Effective Presentation Skills Workshop

Effective Presentation Skills

• Presenter: Bob Dolan, Assistant Director of Career Services, MIT Postdoctoral Scholars
• Date: April 17, 2018
• Contact information provided

Intended Outcomes

• Self-evaluation of speaking style
• Understanding of public speaking facts and fears
• Presentation blueprint (structure, body language, verbal delivery)
• Tips and considerations (myths, facts, personal appearance, anxiety reduction, common mistakes)

Evaluate Yourself (Speaker Category)

• Avoider: Avoids all speaking situations
• Resister: Speaks with reluctance; anxious
• Accepter: Gives presentations but doesn't seek them; experiences mixed feelings
• Seeker: Seeks speaking opportunities; energized by anxiety
• Self-confident: Possesses high confidence

Why are Presentation Skills Important?

• Communication and presentation skills are crucial in almost every aspect of academic and business life.
• Critical component in many organizations; frequently listed as top concerns.
• Key skills for meetings, interviews, conferences, and trade shows/job fairs.
• Leadership and presentation skills often go hand-in-hand.
• Employer rated competencies show strong communication is highly valued (4.43/5.0)

Facts Continued

• Conveying information through stories, gestures, and analogies makes presentations more engaging.
• A significant portion of the audience's impression comes from appearance and delivery style.
• Good presentation skills are essential for first impressions, particularly at conferences and job interviews.

Fears of Public Speaking

• Public speaking is a common fear for many people.
• Individuals experience a conflict between fear and the expectation of strong verbal communication skills from employers.
• Academic and PhD interviews often include a presentation component.
• Even if the current job role doesn't involve presenting, chances are one might need this skill in the future.

Plan Your Presentation: Analyze the Audience

• Understand the audience's values, needs, constraints, and demographics (size, location) to tailor the presentation appropriately.
• 3 Key Presentation Components: Structure, Body Language and Movement, Verbal Delivery

Good Presentations Consist of Three Key Components

• Structure: Introduction, Body (logical delivery, examples, key points, credibility, connection with audience), Conclusion (restate key points, address Q&A)
• Body Language & Movement: Comfort, Deliberate gestures, Eye contact, Use of visual aids
• Verbal Delivery: Pace, Volume, Use of full vocal range

Introduction: Start With The Objective

• Introduce yourself (name, role, function)
• Explain the objective and expectations
• Mention why the presentation is important (WII-FM - What's In It For Me)
• Outline the presentation agenda and timeline

Body: Structure the Presentation

• Present main idea to the audience
• Use transition phrases ("now we will review...", "if there are no more questions...")
• Be flexible and stay on course
• Review benefits and main idea/benefit

Provide Context When Introducing Each Topic

• Contextualize your topic, for example, a prior collaborative project.
• Details of the specific project/initiative, e.g., multi-disciplinary team
• Mention your team and collaboration with other researchers from different institutions.

Conclusion: Revisit the Objective and Provide Structured Closing

• Review and summarize main elements of presentation
• Highlight a key takeaway for the audience.
• Clearly articulate practical recommendation or next steps.
• Thank audience; solicit open-ended questions ("who would like more details?"...)

Key Elements of Non-Verbal Communication

• Open body posture
• Eye contact
• Facial expressions
• Gestures
• Posture
• Space

Body Language & Movement: Details

• Feet/Body: Stand firmly, move deliberately; avoid swaying or shifting.
• Hands: Maintain comfortable resting hand positions; use natural gestures that match your speech; keep hands away from face, and utilize both hands if needed.
• Eyes: Focus on audience's faces, varying the people you look at (3-5 seconds per person); don't look away from the audience for too long.
  • Important during interview settings and business meetings.

Reading Your Audience

• Body language can help modify presentation delivery; keep people engaged and gauge agreement/opposition.

Verbal Delivery: Common Faults and Tips

• Common Faults: Speaking too quietly/quickly, monotone delivery, using fillers (um, ah), emphasizing wrong words.
• Tips: Use spoken language rather than reading, active verbs, avoid jargon, look at audience, adjust pace/volume, use appropriate pauses.

Myths about Giving Presentations

• Good speakers are born, not made (False)
• Mimicking others is good enough (False)
• People who speak confidently/looking confident aren't nervous (False)
• Practice isn't necessary (False)
• Physiological reactions are a negative sign (False)

Tips for Reducing Anxiety

• Organize: Structuring presentation and thoughts.
• Visualize: Envision a successful presentation
• Practice: Rehearsing alone, in groups, or by video recording to build confidence.
• Contact: Making initial contact and introduction with the audience.
• Take a Deep Breath: Inhaling deeply to stay loose.
• Release Tension: Doing isometric exercises to release tension.
• Move Purposefully: Moving and using body gestures.

Tips for Personal Appearance: Women and Men

• Women: Clothes suitable for the setting and avoid distracting elements (makeup, hair).
• Men: Suits, shirts should fit well, consider the formality level.

Tips For Personal Appearance: Wearing Glasses

• Wear glasses if needed to see the audience/visual aids, but remove them unless necessary
• Avoid tinted glasses to prevent reflections.
• Anti-reflective coatings help reduce glare.

Personal Appearance Reminders

• 55% of the communication message is perceived through appearance.
• First impressions matter significantly.

Common Presenting Mistakes

• Talking too fast, lack of pauses
• Reading slides verbatim
• Hovering over the projector
• Standing between projector and audience
• Speaking during a transition
• Disorganized visual aids
• Not introducing/summarizing presentation
• Not reminding audience of the presentation's purpose (why they should be listening)

Tips and Tricks-Visual Aids:

• Ensure adequate preparation for aids, equipment, and their use.
• Don't overload presentation with too many visuals.
• Match presentation performance style to prep style.
• Explain slides using pointers rather than just fingers, and utilize effective visuals.

The Visuals...continued

• Avoid talking during slide transitions
• Manage slide flow for smooth transitions between topics.
• Keep visuals neat and in sequence to support discussion.
• Primary focus should be speaker with occasional support from visuals.

Managing Your Q&A Preferences

• Adapt to listener preferences, providing Q&A time with a prepared plan.

• Allison: Prepare responses to potential questions; request written questions for organized Q&A sessions.

• Kathy: Greet listeners and ask questions; use show of hands to assess interest.

• Chris: Encourage listeners to save questions for the presentation end.

Handling Difficult Questions

• Address unanswerable questions thoughtfully
• Provide alternative solutions without compromising the presentation
• Be prepared to ask follow-up questions to better answer unclear questions

Last Minute Checklist

• Room setup/seating/equipment checks.
• Visual aids and supplies readiness.
• Appearance and attire; organized clothing

Final Q&A

• Remind the audience that the objective is the foundation of the presentation.

Wrapping Up Takeaways

• Importance: Assess speaking style, understand public-speaking facts and fears. Understand the takeaway that presentation skills are key for success.
• Structure: Learn structure, body language, and verbal delivery elements.
• Tips: Learn how to reduce anxiety and effectively handle common speaking mistakes; practice.

Join Bob Dolan from MIT Career Services for an insightful workshop on effective presentation skills. The workshop will cover self-evaluation of speaking styles, understanding public speaking anxieties, and creating a strong presentation structure. Learn valuable tips to enhance your verbal delivery and boost confidence in speaking situations.