Free Power Point Templates

Know yourselfWe all must push our limits and willingly bite off more than we may be comfortable swallowing on occasion — this is how we learn and grow. Knowing a few of your limits, however, might avert disaster, or at least embarrassment. Intimately related to Know Your Audience above, your ‘limits’ are just where you may or may not tread, depending on the makeup of your audience and your relationship with them.Just because the Mormons laughed when Whoopee Goldberg said or did something doesn’t mean you can pull it off. The Presbyterians might think it amusing while the Baptists call it blasphemy. In fact, I’m certain the mere mention of specific ‘denominations’ here will generate angry E-mail. (See also, the Devil is in the Details later on)George Carlin, Tom Peters, Billy Graham, Al Sharp ton and a host of others can get away with and even receive praise and applause for saying or doing things that would get you or me tarred, feathered, sued or booed by their respective audiences.  DEVELOP A THEME All presentations, regardless of their complexity, are designed with a single purpose. Whether that purpose is to sell, educate, or for pure entertainment, state that purpose to you at the beginning of the development process. Keep this purpose in mind always. PREPARE YOUR SCRIPT The script does not necessarily have to be a work of literary excellence. For some, simple notes on 3 x 5 file cards are sufficient. Other presenters and presentations require a carefully composed, professionally developed script. The exact form of the script depends on the formality of the presentation, the make up of the audience and who will be presenting it. Any presentation script, regardless of complexity is like any other business correspondence. It should consist of the same four basic parts, an opening, body, summary and closing. THE OPENING 
The opening of the presentation sets the stage for what is to follow. Participants are introduced and the purpose of the presentation is stated. You should also present a VERY BRIEF summary or outline of the points to be covered. This helps keep your audience oriented properly within the framework of your script.
  BODY 
This is the part of the script in which the bulk of the subject matter is presented. The body of a long presentation should be separated into smaller, easily assimilated modules. Each module or sub-section should make a single point or convey one idea. These sub-sections should each have their own simple opening, body and summary. 
  SUMMARY 
This portion should be very brief and simple. Here is your chance to reinforce the central theme and purpose of your presentation. Briefly emphasize the key points and main ideas of your script in this section. 

The central purpose of any presentation, written, oral or visual, is communication. To communicate effectively, you must state your facts in a simple, concise and interesting manner.  It is proven that the people learn more readily and retain more information when learning is reinforced by visualization. You can entertain, inform, excite and even shock an audience by the proper integration of visual images into virtually any exchange of information.  Meetings which might normally be considered dull, or a chore to be avoided, can be transformed into exciting productions that grab the attention of the viewers.  This kind of presentation maximizes the audience retention of the subject matter. The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” has existed since the New York Post discovered the value of visuals in the news business. This remains true to this day. Simple, clear, concise visual images, briskly paced and sprinkled with attention-grabbing graphics will lend support to your spoken words. This leaves your audience with a positive attitude toward you and your product, service or proposal. Visuals in business should be used in support of the spoken or written word, and not in lieu of it. A well-developed concept and effective script are the essential elements of any presentation. Regardless of their form, they should be the first and most important phase of its development. When the concept begins to take final form, the visuals are developed around it.  This is not to imply that A-V design should be placed near the end of the project. You must begin mentally planning your visuals at the beginning of the design process. Hastily designed and produced visuals can doom a presentation (and a presenter,) where well planned and executed images add tremendous strength. Concepts that are difficult to grasp can be communicated quickly and easily through the intelligent use of professionally produced visuals. This allows you the freedom to communicate more complex subject matter in a more efficient manner, adding support and impact to your script.  Finally, your presentation should be entertaining. Leave the audience feeling better and more relaxed when they leave and that impression will carry over to both your subject matter and yourself. There is no logical reason that the presentation of routine sales figures and financial reports should not be as exciting as the unveiling of a new product or a first rate service proposal.  

Instructional presentations can be richly substantive or vacuous. They also can be clear or obscure, captivating or stultifying. Application of the following “Rules” will help make the substance more clear and interesting.

These “Rules” apply to mediated instruction, as well as to traditional classroom lectures and discussions.

The Rule of 3

Good instructional presentations have three parts, no more, no less. These are (1) an introduction, (2) a discussion, and (3) a conclusion.

Implications: Whatever else a presentation should do, it should (1) start somewhere, (2) go somewhere, and (3) end somewhere. A simple but effective strategy is “tell them what you’re going to tell ‘me, tell them, and tell ‘me what you told them.” Oral signposts and clocks can help your audience know where and when you are in this sequence

The Rule of 6

Clarity of structure is the key to clarity of content. Whatever the substantive parts (content) of an instructional presentation, there is a limited number of ways to organize that content. Six structures or patterns that work well are

1. Chronological (”in the beginning. . . .”)
2. Spatial (left-to-right, outside-to-inside, bottom-to-top)
3. Problem-solution
4. Cause-effect
5. Question and answer

Topical (anything other than the first five Implications: Announce the structure of your presentation at the beginning of your talk and refer to that structure during the presentation. Make ideas more clear by indicating how they relate to each other (major, minor; subordination).

  The Rule of 7

The great experimental psychologist George Miller summarized thirty years of research on human memory and attention in a celebrated paper entitled, “The Magic Number 7, Plus or Minus 2.” Miller found that this number described the maximum quantity of ideas, facts, or issues that people are able to actively attend to at any one time.

Implications: Limit the number of main points in a presentation to 7 or less. Less is better. This suggestion also applies to lists of ideas used in visual aids and handouts. Methods such as progressive disclosure of elements in a list can help focus attention

  The Rule of 20

Research on human attention suggests that the attention span of a normal motivated adult is about 20 minutes. In practice, attention span is probably less. Other research indicates that the key to attention is variety.

Implications: Change what you are doing (or how you are doing it) at least every 20 minutes. Use variety in language, voice, motion, rate, color, and interaction with the audience to maintain attention. Remember, in order to emphasize an idea, it is necessary to de-emphasize other ideas.

  The Rule of 10

here are 10 common mistakes to avoid in instructional presentations. Any one can lead to frustration.

Two or more can produce really spectacular failure.

1. Start with an inappropriate joke.
2. Go on. And on. And on.
3. Use poor visual aids or auditory aids.
4. Overload your audience with “too much” or “too fast”.
5. Ignore audience interests.
6. Talk at an audience, instead of with them.
7. Look at your notes instead of the audience.
8. Try to be something you’re not.
9. Don’t bother to practice out loud.

The presentations are not timed in any way, and you can move through them at your own pace. You can then cause each animation in the slide show to take place in turn by striking the keyboard’s space-bar or clicking the mouse-button, or using the “page up” and “page down” arrows or buttons to move forward and backward in the presentation. Sometimes, more than one click will be required, but be patient. Once the presentation is downloaded, the speed of the animations is a function of your computer’s processor, not the Web server or the Internet connections. These clicks also take the user from slide to slide. The last click on the last slide will cause the presentation to end automatically.Some sounds are embedded in the presentation, coordinated (in theory, anyway) with the moving graphics. If you are in a lab situation, you might want to mute your computer or wear headphones so that the sound of a clanking typewriter and the zapping laser displays do not irritate your neighbors. If your computer does not have a sound card, the presentation should work fine without sound.When you move the mouse cursor across the slide, an icon will appear in the lower left-hand corner of the window. Clicking that icon reveals a dialog box which allows you another means of moving forward and backward in the presentation (or ending it altogether) and selecting which slide you wish to view. You can also select a colored “pen” that allows you to make marks on the slide. This is especially useful for instructors who wish to highlight certain elements on the slide presentation. You can leave the pen “selected” as you move from slide to slide using the space-bar.     

If you have handouts, do not read straight from them. The audience does not know if they should read along with you or listen to you read. Do not put both hands in your pockets for long periods of time. This tends to make you look unprofessional. It is OK to put one hand in a pocket but ensure there is no loose change or keys to jingle around. This will distract the listeners. Do not wave a pointer around in the air like a wild knight branding a sword to slay a dragon. Use the pointer for what it is intended and then put it down; otherwise the audience will become fixated upon your “sword”, instead upon you. Do not lean on the podium for long periods. The audience will begin to wonder when you are going to fall over. Speak to the audience…NOT to the visual aids, such as flip charts or overheads. Also, do not stand between the visual aid and the audience. Speak clearly and loudly enough for all to hear. Do not speak in a monotone voice. Use inflection to emphasize your main points. The disadvantages of presentations are that people cannot see the punctuation and this can lead to misunderstandings. An effective way of overcoming this problem is to pause at the time when there would normally be punctuation marks. Use colored backgrounds on overhead transparencies and slides (such as yellow) as the bright white light can be harsh on the eyes. This will quickly cause your audience to tire. If all of your transparencies or slides have clear backgrounds, then tape one blank yellow one on the overhead face. For slides, use a rubber band to hold a piece of colored cellophane over the projector lens. Learn the name of each participant as quickly as possible. Based upon the atmosphere you want to create, call them by their first names or by using Mr., Mrs., Miss, and Ms. Tell them what name and title you prefer to be called. Listen intently to comments and opinions. By using a lateral thinking technique (adding to ideas rather than dismissing them), the audience will feel that their ideas, comments, and opinions are worthwhile. Circulate around the room as you speak. This movement creates a physical closeness to the audience. List and discuss your objectives at the beginning of the presentation. Let the audience know how your presentation fits in with their goals. Discuss some of the fears and apprehensions that both you and the audience might have. Tell them what they should expect of you and how you will