Effective Presentation Skills: Tips & Techniques

Module UWS|14:
MSc prep. course and thesis research proposal
Giving effective
presentations
Yness March Slokar, PhD
Senior lecturer in Water treatment technology
IHE Institute for Water Education
Tel.: 015 ‐ 21 51 826 (room W2.12)
E‐mail: y.slokar@un‐ihe.org
Life After Death by PowerPoint
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Key tips
Font face
Sans Serif (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Trebuchet MS, Verdana):
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Serif (e.g., Garamond, Times New Roman):
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Serif font has serifs (in red):
(Don’t choose ‘Serif’ as font, Serif is a family of fonts!)
Sans serif are easier to read.
3
Key tips
Font size
Make sure it is readable to your entire audience, but not
so big you can only write 10 words on the slide.
18 point
20 point
24 point (this presentation)
28 point
32 point
36 point
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2
Key tips
Bold
To Bold or not to Bold?
Long sentences all in bold do not look good and are
more difficult to read.
This looks much better and easier to read.
(Use bold letters to highlight words.)
5
Key tips
Capital letters
AVOID WRITING WHOLE SENTENCES IN CAPITALS.
IT IS LESS READABLE AND MORE AGGRESSIVE.
This is already much more readable.
(Use capitals for acronyms.)
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3
Key tips
Text content
 Don't fill up slide too much; use text as key words.
 Run spell check.
 Avoid bullet abuse.
7
Key tips
Amount of content
 Appropriate number of slides; chose what is
important to show (1 slide / minute).
 Don't over‐clatter your data.
 Leave free space at the edges of the slide.
 Explain the presentation of your results (graphs).
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4
Key tips
Type of content
 If you can, show it in graph, not table.
9
Key tips
Legibility
 Avoid bad color schemes.
 Use the same color scheme | organization on all
slides.
 Use different color as emphasis.
This is OK.
This is OK.
This is not OK.
This is not OK.
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5
Key tips
Animation
 Don't over‐animate the slide. It is unnecessary and
tiresome for the audience, as well as distracts from
the message you are trying to convey.
 When is it OK to use animation?
 When delay is necessary, e.g.:
o interacting with audience (asking
question before giving answer);
o having control over speed of
conveying information;
o clarity of presenting results.
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How you say it matters
12
6
How you say it matters
Verbal skills
 Don’t rush.
 Be loud enough for the last row of audience.
 Vary voice tone (conversational).
 Show enthusiasm for what you are presenting.
 People remember the first and the last thing you say
with the slide. Make it count.
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How you say it matters
Most common mistakes
 Poor posture
(hands in pockets, crossing arms, etc.);
 speech and presentation not in sync;
 fidgeting & big movements;
 lack of physical & facial expressions;
 lack of eye contact;
 failing to smile;
 eye rolling.
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7
How you say it matters
The right way
 Keep eye contact;
 stand straight & breathe;
 connect with your topic;
 face your audience;
 practice.
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8
Assignment
 3‐4 min presentation on any topic.
 E‐mail presentation (y.slokar@un‐ihe.org) by
Monday 18 Sep 07:00.
File name: SN_Surname (e.g., 123456_Slokar).
 Presentations plenary session (Monday 18 Sep,
periods 1+2) in random order (pulling LNs). Everybody
gets to comment each other.
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Thank you for your attention.
Questions?
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