YES! That's sounds just like me sometimes. I consciously try now to keep reading my class on the one hand and remember not just where I started, but why.
Nothing to add to this great point, other than I think I will take your last statement (with proper credit of course!) & share it with those I am coaching regarding presentations. I love the way you put that.
Ryan
Great point Kenneth. I will admit that as a presenter I tend to have this struggle. Or along with this I have a great story or illustration & sometimes get so wrapped up in that, that I really fail to make the point I was intending to with my story.
Ryan
Since we have a complete grasp of the topic we (I, actually) sometimes forget to limit the information I present into digestible bites. Enthusiasm without discipline can lead to overly long presentations or sections of presentations.
Sometimes we are so well versed in a subject that we are comfortable to the point of confusing important DETAILS with KEY POINTS. I like the teaching in this course that stressed identifying what the point of the presentation is. Also, reminding ourselves to whom we are presenting.
We need to know our audience and assess their need first.
I would identify my objective, the supporting facts and statistics and what I want the audience to take away from the presentation
Yes & I would add to know why you are speaking & make sure your audience knows why you are presenting to them. This is not always made known.
Ryan
1. Know your audience.
2. Know your topic-present it simply.
3. Be short and sweet-use visuals for support
Great Ashley & very important. Always determine the goal ahead of time, not in the midst of developing the presentation.
When preparing for a presentation I believe the most important thing to remember is who the audiance will be. Then I need to determine my purpose of giving the presentation and finally I need to determine the main goal that I want to accomplish once I have concluded my presentation.
Being an effective speaker takes more than natural talent or charisma. Like any other skill, the more lessons you have and the more you practice, the more accomplished you become.
There are six basic elements to follow: be prepared, use personal examples and stories in your speech whenever possible, make sure your stories are relevant to your material, stay relaxed, focus on your message and not the audience, use natural humor, practice of your speech look for occasions where you can use a gesture and pay attention to all details.
Well said, Amy. It's interesting to me how many times it does seem like the presenter understands the value of what they are saying. How can the possibly expect the audience to understand it then? Great comments.
Ryan
I believe that it is crucial that you address and understand what the value is of what you are presenting to your audience. After you identify for them (what's in it for me) then make sure you clearly know your objective, know your audience, prepare and rehearse your delivery. Also it is a great idea to play devil's advocate and figure out what objections may be raised during your presentation and be prepared to answer. Finally, ask for specific feedback afterward to help you ascertain if your met your objectives, or not.
Patricia,
Great job. All of your points are good, but the point about a logical progression really resonates with me. I believe this is incredibly helpful to an audience.
Ryan
When preparing and delivering a presentation to be effective in the classroom it is important to:
1.Be organized and present in a logical progression
2.Know about what I am presenting (research the topic) and repeat key points
3.Know my audience so that I can personalize the presentation to maintain their interests
4.Practice the presentation.
Cheryl,
I apologize for the delayed response, I've been in the process of moving the past week.
Great ideas for preparation. I believe a key point that is often overlooked is knowing who else is speaking. This can help you know how to tie together or what topics to avoid.
Ryan
James,
Some great, practical & immediately useful ideas. I think rehearsals are a great way to prepare & I also always advise to make sure that rehearsals don't cause you to become too rehearsed sounding. Audiences seem to really respond to a nice, conversational approach.
Ryan
In preparation for a presentation, I spend a considerable amount of time to ensure that my central message is clear and important to the audience with supporting details to back it up.
Rehearsals are equally important to ensure a smooth delivery and transitions amongst talking points.
Breathing and relaxing, paying close attention to my facial expressions help keep my audience engaged and me on track. People have told me that my facial muscles twitched. If I blank out, I stretch my hands/feet, breathe, and say excuse me, refocus, and deliver.
I believe the top four things to remember when preparing and delivering an effective presentation are:
1. Be prepared
2. Know your audience and know the context
3. Know who else is speaking
4. Speak clearly
