Michelle,
yes, yes, yes! Always begin with clarity on your overall objective & let the rest of the presentation flow from there.
Dr. Ryan Meers
First off I think you must know what your overall objective is, then structure the material in a way that makes the message clear.Do not leave people guessing what they are supposed to be getting out of it! Decide on a format formal or informal and then practice, practice, practice! Like there is no tomorrow!
I also think it is really important to be able to read your audience and know what to do if you are losing their interest and do damage control before it gets out of hand.
I guess this might be my fifth point, have fun!
Throughout the process of preparing and delivering an effetive presentation thereare really three essential things to remember. First, you have to have a good understanding of your audience. Having knowledge of the indivduals that you are presenting to is key to the success of your presentation. It allows you to expresss your ideas with consideration of the audience viewpoints. Second, you have to have a true undertanding of the topic you are presenting. It is important to research your topic thouroughly. As a presenter, it is important that you prove that you are a SME, subject matter expert. This will allow the audience to have confidence in what you are saying and increase the effectivness of your presentation. Lastly, successful presenters will rehearse. To ensure the success of the presentation, presenters should be very familuar with the content of the presentation. They should understand the flow of the various points and be able to almost predict what direction the presentation is moving.
Vina,
I agree that all of these aspects are important for an effective presentation.
Dr. Ryan Meers
eric,
You are right that there are many aspects that go into a well-prepared presentation.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Number One: Be prepared. There's nothing more embarassing to show up in a presentation and not knowing what to say or answer any questions.
Second: Know your audience. Make sure you understand what's in it for them. It's important to keep your audience attention.Define your key message.
Third: Make it fun. Add a little humor to it. It breaks the ice.
Hi Ryan
There are more than three thing to prepare an effective presentation,
- Know yourself and your limits
- Develop a them
- Know your subject matter
- Prepare on the strategic thinking and speaking from your audience
- Know your audience and what your audience want to learn
_ Prepare your script and your point with an opening the subject content a summary and closing, over be prepare
Eric Andre
Sandra,
these are definitely the items we must keep in mind as effective presenters.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It is always good the purpose of the presentation, the audience,the message, and the desired outcome.
Jarred,
great points made here. I personally think that we are much better able to think on our feet when we have taken the time to prepare well. This way we really know our presentation so well, nothing will shake us.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Cathy ,
sounds like you have a great structure to your presentation & that you have given a great deal of thought to how best to approach a challenging subject.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Once you understand and have massaged your objective, the most important component to effectiveness is knowing your audience. You have to understand your audience through demographics about the group. Although much more difficult for large groups of individuals, a presenter can gain the audience in the first few slides with a hook designed with the characteristics of the audience in mind.
Teaching decimals and fractions are usually a road block for some of my students. When I presented rounding and fractional decimals using dollar and cents, the light bulb turned on in the group. I understood that most of the class worked with money in their jobs either in food service or retail. The fractional components were very easy to comprehend when presented as dollars and cents.
The top three things that come to mind are to know your audience, know your subject and know the environment you are to present in. All of these things have other smaller steps that must be accomplished including researching your audience and what their outlook on the subject might be. Also you must know your subject inside and out and it often helps to know the subjects that have relevance to your subject. Finally the environment you will present in is a big factor in being effective. A small thing such as font size on a slide can destroy the flow of your presentation. However one of the greatest assets I have seen from some of the better presenters I have had the pleasure of witnessing is the ability to adapt and think on their feet. When things go wrong or when an audience is not into your topic the ability to adapt I think helps a presenter to be dynamic and effective.
First, as an educator in the medium of photography, I have to deal with the duality of technical information, as well as subjective decisons, such as aesthetics and style. It is important to mix short presentations on specific technical learning outcomes with visual references that define the outcomes and potentials of using that particular technique. So, dealing with a varied audience who learns in varied ways, I use a three tier presentation: WHY do you need to know this particualr technique?, HOW do you apply it, understand it, retain it and practice it?, WHAT are the potential results of that particular technique and its outcome on your work?
As both a technical and artistic instructor I have to convey two messages, one technical and the other creative, using mostly visuals first, theory second, and the resulting applications again with visuals. I have to remember that such a complex and mixed instruction requires a very simple message, the WHY, HOW and WHAT. Getting extensive feedback from my audience is critical to achieving the class outcomes. I always have to remember that although I know the subject matter well, it is a diffiucult task for the audience to fully assimilate both aspects of this technical/artistic undertaking. Knowing the subject in depth, anticipating the audience's personal limitations and evaluating their retention of the knowledge are the 3 main keys.
I believe knowing your topic is a key point. If you seem uneducated about the topic you are presenting, you will never win over the audience.
Also, having passion about what you are presenting. I present a lot of overview for library use and it can be very boring, but I try to throw in some jokes and tell the students I am not perfect at research either.
Relax and enjoy the moment. It is a time to share something you know well and are passionate about. It is also a time to build presentation and leadership skills and learn from the experience. It has to be worth something for us as the presenter as well.
Questions can always come out of left field-what works for me, if i don;t have a concrete answer, is to engage the questioner for a moment or two with a request for more details; if i still can;t come up with a good answer, i ask for help from the audience. this usually gets more information for everyone who came to the presentation.
Frank,
humor is definitely a great tool to keep our audience interested & engaged.
Dr. Ryan Meers
The key points to being an effective presenter are 1)no your subject matter, what are the objectives you are going to talk about 2)be prepared, which will translate to confidence.3)enjoy what you do, have fun with it, involve your audience, with my personality I use humor to my advanage to keep the audience engaged but not distract from my presentation.
Terri,
All of these are definitely invaluable skills for a presenter & if done appropriately come fairly close to guaranteeing a successful presentation.
Dr. Ryan Meers
The top Three/Four things to remember.
#1 Know your audience well, do your research!
#2 Brainstorm ... find a key note or HOOK to get your audience attention!
#3 Try to anticipate questions that may be asked.
#4 Practice , practice , practice
