The first skill that everyone needs to know is how to present their information to the audience in a clear and concise way when using technology. Most of the presenters that I have listened to in the past at mu university delivered their message across using the PowerPoint medium. Although most of them did a good job at organizing their presentation, I can recall a few that overwhelmed the audience with unnecessary information on each slide making it very hard for the audience and myself to follow. When setting up your presentation, it is imperative that you follow a certain format so that your audience has the best chance of getting the message that you intend to deliver. Things like keeping the number of words of each slide to a minimum, using proper contrast, and the always dependable KISS(Keep It Simple Stupid) adage, can help the audience soak up the information more efficiently. When I first started using PowerPoint, I was definitely guilty of trying to "wow" the audience rather than making sure that the information was easily understandable. Ive used a couple of YouTube videos for ideas on how to better set up my PPT's.
The second thing that you have to make sure you do is to try to be interactive with the audience while delivering your presentation. Personally, I find this the hardest to do because I am a more introverted person and find it very difficult to express myself well in front of large groups. We can all recall a presentation, I'm sure, where the presenter simply stood at the podium and just read his cue cards or read each bullet from his Power Point. Not great, right? Now, what if that person ditched his cue cards and began walking around the room and interacting with the audience by asking questions and trying to get them involved? Way better, no? By doing this, you can capture your audience's attention way more effectively thus ensuring that your audience will be following your every word. I must admit that I still struggle with this to this day. I haven't really had to do many presentations since my university days so I'm really nervous about the upcoming presentations for this course. That being said, I also look forward to this challenge and the chance of becoming more at ease with myself in front of an audience.
I believe delivering presentations effectively is not something that comes easily or quickly to anyone. I think one becomes well versed with them only through trial and error. Seeing what works well and what doesn't is the only sure fire way to better presenting.
Very good post. I agree with KISS and getting out from behind the podium. The hardest part is putting yourself out there the first few times but it gets easier the more you do it. It's always distressing when your audience has no reaction so I have some practice exercises for my students to help them prepare for the such situations. Another great option if you really want to improve your presentation skills is to join a group like Toastmasters. They have several chapters in Korea and it's a good way to network as well.
ReplyDeleteMichel, I can relate to your situation when it comes to doing presentations, because I have never been comfortable with doing them myself. The two key points you mention (having clear and concise slides and being interactive with your audience) I agree, are very important in becoming a better presenter. I have only been using the whiteboard as my tool to pass on information to my students. I can see how some of them would be overwhelmed with the amount of information that I put on the whiteboard. As well, it makes it more difficult to interact with my students if I'm spending too much time writing. I now understand, how using PowerPoint would be helpful to incorporate your two ways on how to become a more effective presenter.
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