{"id":687,"date":"2018-06-26T22:50:42","date_gmt":"2018-06-26T22:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/?p=687"},"modified":"2018-06-26T22:50:42","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T22:50:42","slug":"effective-presentations-the-keys-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/2018\/06\/26\/effective-presentations-the-keys-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective Presentations: The Keys to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Effective Presentations: The Keys to Success<\/h1>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/osp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/02\/tricia-callahan.jpeg\" title=\"tricia-callahan\" alt=\"tricia callahan\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;color: #737373\">Written by <strong>Tricia Callahan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jerry Seinfeld once told a joke about public speaking, \u201cAccording to most studies, people\u2019s number one fear is public speaking.\u00a0 Number two is death.\u00a0 Death is number two.\u00a0 Does that sound right?\u00a0 This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you\u2019re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately research does not support the statistic that people would rather die (~20%) than give a public presentation.\u00a0 Having said that, a lot of people cite fear of presenting as their number one reason for not getting out there and sharing the knowledge and skill sets they have.<\/p>\n<p>Fear surrounding public speaking stems from a number of sources, including physiological reactions (arousal of the autonomic nervous system, the flight or fight response), psychological reactions, and situational factors.\u00a0 Fear often arises when we overestimate the stakes of communicating our ideas in front of others.\u00a0 We fear being judged, we fear making mistakes, and we fear being judged for our mistakes.<\/p>\n<p>So how might we overcome our fears and effectively communicate our knowledge and ideas?<\/p>\n<p><strong>#1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Accept the fact that you will be judged.<\/strong>\u00a0 This is likely the hardest stumbling block for most people to overcome.\u00a0 When we attend presentations, we judge the speaker(s) on their looks, their delivery, their tools and techniques, their habits, and their message.\u00a0 We, in turn, will be judged on these same factors.\u00a0 If we want to be evaluated in a favorable light, then we must connect with the audience and deliver an informative, well-practiced (not memorized) presentation.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to be born entertainers, we just have to find a way to connect with the audience, while keeping on point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prepare.<\/strong>\u00a0 Two-thirds of delivering an effective presentation comes not in the delivery itself, but in the preparation. Consider the message you want to deliver, then write clear, concise objectives.\u00a0 For most presentations, 1-2\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hr.wayne.edu\/leads\/phase1\/smart-objectives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SMART<\/a>\u00a0objectives is sufficient.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>S<\/strong>pecific-\u00a0 Specific objectives answer the questions \u201cWhat is to be done?\u201d and \u201cHow will you know it is done?\u201d Participants want to know what they will walk away from your presentation having learned.\u00a0 Tell participants exactly what will be covered and how they will interact with or apply concepts presented.\u00a0 For example,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u2013 Participants will be able to list the qualities of an effective presentation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u2013 Participants will design and deliver a short (3-4 minutes) presentation.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>M<\/strong>easureable-\u00a0 Measureable objectives answer the question, \u201cHow will you know it meets expectations?\u201d If you told participants that they will walk away with a specific nugget of information, then you should deliver on that nugget.\u00a0 If you told them they will be able to list the qualities of an effective presentation, then you should list those qualities and have participants engage with and repeat those qualities for better retention and recall.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A<\/strong>ttainable-\u00a0 Attainable or achievable answers the question \u201cCan it be done given the time frame, opportunity, and resources?\u201d Have you given participants the resources they need, and have you allowed enough time for participants to interact with the material presented?<\/li>\n<li><strong>R<\/strong>elevant-\u00a0 Relevant answers the questions, \u201cWhy is this being done?\u201d and \u201cWhat will be the impact?\u201d Ensure that you know something about your audience.\u00a0 Are they already familiar with the topic or will you be introducing an entirely new concept?\u00a0 Pre-polling your audience in order to gauge levels of experience and expectations can help tailor information to audience needs.\u00a0 If you cannot pre-poll your audience, or if you are not comfortable making changes on the fly, then take care that your presentation title, description and stated objectives make clear your intentions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>T<\/strong>ime-oriented-\u00a0 Time-orientation refers to the fact that an objective has end points and check points built into it. \u201cWhen will it be done?\u201d Have you actually built in time for all participants to design their own 3-4 minute presentation? Did you allow sufficient time for delivery of, and feedback on, their presentations?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>#3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Practice.<\/strong>\u00a0 After you have prepared a well-organized outline, based on your clear, concise objectives, practice.\u00a0 Practice delivering your presentation in its entirety- whether to a friend, a colleague, or in the mirror.\u00a0 Can you get through the presentation and planned activities in the time allotted?\u00a0 Have you allowed time for questions?\u00a0 Do you have material in your back pocket in case you get no questions or little audience participation?\u00a0 Have you practiced using your software or any audio, video, or props you\u2019ve incorporated?\u00a0 Practicing is not about memorizing your material.\u00a0 It\u2019s about becoming comfortable with the flow of the material and becoming comfortable in the presentation space.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to make adjustments to your presentation based on what you learn while practicing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Deliver.<\/strong>\u00a0 Deliver on what you promised.\u00a0 At the beginning of all my presentations, I restate the objectives.\u00a0 Doing so helps frame my presentation so that I remain on target.\u00a0 While use of personal stories can help connect with the audience, too many stories may lead you off topic or have you running out of time needed to present crucial concepts.\u00a0 Restating objectives also sets up audience expectations, which can help ensure participants favorably evaluate your presentation in that they got what they came for.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to staying on topic, be sure to speak clearly, repeat questions so everyone can hear them and so you can be certain you are interpreting questions accurately, pace yourself, and bring energy to your presentation.\u00a0 If you are falling asleep, chances are so is your audience!\u00a0 Try to limit distracting gestures and expressions and be certain to dress for success.\u00a0 Research supports the notion that suitable attire is important to impression formation, which in turn impacts receptivity and evaluation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>#5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 End on a high note.<\/strong>\u00a0 End your presentation with a memorable quote or other statement that summarizes your main points.\u00a0 Provide your contact information so participants with lingering questions can contact you. \u00a0Finally, be certain to thank your participants.\u00a0 They made the time to attend your presentation and share in the joy of discovery with you, it\u2019s only right that you thank them for their participation.<\/p>\n<p>Delivering effective presentations may help advance your career, grow your network, or solidify your knowledge.\u00a0 The benefits of sharing information, particularly in the area of research administration, outweigh the need to protect ourselves from the fear of speaking in front of others.\u00a0 With careful preparation, practice, and confidence, you can deliver an effective presentation and chances are, you won\u2019t die doing so.<\/p>\n<p><em>Blog written by Tricia Callahan, Senior Research Education &amp; Information Officer, Office of Sponsored Programs, Colorado State University<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGoogle+<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Effective Presentations: The Keys to Success Written by Tricia Callahan Jerry Seinfeld once told a joke about public speaking, \u201cAccording to most studies, people\u2019s number one fear is public speaking.\u00a0 Number two is death.\u00a0 Death is number two.\u00a0 Does that sound right?\u00a0 This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you\u2019re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}