Guide to Giving Presentations

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One Fool’s Survival Guide to PresentationsPresented by Greg Robleto

Why are we here?Presentation anxiety is not uncommon.

• We get nervous

• We get derailed

• We omit/forget key points

• We were coerced/bribed

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Why are we here?

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We want to avoid this.

Why are we here?You tell me:

• Greatest presentation you’ve ever seen?

• Worst presentation you’ve ever seen?

• How does The Fool do on presentations?

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Why are we here?

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Sometimes it’s REALLY important.

What is a presentation?

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Outline: Page 1

Overview and summaryA great presentation involves:

• Reading (your audience)

• Writing (your story)

• Riveting (their attention)

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Readingyour audience

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Ask and answer three questions about your audience

• What do they do?

• What do they know?

• What do they care?

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Reading your audience

Reading

What do they do?Knowing your audience means knowing their function

in their organization.

• Level

• Locus

• Leanings

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Reading

What do they know?A presentation lives and dies by appropriate granularity.

So what do they know…

• About the background?

• About the topic?

• About you?

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Reading

What do they care?If your audience leaves without being educated and/or

moved to action, you have failed. So it has to…

• Affect them

• Affect their department

• Affect their company

• Affect you

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Reading


Reading (your audience)

• Writing (your story)


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Reading

Writingyour story

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Pre-writing: thinking it throughBefore you even open PowerPoint, take the time to think

it through.

• Take notes

• Ask yourself some questions

• Get some feedback

• What is the appropriate format?

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Writing

Writing (your story)

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Writing a presentation should be just like writing an essay.

• Introduction• Thesis• Body• Conclusion• Implications

But don’t do them in this order!

Writing

Thesis StatementThis is the very reason you are meeting

• Clear, concise, yet comprehensive

• Resist temptation to do a “reveal”

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Writing

Conclusion & ImplicationWrap it up.

• Don’t Make Them Think

• Call to Action

• Accountability

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Writing

BodyMake your argument!

• Get organized

• Write a story

• Keep your backup info handy

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Writing

IntroductionYou did not call this meeting to give an introduction.

• Keep it short

• Stick to universals

• Gauge your audience

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Writing

Review, then review again.What could possibly go wrong?

• Put yourself in your audience’s shoes

• Does it flow?

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Writing





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Rivitingtheir attention

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Riveting (their attention):It’s all about eliminating distractions…

• In your “deck”– Design– Data– Density

• In your demeanor

Outline: Page 3

Riveting

Distractions in DesignLet’s keep it clean.

• Eliminate (if not, minimize)– Clip-Art– Font changes– Layout changes– Sound effects– Transitions

• Maximize– Consistency in all respects

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Riveting

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Distractions in Design

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Riveting

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Riveting

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Riveting

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Riveting

Could our sites load faster?

People are remarkably bad at predicting their own behavior.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck32

Riveting

Distractions in DataShow what you mean.

• Minimize(if not, eliminate)– Spelling errors– Data-laden tables– Misleading charts– “Chart bling”

• Maximize– Helpful, pertinent, clean charts and tables that

support your thesis

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Actual Value Months ElapsedValueMonth 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

0 6,496$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 1 11,484$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 2 13,209$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 3 13,580$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 4 14,819$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 5 15,185$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 6 16,675$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 7 16,681$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 8 16,929$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 9 20,771$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

10 20,361$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 11 20,311$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 12 24,874$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 13 27,162$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 14 28,304$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 15 28,223$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 16 29,715$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 17 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 18 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 19 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 20 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 21 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 22 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 23 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 24 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 25 -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 101

101.5

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FY07 FY08

Riveting

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Distractions in Data

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http://movieclips.com/H8VE-an-inconvenient-truth-movie-drastic-rise-in-co2-concentration/

Riveting

Distractions in Density

When you just can’t cut anything else from a presentation…

• Minimize (if not, eliminate)– Lengthy paragraphs

• Maximize– Page numbers (and

references to other page numbers)

– Repetition– “Wayfinding” systems– Tables of contents– Repetition

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Riveting

Distractions in your DemeanorHere’s looking at you.

• Eliminate (if not, minimize)– Distracting handouts– Reading your presentation– Nervousness– “Um”– Post screw-up “bleh”– Words you or other business people

have made up• “Collaborately”• “Irregardless”

– Technical Glitches

• Maximize– Eye contact– Continuity

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Riveting

Distractions in your Demeanor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NZOt6BkhUg

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Riveting

SummaryA great presentation involves:



Riveting (their attention)

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Discussion Any questions?

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Homework(It’s optional)

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HomeworkPrepare your own Presentation

Explain your job to a new Fool(or another topic of your choosing)

• Presented in about 1 week• ~ 6 minutes in length • ~ 20 slides (if you use PowerPoint at all)

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Guide to Giving Presentations

Education

Transcript of Guide to Giving Presentations