Effective Presentations

• Anxiety can be a positive factor in presentations as it helps the speaker

maintain their best performance.

• However, it can be counterproductive once the speaker loses control of their

feelings of anxiety.

• Speech preparation is one way to control anxiety since it helps build speaker
confidence.

• Deep breathing is another anxiety reducing technique, which includes taking a

deep breath and holding for three-seconds before exhaling.

• Positive Visualization is another anxiety

control measure, where speaker imagines
themselves positively delivering speech
before actually doing it.

• Speakers can immediately reduce anxiety

 Effective Presentations

• and gain immediate positive feed back from their audience through a brief
introduction; this will help the speaker build momentum while focusing away
from their anxieties.

• Another introduction involves starting by asking the audience a question.

• If the speaker freezes due to losing their train of thought, it is okay to ask the
audience for a reminder.

• Audiences consider pauses longer than thirty seconds too long, so use of
humor or a reminder is ideal immediately after that time frame.

• The principal of “less is more” is also important to

consider when trying to keep your audience engaged.

• More complex ideas can be shown and explained by

use of handouts or visual aids; the presentation is used
to present the big

 Effective Presentations

• Another anti boredom mechanism is to use variety, the

easiest way to do this is through use of pictures.

• Pictures should be simple and reinforce the main point

conveyed by the text.

• Other border control techniques include moving around,

ask audience members frequent questions, and using
different tones of voice (1).

• Monotone speaking is hard for audiences to follow, some

audience members think it is awkward.

• On the opposite extreme, frequent exclamations and

emphasis on minor points can wear down audience(2).

 Effective Presentations

• Slide development can be done by one of two extremes. You can make
your slide and its supporting text too busy, which has the effect of
confusion or wearing down the audience, or even the speaker.

• This usually has the effect of making the audience loose attention.

• The opposite extreme is using no imagery in a slide presentation,

which can easily bore the audience.

• A minimalist approach will begin to bore an audience after about five

or six slides, which can have sensitive impacts if the purpose of the
side is to sell or promote a product to a potential business client.

• The presenter must balance between these extremes, carefully using

visuals that support their main point rather than loose attention or
make them look unprofessional.
 Effective Presentations

• This slide was meant to emphasize the opposite point made in the previous
one (3).

 Effective Presentations

•We cannot control Murphy’s Law, though

we can do the best we can to anticipate
when Mr. Murphy wants to crash the party
(no pun intended).

•When technical issues disrupt the

presentation, how you handle them us
being processed by some audience
members as an indictor of how

professional or unprofessional you are.

• If anything, engage potentially impatient

audience members quickly and firmly by
reassuring the situation is being addressed,
as impatient types can have a negatively
infectious impact on the audience.

 Effective Presentations
• If you cannot fix it, the speaker has the option of apologizing for delays, and
perhaps asking an audience member for help.

• To many audience members, admitting that you may need help is better than
pretending to look like you know what your are doing when you do not.

• If you ask for help, and an audience member provides it, be sure to thank the
audience member, and encourage other audience members to do the same
with an applause, etc.

 Effective Presentations

• Try to avoid conflicts with audience members who want to dominate the
conversation with contrary points or questions.

• Do not let the presentation be about you and the disruptive audience member,
who may be trying to provoke you or heckle your speech.

• If their intent is constructive,

acknowledge their point, thank
them, and publicly mention how
it builds upon the presentation
for the audience.

• Do not consider yourself as the

subject matter expert, even if
you are well studied in the
presentation topic (1).

 Effective Presentations
• The presenter will only gain more credibility by publicly showing an openness
toward other ideas besides their own.

• They will also learn more, building upon their knowledge of the material gained
by studying and presenting.

• It is also possible that the presenter will develop important professional

networking opportunities (4).

 Sources

(1)“Difficult Presentations Made Easy.” Films Media Group, 2001,

digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18566&xtid=49881. Accessed
22 Apr. 2019.

(2) Hagler, Gina, MBA. ‘Presentation Skills’. Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2018.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/eds/detail/detail?
vid=8&sid=1e6c1d6e-94ab-42f9-8cbd-d3035e91000c%40sdc-v-

sessmgr06&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=100039092&db

=ers

(3) Kapterev, Alexei. Presentation Secrets, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated,
2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-
com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/lib/apollolib/detail.action?docID=818966.

(4) Personal Insights.