Tips
for Public Speaking
Presentations
are
mostly practiced by students and professionals, and they are a
great way to convey ideas as well as educate and convince people.
Giving a presentation is not an easy task; it requires substantial
research, organization, public speaking skills, and self-confidence.
A good presenter has the ability to engage his or her listeners from
beginning to end and compel them to take action (in some cases the
action is giving a high grade in CS179!). Here are some useful tips
and tricks for effective presentations, as well as links to related
websites.
Organizing Your
Presentation
- Choose an appropriate presentation structure: topical,
chronological, classification by categories, problem and solution, or
cause and effect.
- Divide the body of your presentation into three to five
main points.
- The conclusion should include a summary of the main
points of the presentation and leave the audience with something that
is worth remembering and pondering.
- Include questions in your presentation, which should be
asked once every 10 minutes to engage the audience.
- The final slide should contain a message thanking the
audience, your contact details, and information about the availability
of speaker notes, materials, and feedback tools.
Public
Speaking
Tips
- Avoid slang and jargon. Exception, if you are sure all
the audience knows the jargon, such as a technical conference.
- Use anecdotes and practical examples to make complicated
concepts more comprehensible.
- Speak in varying tones and pitches to give emphasis to
certain words and ideas.
- Deliver your speech slowly and clearly.
- Make sure that the people sitting at the back of the
hall can hear you clearly, but do not speak so loud that it appears as
if you are shouting.
- Leave your arms on the podium or by your sides when you
are not using them to make gestures.
- When
gesturing, make sure that it is natural and spontaneous.
- Maintain eye contact with the audience.
- Wear clothes with simple cuts and neutral tones, and
make sure that they are comfortable.
Presentation
Design
- Do not overload slides with a lot of text. (busy slides)
- Use the PowerPoint Notes (or similar) to remind yourself
what to say when a certain slide is being shown.
- Prepare a Table of Contents slide with the “Summary
Slide” feature.
- Include a slide that shows your team/company logo.
- Try to make the length of text lines similar throughout
the slide.
- Recommended font for slide title is San Serif, and font
size should be 44.
- Font
size for subtitles should be 28 to 34, with bold font.
- Use dark font over light background and light font over
dark background to enhance clarity.
- Use graphics when appropriate, but avoid complex
animations unless you really need them.
- (PowerPoint only) You can press “W” or “B” to clear the
screen temporarily during your presentation, and resume the
presentation by pressing “Enter”.
Charts,
Facts,
and Statistics
- Use as few numbers as possible during your presentation,
preferably, no more than 12 numbers, because they can cause confusion.
- Try not to use more than one number in a sentence.
- Round numbers up to the nearest whole number.
- Use a smaller font to cite sources for statistics.
- Label all your charts clearly.
- Numbers in charts can be difficult to view and
understand. Try to find ways other than columns and rows to present
your data.