2. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
The ability to give a presentation is a necessary skill in the
Visual Aids
workplace. Most of us give informal talks from time to time; others
deliver more formal presentations standing in front of an audience
Advance
Preparation with a set agenda and visual aids.
Start Strong When the occasion arises that you are called on to present, the tips
and techniques in this module will help you prepare and deliver a
successful presentation.
Manage the Flow
Speaking Style
Engage the
Audience

3. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
A presentation is a brief talk on a focused topic that’s delivered to a
Visual Aids
group of listeners in order to impart knowledge, persuade towards
a course of action, and/or to stimulate discussion.
Advance
Preparation
Begin by assessing the requirements of your speaking assignment.
Start Strong Your resource requirements will vary depending on the type of talk
you need to give.
Manage the Flow
Is your presentation simply knowledge sharing or an informational
review? In these situations, a short, informal update may be all
Speaking Style that’s needed. At other times, a more formal presentation is
expected. If this is the case, using visual aids can supplement and
Engage the enhance your message.
Audience

4. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
A visual aid may be an actual physical object, or an image such as a
Visual Aids
photo, a graph, a chart, a table or some other form of digital
representation that pertains to the information being presented.
Advance
Preparation These items may be displayed on an easel or other physical space,
appear in handouts, or be projected onto a screen or monitor.
Start Strong
Choice of media largely depends on the presentation setting.
Manage the Flow • A handout or text on a white board works well when
presenting informally to a small group in a face-to-face setting.
Speaking Style • Presentation slides work well when presenting more formally
to a larger audience or in an online setting.
Engage the
Audience

5. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
When using PowerPoint slides to display your visuals, it’s a good
Visual Aids
practice to provide your audience with a copy of your presentation.
How and when to provide this depends on you.
Advance
Preparation
When delivering your presentation face-to-face, you may want the
Start Strong audience to have something to refer to while you talk. In this
case, print copies of your slides with room for note-taking.
Manage the Flow
When delivering your presentation online, you may want the
audience to have your presentation afterwards. If you plan to
Speaking Style distribute copies of your slides, be sure to include your speaking
points in the ‘Notes’ section on each page. Write full sentences so
Engage the that it is a complete and accurate record of your talk.
Audience

6. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
When delivering a presentation in the workplace, your audience
Visual Aids
isn’t there to see a slideshow. They want to hear your message. The
more prepared you are, the more credible you will appear.
Advance
Preparation
To organize your presentation, start by outlining four elements.
Start Strong • Content - What am I going to say about my topic?
• Process - How will I address the points I want to make?
• Purpose - Why is my topic important to the audience?
Manage the Flow • Outcome - What is the benefit to be gained?
Once you determine what your talk will be about, prepare an
Speaking Style
agenda of what you plan to cover. Audiences like to have a guide so
that they know what to expect.
Engage the
Audience

7. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
No presenter is expected to fully memorize their presentation
Visual Aids
content. A useful technique is to prepare speaker notes ahead of
time and use them to rehearse. This will give you confidence and
Advance
Preparation help to smooth out your delivery.
You can create speaker notes for yourself by simply writing down
Start Strong
on paper what you want to say. You should be familiar with your
material, so don’t write down whole sentences. Just use key
Manage the Flow phrases as cues for what you want to say. This technique forces you
to develop and explain ideas in your own words, creating a more
enthusiastic presentation.
Speaking Style
Engage the
Audience

8. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
Some presenters who stand in front of groups prefer to hold small
Visual Aids
note cards. You can make these by preparing custom handouts.
• From your PowerPoint document, click the File menu (for Microsoft
Advance 2003) or the Publish menu (for Microsoft 2007). Select ‘Notes below
Preparation slides’ for the page layout.
• In the new Word document, delete all slide content until only your
Start Strong notes remain.
• Go to Page Set-up and fix the top, left, bottom and right margins to .4;
landscape orientation; and custom size paper to 6” wide and 4” high.
Manage the Flow
• Select all the text and reduce
the font to size 10 or 12.
Speaking Style • Remove unnecessary words
until just the essential points
fit on the page.
Engage the • Print your notes on 6” by 4”
Audience index cards.

9. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
Advance preparation also involves dressing appropriately when
Visual Aids
presenting face-to-face. Make sure your clothing conveys a positive
image. The more casual you dress, the more likely it is that your
Advance
Preparation authority, professionalism, and competence will be challenged.
Start Strong Always wear clothing that is suitable for the event. The general rule
is to match your attire to the dress of others. Business casual is
usually the minimum standard.
Manage the Flow
You may want to dress a little more formally than you think you
Speaking Style need to. It’s easier to dress down if you are slightly overdressed
than it is to dress-up a too casual outfit. If you wear casual outfits
Engage the to work every day, keep a jacket at the office. A jacket makes even
Audience
the most casual outfit more authoritative and businesslike.

10. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
First impressions are important, so make sure the beginning
Visual Aids
moments of your presentation work to your advantage. To start
strong, always compose your opening statements ahead of time.
Advance
Preparation Use the following steps to guide your introduction:
• Introduce yourself (if necessary) and state the purpose of
Start Strong your presentation.
1. Hello, my name is…
2. I work with… and my role is to…
Manage the Flow 3. I’m here to share what I know about…
4. This information will help you to…
• Preview your agenda and set the expectations for your talk.
Speaking Style 5. I’m going to discuss…
6. By the end, you will…
Engage the Finally, customize your comments for the occasion and practice to
Audience minimize nervousness.

11. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
Having an agenda will help you pace the flow of your presentation.
Visual Aids
You will want to stay on course to finish in the time allotted.
Advance
Preparation Effective presenters employ the following techniques to manage
their delivery.
Start Strong • Establish norms. For example, will you take questions as you
go along or would you prefer to take them at the end?
• Use transitions to indicate when one topic ends and another
Manage the Flow has begun. Example: “Now that we’ve discussed topic A, let’s
now consider topic B.”
Speaking Style • Stay focused. Respond to audience input but avoid time-
consuming tangents. Example: “Thank you for your comments
but now we need to move on.”
Engage the
Audience

12. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
If you are given a certain amount of time to speak, you will want to
Visual Aids
manage your timing so as not to run over or hurry your delivery.
Advance
Preparation In general, allow about 15% of your time for the introduction, 75%
for the main part of your talk, and 10% for the conclusion.
Start Strong Beginning Middle End
• 15% • 75% • 10%
Manage the Flow
For example, given a 20 minute time slot, take about three minutes
for the beginning, 15 minutes for your main points, and two
Speaking Style minutes for the ending. Practice ahead of time to see how this
formula works with your presentation content. Speak out loud
Engage the using your visual aids and time yourself. Make adjustments as
Audience
necessary until you feel comfortable with the format.

13. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
If you are using PowerPoint as a visual aid, don’t treat the text on
Visual Aids
your slides as a script to read verbatim. This tends to create an
impersonal tone where you’re speaking at the audience instead of
Advance
Preparation to the audience.
Start Strong The content on your slides should simply provide a framework for
your message, not tell the whole story. If you’re familiar enough
with your material, the only reason you should be referring to your
Manage the Flow
slides is to point something out. You can also glance at your slides
to cue what you want to say, but you should say it in a natural and
Speaking Style conversational manner.
Engage the
Audience

14. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
Business presenters are not expected to be performers, just
Visual Aids
effective communicators. The best delivery involves a narrative,
storytelling style that can only come with practice.
Advance
Preparation
It is totally unproductive to simply talk about your presentation to
Start Strong someone or to mumble about it to yourself. You must actually
stand up and practice speaking the words out loud in order to
crystallize the ideas in your mind. The key is to remember whole
Manage the Flow
thoughts from which to launch your topic. To be in full command of
what you want to say, focus on articulating ideas rather than on
Speaking Style constructing sentences. This will give you the “mental clarity” that
allows you to present in a natural and conversational manner.
Engage the
Audience

15. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
When presenting, you never want to just “wing-it” nor do you want
Visual Aids
to be totally, 100% scripted. Try to develop a speaking style that
combines both preciseness and spontaneity.
Advance
Preparation
One method to use when rehearsing with your speaker notes is to
Start Strong think of some relevant experiences, stories, or examples to share
that will bring the information to life. This type of planning allows
you some freedom to improvise when “in the moment.” If you are
Manage the Flow
knowledgeable and passionate about your topic, your enthusiasm
and sincerity will be evident.
Speaking Style
Engage the
Audience

16. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
Effective presenters engage their audiences by creating various
Visual Aids
opportunities for two-way communication. A few methods include:
Advance • Asking questions to gain participation.
Preparation • Facilitating a dialog to discuss how the topic applies to the job.
• Inviting reactions to get immediate input/feedback.
Start Strong
Asking questions during a presentation is an excellent way to get
listeners involved since most people like an opportunity to interact.
Manage the Flow
Here are some ways to elicit audience responses.
• Ask for a show of hands.
Speaking Style • Ask a rhetorical question.
• Ask a leading question.
Engage the • Ask for comments and opinions.
Audience

17. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
It’s also common to ask for questions from the audience. Follow
Visual Aids
these tips to ensure that you are prepared when answering.
Advance • Prior to presenting, try to anticipate any questions that might
be asked by the audience and how you would respond.
Preparation
• Always repeat the question before answering to ensure that
others can hear it clearly. Repeating the question allows you
Start Strong
to simplify it and also buys you time to formulate a response.
• Be familiar with knowable facts, such as names, roles or other
Manage the Flow important pieces of data. Having correct and up-to-date
information shows that you value and respect the individuals
in your audience.
Speaking Style • Questions inject some unpredictability, so be flexible and
willing to adjust to the needs of your audience. They will
appreciate if you listen carefully and respond honestly.
Engage the
Audience

18. Presentation
Tips and Techniques
Delivery
As you end your presentation, it’s important to review and
Visual Aids
summarize your topic. Never end with: “Well I guess that’s it…”
Advance
Preparation If you take questions towards the end of your presentation, leave
enough time for your conclusion. Ending a presentation with
Start Strong questions and answers is not a powerful way to close. The final
words you say will be the most memorable, so make sure your
closing points are ones you planned to say.
Manage the Flow
• Remind the audience why your topic is important to them.
Speaking Style • Restate the benefits to be gained.
• Repeat key points you want the audience to remember most.
Engage the
Audience The END.