PRESENTING IN THE WORKPLACE – PART ONE

“It is not much what you say, as the manner in which you say it. It’s not so much the language you use as the tone in which you convey it.”
Author Unknown

Preparing the Presentation in the Workplace

The key to making a successful presentation is to PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! Presenters often think that when they are familiar with their topics, they can simply get up and speak about them. Planning a successful presentation means thinking about several separate but interrelated parts.

Preparing the presentation is not a very difficult task. It is a logical process that all presenters must follow. The presenter is about to speak before an audience. This is an extension of speaking to another person. Thus, the presenter must know what he is talking about. He must know his feelings about the material. He must be specific. He must be aware of his audience. The difference between formal and informal presentation is the matter of organization. This will come easy if the presenter takes enough time to plan ahead.

What are the factors the presenter needs to consider when planning and organizing his presentation? How can he become an effective presenter?

Being familiar with one’s topic

A number of techniques can help us get ideas for our topic.
· reading magazines and newspapers
· scanning entries in one’s diary or writing a journal
· surfing the internet
· interviewing others
· brainstorming or listing possibilities without stopping to evaluate each other

Gathering presentation materials

We live in the “Age of Information”. Facts, statistics, details, theories, practical
advice, studies, and reports are readily available in a variety of media. With so little effort, anyone preparing for a presentation can find enough information to give an interesting and informative presentation. How do we begin to look for a specific information that we need for our presentation? Where do we go to find this information?

We have three major sources:

· Using personal experiences and observations.
- Make a conscious effort to see and not just look.
- Put what you observe in words.
- Recognize whether anything is different or unusual.
- Take notes while observing.

· Collecting information from others
- The interview
- The survey
- The request letter

· Using the library or media center/ surfing the internet- web sources

· Recording the information

Organizing the body of the presentation

The three parts of the presentation are:

A. The introduction – this brings about the attention and the goodwill of the listeners. It develops the interest in the topic. It can be as short as a few sentences and should usually be no longer than ten percent of the presentation.

1) The introduction serves three major purposes:
a. it should get the attention of the listeners – attention means sustained interest. There must be a way to focus on the listener’s attention on the subject matter of the presentation.
b. gain goodwill of the listeners – goodwill is the listener’s respect or positive feelings for the presenter as a person. The opening remarks – the tone – inflection – and other nonverbal signs are important.
c. develop the listener’s interest in the topic of the presentation – interest refers to the involvement or concern the listener shows about the topic.

2) Suggested techniques for the introduction:
a. Startling statement – begin the presentation with a brief statement that
surprises the listeners and thus catches their attention.
b. Question – ask a question. The listeners will listen carefully so they
can hear the answer.
c. Figures/data – open with figures/data that fit the topic.
d. Business reference – give a business reference as introduction. This relates the presentation directly to the listener’s interest.
e. Audiovisual materials – use audiovisual materials to support your words of introduction and to add variety and interest to the presentation.

B. The body – contains the most important ideas that will be presented. Most
experienced presenters prepare this first. After they shall have developed their ideas, they usually find it easier to prepare the introduction and the conclusion. The main points of a presentation are the major ideas under which the supporting information is organized. It will be easy to determine the main points of the presentation if a well-written purpose has been composed.

Once you have determined the main points of your presentation, you can now arrange your supporting information under the appropriate headings. You must remember that the main points provide a basic structure that you will fill out with supporting information. As you arrange your supporting materials to a group related ideas, unity is a must to consider. Unity means “oneness”. A presentation is unified when all its parts fit together to make a whole and all of the information contained in the presentation relates to the specific purpose. One of the best ways to plan a unified presentation is to prepare an informal outline. Any information that does not fit under one of the main headings in the outline does not belong in the presentation.

C. The conclusion – this is the final portion of a presentation. Although a conclusion is just a few sentences, it is very significant.

1) The objectives of an effective conclusion are the following:
a. to emphasize the key ideas of a presentation
b. to intensify the interest of the listeners

2) The following steps are the most effective ways of concluding a presentation:
a. summary – a short story restatement of key information.
b. recommendation – a short statement that tells the audience the
specific behavior you want them to follow.

(Teri Gutierrez is a corporate trainer, author, speaker, and web columnist. She can be reached at gutierrez_teri@yahoo.com)