I like the presentation topic! I think I'll use it.
I have my students do a presentation called, "What's in A Name." Including, how they got their name and the story behind it; if they liked their name as a child; if they have ever had a nickname - who gave it to them & why.
This is not only fun, but is a great way to help fellow students learn each other's names.
David,
these are all great ways to ensure that your audience engages with your message & content.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As a librarian I present to each new class every module. Before the presentation I look at the course syllabus and talk with the instructor to know what they are studying. This way, I can tailor my presentation to their needs. To answer the question:
1.) Prepare ahead of time. As mentioned above, familiarizing myself with the curriculum allows me to present information that's relevant to the students (credibility).
2.) Be organized. Have an outline for the presentation in place, know what the classroom is equiped with (i.e. overhead projector), know the PowerPoint and links I'm showing them will work, etc. Along with being organized, state at the beginning what I will be talking about, and repeat the key points at the end.
3.) Be a dynamic presenter. Balance lecture points with visual displays. Usually I talk while students are sitting at a computer, so it's imperative that I walk around (I may find the occasional student opening up a game of Spider Solitaire!)
4.) Be concise. Someone mentioned a good point about how lesson plans without discipline lead to overly long presentations. A presentation can have an interesting topic and cool speakers (one I just attended, in fact), and yet run the risk of coming off as boring if the speakers don't stick to their key points; they can't seem to conclude what they are saying (much like I'm doing now!)
5.) Know your audience. In the situation mentioned above, there were several kids in the audience; the speakers should have known that lecturing too long wouldn't hold the children's attention span.
being prepared, knowing your subject matter, and real life experiences are really helpful. involving your audience comes in handy as well.
Dawn,
so true & while I may not be able to know for sure the various questions that will be asked, I can probably anticipate many of them & so can be fairly well prepared.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The Effective Presenter will rehearse their presentation. They will be prepared with all of the presentation items. And they will be ready to answer questions from the audience. Being prepared is so important!
two of the top three are designated in the question itself; delivery, and preparedness. some of the other commanding verbal and nonverbals are sincerity and comfort. Sincerity offers understanding of the material, comfort relays confidence.
Bernadette ,
this is great & this way they take notes on what resonates with them, rather than depending on you to spoon feed them what you think is important.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Everyone loves my presentations because I try not to put any words on the screen.
I make my pictures indicators of what I am talking about. These are called my "leads"
It is entertaining and they are anticipating what fun picture will be next.
This is time consuming , however, it makes them pay attention.
No more death by lecture for me.
1. Know what point you are trying to make. ( Why should you spend your time listening to me?)
2. Know your Audience. ( So that you can make your talk relevant and necessary to these people in this space at this time. )
3. Be funny and polite. (Not 100% relevant, but almost always helps. People remember funny things.)
4. Don't be rushed. ( If you stress people out, they don't remember anything except the stress.)
Christopher,
yes, these are all key factors to presenting an effective presentation as it shows that we understand the content & the audience.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Although there are many important factors to consider when preparing and delivering an effective presentation, I find that knowledge, adaptability, and confidence are three essential factors. Currently, I teach a variety of courses to medical laboratory technology students. In the immunology courses, I share my doctoral research regarding infectious diseases in order to show the students how the medical field relies on a variety of stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of people in the community. In order to deliver an effective presentation, the presenter must be able to convey difficult concepts in a simplified manner. Adaptability is a factor that substantiates the importance of knowledge. For instance, our students have a variety of learning styles. I provide charts and graphs to expound upon certain points during my lecture, while at other times in the lecture I may supplement the information with brief audiovisual clips of leaders in the laboratory field so that students recognize that the theory they are learning has practical applications. Confidence is also a vital factor to ensuring an effective presentation. With confidence, a presenter can explain concepts in a variety of ways that make sense to their audience. If the presenter is confident in their abilities to convey information, the students may be encouraged to ask pertinent questions that lead to engaging dialogue.
Being prepared, knowing your audience, knowing the information and being well thought out are so important for me. But one thing that is just as important in my opinion is being passionate about what your talking about. If you have no connection or personal emotion to the topic the students have zero reasont to develop one for themselves. The heart is the basis for motivation, so along with facts, emotion and a sense of feeling about the subject matter is really what stirs someone to act.
Diana,
these are all great points highlighting the importance of audience analysis & adaptation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Yes, if your material doesn't relate to your audience, then you will lose them as listeners. Also know the general age of your audience so you are not speaking over their heads or down to them. I stress audience analysis in class so they understand the importance of knowing who you are speaking to.
Diana,
these are all great prep ideas. I want to hit on your point about how the info is going to be relevant to your audience. This really is the key to knowing your material. Know your material from a content standpoint, but also know how it is going to relate to your specific audience.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
First thing would be to know your topic. Make sure you can give them information that is going to be relevant to your audience.
Next, know your audience. It is hard to figure out exactly what and what not to say if you don't know who you are addressing.
Lastly, know your time limit so you can know how much info you can fit into the time limit. There is no use putting together an elaborate speech if you don't have enough time to deliever an elaborate speech.
1) State your purpose clearly.
2) Make sure to get your points across. Use notes so you don't forget any!
3) MAke sure to summarize at the end.
Raphael,
excellent point about the application & personal experience. This is where the information/data comes alive.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
1. Know your topic
2. Becomfortable with the topic being presented
3. Preferably have some personal involvement with
the topic you are presenting
