Effective Communication & Presentation Skills

APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL
Appearance

1. Dress neatly and tidily - first impressions are important.
2. Carry yourself in a confident and professional manner.

Eye Contact

Keep eye contact with the class. This will:

• keep them alert.
• make them feel that they are being directly spoken to.
• make them feel part of the class.
• give them confidence in you as the instructor/presenter.

Monitor the class' reactions to what you are saying so that you can adjust your talk accordingly.

Do not:

• stare (intimidate).
• move your eyes from side to side (distraction).
• look out the window or at the clock (indicates boredom).
• look only at the training aids or chalk board (this can be perceived as impolite).
• look at your feet or at the ceiling (indication of nervousness or timidity).

Body Movements

Be natural - don't move around too much or too little.

Do not:

• stand rigid.
• march.
• slouch.

Do:

• move forward for emphasis (e.g. when standing at a podium).
• relax when talking from behind a desk -this creates some intimacy with a group.
• slowly and on occasion move from side to side to engage all parts of the class.

Gestures

Do:

• use meaningful and appropriate gestures to make a point.

Do not, or at least avoid:

• play with keys or coins in your pocket.
• use your hands too much, touching your nose or ears and excessive coughing.
• use gestures that indicate you are washing your hand of a situation or wringing your hands because of frustration.
• use a praying gesture as some may find this offensive or foot tap as this may be perceived as patronizing.
• use a pointer, pen, pencil or chalk to point at an individual may be perceived as offensive.

VOICE

Volume: How loud the sound is

• Speak loudly enough to be heard.

Pitch: How high or low a note is

• Use effectively to convey meaning.

Tone: The characteristics of a sound.

Pace: This is how long a sound lasts.

• Talking too fast causes the words and syllables to be short, while talking slowly lengthens them. Varying the pace helps to maintain the audience's interest.

Rate

• Speak more quickly to convey enthusiasm.
• Speak more slowly to emphasize key points or issues.

Do not:

• speak so quickly that no one can understand.
• speak so quickly that materials are glossed over rather than well explained so that they are understood.
• speak so slowly that people become bored or drowsy.

Articulation

• Speak clearly, pronouncing words carefully -don't mumble. Control your lips, teeth and tongue to assist you.

LANGUAGE

• Avoid "pet" expressions (e.g."O.K.","Like", "You know").
• Do not use profanity.

Tip: Write down your pet expressions on an index card and have a colleague mate point out when you use those or others which you should add to your list.

HUMOUR

• Use humour but only appropriately.

There are two good methods for improving your voice:

a.      Listen to it! Practice listening to your voice while at home, driving, walking, etc. Then when you are at work or with company, monitor your voice to see if you are using it how you want to.

b.      To really listen to your voice, cup your right hand around your right ear and gently pull the ear forward. Next, cup your left hand around your mouth and direct the sound straight into your ear. This helps you to really hear your voice as others hear it...and it might be completely different from the voice you thought it was! Now practice moderating your voice.

Presentation Skills:

Planning Your Message

Concentrate on three (AMV) matters:

Audience:

·         Who is in the audience?

·         What do they have in common? You with them?

·         What are their wants, worries, and questions?

·         How long do you have?

·         What is your own purpose? What response do you want from them when you finish?

Message:  In 25 words or less, what is the most important thing you want the audience to remember or do as a result of your communication?

Visual Aids:

·         Will you use visual aids?

·         What kind? (PowerPoint, flip chart, acetates, chalk board, other)

·         Will you use props and/or printed handouts?

Preparing your Message

Concentrate on three (OPC) matters:

Opening: When beginning your presentation, plan to:

·         Greet people warmly.

·         Get the attention of your audience—state a question or share a personal experience.

·         Preview what is coming— promise people what they will get from listening to you or talking with you.

·         Give your name after the question or promise (or before if that seems a better time).

·         Offer people some information about your professional and personal qualifications.

·         Let people know if you want to hear questions during or after your presentation. Note:  It can make for a richer learning experience if you answer questions during your lesson.

Presentation Body: You can build your presentation around different organizing themes such as:

·         The questions your audience is likely to have.

·         A time structure (past, present, future).

·         A problem-solution approach (your subject today, the problem, solution(s), benefits).

·         A decision-making approach (state an opinion or suggestion, offer an opposite view, give evidence to support the first opinion or suggestion, and restate it in a new way).

If you use statistics:

·   Don’t overuse them.

·   Give a source.

·   Use up-to-date information.

·   Round up or down.

·   Present numbers visually if over four figures long.

·   Turn facts into pictures when possible.

·   As you speak, illustrate your points by sharing examples.

Conclusion:

When concluding your presentation, plan to:

·         Summarize the main points.

·         Invite or encourage people to act—to put what they have learned into practice.

·         Suggest some next steps they can take to learn more about their topic;  ask participants for ideas about how they can learn more.

·         Write a strong final line that alerts people that you are finished and ends your presentation on a positive note of hope.

·         End on time.

Presenting Your Message

Concentrate on three (DBVC) matters:

Delivery:  Should emphasis on the following:

·         The speaker greeted the audience warmly.

·         I could hear the speaker.

·         I could understand the speaker.

·         The talk was delivered with warmth and feeling.

·         The talk was delivered with personal conviction from both the speaker’s mind and heart.

·         The presentation seemed practiced.

·         The presenter involved the audience.

·         The speaker handled questions and comments with calm courtesy.

·         The talk contained effective examples and illustrations.

·         The presenter defined technical terms and statistics for us.

·         Speak in short phrases in terms your audience understands.

·         Emphasize key ideas.

·         Define and translate technical terms and statistics.

·         Use a conversational tone of voice.

·         Control the volume of your voice.

·         Involve your audience with questions, handouts, or interactive exercises.

·         Show respect for each person during the question-and-answer period.

·         Be courteous to hostile or difficult individuals.

·         Repeat all questions before answering them in a large group.

·         Transition from one main idea to another using:

Words: “therefore,” “according to.”

Phrases: “as I explained earlier,” “on the one hand”

Sentences: “Let’s look at another point of view.” “Here is another way of looking at this.”

At the end of your presentation, use your conclusion plans from #6 under Preparing Your Message.

Body Language:

• The speaker stood during the presentation.
• The speaker had good eye contact with the audience.
• The speaker showed no distracting movements or gestures.
• The speaker smiled.
• The speaker used his/her hands to help communicate ideas visually.
• The speaker tried to use verbal focusing techniques.

·         Stand rather than sit—if you are able—while speaking.

·         If standing, plant your feet firmly on the floor; stand tall.

·         Stand at ease and show a friendly face.

·         If you are sitting when you speak, lean forward slightly, from the waist with a straight back.

·         Use your hands to communicate.

·         Look and see the audience when you speak to them.

·         Convey energy and enthusiasm for the topic.

·         Wear clothing that makes you feel comfortable and effective and shows respect for your audience.

·         Use verbal focusing techniques such as signposting (showing with your hands the number of points or ideas you want to highlight) or the inserted question (“So, what does all this tell us about adherence to treatment?”).

Visual Aids:

• The speaker used visual aids.
• I could read the material from where I was sitting.
• The visual aids got the point across in a clear and simple way.
• The speaker did not block the screen or flipchart.
• The speaker talked to the audience rather than to the screen or flipchart.
• The visual aids used key words rather than sentences.

·         Locate and test equipment and lights in advance.

·         Place visual aids where they can be seen and display only when ready to discuss them.

·         Display key words rather than sentences.

·         Use lettering large enough to be seen on a flip chart and a white board.

·         Use graphic devices for clarity (borders, bullets, boxes).

·         Add images as well as words (put images at top or left and text to the right).

·         Use a pointer (roll a large piece of paper, hold with rubber bands, and color the tip).

·         Show slide for five seconds before you speak.

·         Talk to the group, not the screen.

·         Don’t sacrifice learning through discussion to passive learning through technology.

Content:

• The opening got my attention.
• The introduction told me what to expect from the presentation.
• The purpose of the talk was clear.
• The talk was designed in a logical way from beginning to middle and end.
• The presentation was well-suited to the audience.
• The content was interesting to me.
• The speaker summarized the main points before finishing.
• The speaker let us know when the talk was over.
• The talk ended on a strong final line or idea.
• The presenter ended on time.

Other Common Tips for Presentation Skills:

o    If you have handouts, do not read straight from them.

o    Do not put both hands in your pockets for long periods of time. This tends to make you look unprofessional.

o    Do not wave a pointer around in the air like a wild knight branding a sword to slay a dragon. Use the pointer for what it is intended and then put it down, otherwise the audience will become fixated upon your "sword", instead upon you.

o    Speak to the audience...NOT to the visual aids, such as flip charts or overheads. Also, do not stand between the visual aid and the audience.

o    Speak clearly and loudly enough for all to hear. Do not speak in a monotone voice. Use inflection to emphasize your main points.

o    Use colored backgrounds on overhead transparencies and slides (such as yellow) as the bright white light can be harsh on the eyes. This will quickly cause your audience to tire.

o    Learn the name of each participant as quickly as possible. Based upon the atmosphere you want to create, call them by their first names or by using Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.

o    Tell them what name and title you prefer to be called.

o    Listen intently to comments and opinions. By using a lateral thinking technique (adding to ideas rather than dismissing them), the audience will feel that their ideas, comments, and opinions are worthwhile.

o    Circulate around the room as you speak. This movement creates a physical closeness to the audience.

o    List and discuss your objectives at the beginning of the presentation. Let the audience know how your presentation fits in with their goals. Discuss some of the fears and apprehensions that both you and the audience might have. Tell them what they should expect of you and how you will contribute to their goals.

o    Vary your techniques (lecture, discussion, debate, films, slides, reading, etc.)

o    Get to the presentation before your audience arrives; be the last one to leave.

o    When writing on flip charts use no more than 7 lines of text per page and no more than 7 word per line (the 7 rule). Also, use bright and bold colors, and pictures as well as text.

o    Spend more time listening than talking (but of course, as a presenter, you will be doing most of the talking).

o    Do not finish the sentence of others.

o    Do not answer questions with questions.

o    Aware of biases. We all have them. We need to control them.

o    Never daydream or become preoccupied with their own thoughts when others talk.

o    Let the other speaker talk. Do not dominate the conversation.

o    Plan responses after others have finished speaking...NOT while they are speaking. Their full concentration is on what others are saying, not on what they are going to respond with.

o    Provide feedback but do not interrupt incessantly.

o    Analyze by looking at all the relevant factors and asking open-ended questions. Walk the person through analysis (summarize).

o    Keep the conversation on what the speaker says...NOT on what interest them.

Section-2

Audience Management/ Control

Audience Control:

• Be frank with the audience:
• Be reserve with great personality:
• Be confident on your knowledge:
• Be flexible where necessary:

Techniques for drawing participants’ attention:

• Eye Contact:
• Participative mood:
• Learn and feedback method:
• Visual Show:
• Use example as story:
• Get the acceptance from the audience:
• Sometimes talking about the life style or inspiring matters:

Example Setting Skills:

Example is the way of making others understanding. This is the easiest and mostly effective way for understanding. For setting example one should consider the following factors:

• Participant’s level
• Participant’s Language
• Topic of Module
• Participant’s Gender
• Participant’s Status

Simulation Management Skills:

Simulation is a method for training. To facilitate any training under simulation method, trainer must be capable to handle simulation. For this purpose the following areas should be consider:

• Asses the session which needs simulation
• Understanding the role of Simulation
• Facilitate the simulation program

ü  Use an easy to read, color format.

·         Pick a color combination that offers a strong contrast between the background and the text. Dark backgrounds with light colored text or light backgrounds with dark colored text work best. If you know you will be presenting in a poorly-lit room, use a light background. Conversely, if you know you will be presenting in a well-lit room, use a dark background.

·         Limit the number of colors you use to no more than three. Color can help add interest and can be used to emphasize key points. However, too much color can be distracting.

·         Text drop shadows should be black or a darker shade of the background color.

ü  Keep images simple.

Images (such as graphs, tables, and pictures) can help strengthen your presentation by conveying your message in an interesting and often easy-to-understand format. Before using art, ask yourself whether the art enhances or clarifies your message.

·         Unnecessary art and animation can create visual clutter and distract from your message.

·         Some art, especially photos and other high-resolution images, can also greatly increase the amount of memory needed to run the slide show.

·         Sometimes scanned images and photos are too large for a film recorder to handle easily, leading to delays in the slide presentation.

Tips for Giving a Successful Presentation

  Check your equipment in advance.

Before your presentation, check the following:

·         Make sure cables and cords are connected properly and all the equipment is operating.

·         If you are using someone else’s computer, make sure it has adequate disk space, adequate memory, and the appropriate versions of the software you need (including PowerPoint).

  Check your computer settings in advance.

It helps to check the following, especially if you are using someone else’s computer:

·         Make sure the “system standby” function on the computer is turned off. If this function is turned on, your computer might temporarily turn off if you don’t use it for a designated time period. On a PC, you can check this by going to the Control Panel and look at the Power Options.

·         Turn off the screen saver, since a screen saver can slow down your presentation. On a PC, turn this off by going to the Control Panel and then to Display. Click on the Screen Saver tab to turn the screen saver off.

  Interact with your audience.

Don’t read off the screen.

·         Use slides as prompts, outlines, or conversation points, not as a script.

·         Move around the room and make eye contact with as many people as possible.

 Use your finger as a pointer, rather than the mouse.

Although you can use the mouse to create a pointer on the slide, using your finger to point is generally more accurate and less distracting to the audience. When you move the mouse to point, it is often difficult to control the little pointer and it can be difficult to see.