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Improving Academic Presentation Style
Matt | Oct 1 2007
I give a lot of talks, and I've been trying to improve my presentation style, but I'm not sure how to do it in the context of my field. I am in a fairly quantitative science. I have to give presentations where I present results; I am 'selling' the result to the audience, but not in the same way, I think, that one would sell a product, or an idea, or a concept. I'm attempting to convince them that it's right, and that I was diligent in pursuing the result. One common technique is to simply overwhelm the audience with lots of facts and charts and bullet points. Obviously this is a bad idea -- but on the other hand, if you don't give enough 'serious-looking' plots, you run the risk of being dismissed by members of the audience. So how do I strike a balance? How do I keep my presentations in the manner of a good narrative, with appropriate display methods, when constrained by an audience that has a certain expectation of a larger number of quantitative figures and numbers? 31 Comments
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 Planning &Prep, Visual Aids, Content, Delivery...Submitted by GreatManagement on October 3, 2007 - 3:07am.
Breakdown your presentation down into: Planning & Prep: A few questions: Why are you being asked to present? What is the specific purpose? What are the audience expecting? What do you want the audience to do after the presentation? What will determine whether the presentation is a success? Visual aids and props: They can really make a speech come alive. But remember, they adversely can ‘kill’ a speech, as well, if there is no connection between the visual aids/props and the presentation content. I would strongly recommend using props – they really can work. But keep them simple. Content: One of the techniques I have picked is that audiences like to hear about ‘real things’ which have happened or analogies – you could call them ‘stories’. Stories about your own experience, stories about your customers, stories about your service, stories you read about in the papers, etc. Great public speakers are great storytellers. But make sure the story supports your message. Delivery: Whatever the subject is you have been asked to present, be passionate. Your audience will see that passion and believe in you and the subject. If there is no passion or entertainment no matter how good the content the speech will not be great. Hope this helps. Andrew » POSTED IN:
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