Presentation is the practice of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an udience or learner. Presentations come in nearly as many forms as there are life situations. In the business world, there are sales resentations, informational and motivational presentations, first encounters, interviews, briefings, status reports, mage-building, and of course, the inevitable training sessions.

1. +
Improving Presentation Skills
www.greenleafinstitute.com

2. +
Introduction
 Successful formal presentations, depending on the situation and
context, require a number of skills
 They may range from oral skills to body language
 Furthermore, they may depend on not only good PowerPoint slides,
but also the coordination between the presenter and ‘what’ as well as
‘how’ the content is being presented

3. +
Honorific
 Honorifics are appropriate forms or terms for addressing and
acknowledging VIP guests, at the beginning, during and/or
conclusion of a presentation and helps to maintain a sense of social
decorum—e.g. Honour, Honourable, Your Royal Highness, Your
Excellency, Esteemed colleagues/guests, Sir, etc.
 It is important to address the appropriate VIPs in the customary and
traditional manner befitting the situation—this may vary from culture
to culture as well as corporate culture to corporate culture
 It is the responsibility of the speaker to become familiar with such
customs and/or honorifics (address forms)

4. +
Language 1/2
 In
terms of the language usage, the following
features are important:
 Fluency: one needs to be in control of his or her speech and
be spontaneous and natural in the use of language
 Accuracy (grammar—Sub. verb agreement, singular / plural,
tense, etc.): The correct usage of a language is very imp.

5. +
Language 2/2
 Appropriacy: along with correct usage, appropriate usage of
language is also significant—in other words, when and how
language is used is based on the right situation and context
 Semantics (vocabulary, antonym, synonym): just eloquent
speech and emotion, individual words if used appropriately,
can convey powerful message—it is very important to have a
good stock of relevant vocabularies

6. +
Paralanguage
 How you express yourself based on gestures, postures
and the right tone of voice, to convey and communicate
your message in the most effective manner is known as
paralanguage:
 Verbal Paralanguage: raising, lowering, and fluctuating your voice
to express various emotions like happiness, sadness, motivation,
anxiety, encouragement, etc.
 Non-Verbal Paralanguage (body language): gesture, posture, body
movement, hand movement, countenance (facial expression) ,
pacing and walking (if there is a platform), etc. to better express
yourself

7. +
Eye Contact
 Eye contact is one of the most important criteria in making a
connection with the audience. One requires plenty of practice to
master such an art form. Depending on the audience and the
circumstance, a combination of the following eye contacts are
recommended:
 One-on-one: to make connection at the individual level
 Group: to acknowledge a particular section or sections of the
audience
 Panoramic view (of everyone): an overall view with the entire
audient on the floor

8. +
Voice Projection
 To project your voice you need to cover the entire auditorium or
conference hall so that everyone—from the front to the last
row—can hear you clearly
 You should not have to shout, rather you need to carry your
voice throughout the entire space of a hall so that everyone can
hear you evenly
 In other words, the objective of voice projection is to make
yourself audible to everyone without having to shout
 If you shout, your voice will not last for long and you’ll end up
with a terrible sore throat and loose your voice in the process

9. +
Pronunciation
 Good English pronunciation does not necessarily mean being
able to speak with either an American or British accent.
 Good pronunciation based on the concept of mutually
intelligible, which means that when you speak in English, the
audience should be able to understand your English and what
you are trying to say
 But it important to avoid mispronunciation to save yourself from
embarrassment—e.g. say ‘yes’ not ‘yech’, say ‘sir’ not ‘char’,
say ‘sheet’ not ‘shit’, say ‘beach’ not ‘bitch’, say ‘passport’ not
‘fassfort’

10. +
Structure
 The structure of a presentation will be based on the topic, time
limit, the audience, and the resource facilities, among other
factors
 The good structure should include a strong
opening/introduction, body with good logic and relevant
examples, and finally a strong conclusion/closing that will leave
a lasting impression on the mind of the audience

11. +
Content
 Like the structure, the contend of a presentation will depend on
the audience, time limit, and the topic, among other factors
 Whether the content will be detailed or brief, comprising the
jargons of the topic, will be based on the prior/background
knowledge of the audience
 It is important to consider the fact that if the content is too
detailed, it might be difficult for the audience to understand; then
again, if the content is too brief or shallow, the audience might
be insulted for being told the obvious, that is, things they already
know

12. +
Rapport
 Developing/establishing a rapport with the audience is
one of keys to a successful presentation
 Though there is no hard and fast rule to developing
rapport with the audience, the following may be
considered:
 Audience friendliness (to seem approachable)
 Humour (to lighten up a situation)
 Obvious questions (to generate correct responses)
 Eye contact (to acknowledge and/or establish presence)

13. +
Attire
 Gone are the days of the proverb: don’t judge a book by its
cover—in today’s world, publishers spend a lot of money to find
the right cover to attract the reader
 Dressing appropriately is a significant part of a good
presentation, as it helps to draw the attention of the audience
 You need to be the centre of attention, first with your attire, and
subsequently with your content and presentation style
 However, try to avoid wearing loud clothes, that is, clothes that
are too colourful, out of style, and inappropriate—always
maintain a professional outlook

14. +
Attitude
 Attitude is a reflection of ones personality—it can make or
break a person
 It is important to maintain a professional but approachable
attitude
 Be inviting and open, at the same time uphold a dignified
decorum
 If questions are allowed during the presentation, or Q/A
session (at the end of the presentation), don’t ever show your
annoyance/irritation or anger, no matter how silly, stupid or
confrontational the questions and/or comments may seem
 It is absolutely essential to remain cool, calm & collective,
and above all, in complete control of your emotions

15. +
Time-management
 Time-management does not merely involve
punctuality in terms of arriving at the presentation
venue on time, but also includes:
 starting and ending the presentation on time
 keep track (of time) during the presentation
 dividing the presentation time into segments to enable you
to discuss all the relevant sections of your presentation—
without abusing the time-limit
Be punctual, start on time, end on time, keep tract (of time)
during the presentation

16. +
Cultural appropriacy 1/2
 Oneof the most sensitive criteria of a good
presentation is being aware of cultural appropriacy:
 Honorifics: the appropriate address forms of opening a
presentation is based on the cultural and corporate
appropriacy
 Paralanguage: should be based on what is acceptable in
particular cultures—it is imp. to get to know the ‘dos & don’ts’
of a culture

17. +
Cultural appropriacy 2/2
 Eye contact, rapport: in some conservative cultures direct
eye contact and establishing rapport in an explicit manner
might be considered rather offensive
 Attire: the choice of right attire may depend on the culture,
context and the appropriacy of a situation

18. +
Link to further resources
 Forfurther resources, especially on the usage of
language used in public speaking during
presentations, with practice exercises, you can
explore the following link:
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/

19. +
Link to presentation pictures
 If you want to enjoy some pictures of
professional presentation skills, go to the
following link:
http://www.google.com.my/search?q=presentation+skills&st
art=10&hl=en&sa=N&prmd=imvnsb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&so
urce=univ&ei=yA5gT82iO4eaiQfloMBL&ved=0CGoQsAQ4
Cg&biw=1013&bih=565

20. +
THANK YOU.
Copyright:
www.greenleafinstitute.com