Presentation Skills

Public Speaking- Presentation Skills

It’s quite common to fear speaking before a group. Some reasons that make you fear public speaking are : Self-consciousness, fear of being judged by others or not being prepared, lacking knowledge etc. Being prepared and practicing more can help you become more confident. The ability to present ideas and information effectively is perhaps the most saleable of all professional skills. A professional is expected to deliver presentations to clients, co-workers, superiors, etc. Let’s understand how we can deliver an effective speech/presentation in front of a group of people.

Basic pointers to structure your Presentation:

• Clarity of Purpose

• Knowing the Audience and their perspective

• Opening your Presentation

• Body of Presentation

• Closing your Presentation

Starting the presentation:

Grabbing the attention of your audience is very important when you are starting your presentation. So, start with a bang. You can either keep it simple to start with your Introduction or you can make it more interesting by starting with a question, data, story. Have high energy, loud volume and engaging expressions on your face when you start.

Main body of the presentation:

After making a good first impression at the beginning of the presentation, you can continue with engaging and relevant content to explain the what, why and how of your topic.

Closing the presentation: Your conclusion is the most important part of your speech and the most important part of your conclusion is your final message that you want your audience to remember. Plan a closing activity to ensure that you are leaving your audience with the message, energy and feelings that you had intended for.

Here are some interesting rules that you can follow while planning your presentation.

10-20-30 Rule:

6 X 6 Rule:

This rule indicates that you shouldn’t have more than 6 words in each line and not more than 6 bullet points in each slide.

Activity: Group Presentation

When: during session:

How: Choose a topic and plan & deliver

Steps for preparation:

1. Decide the storyline of the presentation. 

2. Decide the role of each team member in the presentation (who will present what).

3. Rehearse at least once and time your presentation.

4. Discuss about how the team members will introduce themselves (each person will give his/her own introduction or one member will introduce all)

5. Focus on transitions : Ensure a smooth transition, when a person hands over the presentation to another.

6. While presenting, every member in the group on stage should appear alert and energetic. You should not look bored when other members of the team are presenting.

List of topics:

1. Joint family vs Nuclear family

2. School life vs college life

3. How can we deal with pandemics effectively

4. Polythene bags should be completely banned

5. Does dress code really matter at educational institutions?

6. Cricket should be made the national sport of India.

7. Co-ed schools vs single-sex schools

8. Extra curricular activities should be made compulsory in school

9. Importance of English in today’s world

10. Social Media – a waste of time or an important communications medium?

11. Is Indian news media socially responsible?

12. Work life balance

13. Importance of plastic recycling

14. Internet has lead to heightened terrorism activities.

15. Upcoming technologies that can change your life

16. Is India ready for a cashless economy?

17. How can our country have a stronger economy?

18. Modern vs Traditional

19. What can we do for gender inclusivity

20. Job vs business

Assessment parameters:

Exercise:

1. Pranay has to give a presentation on the topic “Maharashtra Tourism” to the government officials. Which among the following should be his first step?

1. Sit back and relax

2. Download a presentation from the Internet

3. Research about the topic and make his own presentation

2) Ayush has made a Presentation but is extremely nervous. Which of the following tasks can help him to fight nervousness?

1. Forget everything and sleep

2. Continuous Practice

3. Give up

3) Mr. X has made a presentation of 40 slides for a time slot of 10 min. What among the below-mentioned advice is best suitable for Mr. X?

1. Speak as fast as possible to cover 40 slides in 10 minutes.

2. Request to increase the time limit.

3. Reduce the slides as per the 10-20-30 rule.

4) Which of the following is the best practice for Audience Engagement?

1. Narrate a story based on topic

2. Sing a song

3. Dance

5) What is the 6X6 rule?

1. 6 Slides & 6Points

2. 12 points in 1 Slide

3. 6 words on one line , 6 lines in one point

Answers:

1. C ( It is very important in every presentation to do in-depth research about the topic you have been allotted)

2. B ( Nervousness is a common scenario and everyone goes through it. The key to fighting nervousness is to practice for the presentation that will eventually boost your confidence and eradicate the nervousness)

3. C ( The key to a very successful presentation is that you need to have only relevant information on slides, so always try to follow the 10-20-30 rule.

4. A ( To capture the attention of audience/listeners in your presentation is all up to your creativity but the most widely practiced way is to narrate a story. Dance and Singing in both formal and informal scenarios is often discouraged)

5. C ( 6X6 rule states that one should have not more than 6 words in each line and not more than 6 points in each slide.