Professional Presentation Skills

Part One: Preparation

ITC/ILO
December 14- 18 2009
Young Trade Union Leaders
Victoria Munsey
 Powerful Presentations
Preparation
 knowing your listeners
 identifying your purpose
 organising your
presentation
Performance
 speaking clearly
 controlling nervousness
 choosing language
 controlling non-verbal
behaviour
 using & designing visuals
 handling questions
 putting final touches
 Preparation
Where?
Who?

When?
Why?

What? How?
Why & What: Identifying Your
Purpose
 to inform: gives information in
an unbiased manner

 to persuade: gets listeners to

accept a specific point of view

 to motivate: move listeners to

a specific action
Why & What: Identifying Your
Purpose
 your goal or purpose is
your objective
 it is why you are there
 can have only one
 the result you want to
achieve
Be brief  state in one sentence
Who: Know Your Listeners
 what do they know?
 what would they like to
know?
 what are their attitudes &
behaviours likely to be?
 why are they listening?
 why am I speaking to
these listeners?
 Knowing Your Listeners:
Checkpoints
Don’t Do
 speak to the co-ordinators of
 take anything for the event
granted  visit the site
 plan this event  determine the listeners’ level
according to the last of technical knowledge
one  use the Audience Profile &
Listeners’ Checklist
 How: Organising Your
Presentation
Four-Step Outline

1. tell what you’re going to tell them

2. tell why they should listen
3. tell your message
4. tell what you told them
 Middle

Beginning

Ending
 The Beginning
 capture interest

 relate subject to them

 give purpose

 be brief
 The Middle
-have 3 main points
- they will not
remember more than
3 points!

-takes 80% of the time

-have signposts and

summaries
 The Ending

-summarize main points

-relate conclusion to them
-don’t present new ideas
-be interesting: one human-story is
more powerful than hundreds of
arguments and facts & figures

-be brief
 How - Technology

power-point
overheads
whiteboard/blackboard
flipcharts
cards
 Rehearsal
-rehearsal is the most
important part of
preparing

-run through your

presentation at least
twice

-check timing
 Timing
“I must apologize for
making a rather long
speech this morning.

I didn’t have the time

to prepare a short
one!”
Winston Churchill
 Timing

“ I do not object to people

looking at their watches
when I am speaking -
but I strongly object
when they start shaking
them to make certain
they are still going.”

Lord Birkett
He who fails to prepare is preparing for
failure - so

Prepare
Prepare
Prepare