Oral Presentation Skills (Notes)

Oral Presentation Skills
Preparing an Effective Oral

Presentation
 Determine the purpose of your presentation & identify your own
objectives.
 Know your audience and what it knows.
 Define your topic.
 Arrange your material in a way that makes sense for your
objectives.
 Compose your presentation with your objectives in mind.
 Create visual aids, particularly if they will help you to be more
persuasive, informative, or convincing.
 Practice your presentation with your visual aids and make
necessary adjustments if your practice run exceeds the time limit
for your talk.
 Make necessary adjustments.
 Practice again.
 Check out in advance the room where you’ll be giving your
presentation (set-up, sight lines, equipment, ethernet connection,
etc.).
Organizing Your Presentation
 Outline 3-5 main points that will help
you meet your objectives in giving
the presentation. You can write an
outline in words and phrases or in
complete sentences, but it’s best to
use as few complete sentences as
possible.
Outlining your points will:
•help you to see key words easier;
•let you add to your notes at the last

minute without crowding;
•allow your speech to flow more

naturally.
Don’t forget to frame your
presentation with a discernible
introduction and conclusion.
• The introduction should
a. get the audience's attention;
b. present your topic in a clear and

compelling fashion;
c. show the topic's importance,

relevance, or interest;
d. forecast the main points or major
ideas of your presentation.
• The conclusion should
a. inform the audience that you are
about to close;
b. summarize the main points of your
presentation;
c. leave the audience with an idea or
concept to remember or ponder.
Prepare the structure of the talk
carefully and logically, just as you
would for a written report.
What are:
 the objectives of the talk?
 the main points you want to make?
Rehearse your presentation - to
yourself at first and then in front
of some colleagues.
Delivering Your Presentation
Greet the audience (for example, 'Good
morning, ladies and gentlemen'), and tell
them who you are. Good presentations
then follow this formula:
 tell the audience what you are going to tell
them,
 then tell them,
 at the end tell them what you have told
them.
Keep to the time allowed.
Performance
 Dress comfortably, but appropriately.

 Be yourself.
 Be conscious of your posture, your
voice, your gestures, and your “body
language.”
 Pause or take a drink of water if you
need to compose yourself.
 Invite questions at the end, giving
audience members sufficient time to
formulate them.
Your voice
 How you say it is as important as what you say
 Speak clearly. Don't shout or whisper - judge the
acoustics of the room.
 Don't rush, or talk deliberately slowly. Be natural -
although not conversational.
 Deliberately pause at key points - this has the effect
of emphasising the importance of a particular point
you are making.
 Avoid jokes - always disastrous unless you are a
natural expert.
 To make the presentation interesting, change your
delivery, but not too obviously (eg: speed, pitch of
voice).
Body language
 Face your audience and make eye contact with everyone
(if it’s a small group) but don't fix on an individual - it
can be intimidating.
 Pitch your presentation towards the back of the

audience, especially in larger rooms.
 Use your hands to emphasise points but don't indulge in

to much hand waving.
 Move around some, but not too much. Pacing up and

down can unnerve the audience. Also avoid swaying
from side to side or rocking back and forth.
Stick to the plan for the presentation.
Don't be tempted to digress.
At the end of your presentation ask
if there are any questions.
Never read from a script.
You should know most of what you
want to say.
If you don't then you should not be

giving the talk!
Using Visual Aids
 Computer projection
 Video & film
 Real objects
 White Board
 Use visual aids to clarify your presentation,
not as a basis for it. They must be relevant
to what you want to say.
 Use titles on each visual aid to guide the

audience.
 Make sure that the font size of your slides

is legible from all seats.
 Keep it simple though.
 Make sure you know in advance how

to operate the equipment.
 Don't face the display screen
behind you and talk to it.
 Don’t stand in a position where you

obscure the screen. In fact,
positively check for anyone in the
audience who may be
disadvantaged and try to
accommodate them.
Practice is essential, both to
improve your skills generally and also
to make the best of each individual
presentation you make.
Finally,
Enjoy yourself. The audience will be

on your side and want to hear what
you have to say!

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Oral Presentation Skills

Preparing an Effective Oral

•let you add to your notes at the last

•allow your speech to flow more

a. get the audience's attention;

b. present your topic in a clear and

c. show the topic's importance,

 Dress comfortably, but appropriately.

 Pitch your presentation towards the back of the

 Use your hands to emphasise points but don't indulge in

 Move around some, but not too much. Pacing up and

If you don't then you should not be

 Use titles on each visual aid to guide the

 Make sure that the font size of your slides

 Make sure you know in advance how

 Don’t stand in a position where you

Enjoy yourself. The audience will be

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