to be truly effective. One without the other can impact on how well you get your message across.

It’s about them if you don’t know your audience you don’t know what to share and how and where you want to take them. It’s about having confidence and self-belief in your message and your expertise, without that you can’t effectively reach your audience. It’s about being genuine and authentic -if you aren’t the audience will be less likely to buy into your message,

It’s about knowing what outcome you want from this particular audience at this particular time – if you don’t know where you want to take your audience you can wander in the wilderness and take your audience with you.

For me these are all pieces that go to making an effective speaker – the body language , the voice, the stage presence are techniques and strategies – they add the polish.

Get these foundations right and you are on your way to being a great presenter.

From over 20 years of speaking, training, talking to other speakers and trainers, discussing with audiences and my guests on my radio shows one of the top characteristics of a great presenter is authenticity and being genuine – be you.

Deborah Ostreicher –  Distinguished Communications

If you are interested, passionate and truly care about your topic, you have the best chance of getting your audience to care. If they care, they can connect. If they connect, you can make an impact. You can be effective.

How many times have you sat through long, boring presentations of graphs and charts and data; and no one in the room, including the speaker, appears to actually care? That’s not to say that hard data isn’t important; but what’s more important is finding the emotional touch point for the speaker and the audience that will create a connection.

Is there anything you can find in your presentation, that you truly care about, that inspires your message?

Once you can identify what you can relate to and how you feel about it, you can be effective in connecting with your audience. The best way to connect is to find a way to relate to the audience. It is surprising how often people don’t make an effort to do this. More common, presentations are: “Here’s who we are.” “Here’s what we do.” “Here’s what we sell.”

Less often do we hear: “I’m passionate about this because..(I feel safer, I feel proud, I have a better quality of life)” “What this can change for your audience is..(less fear, more honor, contentment)”

Effective presenters deliver information AND tap into emotions. People connect through how they feel- not through data alone: love, fear, pity, anger, excitement, honor, surprise, etc. Feelings ultimately drive action – not logic and reason alone.

This isn’t new information; just rather forgotten. It goes all the way back to Aristotle and his teachings on the value of the emotional appeal.

Jinxuan Ann Zhang

• Where they’re with their presentation skills;
• What’s their role in the company (seniority, function, audience and so on);
• Where they come from.

Yet, disregard all the above factors, there is one single advice that applicable and most valuable to everyone is: TELL A GOOD STORY. Generally speaking, storytelling is a skill that everybody needs to improve and can improve. Other advice may be:

• Confidence – Learn to control the room; Speak with the audience, not to talk to yourself or read the slides;
• Well-designed slides and packages: keep it simple yet attractive; not full of texts, numbers, and graphics, nor too fancy. Visual aids shall be kept to the minimum only if they help illustrate the point or tell the story.
• Control the delivery process: there shall be a flow that helps engage the audience.

Jason Murray –  RAIN Group

• What do I want my audience to learn? All presentations must aim to educate the audience in some way. Otherwise, why would they listen?
• What do I want my audience to feel? All presentations must evoke an emotional response. Otherwise, why would they remember it?
• What do I want my audience to do? All presentations must inspire action for the audience take. Otherwise, what is the point in them listening?

If you can answer these three simple, yet powerful questions, much of the other advice on content, structure, and delivery will be amplified.

Mark Stuart – Anagram Group

Therefore, my advice is very simply preparation. This involves allocating time for developing the content, designing the slides, crafting your script, practicing delivering it in front of someone (friends, family, colleagues, even the mirror or your phone) and then remembering it to the point where you don’t need your slides as a crutch.

There is such a thing as over-preparation, but you can worry about that once your confidence levels have increased. Over time, your preparation time will decrease, and it will start to feel more natural. Then, your friends will start to talk about you as a natural presenter and start asking you for advice.

Julian Mather

I thought audiences were hostile and it was my job to win them over. Wrong. Audiences desperately want you to be in control. Why? Because it means they don’t have to think. We all spend our days thinking and being responsible. If you show/act as you are in control they will support you for their own self-interested reasons.

What really propelled me in confidence was accepting I wasn’t important. I thought I was. The truth is as soon as the audience leaves the room they are thinking about groceries, picking up kids, getting to a meeting. They are NOT thinking about you.

So if you make a mistake or do a sub-par presentation the only person in the world likely worrying about it is you. Just make some notes on where to improve and get up there and do your next one. You’ll fly faster and sooner if you think this way.

Emma Bannister –  Presentation Agency

Pulling together a presentation is so much more than making some slides ‘look pretty’. You must invest the time and energy into planning a powerful presentation so that your audience will invest their time and energy in you.

The challenge is that most of us, especially those of us who work in organisations, are time poor. We often pull together the information for a presentation at the last hurried minute. Finding the time to research, write, design and rehearse is always going to be a challenge. While yes, we’re doing the best we can, the best is not usually enough.

Presentations should be treated no differently to any other marketing collateral or consumer-facing information. In fact, you should invest more care, attention, time and effort into them because shareholders, customers, clients, colleagues and the public see them time and time again.

When you start to care about what you’re presenting and how, then your audience will begin to care about you.

Godfrey Oyeniran –  Spirit Worth

For example, that could involve joining your local Toastmasters chapter. Toastmasters offers a structured and supportive environment to practice public speaking. It also allows you to get feedback, something that is important if you want to know how to improve your performance.

If you don’t yet feel ready to present in front of other people, you could always start by practicing by yourself. In its most simple form that could mean delivering your speech in front of a mirror. More valuable, however, would be to take advantage of technology to record yourself in action. Whether you choose to use your laptop or your smartphone, try filming yourself presenting on a topic. This will give you a better sense of your sound, posture, speaking pace and so on.

Even though receiving honest, unbiased third-party feedback may be more valuable, hearing and seeing yourself in action should still give you ideas on where you can improve.

Carina Rogerio – SeeAre

• Content: what is my level of expertise in the field and how can I share it?
• Compensation of weaknesses: what is missing or what is it that I need to watch out for?

Looking closely, this approach is not very empowering. The presentation is set up as if you are justifying why you get to talk about it. These questions are not wrong but they should not be the focus to start with. Instead, you could ask yourself the following:

• Whom am I talking to? Identify the audience and what they seek out of the given presentation. On the same topic, the expectations of a board of directors or a team meeting are different.
• Depending on who they are, how can my presentation add value to them?

Being asked to do a presentation means you are deemed to be able to provide input to the audience. Trying to download all your expertise in the area is often not the best way. Focus on the audience and find what is relevant to that specific audience. Once identified, you build the content around it and then pinpoint what to watch out for.

Susan Sadler

1. Forget about yourself. I know, it sounds strange. You spend so much time thinking about what you want, what you want to say. But your impact is a direct result of your understanding of your audience. You have to get out of your own way and really think about what you want your audience to take away. Which leads me to:

2. Know your audience. There’s nothing more frustrating than listening to someone who talks to you like you have no knowledge or experience with the subject matter. Acknowledge those who know a lot, as well as those who don’t. What do they have to gain by listening to you? What do you want them to do (or not do?). Put yourself in their shoes – what would make you want to nod along and stay engaged?

3. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Preparation isn’t sexy, but it’s essential. All of those TED talk speakers who make it look easy? I can just about guarantee they spent a ton of time preparing and rehearsing. Your goal may not be a TED talk, and that’s ok, the same principles of preparation apply. Anticipate ‘hot buttons’ and questions.

4. Get feedback. If it’s a high stakes presentation, enlist a colleague to listen and give you feedback before the presentation. If it’s a regular meeting (still important!), ask a peer or colleague to give you feedback afterward – what went well, what could have better. And offer to the same for him or her.

5. It’s not about perfection. Of course, you want to be impactful and persuasive. But many people get caught up in achieving some elusive idea of perfection. Approach your presentation with some lightness and optimism. And most importantly, be yourself. It’s your most valuable and unique strength.

Thanks everyone

Thank you so much to everyone that contributed to this expert roundup, including Minuca of minucaelena.com for coordinating! If you have any questions or comments please contact me at the address below.

What was your favourite tip?  Share it on social and let me know.

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General Study Skills: Presentation Skills

• New to Library Research
• Study Skills
• Exam Skills

Presentation Skills

• Time Management
• Life Skills
• Positive Psychology

When talking about the presentation, 2 elements are usually involved: the visual effects and the speech (audio element). A third element that is quite often overlooked by some presenters is the handout. With the handout, the audience will be able to and willing to follow the presentation.

Visual effects:

• Effective Presentation Design & Delivery (Georgetown University Library)
• Designing an Effective PowerPoint Presentation: Quick Guide (Purdue University)
• General PowerPoint and Presenting Tips (University of Michigan Library)
• Making Better PowerPoint Presentations (Vanderbilt University)
• Using PowerPoint to its Potential (University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Presentation:

• Free PowerPoint Templates (Slide Hunter)
• Giving an Oral Presentation (University of Southern Calfiornia)
• Presentation Skills and Tools: Public Speaking (Georgetown University Library)
• Presenting Your Research (University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
• Speech Anxiety (University of Pittsburgh)

The library also host a lot of books on developing your presentation skills:

Learning Support

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Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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6 presentation skills and how to improve them

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What are presentation skills?

The importance of presentation skills, 6 presentation skills examples, how to improve presentation skills.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety

Learn how to captivate an audience with ease

Capturing an audience’s attention takes practice. 

Over time, great presenters learn how to organize their speeches and captivate an audience from start to finish. They spark curiosity, know how to read a room , and understand what their audience needs to walk away feeling like they learned something valuable.

Regardless of your profession, you most likely use presentation skills on a monthly or even weekly basis. Maybe you lead brainstorming sessions or host client calls. 

Developing effective presentation skills makes it easier to contribute ideas with confidence and show others you’re someone to trust. Although speaking in front of a crowd sometimes brings nerves and anxiety , it also sparks new opportunities.

Presentation skills are the qualities and abilities you need to communicate ideas effectively and deliver a compelling speech. They influence how you structure a presentation and how an audience receives it. Understanding body language , creating impactful visual aids, and projecting your voice all fall under this umbrella.

A great presentation depends on more than what you say. It’s about how you say it. Storytelling , stage presence, and voice projection all shape how well you express your ideas and connect with the audience. These skills do take practice, but they’re worth developing — especially if public speaking makes you nervous. 

Engaging a crowd isn’t easy. You may feel anxious to step in front of an audience and have all eyes and ears on you.

But feeling that anxiety doesn’t mean your ideas aren’t worth sharing. Whether you’re giving an inspiring speech or delivering a monthly recap at work, your audience is there to listen to you. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into progress.

Strong presentation skills make it easier to convey your thoughts to audiences of all sizes. They can help you tell a compelling story, convince people of a pitch , or teach a group something entirely new to them. And when it comes to the workplace, the strength of your presentation skills could play a part in getting a promotion or contributing to a new initiative.

To fully understand the impact these skills have on creating a successful presentation, it’s helpful to look at each one individually. Here are six valuable skills you can develop:

1. Active listening

Active listening is an excellent communication skill for any professional to hone. When you have strong active listening skills, you can listen to others effectively and observe their nonverbal cues . This helps you assess whether or not your audience members are engaged in and understand what you’re sharing. 

Great public speakers use active listening to assess the audience’s reactions and adjust their speech if they find it lacks impact. Signs like slouching, negative facial expressions, and roaming eye contact are all signs to watch out for when giving a presentation.

2. Body language

If you’re researching presentation skills, chances are you’ve already watched a few notable speeches like TED Talks or industry seminars. And one thing you probably noticed is that speakers can capture attention with their body language. 

A mixture of eye contact, hand gestures , and purposeful pacing makes a presentation more interesting and engaging. If you stand in one spot and don’t move your body, the audience might zone out.

3. Stage presence

A great stage presence looks different for everyone. A comedian might aim for more movement and excitement, and a conference speaker might focus their energy on the content of their speech. Although neither is better than the other, both understand their strengths and their audience’s needs. 

Developing a stage presence involves finding your own unique communication style . Lean into your strengths, whether that’s adding an injection of humor or asking questions to make it interactive . To give a great presentation, you might even incorporate relevant props or presentation slides.

4. Storytelling

According to Forbes, audiences typically pay attention for about 10 minutes before tuning out . But you can lengthen their attention span by offering a presentation that interests them for longer. Include a narrative they’ll want to listen to, and tell a story as you go along. 

Shaping your content to follow a clear narrative can spark your audience’s curiosity and entice them to pay careful attention. You can use anecdotes from your personal or professional life that take your audience along through relevant moments. If you’re pitching a product, you can start with a problem and lead your audience through the stages of how your product provides a solution.

5. Voice projection

Although this skill may be obvious, you need your audience to hear what you’re saying. This can be challenging if you’re naturally soft-spoken and struggle to project your voice.

Remember to straighten your posture and take deep breaths before speaking, which will help you speak louder and fill the room. If you’re talking into a microphone or participating in a virtual meeting, you can use your regular conversational voice, but you still want to sound confident and self-assured with a strong tone.

If you’re unsure whether everyone can hear you, you can always ask the audience at the beginning of your speech and wait for confirmation. That way, they won’t have to potentially interrupt you later.

Ensuring everyone can hear you also includes your speed and annunciation. It’s easy to speak quickly when nervous, but try to slow down and pronounce every word. Mumbling can make your presentation difficult to understand and pay attention to.

6. Verbal communication 

Although verbal communication involves your projection and tone, it also covers the language and pacing you use to get your point across. This includes where you choose to place pauses in your speech or the tone you use to emphasize important ideas.

If you’re giving a presentation on collaboration in the workplace , you might start your speech by saying, “There’s something every workplace needs to succeed: teamwork.” By placing emphasis on the word “ teamwork ,” you give your audience a hint on what ideas will follow.

To further connect with your audience through diction, pay careful attention to who you’re speaking to. The way you talk to your colleagues might be different from how you speak to a group of superiors, even if you’re discussing the same subject. You might use more humor and a conversational tone for the former and more serious, formal diction for the latter.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to presenting. Maybe you’re confident in your use of body language, but your voice projection needs work. Maybe you’re a great storyteller in small group settings, but need to work on your stage presence in front of larger crowds. 

The first step to improving presentation skills is pinpointing your gaps and determining which qualities to build upon first. Here are four tips for enhancing your presentation skills:

1. Build self-confidence

Confident people know how to speak with authority and share their ideas. Although feeling good about your presentation skills is easier said than done, building confidence is key to helping your audience believe in what you’re saying. Try practicing positive self-talk and continuously researching your topic's ins and outs.

If you don’t feel confident on the inside, fake it until you make it. Stand up straight, project your voice, and try your best to appear engaged and excited. Chances are, the audience doesn’t know you’re unsure of your skills — and they don’t need to.

Another tip is to lean into your slideshow, if you’re using one. Create something colorful and interesting so the audience’s eyes fall there instead of on you. And when you feel proud of your slideshow, you’ll be more eager to share it with others, bringing more energy to your presentation.

2. Watch other presentations

Developing the soft skills necessary for a good presentation can be challenging without seeing them in action. Watch as many as possible to become more familiar with public speaking skills and what makes a great presentation. You could attend events with keynote speakers or view past speeches on similar topics online.

Take a close look at how those presenters use verbal communication and body language to engage their audiences. Grab a notebook and jot down what you enjoyed and your main takeaways. Try to recall the techniques they used to emphasize their main points, whether they used pauses effectively, had interesting visual aids, or told a fascinating story.

3. Get in front of a crowd

You don’t need a large auditorium to practice public speaking. There are dozens of other ways to feel confident and develop good presentation skills.

If you’re a natural comedian, consider joining a small stand-up comedy club. If you’re an avid writer, participate in a public poetry reading. Even music and acting can help you feel more comfortable in front of a crowd.

If you’d rather keep it professional, you can still work on your presentation skills in the office. Challenge yourself to participate at least once in every team meeting, or plan and present a project to become more comfortable vocalizing your ideas. You could also speak to your manager about opportunities that flex your public speaking abilities.

4. Overcome fear

Many people experience feelings of fear before presenting in front of an audience, whether those feelings appear as a few butterflies or more severe anxiety. Try grounding yourself to shift your focus to the present moment. If you’re stuck dwelling on previous experiences that didn’t go well, use those mistakes as learning experiences and focus on what you can improve to do better in the future.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety 

It’s normal to feel nervous when sharing your ideas. In fact, according to a report from the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, public speaking anxiety is prevalent in 15–30% of the general population .

Even though having a fear of public speaking is common, it doesn’t make it easier. You might feel overwhelmed, become stiff, and forget what you were going to say. But although the moment might scare you, there are ways to overcome the fear and put mind over matter.

Use these tactics to reduce your stress when you have to make a presentation:

1. Practice breathing techniques

If you experience anxiety often, you’re probably familiar with breathing techniques for stress relief . Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can help you stop worrying and regulate anxious feelings. 

Before a big presentation, take a moment alone to practice breathing techniques, ground yourself, and reduce tension. It’s also a good idea to take breaths throughout the presentation to speak slower and calm yourself down .

2. Get organized

The more organized you are, the more prepared you’ll feel. Carefully outline all of the critical information you want to use in your presentation, including your main talking points and visual aids, so you don’t forget anything. Use bullet points and visuals on each slide to remind you of what you want to talk about, and create handheld notes to help you stay on track.

3. Embrace moments of silence

It’s okay to lose your train of thought. It happens to even the most experienced public speakers once in a while. If your mind goes blank, don’t panic. Take a moment to breathe, gather your thoughts, and refer to your notes to see where you left off. You can drink some water or make a quick joke to ease the silence or regain your footing. And it’s okay to say, “Give me a moment while I find my notes.” Chances are, people understand the position you’re in.

4. Practice makes progress

Before presenting, rehearse in front of friends and family members you trust. This gives you the chance to work out any weak spots in your speech and become comfortable communicating out loud. If you want to go the extra mile, ask your makeshift audience to ask a surprise question. This tests your on-the-spot thinking and will prove that you can keep cool when things come up.

Whether you’re new to public speaking or are a seasoned presenter, you’re bound to make a few slip-ups. It happens to everyone. The most important thing is that you try your best, brush things off, and work on improving your skills to do better in your next presentation.

Although your job may require a different level of public speaking than your favorite TED Talk , developing presentation skills is handy in any profession. You can use presentation skills in a wide range of tasks in the workplace, whether you’re sharing your ideas with colleagues, expressing concerns to higher-ups, or pitching strategies to potential clients.

Remember to use active listening to read the room and engage your audience with an interesting narrative. Don’t forget to step outside your comfort zone once in a while and put your skills to practice in front of a crowd. After facing your fears, you’ll feel confident enough to put presentation skills on your resume.

If you’re trying to build your skills and become a better employee overall, try a communications coach with BetterUp. 

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Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

The significance of written communication in the workplace

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Presentation Skills Series: Successful Public Speaking and Storytelling

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Public speaking and storytelling are essential for inspiring partners and garnering support for conservation and development goals. 

The Global Wildlife Program (GWP), funded by the GEF and led by the World Bank, organized two workshops aimed at improving public speaking and storytelling skills for GWP project teams. The workshops were led by instructors from Dale Carnegie , a renowned institution in communication and leadership training, and 64 participants from 29 countries joined to learn how to engage listeners and deliver compelling presentations. Participants gained confidence in sharing their conservation stories with diverse audiences. 

Five key takeaways from the workshop :

major points I will make, and with what supporting ideas and evidence?

Use an interesting opening such as a surprising statement, a question, or a story to draw your listeners in.

Delivery makes presentations come alive . Use techniques such as word emphasis, pauses, pacing, voice modulation, phrasing, and movement to capture your audience’s attention and communicate with greater impact.

Handle a question-and-answer session confidently. You can invite questions during a discussion round by saying “Who has the first question?”, or if there are no questions, you can state and answer your own question to start a discussion. 

Take time to craft closing remarks that leave a positive lasting impression and fulfill your objectives, whether that is to inform, persuade, or inspire the audience.

With these tips, participants were trained to use the power of presentations to deliver memorable and effective talks, share the impacts of their conservation work, and communicate with partners and stakeholders. Additionally, participants from India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Panama, and Tanzania had the opportunity to attend small-group coaching sessions to deliver mock presentations and practice these skills with the instructors.

“The session was very useful. I learned more on being concise with presentations, structuring them based on the simple tips that David shared with us, and on the flow of ideas for the presenter to meet intended objectives of the presentation with the audience.” – Damas, Tanzania

“David’s coaching helped me re-connect with the WHY and keep the presentation simple to connect better with the audience.” – Ricardo, Panama

Global Wildlife Program 

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PSB Presentation Skills

• Introduction
• Storytelling
• Presentation Outlines
• Writing a Presentation Script
• Tools for Creating Presentations
• Creating Interactive Presentations
• Designing Presentation Slides
• Finding & Citing Media

Citing Your Sources on Slides

• Preparing & Testing Technology
• Recording Your Presentation
• Handling Audience Questions
• Presentation Anxiety
• Group Presentations
• Online Presentations
• Feedback Form
• Co-Curricular Recognition Form
• Faculty Resources

In this section, we'll look at a few examples of how you might cite your sources in your presentation.

You can also learn more about your rights and responsibilities when using copyrighted material on Sheridan Library's Copyright for Students guide .

Note: Citation examples on this page use APA Style (7th Edition).

Check with your professor first to find out which citation style they want you to use (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.) for your project, and then find the right citation style guide on Sheridan Library's Citing Your Sources site to learn more!

Citation Examples for Presentations

• In-Text, Speaker Notes, & Reference List
• Tables & Figures
• Spoken Citations

Style guides like APA offer guidance on citing print sources in research essays, but don't have specific rules around presentation slide decks.

An easy solution is to follow the same author-date citation system to create in-text citations in your slides that match up with a reference list at the end of your slide deck . You need to make sure you're adding in-text citations in two key places: your slide deck and in the speaker notes in your slides.

Watch the video below to learn more about citing sources in your slide deck:

Style guides like APA offer guidance on citing tables (e.g., charts, graphs, etc.) and figures (e.g., photos, images, etc.) in research essays, but don't have specific rules around presentation slide decks.

Watch the video below to learn the basics about citing images found online using APA Style. For more information, check out the links below the video to learn more about citing tables and images from other sources:

• Clip Art or Stock Image References. (APA Style Blog) Learn the basics of citing images and knowing when you need to provide a full attribution for an image.
• Image Citation Guide. (The University of British Columbia) Learn how to cite images found in print and electronic publications, from licensed image databases, and from online sources. This guide also walks you through citing images with Creative Commons licenses.
• Recommended Practices for Attribution. (CC wiki). Learn the basic components of a Creative Commons (CC) attribution. Guide includes an overview of great, good, and incorrect attribution of CC images.
• Using Tables in Assignments & Class Presentations. (James Cook University, Australia). Learn a simplified way to reference tables found online, in journal articles, from e-books, and more.

During an oral presentation, it's important to tell your audience where information, ideas, or words came from as you say it .

Your audience can't check your in-text citations or reference list easily in the middle of a live presentation, and it's difficult to tell which ideas are yours and which ideas came from another person. It's important to introduce your source before you present the information so your audience has more context about the original source and how you used it to build your argument.

Watch the video below to learn more about how to cite sources in a speech or during a presentation:

Verbal Citation Examples

• According to [Author Name], a professor of [Field of Study] at [University Name]…
• [Author Name], author of the [Publication Year] study, [Article Title], argues that…
• [Author Name], a journalist writing for the prestigious [Newspaper Name], offers this example…

Using a Direct Quote

Tell your audience what you're quoting by clearly marking the beginning and ending of the quote using one of the following options:

• Pause slightly after introducing the source (e.g., using one of the examples above), then read the quote expressively so that the quote sounds like a second voice. Pause again after the quote to indicate you are switching back to your own voice.
• Say "Quote" immediately before you start reading the quote, and then say "Endquote" right after you've finished reading the quote.
• If you're presenting in-person, you can use "air quote" by holding up one or both of your hands and moving your pointer and index finers up and down quickly, as if you were drawing quotation marks in the air.

Footnotes in research essays can be used for a few different reasons, including:

• Providing more context or background information for readers;
• Noting copyright permissions if you needed permission to use material that falls outside of Fair Dealing ;
• Adding citations or parenthetical information to avoid breaking up slide text.

APA Style does not recommend using footnotes for citations or parenthetical information in research essays, but there are no rules about their use in presentation slide decks. Check with your professor first if you'd like to use footnotes in your slide deck.

Below is an example of a slide deck that includes a footnote with a parenthetical citation, a footnote that includes the full reference, and a reference list that would appear on the last slide of your presentation:

Footnotes in Slide Decks by Sheridan Learning Services

Check out the video below to learn how to add footnotes in a PowerPoint slide deck:

• Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 11:20 AM
• URL: https://sheridancollege.libguides.com/psb-presentation-skills-module

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