PRESENTAT

ION SKILLS:

LEARN TH

E BASICS

K E L L Y P R E E C E

R E S E A R C H E R D E V E L O P M E N T P R O G R A M M E M A N A G E R ( P G R S )

TODAY WE WILL COVER

The purpose of a presentationWhat makes an effective presentationPlanning your presentationDeliveryUsing powerpoint effectivelyExamples of good presentations

PADLET

http://padlet.com/UofE_RD/presentationskillslearnthebasics9_12_2015

PART 1: THE PURPOSE OF A PRESENTATION

WHY DO WE PRESENT RESEARCH?Feedback from experts and peersQuestions, critiques, challengesInterdisciplinary discussionAreas of mutual interest or mutual

challengeSource: Strategies for Effective Academic Presentations, Monica Bulger

TO…PersuadeInformAdvocateTestConfirmClarifyAdapted from: Strategies for Effective Academic Presentations, Monica Bulger

TO…ChallengeQuestionExperimentPractice Advance Develop your researchImprove your final thesis Adapted from: Strategies for Effective Academic Presentations, Monica Bulger

PART 2: GOOD PRESENTATION, BAD PRESENTATION

WHAT WILL YOU EXPECT FROM AN OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION IN RELATION TO THESE CRITERIA?(1) Scientific and technical content (2) Presentation

5 CLASSIC PRESENTATION MISTAKESFROM THE THESIS WHISPERER

Source: www.thesiswhisperer.com

TMI (too much information)

All literature and no action

Why are we here again?

Undigested text

Question time = fail

AND ONE MORE…

Running out of time!!!

PART 3: PLANNING YOUR OWN PRESENTATION

Who are your audience?

WHAT IS YOUR CORE MESSAGE?

Start by considering core message of your presentation

Then consider how to deliver it

PRACTICE

Spend 5 minutes developing an ‘elevator pitch’ for your research

- Why is it important?

Be prepared to share with another researcher

SO WHAT?

Introduce yourself to 5 people you don’t know

Give them your ‘elevator pitch’ what you’re currently working on and why it is important

Reflections?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4oFusqANts&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC1fBd2Q0ec

// COMFORT BREAK \\

PART 4: DELIVERY

5 THINGS EVERY PRESENTER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE

From: Susan Weinschenk

Script it, but act spontaneous

Tell a story

From: Resonate, Nancy Duarte

Open well and close well

Set up a problem to be answered in your talk

Use questions to keep audience engaged…

Provide revelations

Reiterate your message

Your audience may well be tired and fidgety

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Pace Body language Handling nerves Modulate your voiceBeware concentration face!

DEALING WITH QUESTIONS

RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS

Step One - ListenStep Two - UnderstandStep Three - Communicate and involveStep Four – RespondAllow follow-up questions

From: University of Leicester

HELP!

Ask a colleague to take notes for you during the Q&A

THINGS TO AVOID

Answering the question you wished you’d been asked

Making a second ‘mini’ presentationPassing the blameDefensive answers

From: University of Leicester

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

Give yourself time to think about the questionDon’t worry about admitting you don’t know

something, or hadn’t considered it……but do so positively ‘That’s an interesting

ideas I’d not thought of that’

If it’s complicated, deal with it later ‘That’s interesting, shall we have a quick chat about it after the talk?’

If it falls outside the remit of your/talk/research ‘That’s really interesting, but it falls outside the scope of my research’

If they are persistent …‘I’m afraid I need to move on’From: University of Leicester

REMEMBER THE THESIS WHISPERER…

Pose some of your own questions at the end of your presentationRecognise that some questions are a thinly veiled excuse for someone to offer their opinionPose the question back to the asker Ask the speaker to make the question concrete

From: The Thesis Whisperer

DEALING WITH NERVES AND ANXIETY

From: Business Insider

Prepare

Know your venue

Practice

Visualize your success

Practice positive self-talk

Know your audience

Exercise lightly and breathe deeply before you speak

Memorize your opening

Claim the three “audience truths”

Smile

Realize you don’t look as nervous as you feel 

PART 5: USING POWERPOINT EFFECTIVELY

Source: How to Avoid Death by Powerpoint, David Phillips

One message per slide

Use short bits of text and an image

The most important part of the powerpoint should be the biggest

Work with contrast

Use a maximum of 6 ‘objects’

DANCE VS. POWERPOINT: A MODEST PROPOSAL

‘If you’re trying to give someone the big picture of a complex idea, to really capture it’s essence, the fewer words you use the better.’

PART 6: EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRESENTATIONS

MELISSA MARSHALL: TALK NERDY TO ME

JULIAN TREASURE: HOW TO SPEAK SO THAT PEOPLE WANT TO LISTEN

FIORENZO OMENETTO: SILK, THE ANCIENT MATERIAL OF THE FUTURE

THANK YOU!

researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk

www.exeter.ac.uk/as/rdp

@UofE_RD