COMMUNICATIONS: Effective Presentation Skills

OUTLINE:

• What is communications?
 The Communications Model: S-M-R-R1

• The Importance of Listening.

 Feedback

• What is public speaking?

 4 Step Process
 Developing confidence
 Dealing with nervousness
 Critical thinking
 Importance of ethics
 Plagiarism
 Cultural diversity: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Presentation Delivery.
 Semiotics: study of signs and symbols
 Volume
 Pitch
 Rate
 Pause
 Pronunciation
 Articulation
 Kinesics: body language (gestures, eye contact, dress)

• Use of Visual Aids.

 When to use them and how to use them effectively???
 Models
 Photographs
 Drawings
 Graphs
 Slides
 Multimedia

Copyright By: © Sandra Zichermann 2007

You may use the above presentation materials personally or within your organization freely provided
copyright and Sandra Zichermann is acknowledged as the sole author of the work. Not to be sold, or used,
or incorporated in any publication produced for profit without permission from Sandra Zichermann.
Contact info: sandra.zichermann@utoronto.ca
What is Communications?

Communication is a dynamic process. It is based on the act of giving and exchanging

thoughts, opinions and information. The very act of communicating is multi-faceted to
include: two way interpersonal dialogue.

The Communications Model:

There are many variations to this model. I prefer in my teaching to use the general-to-
specific diagram as it encompasses all of the necessary components to effective
communications.

S→M→R→R

The model includes: transmission/channel, feedback, noise (3 types: physical,

psychological, semantic) context.

The Importance of Listening:

Why listen? A: The more of an effective listener you are, the better able you will be to
tailor your message accordingly and to communicate effectively.

Feedback:

Feedback is paramount to effective communications. The notion of communicating

without a response takes away from the essential foundations of daily life. When you are
listening to a fellow peer present, you need to communicate in their discussion. Keep in
mind: communicating doesn’t necessarily involve verbalizing what you want/or have to
say. You can communicate non-verbally (by a wink, a nod, a gesture) to signal that you
are actively involved and that you care. Remember: when it comes time to your
presentation, you need class involvement to engage in debate/discussion.

What is public speaking?

Public speaking like communicating is a multi-faceted process. It may involve a school,

work or family communicative action. Public speaking is a form of communicating that
involves a direct line of command (you are in charge!) This is why many individuals
have fears relating to presenting. It can be an overwhelming process. As long as you are
prepared (I will go into this later) you can gain the necessary confidence and be able to
present effectively on any subject matter at any time.

4 Step Process:

1) Critical reading, critical writing. Organize your ideas to present them in the most
persuasive manner. Begin by writing point form your proposed ideas. Re-write
 until you come up with a working draft. Once that is accomplished, create cue
cards with point form notations on what you will be discussing. Include in these
point form notes when you will pause, reflect, take a break, encourage class
discussion etc. DO NOT WRITE OUT YOUR PRESENTATION IN THE
FORM OF SENTENCES!!! This will create dependency and you will probably
use the paper/cue card in front of you and read it verbatim. Also, you will
probably bore the students and the instructor!

2) Tailor your message to your audience. Do not talk about subjects that you think
your class will a) not understand b) not find interesting or c) does not flow with
the other presentations.

3) You present your information for maximum impact. It makes no sense to just bore
the audience. It is important that you engage in the material and that you identify
to the class what is really important from your information and what they really
need to know etc.

4) You adapt to listener feedback. This is probably the most important facet of
presenting. If you find that your fellow classmates are not paying attention, it is
probably the case. Ensure that you are presenting the material in a creative way
(i.e. the use of presentation materials, humour etc) this will stimulate class
interaction/participation. Also, heed visual cues from the class. If you see people
are yawning, bored, working on other papers, change your approach. Effective
communicators know how to change mid-presentation their speech/ideas. This is
a really great skill to have. Students do give off many non-verbal cues and it is the
responsibility of the speaker to heed those cues by altering their presentation.

Developing Confidence:

Nervousness before, during and even after presenting is normal. Even the best
communicators deal with angst and anxiety before a presentation. The best way to try and
alleviate nervousness is to practice, practice, practice. This may involve the use of a
mirror and reciting your speech (to yourself). Or this could include presenting in front of
a peer, associate, family member, friend etc. These are great resources to help you with
your presentation skills. The other really great way to develop confidence is to acquire
speaking experience. One of the ways that I excelled at presenting is by attending and
presenting at numerous academic conferences. Attending and presenting at conferences
is a great way to practice your communication skills. I truly recommend attending as
many conferences as you can! Also, getting involved in debating/public speaking clubs is
also a great way to improve your communication abilities.

Dealing with Nervousness:

This ties into developing confidence. One of the best ways to deal with your nerves is to
think positively. Look at the bright side of everything. Know that your presentation has
an end. It will not go on forever. Also, do not expect that everything will always go the
way you anticipated it to. Again, the best communicators are able to successfully deal
with sudden situations that are sometimes are out of their control. Try not to stress out!
Get an adequate amount of sleep the night before your presentation. Eat a nutritious
breakfast, lunch or dinner approximately one hour prior to presenting. This ensures that
you are focused, clear and alert when presenting. Concentrate on communicating with the
class…focus on them…do not place your focus solely on the professor. This is not
effective communications! Remember: you want/need the class to participate in your
presentation.

Critical Thinking:

As previously mentioned, it is important to think critically when devising your

speech/presentation. Do the research! Engage in the material! Jan Rehner a Professor in
English at York University created a wonderful tool for thinking critically in her book:
Practical Strategies for Critical Thinking. I recommend this text!

Importance of Ethics:

There are ethical dimensions to communicating. What is ethical to one communicator

may not be deemed ethical to another based on our cultural and social experiences. When
you present you must use ethics in one form or another. This involves honesty and
forthrightness when speaking. Do not miss-guide your listeners! They remember! Avoid
using slang, jargon. Avoid language that is not deemed appropriate (i.e. name calling,
abusive language etc). Overall, check your facts and be thorough! If you are not
completely sure about a fact or a comment you are about to make, it would be wise not to
mention it at all.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism plays a huge role in ethical communications. Do not use other people’s words
as your own. You have to give the individual/group/organization credit for their
work—especially during a presentation. Many communicators fail to recognize others in
their presentations. Always ensure that you are fair and equitable in your presentation.
Others do pick up on material and that last thing you want is for a fellow
student/instructor to call you on your information. Don’t let this happen! Prepare,
Prepare, Prepare!

Cultural Diversity: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

Take into account when preparing your presentation that Canada is a multicultural nation
and as such, your fellow peers, colleagues, instructors etc are from different backgrounds.
Recognize that including cultural diversity in your work is paramount to living in a
diverse society (as Maslow coined). Respecting and identifying differences is
fundamental to succeeding and in becoming an effective and successful communicator.
Presentation Delivery:

Your speech delivery is the fundamental process by which one is judged in presenting.
Ensure that you have practiced your speech over and over again to ensure that you are
prepared. Using Semiotics (the study of signs and symbols) in your speech to convey
meaning or a message is paramount in any discipline. This will engage the audience to
believe that what you are saying is significant and is important. The volume of your
speech is the extent to which you speak loudly or softly in conveying your message. It is
a good idea to tailor your presentation according to the size of the room/students. If you
are speaking to a small group 5-20, you do not need to shout your ideas. This leads us to
discussing pitch, which is the highness or lowness of one’s voice. The inflections of your
voice can connote great meaning to your audience. If you ask a question or make a
statement your pitch and volume may change. It is important to know when you should
change your volume and your pitch. Rate refers to the speed at which one speaks. It is
also really important to not speak to quickly or to slowly when presenting. You will loose
your audience’s attention either way. If you are running short of time, try to summarize in
a way that you are not rushing the information whereby the listener looses the main crux
of what you are trying to convey. The use of pause is really important. You should break
in your delivery. If you do not pause periodically throughout your presentation, your
probably are speaking too quickly (rate) and the audience is probably thinking you are
not a competent speaker/presenter. How you pronunciate and articulate your words can
also affect your presentation. Be sure to double check your words/ideas/beliefs to ensure
that a) you understand what you are conveying and b) you have rehearsed the
presentation that you know how to say what you are trying to say effectively. Remember:
is not so much about what you say—but how you say it that matters!!!!

Kinesics:

Kinesics involves the use of body language (gestures, eye contact, dress) in presenting.
These aspects are essential in conveying a message and in leaving a lasting impression
with your audience. Do not bore the class! Make it exciting/creative! People remember
presentations that are creative! Work on incorporating kinesics in any presentation that
you intend on doing. The use of eye contact is especially important. Make sure that you
scan the audience. Do not gaze into one individual’s eyes! Maintain a free flowing
contact with the audience. This will ensure that you are communicating your message
effectively.

Use of Visual Aids:

The use of visual aids is determined upon the subject matter, locating and timing of your
presentation. It is essential to prepare visual aids in advance. It is also essential to have
backup of any and all computer related materials, just in case the equipment is not
available or faulty etc. Visual aids can significantly heighten the effectiveness of a
presentation. Students interest is usually increased when visual images is tied in with the
verbal material being presented. One major mistake that many presenters do is hand out
visual aid materials (such as pictures, photographs, charts, handouts) to the class during
their presentation. Effective presenters should always hand out materials at the onset of
presenting. At the time in your presentation when you are discussing a certain
idea/belief/object you can inform the class to now look at exhibit A for example. This
will create less noise and less obtrusion to your presentation. Remember: passing around
paper during a presentation creates noise and chatter, something you are trying to avoid.
There are many different visual aids that can be used. It entirely depends upon the
information that you are presenting. If you are discussing HIV/AIDS in India you might
want to bring in charts/slides/models of the statistics etc. If you are discussing the
Sociological Implications related to TV Viewing, you might bring in a short clip or slide
about the material. Make sure that your visual aids are directly correlated with the
information you are trying to present. Finally, make sure that you have checked all your
visual aids to ensure correct spelling and appropriate grammar. This is paramount to
delivering a successful speech/presentation.

Copyright By: © Sandra Zichermann 2007

You may use the above presentation materials personally or within your organization freely provided
copyright and Sandra Zichermann is acknowledged as the sole author of the work. Not to be sold, or used,
or incorporated in any publication produced for profit without permission from Sandra Zichermann.
Contact info: sandra.zichermann@utoronto.ca