PRESENTATIONS

While you may not have a gift for oratory, you can still give presentations that will enhance your career. However, effective presentations involve more than standing before people and talking. You also have the onus of getting them to listen to what you have to say and take action with it.

All presentations have three logical parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction presents the purpose of the presentation. The body presents the major points and the supporting details for each one, and the conclusion summarizes the main points in the body and ties back to the introduction.

The introduction and conclusion are key for communicating your points even though they comprise only a small portion of the presentation. In the introduction, you need to grab attention. In the conclusion, you need to inspire the audience to action.

Presentations, when designed and delivered well, offer several benefits. They communicate information clearly and concisely, and they motivate people. Finally, they provide an opportunity to further understand a topic.

for Delivering Effective Presentations

• Avoid speaking more than fifty minutes without a break.
• Build a logical structure into your presentation (e.g., introduction, discussion, conclusion).
• Avoid distractive mannerisms.
• Be natural.
• Encourage questions from the audience.
• Use visible media (e.g., overhead transparencies, computer generated slides).
• Finish before the allotted time.
• Maintain eye contact with the audience.