Presentation Skills:

Preparation
 People judge your presentation based on
how you present

7% What you know

93% How
you present

Source: EXBU

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Preparation process
Start early and:
1. Know your audience
2. Define your purpose
3. Gather data
4. Organize
5. Practice

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 1. Know your audience
Before starting to write, need to know:
 Size
 Needs, interests, and concerns
 Knowledge level
 Motivation level

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 2. Define your purpose
Two main reasons to give a presentation:
 Inform
 Influence or stimulate

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 3. Gather data
 Collect evidence
 Determine main points (2-5)
 Prepare charts and graphs

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 4. Organize
Place data into the appropriate section:
 Introduction
 Body
 Topic #1
 Topic #2
 Topic #3
 Conclusion
 Questions
“Say what you are going to say, say it, then say
what you just said.”

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 5. Practice
Practice

Infinite loop!
Revise

Leave it for
a few days
Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson
 5. Practice
Ensure that audience’s needs are met:
 Walk through presentation as if you were
in the audience
 Does it flow logically?
 Does every slide relate to the stated
purpose?
 Would the audience understand you?

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

To make the presentation successful...

1. Setup early
2. Build rapport
3. Open
4. Present main points
5. Conclude

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

Source: Lehman & DuFrene
 2. Build rapport
 Help audience trust you and feel that you
care
 Start before you begin
 Make a good first impression
 People listen to people they like

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 2. Build rapport with Title Slide

 Introduce yourself
 Give reasons why they should listen
 Establish respect
 Get attention
 Humor
 Short story
 Starting statistic
 Get audience involved

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 3. Open with Contents Slide

 Clearly define topic and purpose

 Make audience think
 Lay out schedule

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 4. Present main points

 Main point
 Main point
 Main point …
 Give supporting evidence
 Give examples
 Get feedback & questions
from audience

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 5. Conclude

 Inform audience that you’re about to close

 Summarize main points
 Something to remember or call-to-action
 Answer questions

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 5. Conclude: the final slide

Let the audience know the presentation is

over with a final slide asking for
“Questions?”

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Part 4
Effective Slides
 Effective slide format
1. Keep slides simple
2. Maintain a consistent, easy-to-read style
• Language, Colors, Fonts
3. Accurate spelling and grammar
4. 7 x 7 rule:
• Max 7 lines per slide (3 – 5 is best)
• Max 7 words per line

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Keep slides simple
Avoid:
 Sound effects
 Slide transitions
 Fancy layouts
 Too much clip art
 More than 3 bullet levels

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Keep slides simple – Same
slide
 Make sure to keep your slides simple. With too much
text on each line, the audience will be trying to read what
you write while you are talking. This will be very
distracting to both you and your audience.
 Maintain a consistent look and feel within each
slide, and from one slide to the next.
 Create high contrast between background text
 Don’t try to squeeze
 too many thoughts
 onto one
 slide.

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Style: Parallel structure

Parallel – Not parallel –

easy to follow difficult to follow

 Go to the store  Go to the store

 Buy some bread  Fresh bread
 Come home for  Dinner will be ready
dinner

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Maintain consistent style
 Changing slide styles doesn’t make the
presentation more interesting, it just
distracts the audience
 Colors
 Keep them simple and consistent
 Use no more than five colors for charts or
graphs
 Use no more than two colors for text
 Use colors with high contrast
 Be careful with red because the eye will
naturally go there first

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Fonts

 Fonts are like colors,

use sparingly
 Minimize use of
italics, bolding and
shadows
 Do NOT use all caps
 Normal capitalization
is easier to read

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Fonts – same slide
 Fonts are like colors, use sparingly
 Be consistent from slide to slide
 Don’t overdo the use of italics, bolding
and shadows
 DO NOT USE ALL CAPS
 Normal Capitalization Is Easier To Read

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Fonts: Be visible
 You should not have to ask: “Can you
see that in back”
 Titles should be 38-44 pt. font size
 Text should be 28 pt font size

44 pt. 40 pt.
36 pt. 24 pt.
18 pt. 14 pt.

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson

 Spelling and Gramer
 Emportant than there is no erors or typos
 looks Veru improfesionel
 People maynot take your seriuosly

Boğazıçı University Tom Atkinson