Powerful presentations handout

Bringing Down the House:
Creating Sensational Knock-Your-
Socks Off Presentations:
How to Deliver Your Message with Power and Pizzazz

By Ian Jukes
The InfoSavvy Group
ijukes@mindspring.com
http://www.infosavvygroup.com
This handout was updated May, 2005
Copyright, 2005, The InfoSavvy Group

Table of Contents
Part I
10 things to do before using presentation software .................................... 4
1. Start with the end in mind.............................................................................................................................4
2. Research, research, research ......................................................................................................................5
3. Create an outline...............................................................................................................................................5
4. Build your first draft......................................................................................................................................5
5. Choose a structure...........................................................................................................................................5
6. Use narrative .....................................................................................................................................................5
7. Develop an effective opening........................................................................................................................5
8. Craft the body of your message..................................................................................................................6
9. Organize the flow of your presentation ...................................................................................................6
10. Build in repetition ...........................................................................................................................................6
Example of a basic outline for a presentation .......................................... 7
Writing for the ear ....................................................................... 8
Novelty bumps ............................................................................. 8

Part II
10 guiding principles for using presentation software .................................. 9
1. Be consistent ......................................................................................................................................................9
2. Check out PowerPoint AutoContent Wizards...........................................................................................9
3. Use text effectively .......................................................................................................................................9
4. Use special effects sparingly ..................................................................................................................... 14
5. Streamline your materials ........................................................................................................................... 15
6. Chop, chop, chop.............................................................................................................................................. 15
7. Create templates ............................................................................................................................................ 15
8. Break down your message into bit-sized pieces ................................................................................... 16
9. Cutting down to bare bones......................................................................................................................... 16
10. Edit, edit, edit ............................................................................................................................................... 16

Part III
Top 10 principles of graphical design using PowerPoint ................................17
1. The power of the human eye ....................................................................................................................... 17
2. Only add images that reinforce or extend your text/message....................................................... 17
3. Things to remember when using images .................................................................................................. 17
4. Charts & graphs .............................................................................................................................................. 17
5. Technical quality ............................................................................................................................................. 17
6. Apparent motion ............................................................................................................................................. 17
7. The impact of color on the audience ........................................................................................................ 17
8. Contrast............................................................................................................................................................. 19
9,Balance ............................................................................................................................................................... 20
10. Overall design ............................................................................... 20

Creating Knock-Your-Socks-Off Presentations Page 2 of 46

Part IV
Top 10 secrets of a successful workshop (by Doug Johnson) ......................... 21
1. Know your role ......................................................................................................................................................... 21
2. Limit your topic...................................................................................................................................................... 22
3. Be organized and communicate that organization ...................................................................................... 22
4. Set out a problem or possibility then offer a solution or opportunity ................................................ 23
5. Be conversational and have fun ........................................................................................................................ 23
6. Good handouts and slides that compliment rather than duplicate........................................................ 24
7. Less talk, more action.......................................................................................................................................... 24
8. Give a chance to practice, apply, and reflect............................................................................................... 25
9. End with a summary, on an upbeat note, and on time ................................................................................ 27
10. I’m letting you out early. See above ............................................................................................................. 27
From the experts....................................................................................................................................................... 27

Part V
Bits & Pieces on delivering a presentation ..............................................29
1. Tactics to bring your talk to life...................................................................................................................... 30
2. What to do to calm down.................................................................................................................................... 30
3. Why be nervous? You’re the expert! ............................................................................................................... 31
4. How to lower the pressure.................................................................................................................................. 31
5. Understanding your audience?........................................................................................................................... 31
6. Room, equipment, time, & other important considerations....................................................................... 31
7. Using humor ............................................................................................................................................................. 31
8. Using quotations .................................................................................................................................................... 32
9. Survival strategies for your Q & A................................................................................................................. 33
10. Speaking tips ........................................................................................................................................................ 34
11. Rehearsing your speech ..................................................................................................................................... 35
12. Appearance............................................................................................................................................................ 36
13. Tips on what you can do just before you start speaking ........................................................................ 36
14. Body language, personal style, & dress......................................................................................................... 38
15. Know thy audience............................................................................................................................................... 39
16. Refreshments, food, & other consideration about where you’ll be speaking .................................... 41
17. Timing of visuals, where to stand, & rating yourself ................................................................................ 41
18. Projection units.................................................................................................................................................... 42
19. Remote controls................................................................................................................................................... 43
20. Our setup .............................................................................................................................................................. 43

Part V
References & Links for Creating Knock Your Socks Off Presentations ...............45


Creating Knock Your-Socks-Off Presentations

Think back on an unforgettably GREAT presentation experience

Think back on an unforgettably HORRIBLE presentation experience

There are no set rules, just guidelines
There are not set rules to making sensational presentations, only guiding principles. It’s best to
learn these principles well & not to stray too far from them until you’ve mastered them.

PART I
10 things to do before using your presentation software, e.g. PowerPoint

1. Start with the end in mind & develop a mission statement
Before you even turn on your computer, think through the entire presentation. Start
planning your presentation with the end in mind. Ask yourself what you want the audience
to walk away from the presentation with? What skills, knowledge, attitudes, content or
understanding must they take away? Repeat this at each stage of your preparation.

Think of a single-theme mission statement – one sentence - that can guide how to organize
the presentation & weed out anything that’s irrelevant. Sometimes nervousness makes us
talk too much or have too much data, charts, graphs, anecdotes, references, & statistics.
Just as a ship can lose it’s way by not plotting its course, so can a speaker by covering too
much in a presentation. Remember that every point you make – fact, joke, graph, image –
everything you use in your talk, should help you accomplish your mission. If not, delete it.

Examples of mission statements
Your mission statement should sum up the one thing your audience should take away with
them. Start with an action verb and build your mission around it, e.g.
• Mobilize against construction of a waste treatment facility in our county
• Understand the history of public finance
• Appreciate the cultural contributions of African Americans
• Purchase at least 200 high-speed collating units
• Praise their children at least once a day
• Choose my travel agency for their business and personal needs
• Rally around the targets our company has set for the year realize that
excellent customer relations will improve our bottom line
• Seek professional tax-planning advice


2. Research, research, research
Conduct thorough research to obtain the right information & resources Keep an active file
for text & images. There are many sources of information such as:

• books (& their bibliographies)
• management reports, government papers, and professional journals
• newspapers, magazines
• friends, family and other personal contacts
• the Internet – although there are many sites, e.g. Google (www.google.com)

3. Create an outline
Use a word processor to prepare an outline of the material you want to present.

4. Build your first draft
Compose your first draft without stopping & include everything you want to say.
Remember written material sounds different when it’s spoken than written material so
make sure your presentation follows your natural speech patterns.

5. Choose a structure
There are several ways to present your main points including:

• introduce them separately, either one after the other in order of importance, or
chronologically, or in any other sequence that makes sense;
• if you want one particular point to give the strongest impression, present it
first, then follow it with supporting points (or any other points you are making);
• or you can interweave your points to highlight their equal significance;
• the most common structure is to overlap the main points that are being made so
an idea can be left open & referred back to in response to subsequent ideas in a
presentation.

6. Use narrative
Narrative provides a distinct beginning, middle and end, which is most commonly used in
storytelling. The beginning or introduction sets up the audience. The middle contains the central
themes & ideas. Your middle should consist of 3 - 5 points distilled from your ideas, research, &
personal experience. The end is formed by your conclusion(s) that supports your main themes &
recommendations that are aligned to your mission statement or what you want them to leave the
presentation with. Give clear signals at the beginning & end of each stage of the presentation.

7. Develop an effective opening
Making a good impression at the beginning of your presentation requires you to be well prepared,
confident, & clear. Write out your first sentence (or two) to gain momentum so you can focus on
making a good impression. An effective opening provides the audience with a brief outline of your
main points. Anecdotes & self-deprecating humor break the ice & draw the audience into your


presentation. The audience is not at its most alert at the very beginning, so save your strongest
points for a few minutes into the presentation.

8. Craft the body of your message
This is more than just your main points. This is where the rubber hits the road. You’ll distil 3-5
critical points from your research to make the foundation of your presentation. How they’re
delivered makes all the difference between success & failure.

9. Organize the flow
Plan a logical flow of ideas & themes to help the audience follow your presentation easily.
Introduce new subjects by making clear links between old & new ideas. Listen to professional
speakers on radio & television & note techniques they use to link together the points or themes
of their speeches; sum up each point before introducing a new one. Choose the pattern that best
fits your talk. The crux of your presentation will be the 2 - 5 key points you want to make, which
you can organize in several ways:

• chronologically – explaining how something happened;
• spatially – for giving directions;
• causally – explaining cause, effect
• problem/solution – describing a problem followed by a solution to
encourage action;
• topically –for open-ended topics.

10. Build in repetition
Recapping information during your presentation is an effective way of reinforcing the main
points of your argument. Build some repetition into the presentation’s framework at the end of
each main point & the conclusion. However, simply repeating the information you’ve already
delivered in the main body of your presentation isn’t enough. Use different wording to keep the
ideas sounding fresh, yet familiar. And finally, end memorably. Structuring a strong ending is as
important as planning a good start in a presentation. Signal your audience that your are coming to
the end by saying something like “for my final point…” or “in conclusion….”


Example of a basic outline for a presentation

Opener
Devote ~ 10% of your speaking time to your opening remarks. This is where you grab your
audience's attention, convey a sense of trust, & prepare them for where you want to take them
during your talk. Include a quote, anecdote, humor, or analogy. Think of the opener as the small talk
we all engage in when we first meet someone.

Transition
Use 1 or 2 sentences that move from opening pleasantries into your mission statement.

Mission statement (theme)
Tell the audience the mission, or purpose of your talk. Make sure they understand what you want
them to be able to do, learn, or know by the end of the talk.

Transition
Use 1 to 2 sentences that let you gracefully launch into the body of your speech.

Body
Devote ~ 75% of your time to the body of your talk. Organize your information in no more than 5
key points. Important tip: Don’t present key points in a journalistic style, that is, from most
important to least important, or you'll lose your audience because of predictability. Instead,
sandwich your less important points between the two most key points.

Wrap-up
Spend ~ 15% of your talk time on your closing. Restate your mission statement & sum up how your
key points support what you want the audience to leave with - changing an opinion, learning a new
database, purchasing a new mainframe etc., & finish up with a powerful idea that captures the
essence of your talk.

Q & A
If your presentation took 30 minutes & covered a great deal of ground, then leave approximately 10
minutes for questions & answers. Don't just abruptly end your presentation with Q & A. Also, once
you've signaled an end to the questions, finish off by thanking your audience for their time & give a
thought-provoking restatement of your ending.

You can also visit http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/keystep1.html to get more
information on the key steps to making an effective visual presentation


Writing for the ear
There’s a difference between writing and speaking. Are you trying to write a good report that
covers all your points & reads well? Or are you trying to give a presentation that your audience will
remember? The former requires writing for the eye, where your sentences can be as long & as
complex as needed. The latter involves writing for the ear & requires a different style of writing
i.e. short sentences, active verbs, simple (non-technical) vocabulary, & some memorable anecdotes.

This is because your eye absorbs information much faster than your ear. Most people can read many
more words per minute than they can hear per minute. The reason is simple: When you read, you can
read at your own pace, stop & reread if you want, even skip ahead if you wish. When you listen, you
can only listen to one word at a time, with each word spoken in order. Listeners have to pay very
close attention, & that can be draining, which explains why most people tend to daydream when they
listen.

Good speechwriters go out of their way to write for the ear. They keep their sentences short & to
the point. They use active verbs, colorful images, personal anecdotes, & useful analogies. They
practice pausing between transitions to give the audience time to absorb what they have just heard.

Novelty bumps
When first introduced to the bells & whistles of technology, people naturally wish to experiment
with all aspects of this new medium. They tend to get carried away with multiple fonts, colors, clip
art images, sounds, transitions, & special effects. The audience isn’t fooled by all the impressive
"bells and whistles" because technical flash is no substitute for substance. Remember that
PowerPoint & other software that you may use is just a vehicle or an amplifier. As Jason Ohler
explains, an amplifier in the hands of a good guitarist, makes the music sound pretty wonderful, but
in the hand of a bad guitarist, the music sounds AWFUL!


Part II
Top 10 guiding principles for using presentation software

1. Be consistent
Viewers unconsciously detect the slightest inconsistency in your presentation layout. Once
you confuse the viewer, only the motivated remain & you’ll lose the rest. Ensure visual
continuity so that your presentation doesn’t visually confuse your audience. Be consistent in
the way you treat & use text & graphics. Differentiate between consistency & uniformity.
Uniformity creates a predictable & monotonous visual effect. Good layouts however, create
visual tension so attendees’ attention is maintained.

2. Check out PowerPoint AutoContent Wizards
A freebie that comes with most presentation software is a series of pre-designed
templates. In PowerPoint this is provided by Wizards (go to File, Project Gallery), which can
guide you through creating different types of presentation complete with color suggestions
& graphical elements. Figuring out the color combinations for electronic presentations is
challenging. Auto-content wizards will take you step-by-step through the process & even
help you decide what typefaces you can use, in what size, in what position, & with what
background. Go through the template collections that are included with your software until
you find one that has the right look & feel or simply design your own. Remember that what a
template looks like on your computer is no guarantee of how it will look when projected on a
screen. Before you get too committed to a new template, give it the acid (LCD) test. Also
keep in mind that ready-made templates force you to fit your ideas into someone else’s pre-
packaged design, which are sometimes designed by people who actually never present! The
following URL will take you to a Web site with ready-made PowerPoint presentations for
teachers that are made by teachers, but it does charge a minimal subscription fee:

http://powerpointforteachers.com/index.html

Use templates & auto-content or make your own. The biggest mistake a novice can make
is to ignore the guides created by the templates & place text on each page willy-nilly, which
inevitably leads to each slide being slightly different than the one before & the one after.
This unconsciously jars the viewer & distracts from the presentation. Make sure that
everything on your slide is aligned with some other item on the slide. Either line up right
edges, left edges, tops, or bottoms of objects. Or you can create your own templates. Kodak
provides many tips including how to make your own consistently formatted templates from a
master slide at:

http://www.Kodak.com/US/en/digital/av/presenters/how.shtml

3. Use text effectively
A typeface is collection of characters, letters & symbols that have a unique design, e.g.
Garamond, Times Roman, Arial, and so on. Simplistically, a font is the physical description of


a character set or is a combination of typeface & other qualities, such as size, pitch, &
spacing. For example, Times Roman is the typeface but there are many fonts that are based
on Times Roman because it can be represented by many different sizes, italic, bold, & so on.
Choosing the right typeface & font can add extra dimensions & power to your message.
Because we process images thousands of times faster than text & much of our data is in
multi-media, the role of text needs to be balanced with other forms of data. People express
moods & emotions with facial expressions, tone of voice, & body position, either overtly or
subtly. So do fonts. Fonts express moods & emotions as well, e.g. serious & business-like,
relaxed & open; they can shout or give a message quietly. Use a font that reinforces rather
than contradicts your message. A more formal font may have more impact during a formal
presentation. For a casual situation use a gentle, easy on the eye font, e.g. Comic Sans . Ted
McCain tells us to keep the following rules in mind:

• for a whole presentation you can use up to 3 fonts & up to 4 sizes;
• for a single page, you can use up to 2 fonts & up to 2 or 3 sizes;
• never use anything smaller than size 18;

How much text? Text should be limited to a general 6X6 rule: 6 words across or six bullets
down. The words would be considered "markers" of key ideas to support the oral
presentation of the message. You can also go to Presenters University at following Web
page for some more tips:

http://www.presentersuniversity.com/visuals_Basics.php

Typefaces/fonts. Typefaces must align with the message. They should make words easy to
read & provide a suitable tone & background. If a typeface calls undue attention to itself or
is difficult to read, it becomes distracting.

Number of typefaces. A plethora typefaces & styles are within easy reach of all users of
all ages. Novices struggle with the misuse of so many choices, which creates a ransom note
effect. A general guideline is to use no more than two fonts from the same typeface family.

Typeface moods. Because they have a body language typefaces express moods. These can
be academic, bossy, soothing, old, happy, humorous, formal, contemporary, futuristic etc.
The point is that if decorative fonts are used, they should be congruent with the theme.

Serif fonts. These typefaces have tiny horizontal or vertical lines added at the ends of
longer line strokes. They are highly readable. Serifs unconsciously facilitate the ease of eye
movement across each line of text, making them very useful for large paragraphs of text as
well as headlines, ads, letterheads, etc.

Sans-serif fonts. These fonts don’t use serifs or little lines at the ends of the line
strokes. They are simple strokes of equal weight or thickness with a clean & smooth look.
These fonts are highly noticeable & get a reader's attention easily. But the lack of lines

tends to slow down the reader's eye. Sans-serif fonts should be saved for headlines or
titles & NOT large blocks of text. For more information you can go to the following Web
site entitled Tips on Type:

http://www.truedoc.com/webpages/getstart/type_tips.htm

Capital letters. Limit use of capital letters. When we read, our eyes capture the shapes of
whole words, including the extensions of letters above & below the normal letter size.
However, when text is WRITTEN IN ALL CAPITALS, no ascenders or descenders are used.
Because words using all capital letters have nearly the same visual shape, this slows down
the reader. ALL CAPITALS are less readable than sentences with upper- & lowercase
letters.

Font size. Sizes are important. Titles & headlines should fit on one line - say 44 to 54 point.
For screens, projected text the minimum is 18 point & for presentations, large clear fonts,
generally a minimum of 24 to 32 point is good. The rule of thumb is to stand 10’ back from
computer screen. What you can read is approximately what the audience will be able to read
when the image is projected on screen based the room’s size.

Font color. Clarity of communication can be enhanced by making a strong contrast in color
between the text & the background, e.g. using light text on a dark background or vice-versa.

Font weight. Typefaces that are too dark can blur the text. Typefaces that are too light
make it hard to read. It’s better to err on the side of light fonts because they appear
simpler & cleaner. Use shadows for titles but not body text.

Underlining/Bold/Italics. Underlining is passé. Use italics for emphasis within text. Use
italics sparingly but not for extended blocks of text because it bores/tires the eye. Bold is
good for headlines as it makes them jump out to grab audience attention but for too strong
for body text. Italics whisper while bold shouts. The following sites summarize many
aspects of fonts:

http://www.sheriftariq.org/design/fonts/index.html

http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/articles/select_and_use_fonts.htm

Justification & readability. The alignment of type between margins is called text
justification. There are 4 possibilities: left, right, full, & center justification
Generally, text that is left justified more readable & less formal than fully justified text.
This is because we read from left to right & our eyes look for an indicator that the line
being read is coming to an end. Full justification makes this harder for the eye to
determine. However, it all depends on your design & mission. For more discussion on this
topic visit the following site:


http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/typelayout/a/justifyleft.htm

For more information on the design elements for desktop publishing, which are applicable in
many cases to visual presentations visit:

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/designguidelines/

The visual center. The visual center of a page isn’t the same as the mathematical center of
a page. Ancient Greeks spent time & effort to find out what proportions were the most
pleasing to our eyes. They found that a ratio of 1.6 to 1 was overwhelmingly preferred over
all others known now as the Golden Ratio or Golden Mean. Ted McCain explains this at:

www.tcpd.org/McCain/Handouts/Multimedia.pdf

The Rule of Thirds. The Golden Mean leads to another general layout principle known as
the "rule of thirds." Placing a graphic or block of text at one or more of these four
intersections is more effective & more aesthetically pleasing than placing the same item in
the exact horizontal &/or vertical center of the slide.

For the best effect, place text on the left side of the slide, & place images at the right
side intersections. There are very many sites that explain the “rule of thirds” & the golden
mean/visual center. Here are two online sites that you may want to visit:

http://www.shutterfreaks.com/Tips/RuleOfThirds.html

http://gonzo.concordia.ca/courses/202/class-notes/202-11.html

The Z-Pattern. Western readers are conditioned to start at the top left - read across
from left to right &then down with a return sweep to the right. The eyes either do a large,
open Z-pattern or, if there’s a lot of text & graphics, the eyes will scan a tight Z-pattern
several times down a page. Designers capitalize on this natural scanning pattern by arranging
text & images to form a Z-pattern so the message is easily absorbed by the mind (McCain,
1992).


Title. Since we read from the top left corner to the bottom right corner following the Z-
curve, make text easier to read by aligning your titles on the left rather than in the middle.
You can read more about this here:

http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/paulbroad/7compose.htm

Line length & readability. Readers avoid work, especially tedious work, whenever possible.
If attendees encounter text that either looks like too much work to read or text that
strains the eye, human nature prompts them to move on, leaving the text unread. A major
factor in making text look like less work (& more readable) is the font, the size of the font
& the line length. Generally, text is placed in the left 2/3rds, & images are placed in the
right third of the slide.

Overhangs. Long lines of text are hard to read. If your point needs more than 3 words
across, consider using a soft return (which continues the line without adding a new bullet) to
avoid overhangs so that the words are more balanced. For example:
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain

Using a soft return to make the text look like this:
The rain in Spain stays
mainly in the plain

White space. People new to electronic presentations tend to overfill the page with text &
images because they feel that any portion of slide left empty is wasted space. Resist this
temptation. White space is needed to provide the contrast that catches the reader’s eye.
But white space is much more than just background. It lets the design breathe & allows
important objects or words to stand out. Read more at:

http://www.sheriftariq.org/design/whitespace/

Bullets. Bullets can be deadly, but if you have too much text, bullets & builds keep the
audience awake. The rule of thumb is to use bullets or numbers to capture & hold the
audience’s attention. Avoid cutesy bullets like smiley-faces, which distract from the
message & dashes (-) that look unfinished. Our eyes gravitate to the graphical elements
before we read text. Think of bullets & other visual elements as guideposts that make it


quicker & easier for the audience to navigate your message. Typically text after bullets is
not capitalized because these are phrases not sentences.

Colors for backgrounds & text. Color is probably the most critical consideration in
designing a presentation. Which colors should you use for text & backgrounds? The most
important criterion is legibility. Graphics & text need to contrast enough with the
background that should be easily read. Although black ink on white paper is the most
readable color combination in print format, on the projected screen, darker colors generally
make better backgrounds. Light backgrounds can be glaring. Deep shades of blue & green
are good for backgrounds because they are calming, cool and recede. The warm colors
(yellow, orange and red) are better for the foreground text and graphical elements. We’ve
have found yellow letters on blue background to be a compelling color combination because
the contrast is excellent & legibility isn’t compromised. The following site summarizes color
basics:

http://www.sheriftariq.org/design/color/index.html

Builds. Presenting all the text in one go makes the audience unconsciously read ahead, which
can be overwhelming & cause you to lose them. Using builds is one way to “slow release”
information in bits & keep the audience focused.

Transitions & flow. Transitions are used to move from one screen to the next & to
introduce text/graphic objects on the screens. Use a single consistent transition type use
for flow and unity. Novice designers are tempted to use different transitions for each slide
or object, perhaps even setting transitions to "random." Avoid jarring, annoying, or
distracting readers by using too many transition effects. Transitions should support or
contribute to context, e.g. moving from a general overview to a more specific analysis, a
"zoom in" transition is effective; or moving from one distinct section of the presentation to
the next, a "dissolve to black" transition helps viewers see a strong distinction between the
two sections, just like the segues commonly used in movies from one scene to the next.
Well-selected transitions that have purpose & alignment to the message & your presentation
proceed smoothly. 3M’s online article on transitions is excellent & can be found at:

http://www.3m.com/meetingnetwork/presentations/pmag_slideshowtransitions.html

4. Use special effects sparingly
Special effects are seductive & fun. "Golly-Gee Whiz" elements may be fun but can get in
the way of the message. Beware of all flash & no substance products! After the novelty
bump has worn off, designers of information need to use special effects sparingly & only if
they add substance rather than novelty to the presentation, e.g. waiting for the background
animation to finish or the title text to rotate 3 times on a vertical axis before continuing
has little effect; having each individual letter in a large text block "fly in" separately is also
ineffective; a typewriter click is irritating. As with transitions, a single special effect
should be used consistently throughout a presentation to contribute to the audience's sense

of familiarity & unity.

5. Streamline your material
Once you’ve produced the first draft of your presentation, you should begin to pare down
the material. Inevitably it will take you much longer to say what you would like to say than
the time you would like to say it in. Read through the draft to ensure that you have
prioritized the facts correctly & included all the essential information. Fill in your material
with relevant, interesting examples to reinforce your main points. Break the material down
into a series of bite-sized chunks (this will also make it easier to create an electronic
presentation). Finally, use items of particular interest or appeal, which are not essential but
will enhance audience enjoyment of your presentation, to add humor, currency, & topicality
to your presentation.

6. Chop, chop, chop
Before you ever start up your PowerPoint, attack jargon with a vengeance, chop that passive
voice. Slash those empty clichés; unnecessary articles, & adjectives. Granted the slide
doesn’t contain all the information the slide contained before you chopped it, but you, the
presenter, will be there to fill in the important details. If the slides make you redundant,
you might as well print them out & leave them on the back table. In some of our
presentations at least 50% of slides have no words, just full screen relevant photographs.
All of the words are in the handout or on the Web site. What are left on are the important
parts of the presentation - personal stories, shared experiences, interaction & all of the
emotion conveyed in images that capture the essence of what you’re communicating.

7. Create templates
One of the most important elements of effective communications using electronic
presentation tools is consistency. Inconsistent slides can be very distracting for the
audience. Inevitably there are some differences between a title page, a content slide, & a
transition slide but generally, all slides should have the same basic look & feel. This means
that each slide of specific type (title, content, transition) should use the same fonts, in the
same sizes, in the same colors & in the same locations on the slide. It’s an excellent idea to
create templates for each of these types that you can copy & use again & again. To this end,
at the end of each presentation we keep “extra” title, content, slides that can be used to
create new slides quickly.


8. Break down your message into bit-sized pieces
Essentially there should be no more than one or two ideas per slide. Don’t worry if there
appears to be too much content on the page – you can take care of that later. Initially your
slide might look like this:

9. Cut text down to bare bones
Your text shouldn’t be projected verbatim on you slides. Carefully work through each point
to cut down to a simple phrase to summarize the idea that’s being developed. Get rid of
unnecessary words, such as “and” or “the.” Each word is a trigger for you to provide detail.
The rule of thumb is typically 3 X 6 – no more than 3 words across & no more than 6 lines
down. If you are not yet comfortable with the idea of ad-libbing, at a minimum, be sure to
consider ways that you can say the same thing, using different words.

10. Edit, edit, edit
Proofing is always a good idea especially when you’re putting your reputation on the line.
It’s better to have someone else do it because by the time you get to this stage, you’ll be
unable to detect your mistakes. A great techniques is to have prizes ready & reward people
for having found the “intentional mistake(s)” during your presentation!

.


Part III
Top 10 principles of graphical design using PowerPoint
1. The power of the human eye
Your eyes are the gateway to your mind. Effective presentations are designed to stimulate
the eyes so they’re naturally drawn to the visual component of your presentation. Pictorial
information increases the speed & retention of your message. Pictures represent information
in different ways than words & communicate ideas completely differently. Images convey
emotions & facts simultaneously. The effect of an image is instantaneous & viewers respond
without conscious thought. Images have now become an integral part of our communications;
this has made visual literacy a critical aspect literacy in general. Humans process images much
faster than text; similarly, photographs are processed much faster than clip art. Whenever
possible, use photos rather than clip art. Generally, the rule is to have only one dominant
image per slide, which either complements & extends your message. Wherever possible,
replace bulleted text with full screen photos.

2. Only add images that reinforce or extend your message/text
It’s tempting to add images just for the sake of it. Images must be relevant to the message
being conveyed. There is nothing more distracting than an inappropriate image or one from a
different time period that your content. Whenever possible use photos rather than clip art.
An almost inexhaustible supply of royalty free images on just about any subject is available
from http://images.google.com. Although this is not a hard & fast rule, generally try to
position your images on the right side of the slide, leaving lots of white space around the
image; also adhere to the rule of thirds & place the image at one of the two right side
intersections.

3. Things to remember when using images
Proportion. Try to place only one image on a page. There is no formula for determining the
size of an image but the image shouldn’t overpower the message contained on the slide.
Generally, the text should occupy the left half of the slide & the image the right half.

Relevancy. Images can distract, match, or extend the meaning of your message. "A picture is
worth a thousand words" only IF it’s clearly related to your topic!

Tone/style/theme. Images convey powerful metaphors inside messages. Do the images have a
consistent look & feel throughout that matches the message's overall theme? Different types
of images create different styles or themes, e.g. an airplane in a nautical theme or using a
black & white double-decker bus along with sleek new age photo car design is confusing.

4. Charts & graphs
Charts & graphs are excellent for communicating significant numbers & statistics to an
audience. Charts need titles, clear labeling, & legends. Pie charts work well to show parts or
percentages of a whole. However, best not to use any more than 8 slices in a pie chart. You
can highlight a particular slice by making it darker or a brighter color than the others. Bar

charts with more than 8 elements should be made horizontal or down in order to increase
readability. About chart colors: In all graph types, cool colors tend to recede information
while warm colors bring the information forward. It’s best to use primary colors for high
contrast, which allows them to be easily distinguished from one another. Avoid putting similar
colors together, e.g. white & yellow; dark blue & dark brown. If a color chart in is to be
printed for black & white handouts, ensure that the bars & pie wedges can be easily
distinguished by different shades of gray.

5. Technical quality
As with sounds, visual images need to be high quality to be effective. Bitmap digital images,
for example, are made up of a grid of dots or pixels of different colors. When a small bitmap
image is stretched larger, a "pixelated" effect is created, with each pixel becoming a larger
block of pixels. The result is a coarse & bumpy image of poor quality.

6. Apparent motion
Ever walked downtown & spotted someone looking upwards? What did you do? Looked up, of
course! This is the power of apparent motion. When designing slides, you can use the principle
of apparent motion to direct an individual’s attention to a specific place. You can use images
depicting someone or something actively doing something Apparent motion can be represented
by the direction & speed implied by an image. An image of person walking, riding a bike, or
skiing, unconsciously forces the viewer’s eyes in the direction of the apparent motion.

A good example of this is in cigarette ads, which are required to tell you that using this
product could kill you. Ad agencies put an image of someone pointing or moving away from the
warning right above the message. Because we read in a z-curve, most people will never see the
warning!!! Thus, just as using apparent motion forces you to look away from the warning, you
can apply this principle to draw a viewer to a specific part of your slide. Thus, pictures of
people & animals need to be placed with care. The apparent motion of their eyes compels a
reader to follow the same direction of the person or animal's gaze because we instinctively
want to see what they’re looking at. Generally people & animals need to face inward or towards
the message area NOT outward or your eyes will follow and go off the slide. Therefore, you
can place an object's eyes to direct a reader’s eyes to focus on MAIN points or key ideas on
your slide.

7. The impact of color on the audience
According the following bullet points as summarized by the 3M corporation highlight research
on the use of color in your presentations:

• increase willingness to read by up to 80%
• increase motivation & participation by up to 80%
• enhance learning & improve retention by more than 75%
• account for 60% of the acceptance or rejection of an object
• outsells black & white advertising by 88%


For the full article you can go online to:

http://www.3m.com/meetingnetwork/readingroom/meetingguide_power_color.html

There’s much more to color theory than we can outline. Color usage should draw the viewer's
attention to the desired information. As with other elements, color can either be an
attribute or a liability, depending upon you use it.

Colors are commonly arranged into a 12-color wheel to illustrate their relationships. The
three “primary colors" (red, yellow, and blue) are arranged to form an equilateral triangle.
"Secondary colors," made up of mixtures of two primary colors, are orange, green, & violet.
Six more "intermediate colors" are added between the first six colors to form the color
wheel. Colors like red, orange, & yellow are termed "warm," while "cool" colors include green,
blue, & violet. The use of "analogous colors" near one another along the edge of the color
wheel (like light-green, green, & green-blue) yields a harmonious feeling. Conversely,
combinations of "complementary" colors across from one another on the color wheel (like
green & red, or violet & yellow) are more exciting & vital because of their contrast.

The following online sites will extend your knowledge:

http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html

http://www.presentersuniversity.com/visuals_visuals_color_basics.php

8. Contrast
Contrast creates diversity & interest. A well-designed slide or screen should include some
relatively dark sections that contrast with lighter areas, drawing attention to those aspects
that are most important. The trick here is to be bold. You can't contrast elements that are
similar. If you're using two different typefaces, make sure they’re very different. If you're
using two line thicknesses ("rules"), make sure they’re very different. If you're using two
different colors, make sure they’re very different. But too much contrast & variety can be a
detriment. Patterns or motifs create consistency in design & direct the reader from point to

point. They also create a sense of familiarity that’s comforting. Repetition of colors,
textures, typefaces, rules, bullets, backgrounds, logos, graphic styles, transitions, & special
effects will serve to unify the piece.

9. Balance
Effective communications achieve a balance between novelty & familiarity, between contrast
& repetition, & between variety & unity. Slides with too much change & variety will distract
viewers, but viewers will also become bored by slides that are so repetitive & monotonous.

10. Overall design
Ultimately, your overall design will be judged for overall effectiveness. The use of critical
friends for feedback on design is a useful strategy before a product is completed or made
public. Is the piece aesthetically pleasing? Does it captivate the viewer & contribute to
transmitting your message powerfully? If it works, it’s a good design, even if you ignored some
of the standard guiding design principles.

Summary of top 10 principles of graphical design using PowerPoint or any other presentation
software. Be single minded. It’s very easy to lose your focus during the design process, especially
when you are new to the endeavor. The lure of great looking graphics & photographs causes one of
the biggest distractions for novice designers. It seems that the desire to impress people with great
looking images & special effects is so strong that many designers forget the goal of being singularly
focused on supporting the main content of the message. Instead, designers are often enticed by
the seductive power of a graphic’s appearance & end up placing a great looking image in a layout that
doesn’t quite relate to what’s supposed to be communicated by the design. Keep the end in mind.
Keep your focus on the theme & the tone.


Part IV
Top Ten Secrets for a Successful Workshop

Doug Johnson
dougj@doug-johnson.com
2005

Congratulations! Because of your recognized expertise in an area - gained through research, study or practice
- you have been selected to give a conference workshop! This just is the first step toward celebrity status in
the Minnesota library world. Your own line of designer clothes, a private jet, and fawning fans will soon follow.
Start thinking about how to avoid the paparazzi!

Sorry, got carried away. Some presenters at conferences have expressed a concern about the sessions
running 2 1/2 hours instead of 45 minutes. Trust me, you will like having more time to teach and share with
your colleagues.

I¹d like to offer 10 suggestions on what makes a superb experience for both the participant and you. Advice
on is on the left and an example is on the right.

1. Know your role. Gee, I¹ve really been doing a lot with digital
The focus of a good workshop is building basic photography both at home and school. I¹ve
understandings, teaching key concepts, and allowing read up on it, I¹ve reapplied some of my
practice of some useful skills. Think of yourself as a training in 35mm photography, and some of
workbook, not a textbook. The real genius of most the things I¹ve done with digital photography
workshops is the ability to take a complex topic and make in school have been effective. I think I¹ll do a
it understandable and useful rather than to give in-depth workshop for MEMO!
³coverage² or to display one¹s commanding mastery of a
topic. In writing, Stephen Jay Gould has done this with I know not everyone is as into photography as
science making difficult concepts understandable to the I am, but there are some pretty simple ways
layperson. Take a good look at the strategies used by the everyone can both improve the quality of a
For Dummies series lots of lists, lots of analogies, and an digital picture and use it a teacher. I¹ll
emphasis on the practical. assume people have a fairly inexpensive
camera, limited editing software, and lots of
You can and should build participants¹ confidence by other things to do in the classroom than use
being approachable and giving them respect not through photographs.
overwhelming them with factoids, three-letter acronyms
and long, detailed background information. Do not draw Let¹s call the workshop: It¹s a Snap! Making
attention to small errors that you might make during the the Most of Digital Photography in Your
workshop ³Gee, I see I made a really stupid spelling Classroom.
error on this slide² or ³I guess I forgot to include that in
the handouts.² Trust me, nobody notices these sorts of
things until you point them out. People really do want


presenters who know what they are doing - or at least
appear to.

2. Limit your topic. So then, here are my goals:
Although it is counterintuitive, your biggest problem will . Help participants understand how powerful
not be finding enough to talk about, but limiting what you using visuals are in teaching, especially with
will present. You have a topic now take time to determine this generation of learners.
the 3-4 key understandings or skills you want people to . Teach some simple techniques for taking
leave feeling they have down cold. Remember, your goal is and editing digital photos.
to empower, not overpower. . Show some ways a teacher can use digital
images in materials created for students and
some simple projects students can do with
digital cameras.

3. Be organized and communicate that organization.
Your key understandings or skills should be your
presentation¹s organizational road map, each
understanding or skill building on the previous one. While
it is important that you know where you are going, it is
just as critical your participants know this as well. In your
talk, slides and handouts, use this map to help both you
and your participants stay focused. As you move from one
understanding or skill to the next, take a moment to
review the previous understandings.

A graphic representation of this map is very helpful for
most participants (since there are more visual learners
than meet the eye.) This can be as simple as three or four
different colored textboxes repeated throughout your
slides or as complex as an Inspiration-designed concept
map.

4. Set out a problem or possibility then offer a solution My introduction..hmmm, let¹s see.
or opportunity.
Obviously you think the information and skills you are 1. I think I¹ll pose the questions, ³Do you
teaching are important to the participants. Do they know have students who don¹t seem to pay

that? Don¹t assume so. One masterful way to develop attention? Do you have students that have a
both interest and attention, is to start with a seemingly hard time understanding concepts through
insolvable problem or terrific opportunity, and then show reading? Would you like a quick and easy way
how your workshop will help folks solve that problem or to integrate technology in your classroom and
take advantage of that opportunity. give students practice in a new form of
communication?
A short check at the beginning of your talk about the
composition of your attendees will help you ingeniously 2. Then I will ask participants to complete a
³customize² your workshop on the fly. The examples you short checklist on using digital cameras and
use might differ if your group is mostly librarians, mostly photos and then ask them to share how they
technologists, mostly classroom teachers, or mostly did.
administrators or the level of expertise the group my
already have with a technology.

The short check can be as easy as simply asking at the
beginning of the talk, ³How many of you in here are
classroom teachers? Librarians? Etc.? Another good way
to get to know your group is by asking an open-ended
question about your topic. ³What is biggest difficulties
your students face in doing good research?² or ³Why
don¹t some students read voluntarily?² or ³What
problems do you encounter when trying to do digital
photography?²

5. Be conversational and have fun.
You do not have to be a powerful orator to be a good I¹ll try to add some fun and humanize myself
workshop presenter. In fact, a formal speaking style will by:
work against you. Instead, envision yourself in your living
room visiting with a group of good friends and use the 1. Using some family photos as samples to
same conversation approach. Build a human connection practice editing.
between you and your group whether it is five people or
500. Even if you have been given an introduction by a room 2. Making sure I tell about the project Stacie
host, take about three minutes (no longer) to let the did in my class that included a picture of her
participants know you are actually a human being a brief mom in her bathrobe and her dad drinking a
summary of career, an experience that got you interested beer.
in the topic, etc. (Oh, the old advice to picture your
audience naked does not work depending on who is in the 3. Showing some examples of my own bad
front row, you will either be so aroused or grossed out, photos and how I improved them.
you won¹t be able to concentrate.)

Think about stories you can share that help you make your
points clearly and effectively. All great teachers are
basically effective storytellers. Not only do the concrete

examples create interest and provide experiences to
which the participants can relate, stories will build that
human connection.

Finally, remember that if you are not having fun, probably
nobody else is either.² A good laugh, either intentional or
unintentional, that comes as a result of either a comment
by you or a participant is a very good thing. Humor helps
create that vital affective bond between presenter and
participant.

6. Good handouts and good slides that compliment My handouts will include:
rather than duplicate. 1. A bibliography and links to some good
In Secret 1, I suggested that you should consider sources about choosing a digital camera, visual
yourself the workbook, not the textbook. This is not to literacy and learners, a primer on good photo
dismiss the fact that attendees may want detailed, taking, a link to AtomicLearning¹s section on
complex materials for further study. Your handouts can photo editing using iPhoto, and a list of popular
provide that information through reprinted articles, digital editing software.
annotated bibliographies, links to websites, or detailed
charts and graphs. 2. Work areas for the activities I will do
including critiquing a photo, cropping a photo,
When it comes to complex information, Edward Tufte in brainstorming ways to use digital photos in my
his short book, The Visual Display of Quantitative lessons, and creating a project in my
Information 2nd ed. Graphics Press, 2001) makes a great curriculum that asks students to use digital
case for using handouts instead of PowerPoint. The other photos.
great material for handouts is as a guide to the activities
that will be described in the next section. 3. Examples of a student handout, a lesson
supported by photographs I¹ve taken, and a
My thoughts on good PowerPoint use are summed up in an letter to parents that used digital photos.
old column ³Slideshow Safety² <www.doug-
johnson.com/dougwri/safety.html> so I won¹t repeat 4. Lesson plans with assessment tools
them here. Succinctly, there should be a compelling (primary, middle and high school) that gave
reason for a slide to exist. It needs to contain a short key been used successfully in my school.
point, movie, graphic, discussion question, or activity
prompt. Slides should not contain the entire text of your My slides will include:
presentation so you can simply read them. I see too many
presenters do just that and I just want to dope slap 1. My organizational graphic.
Œem. Less is more. 2. My major points and discussion questions
and activities instructions.
Do think about this: the visuals on your slides can be 2. Examples of photographs to critique.
highly affective as well as cognitively informative. By 3. Examples of photographs before and after
association, your believability (and likeability) will increase editing.
if you use photographs of happy smiling students or 4. Examples of student projects that have

teachers. For that artistic look, run them through a filter used student-produced photos.
in an editing program. (The latest version of PowerPoint 5. I¹ll illustrate all slides with photos of my
allows you to do this within the program itself.) As kids working with cameras and editing
suggested earlier, a graphic ³road map² helps organize software.
your participants.

7. Less talk, more action. Activities:
I know without a doubt that I am never bored when I am
doing the talking. I can¹t say the same for the folks in my 1. The opening quiz.
workshops, so I try to give them every opportunity to do
other things than simply listen. I once had a Bureau of 2. I¹ll ask ³Who is the worst photographer in
Educational Research professional speech coach suggest your family and why?²
to me that one never goes for more than 20 minutes
without an activity that involves the participants. These 3. I¹ll ask participants (in pairs) to critique a
³activities² can be as simple as ³Share with your photo and offer advice on how it should be
neighbor two waysŠ² or ³Jot down one way you might use edited.
this idea in your classroom² or ³Everyone stand up and
repeat after meŠ² The idea is to get minds out of neutral 4. I¹ll ask participants to brainstorm at least
and into gear and simulate discussion. Other more formal 3 ways they can used digital photos in their
activities (which I always ask be done in small groups) own instructional practices and
include taking a short quiz, doing a Edward de Bono PMI communications.
activity, or filling out a bubble diagram in the handouts. If
you if direct questions to the whole group, make the 5. I¹ll have teams of participants pick a
questions both easy and open ended. Questions calling for curricular unit and design a project that asks
a ³correct² response make you sound like the teacher in students to use digital photos.
Ferris Bueller¹s Day Off.
If I have a lab and this is a full-day workshop,
Oh, activities are a great way to control the length of I will ask participants to practice cropping,
your workshop. If the workshop is running long, don¹t give eliminating red-eye, and ³enhancing² a photo
participants much time to it; if the workshop is running they have taken.
short, allow more time.

Computer labs, of course, should be nearly all ³group²
participation and hands-on. For more about this special
kind of workshop see my ³Seven Habits of Highly
Effective Technology Trainers² <www.doug-
johnson.com/dougwri/7habits.html>.

Oh, and give people a break for goodness sake somewhere
after about an hour and fifteen minutes. The mind can
only absorb as much as the butt can tolerate, right?
Presenters more clever than I have designed activities
that get people standing or moving around.

8. Give a chance to practice, apply and reflect. I will remember to use my activities and when
The best workshops are ones that not only introduce me critiquing photographs, make sure the
to new ideas, but reassure me about my current practices. participants are the ones offering the
Send folks away with some ³low-hanging fruit² very suggestions.
simple suggestions for things that they can implement the
next day back in school. And finally, allow some time for I¹m guessing my ³create a photographic
participants to reflect on their own practices. How often timeline of your Saturday² will be a project
does that happen on the job? everyone will feel s/he can do with students.
Most participants will also appreciate the
IMHO, great workshops are the ones that feel more like a simple tips I¹ll give for improving their
conversation than a lecture. If I, as the workshop leader, picture taking.
don¹t learn something from the participants about the
topic, I have not been successful. It is amazing what good (I¹d better remember to put in the
ideas participants bring with them and getting them to description of the session that the workshop
share those ideas with the group is an important part of is for beginners!)
your job. While I dislike the term facilitator, it happens
to be just the right term in this case.

So then, you give people a chance to discuss and what
happens? Somebody makes an off topic or hostile
comment or asks a question from far left field. Or
somebody sets out to show that he (almost always a he)
knows just a whole heck of a lot more than you do about
this particular topic. The trick is to both ignore and honor
those folks and never get rattled, angry or defensive.
Practice responses like these:
. That sounds like something that I need to do more
thinking about myself.
. That¹s a great question and I¹m afraid we¹d need a
whole other workshop to answer it.
. Gee, what does the rest of the group think?
Of course you can always break down in copious weeping,
but you will still need to go with the workshop eventually.

9. End with a summary, on an upbeat note, and on time. This is easy. Using my graphic, I¹ll summarize
At the end, repeat your initial goals for the workshop and the major points I talked about:

quickly summarize the main ideas. (As I used to teach my
speech kids: 1. Visuals can help students learn and students
. Tell¹m what your going to tell¹m. like communicating visually. Digital
. Tell¹m. photography makes that easy.
. Then tell¹m what you just told¹m.)
2. Remember the simple photo taking skills I
Your last remarks should offer a charge to your group to suggested and some editing techniques.
apply the skills they¹ve just learned. A little inspiration
or humorous quote brings closure. Say thanks and give 3. We looked a some way that you as a teacher
participants a way to contact you with follow-up questions. can use photographs in teaching and
Ask the nice ones to fill out the session evaluation form. communicating.

And this might be the most important factor of all, end on 4. Think about where you can give students a
time or even a little early. I have yet to hear a single chance to use photos they¹ve taken to
complaint about a workshop that ended at 3:45 instead of communicate.
4:00. In fact, a cheap way to be very popular is to make
sure you end early enough for your group to be first in the I¹ll encourage them to start simple and know
lunch line, at the exhibits, or in the bar. Ending more than that every project gets better.
5 minutes late is criminal under any circumstances and
may qualify as torture under the rules of the Geneva How¹s this for an ending quote? ³Treat your
Convention. students as you do your pictures, and place
them in their best light.² Paraphrased from
Jennie Churchill.

I¹ll remind the group that my e-mail address
is in my handouts.

10. I¹m letting you out early. See above.
Any complaints?

From the experts:

Deborah Maehs, LMS, maehsville@ aol.com
Assessment - Provide participants with an opportunity to provide input regarding their levels of
understanding prior to the actual workshop. This could be an online survey posted in advance or an actual
print copy given to participants before the start of the workshop. By assessing the level of understanding,
the workshop presenter can then tailor his/her presentation to the knowledge or skills level of the
participants. (If you) assess the level of knowledge of the participants, then go slow if needed, and always
provide examples of real work that you have done yourself so that you speak as a practitioner, not as a
lecturer. If there are workshop participants (students or teachers) who are knowledgeable regarding your
technology, enlist them to help you with the demonstration in order to extend the learning for all. Another
thing that I sometimes do is deliberately make a mistake when demonstrating technology, thus allowing myself

the opportunity to show how easy it is to go in and fix it. Many of our teachers were/are perfectionists and
are very nervous about making any mistakes. So, seeing someone else make a mistake can be very "freeing",
especially when the goal of the lesson is emphasizing creativity. The best situations are when students
themselves catch the mistake I made because that lets me know they are paying close attention. If not, I
always reveal it to them during the presentation.

This page www,doug-johnson.com/dougjwri/sw.htm was created July 28, 2005 and last updated July 28, 2005.

Permission for non-profit use freely given.


Bits & pieces about delivering your presentation

1. Tactics to bring your talk to life
After sitting through an unbearably boring presentation, Nobel laureate Albert Einstein once said,
"I now have a new theory on eternity."

What would it have taken to command & keep Dr. Einstein's interest? The same thing that your
audience members need: solid information that is presented in a meaningful way. Wait – don't panic.
You can do this. All that’s required is that you present fairly interesting information in such a way
that your audience personally relates to it.

Here are some tips to help you establish the critical connection with your audience, that can mean
the difference between yawns or raves. One rule of thumb: Use these tips sparingly or else they
can overwhelm your presentation.

Energize your statistics. Statistics can be as dry as sand. Juice them up by presenting them
graphically with PowerPoint slides or give them some perspective so your audience has a frame of
reference to help them grasp the numbers.

Compare & contrast things. When you can compare or contrast your topic with powerful events,
statistics, or ideas, you create a compelling association for your audience. Giving a talk on the need
to bring in new technology? Tell how many man-hours the new technology will save. Speaking about
the low rate of savings in U.S. households? Contrast it with the high rate of savings in Japan. Make
a joke. Few things relax a speaker & click with an audience like a well-told, relevant joke. If you are
passionate about your topic & you find a joke that relates to it, you'll be able to deliver the punch
line like a pro.

Quote someone. No matter how well you can say it; most likely someone else said it better. A
well-placed quotation from an expert can give your talk credibility. But you can also quote sports
figures, actors, & especially children, to drive your point home. Whatever you do, don't quote
directly from the dictionary because it’s very boring!

Harness your fear to work in your favor. Imagine this: You're at the podium. The room is dark
except for a spotlight blanching your already ashen face. You can't quite make them out, but you
know that there are people staring at you, waiting, expecting. You fumble with your notes. A little
voice is shouting inside your head: "They're staring at me; I sound foolish; I'm not smart enough;
I'm not making sense.' Sound familiar? Say hello to fear.

Stop & take a deep breath & come back to reality. What went wrong in your imagined presentation?
Something we all do: You lost your focus-the reason you are talking. The audience isn't there to see
you (unless you're a famous movie star). They are there to hear the information you’re about to
share. So let go of the self-centered concerns & put your nervous energy into your talk. Make it


relevant to your listeners & fun. If you connect with your topic, you & your topic will connect with
the audience.

2. What to do to calm down
Arrive early. Get familiar with the room in which you'll be presenting, as well as the podium,
lectern, AV equipment, & seating arrangement.

Meet & greet. Shake hands & chat with people before the program begins. Familiarity breeds
comfort.

Breathe. Try deep, rhythmic breathing to the count of ten, in through your nose & out through
your mouth. Yawning also brings oxygen into the lungs, relaxes your throat, & helps you breathe
more slowly, & more steadily.

Familiar faces. Keep a photo of your child or pet (whoever makes you smile) tucked into your
pocket or taped to your script. Glance at it as needed.

Act "as if." Smile warmly, be enthusiastic & confident, as if you were actually feeling that way. You
may surprise yourself when you do.

Rubber band. Wear one around your wrist. Snap it every time you find yourself thinking negatively
or getting lost in your talk.

Eye-connect. Seek out a couple of friendly faces & eye-connect with them during your talk. Or
make eye contact with empty chairs or spots on the carpet.

Clock check. If you are scheduled to talk for 20 minutes beginning at 3 p.m., remember that no
matter how nervous you are, your talk will be done by 3:2 1 -a finite time that will come & go in a
flash, & you can get on with your life.

3. Why be nervous? You're the expert!
Take ownership of your presentation! Your knowledge & experience bought you the right to be
called an expert. But it's your unique point of view that adds real value to your talk. Whether you
volunteered-or were volunteered-to make this presentation, your perspective on the topic is what
permits you to take ownership of it.

Having a firm grasp of your subject matter is certainly the key. However, if you don't feel fully up
to speed on your topic, you'll need to do some in-depth research posthaste. Depending on the
subject of your talk, try doing some Internet searches for presentations on the same topic that
offer valuable ideas you can borrow. Seek out best practices in your field, new developments in the
field, or innovative thinking on the topic.

Once you've mastered the information, master the art of how best to communicate it. Remember,
your audience will appreciate the information more if you make it relevant to them. Get them to

want to listen to your point of view, because ultimately there's something in it for them. Engage the
audience with direct questions; share personal experiences; put conviction behind your words. When
you communicate your passion for the subject, you'll also be communicating your expertise.

4. How to lower the pressure
The more information you have, the calmer you'll be. Before you start planning your presentation,
you'll need to know some basic information to soothe your nerves.

5. Understanding your audience
A simple question, but the answer speaks volumes. To make an impact with your speech, you'll want
to tailor your talk to your audience. Even the most far-flung topics can be made relevant to niche
groups. For example, if you are a scientist presenting the topic of global warming to a group of
financial analysts, you might focus on the economic implications of your subject. If you are
addressing coworkers, speak on familiar terms ("we" & "our") & include anecdotes that all employees
will relate to. Always, always put your audience's interests first.

Why are they there? You'll want to know the purpose of the gathering to help you tailor your
speech. For example, if your talk is to provide key information, then consider using audiovisuals.

Is there a theme? Very often, conferences & meetings will have an overall theme for the
gathering, i.e. "Windows on the Future " or "New Visions for Teaching and Learning" Find out what
the theme is & weave it into your talk.

Who else is speaking? If you are one of several speakers, find out the names of the other
presenters & the titles of their talks. You may want to read up on their backgrounds to see how
your speech topic can complement theirs.

6. Room, equipment, time & other important considerations
How will the room be set up? Find out how the audience will be arranged. Will they be sitting in
rows or around tables? Will you be seated or standing when you speak? Is the room so large that
you’ll need a microphone?

What equipment will you have? Having a lectern or podium will allow you to handle notes or a
script easily. If you want to project slides, film, or a PowerPoint presentation, the room must be
dark enough to enhance image quality & long enough to allow for a projector's lens to fill the
screen.

How much time do you have? Regardless of the amount of time you have to speak, structure your
presentation so that you allow approximately 20% of the time you have to your opening, 70% to
your major points, and 10% to your close. If you've been given more time than you need to present,
use it for a Q&A at the end of your talk, or negotiate the timing issue with the meeting planner.

Where are you on the agenda? Every good speaker thinks of his or her audience first. The time
you are slated to speak will directly affect your audience's level of consciousness. If you speak

before a coffee or lunch break, be sure not to run over your allotted time. In fact, you would be a
hero for running short. If you are to speak during or after a cocktail reception, remember that
some of your audience may have had a few drinks & are probably not too receptive to an excessively
technical or detailed speech.

Who’s introducing you? Find out who will introduce you, & be sure to thank that person by name
when you get to the podium. If you would like your introducer to include specific points about your
background, be sure to send a copy of your bio to the conference organizer well ahead of your
speech. Whatever they say to introduce you, be sure that they are brief. Nothing flattens a
crowd’s enthusiasm & focus more than a long, boring introduction.

What’s the dress code for the event? For a presenter, it is always better to err on the side of
dressing up rather than down. This is doubly true if you are speaking to an "external" audience, that
is, a gathering of people other than co-workers. If you are speaking to an "internal" audience of
employees, your dress should be consistent with the standards of your organizations dress code or
the tone of the gathering.

Your presentation has to be a topic that ignites interest. To do this, you have to be passionately
connected to the subject material. If you don’t care, why should they? The key is that when you are
preparing the presentation, you must find something exciting & capture that excitement in an image
or with your words.

7. Using humor
Each laugh is a speech giver’s victory. You've no doubt heard the arguments against the use of
humor in a speech: Jokes can alienate, offend, anger, confuse, or annoy an audience. While poorly
delivered, inappropriate, or sarcastic jokes will backfire on you, be assured that the right joke can
win your audience over from the get-go & may even be the only part of your speech they remember
the next day.

Why is humor such a powerful influencer? A good joke will put your audience into a more relaxed &
receptive mood. According to Stanford University studies, even one good belly laugh can boost
mood-enhancing endorphins & melt muscle tension as effectively as ten minutes on a rowing
machine. Additionally, humor has been shown to be a valuable component of presentations. A Temple
University study found that people who use humor tend to wield more influence over group
decisions.

Studies, of course, are important, but just ask yourself, wouldn't you rather listen to someone who
grabs your interest with a clever joke, who allows you to release a little tension, & shows you it's
safe to laugh in a business or formal setting? That's the person who will earn your attention &your
trust. That's the person who scores a victory with every laugh.

Humor Do’s
• use material that's relevant to your message.
• tell the joke as if it actually happened to you.

• weave humor throughout your presentation.
• keep your jokes short, devoid of unnecessary detail.
• consider timing when writing and telling your joke.
Humor Don’ts
• never insult your audience.
• don't use material that doesn't fit the purpose or tone of the event.
• keep ethnicity, religion, politics, & sexuality out of your remarks.
• don't apologize if your joke falls flat; move on.
• never build up a joke before you tell it. -

8. Using quotations. Words from the wise can express powerful ideas. A well-chosen quotation
can knock the socks off your audience. It can inspire, educate, surprise, delight, & make a
long-lasting positive impression-of both you & your talk. Quotes that relate directly to your topic
can lend credibility & importance to your subject. But quotes that expand on or complement ideas
that are peripherally addressed in your talk are just as meaningful.

For example, you've been asked to give a talk to a group of product development managers. Your
topic: Harnessing creativity in the workplace. Imagine your audience's delight when you share
quotes that illustrate what happens when product innovation is not embraced:

“The problem with television,” wrote a New York Times reporter in 1939, "is that the people must
sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn't time for it.”

"What use could this company make of an electrical toy?" said the president of Western Union in
1876 when he turned down exclusive rights to the telephone offered by Alexander Graham Bell
$100,000.

“A cookie store is a bad idea' wrote a potential investor in response to a business plan he'd
received from Mrs. Debbi Fields. "Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy
cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make!”

Don't feel compelled to open your talk with a quote from some ancient Greek philosopher whom
nobody's heard of (Former President George H. Bush once told his speechwriter, "Don't ever give me
any more quotations by that guy Thucydides.") Use the quote if it clarifies, illuminates, or reinforces
your point, & share it with your audience the way you'd share it with a friend.

9. Survival strategies for Q & A
Wait, it's not over yet! Well, most presentations usually end with a question-and-answer session. If
you feel a little queasy at the thought of handling a Q &A session, relax. There are a few strategies
you can use to make the experience painless, & even turn it into an opportunity to shine.
First, confirm with your host (as much in advance as possible) if you even have enough time to build a
Q & A session into your speech. For example, if you have a total time limit of 45 minutes, you may
want to schedule 30 minutes for your talk and leave 15 minutes for Q &A. If no one asks any
questions, you're done early & there's no harm done.

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