ORAL PRESENTATIONS

What is a presentation?

A public speech given orally to a group on a certain topic

It is not enough to be very knowledgeable

You must also be able to effectively communicate your knowledge

Elements of an Oral Presentation

Speaker behavior

Presentation Content Appropriate Well organized

Feedback

ELEMENTS OF A PRESENTATION

Speaker Behavior

Some things to pay attention to Gestures Voice Eye Contact Breathing

Gestures

Important in non-verbal communication Emphasize points Highlights Audience attention Vary gestures Maybe move around some Don’t stand in front of your visual aids

Show enthusiasm

Voice

Project your voice Critical part of a verbal presentation

Volume - speak to be heard Modulation

Vary the voice Pause

Make emphasis with pauses Do NOT read! Seriously. DO NOT READ. It’s boring.

More about talking

Speak slowly enough. Speak clearly. Look at the audience.

Do NOT speak to your slides or to the chalkboard

Eye Contact

Look at each member of your audience Involvement Trust/support Interest Spontaneous reactions

Breathing

Breathing during presentation is different from normal breathing

Breathe deeper Volume Control Emphasis

It is very common to be so nervous that you forget to breathe! That doesn’t help Breathing is important for talking

Coping with Stage Fright

Note that a little nervousness can help you perform well.

Realize that people will attend to hear your content, not to judge your speaking style.

Prepare well, but do not over-prepare. Exercise a little. Beware of too much food, water, or

caffeine.

Coping with Stage Fright (cont) Hide physical signs of anxiety. Realize that a presentation need not be

perfect to be excellent.

Other things

Don’t apologize Bad slides, poor preparation, ugly clothes,

bad haircut, whatever

Don’t go over time. Ever.

ELEMENTS OF A PRESENTATION

Presentation Content

Appropriateness

Presentation Content

Who are you talking to?

Consider the audience carefully How big? Who? Level of knowledge? Level of interest? Resistance? Time?

Your audience

Remember: People must be able to follow what you say as you say it.

Minimize use of abbreviations/acronyms. KHI WHO Etc.

Audience involvement

Speak in less formal terms than the report was written.

Consider involving the audience. Work creatively with teammates.

Organization

Presentation Content

Preparing an Oral Presentation Stick to the main point. Give the presentation a beginning, a

middle, and an end. If feasible, structure the presentation

largely as a story.

A clear and logical order is the most important thing your presentation can have

A clear and logical order is the most important thing your presentation can have

A clear and logical order is the most important thing your presentation can have

A clear and logical order is the most important thing your presentation can have

Generic presentation structure Introduction Body Conclusion Q&A Feedback

Introduction

Attention Getter It is a good idea to start with an attention

getter Usually something funny or interesting

related to your topic Some sort of audience participation can

also work

Introduction cont.

Introduce your team/self and your topic Hello everyone. As you know, we have all

(been studying body systems). Today our group will present information on (the skeletal system)

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Did you know that… (Give a surprising piece of information on your topic) ?

So far we have heard about (refer to previous speech topics). I want to increase your knowledge by talking about (introduce your topic).

Introduce your group and the main points that each will present

Outline the contents of your report before you give it. Your audience will have a much easier time

understanding Tell the audience the names of each group

member and name the sections each will present

 

Provide a title

Sample: Today we will tell you about/ inform you

about/summarize/report on… We’ll share with you some of the most

important facts about…(state your topic) Our topic is …. and we hope you’ll learn a

lot from our presentation If someone in your audience is taking

notes, this is what you want them to write at the top of the page

Body

Break your information up into sections. Don’t just present facts, present context.

Why this fact is important What it means Where it came from

Provide good transitions Just like conjunctions in a sentence, transitions

explain the relationships between the parts If you just start talking, people will struggle to

figure out these relationships before they begin listening

Transitions

Between sections, try to have a smooth transition The audience should not be surprised The relationship between the two sections must

be clear Sample transition phrases: 

Now [Marie] will explain why that is Moving on, [Jean Pierre] will give a real world

example Now I will talk about… This situation has several consequences…

Conclusion

Sample transitions to the conclusion In summary/ In conclusion/ Now let me

wrap up/ To sum up 

Restate your group’s main ideas in slightly different language than your introduction. (Exact repetition can be boring.)

A kicker?

Finish with a kicker. At the end of a speech in English, the speaker usually leaves the audience with a memorable last sentence. There are many possibilities for kickers:  A return to the ice-breaker/ attention getter A personal comment on what your group

learned from this project A reminder to the audience why this

information is important A “look ahead” that suggests how this

information will be valuable to the audience later

ELEMENTS OF A PRESENTATION

Questions & Feedback

Evaluation

After every presentation EVALUATE Did the audience “get” the key points? Were the visual aids clear and useful? Were the questions relevant? When possible use written evaluations

Answering Questions

Try to anticipate questions and answer them in your presentation

Perhaps have the moderator or a colleague to ask the first question

Keep answers brief

Repeat questions to the audienceParaphrase questions

so that other people hear the question to check you understand the question to stall while you think about an answer

Answering Questions (cont)

If you don’t know an answer, say so. Perhaps offer to find out, suggest how to find out, or see if somewhat present has the answer.

If a question seems irrelevant, offer to answer it later, or move to a related item.

If a question is hostile, answer politely and briefly; perhaps offer to talk later.

Answering Questions (cont)

Make note of questions. Use them to help shape future presentations and publications about the work.

USING IMAGES

Using images

1. What is it?2. What parts are important?3. What does it imply?

Quality Visuals

Slides for Effective Communication Computer Generated Pictures or Figures Not Too Crowded- Not Too Sparse Appropriate Size for Easy Reading

PowerPoint: Some Guidelines

At most one slide per minute, on average

One theme or idea per slide Simple and not crowded Thus, usually no published graphs/tables Bullet points (not paragraphs) for most

text Large enough lettering to read

Compare this slide and the previous one.

In general, do not average more than one slide per minute. Limit each slide to one theme or idea. Keep slides simple and not crowded. Thus, beware of using published graphs and tables. In general, use bullet points (not paragraphs) for text. Make sure all lettering is large enough to read.

READING FROM NOTES

DO NOT READ

Listening to someone read is boring Having a conversation is interesting

To present written text as a conversation: First condense it into an outline Then talk about the outline

When you prepare your presentation, prepare an outline, NOT a full text

Exercise: Reducing text to an outline Extract the main ideas and transitions Establish a hierarchy. Use only single words and sentence

fragments

Exercise: reading from an outline

[T.S.]America needs to reform its policies about immigration, the movement of citizens from other countries to America, because immigration is important to America’s well-being. [1]Immigrants, the people who move to America, keep the American population young, strong, and growing. [2]It is important to treat immigrants well because America is the only developed country whose population is still growing. [3]Its people will be a large and important part of the global population in the future because it will have many people with good, different ideas who can work together.

Exercise: reading from an outline

Immigration Movement of citizens from other countries to

America Important to America's well being

Immigration policy must be reformed Immigrants

People who move to America Keep America strong and growing

Immigrants must be treated well Will make America an important part of the global

population The only developed country whose population is growing Provide good, different ideas

Example

Introduction Things that move

Things that walk People Very small rocks

Things that fly Birds Clouds

Things that crawl Snakes Babies

Things that swim Fish Sticks

Summary

Example 2

Example 3

Introduction Sports

Two types Useful

Swimming basketball

Not useful Walking Running

Conclusion

Example 4

Introduction Water

Three parts Rainwater Surface water

types Lakes Rivers

Importance Irrigation Transport cooking

Underground water Wells Springs

Conclusion

Example 5

Introduction Music & dancing

Types Traditional

Songs & poems Found in African countries Attractive to the people

Modern European countries Outside Africa, try to bring it in Types

Hip hop, R&B, hip hop, etc Gospel

Relaxation & stress reduction

HELPFUL TIPS

Tips

Presentation day Arrive early. Make sure audiovisuals are working.

Practice timing Try to make the presentation slightly

shorter than the allotted time. Have a friend watch you

They may have suggestions or obvious questions you should have answered

PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT

Explanation

You will need to give a 10 to 15 minute presentation

Groups of 5 people Each speaks for at least 2-3 minutes

If that is too long, then talk slower

Presentation specifics

Your goal for this oral presentation is to give classmates interesting, current information on a topic related to your area of specialization (e.g., anesthesia, dentistry, medical laboratory sciences, medical imaging, ophthalmology, physiotherapy).

You will discuss topic ideas in class and with your instructor. Then, you are required to research your topic further in the KHI Library or on the internet.

During you speeches, you must provide and refer your sources of information on your topic. Several sources of information must be cited.

Presentation specifics pt. 2

Each report in English and must be about 10 minutes, with each member of the group speaking for at 2-3 minutes.

Each student must take reading notes and the group must prepare an outline of your presentation. The reading notes must be taken in outline or list form. Do NOT copy whole sentences from the original article.

The language of your presentation should be conversational. You should NOT read the sentences copied from a book or webpage. You should teach, not read.

If it would be helpful to your explanation, prepare a visual exhibit: diagram(s), or picture(s) to illustrate the subject you are explaining.

Presentation specifics pt. 3

The presentation outline should include Introduction that starts with an attention

getter; introduces your topic and group members; tells the audience the main points to be covered by each member in your presentation.

Body: The sections that cover the main points of your topic. each member speaks for about 2-3 minutes on one or more mail ideas.

Conclusion that summarizes the main points of the presentation and reminds the audience of the most important points you want them to remember.

Example: Environmental Health Small Group Project

Each group should think of a project design to improve public health by reducing the incidence of a common disease in their community. Follow steps 1-6 below.

1. Identify a current prevalent disease in Rwanda. (No more than two groups can choose the same disease.)

2. Try to get some statistics or measurement on the occurrence/incidence of the disease in Rwanda. (Try internet search of WHO.org and/or Rwanda.gov/health)

3. Identify several possible interventions that could reduce incidence of the disease.

4. Discuss in some detail how one intervention could improve the situation.

5. Specify how to measure the difference before and after the intervention is introduced.

6. Present your project design to the class and answer their questions.