• Frequently Asked Questions
• Making Presentations That Count
• Getting the Basics
• Preparing for Your Presentation
• Getting Started
• Using Audio-Visuals
• Tips for Using Slides and PowerPoint™
• Presenting Your Presentation
• Some Tips on Presenting Yourself
• Presenting Your Content
How should I prepare for my presentation?
The key to success is to understand the audience you want to reach and what
they need and want to know. Identify your topic, the purpose of your talk,
and the main theme that will weave the presentation together. Conduct research
about your subject. You probably have expertise in the topic, but reviewing
current research will give your presentation more credibility. Review current
literature, talk to organizations or experts, and check Web sites. Talk with
patients, who can provide you with case histories and stories to keep your
audience’s attention.
How should I organize my presentation?
Create an outline. Organize your outline into three sections: introduction,
body, and conclusion. The introduction must capture your audience’s
attention and give you and your information credibility. The body has to
develop your topic incorporating its main theme and important points supported
by specific points, ideas, and examples. Finally, the conclusion must summarize
your major points and issue a call for action.
How do I conquer my fear of presenting before a group?
Prepare thoroughly and rehearse your presentation several times. Knowing your
subject matter well will give you confidence. Avoid stress by arriving at
the event early. Before your presentation, try a relaxing technique that
works for you, such as taking a few deep breaths. Achieve rapport with your
audience by talking directly to them and maintaining eye contact. At the
same time, concentrate on your material and keep it interesting by changing
your voice and showing enthusiasm. Use quotations, case histories and statistics.
Present yourself as someone who is in control of the situation, and use short
sentences that have strong ideas.
What is the most effective way to deliver the presentation
to my audience?
Use audio-visuals to enhance your content and the audience’s ability
to understand the material. When presenting the information, remember to focus
on your audience, not on the audiovisuals. Consider the use of interactive
exercises, such as NSF’s “Sleep IQ Test” or the “How’s
Your Sleep?” assessment tool. People retain information
best when they have an opportunity to participate and apply what they learn.
Presentations to community groups, professional colleagues, other health professionals,
organizations, schools, and government officials and agencies are an effective
way to raise awareness about sleep, provide information about sleep disorders
and issues, and offer people options to address their sleep problems and/or
advocate for sleep-friendly policies.
When you talk to these audiences, it is also an opportunity to market your sleep
center and encourage referrals. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to improve
or develop your speaking skills and review current research and information on
your topic. You will also be providing a beneficial service to your community.
Start by analyzing your audience. Understanding your targeted audience will
drive the content of your talk. Making it relevant and important to them
is a key to your success. A well-prepared presentation given to the wrong
audience can have the same effect as a poorly prepared talk given to the
correct audience. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Whom do you expect to attend, and who are they?
- What will be the size of the audience?
- What is their knowledge, experience,
and expertise with regard to the topic?
- What is their age range, gender, educational background, residence, and experience
with the health care system?
- Why are they coming, how did
you reach them, and who referred them? What is their attitude
about your topic?
- Should I create a formal or informal environment? Will
they be able to see and hear me?
- What are their needs? Are
they seeking information about sleep for themselves, their
employees, or members of their family? What is their motivation
for attending?
- Are they a diverse or homogeneous group? Are they from
the public at large, a community group, or a company or agency?
- What
do they expect to learn from you? Do they need general,
scientific, or practical information?
In short, ask yourself:
What do they need and want to know?
Plan ahead and schedule the date, time, and location that
will be convenient, attractive and accessible to your audience.
Visit the site, if possible, to acclimate yourself and
imagine or practice your talk in that environment.
How long should it take to prepare your presentation? A good rule of thumb is
if you are familiar with the material, you should allow 4 hours to prepare
a presentation that is an hour in length. However, if you are covering new
material, allow 8 hours of preparation time for a 1-hour presentation.
Use the following steps as a guideline:
- Identify your topic — What is interesting,
important or unusual about your topic and how does it relate
to the intended audience? Even if you are knowledgeable about
the topic, you will want to do some research to obtain current
information.
- Identify your purpose — Every talk
has a purpose. Do you want to inform, inspire, influence,
motivate, change attitudes, and/or effect behavioral change?
Your purpose will determine the organization and sequence
of your points as well as the choice of supporting material.
- Identify your theme — All effective talks have a
theme; it’s the thread that connects all elements
and delivers a major message that you want the audience to
take home. Each major section and key point or concept of
your talk should relate to this theme.
- Do your research — Review
current articles and journals, educational materials, media
publications, and Web sites covering the topic. Consult with
sleep organizations and experts. And talk to patients or
review cases to develop examples, case studies, and issues
that might be relevant to your audience.
- Determine your organizational
style — Begin with the end in mind. What do you hope
will happen as the result of this presentation? Organize
your content and the sequence of your ideas and points
in an order that best meets your purpose.
Start with an outline — An outline helps you organize your thoughts visually.
It is a map for your talk. You may want to put each fact/idea on a separate index
card. Then build each with supporting material, facts and examples.
You will be more effective and natural if you do not script your presentation,
but talk from an outline or notes. However, some people may find it helpful to
script the talk, then use notes when presenting. Using an outline can also ensure
that you will not leave out important information.
One of the best outlines is one originally suggested by the journalist Edward
R. Murrow:
- Tell them what you’re going to tell them.
- Tell them.
- Tell them what you told them.
The Architecture of a Sleep Talk
A cohesive, organized talk
helps keep you on track and the audience with you.
Introduction
(10-15%) — Remember that the Introduction
sets the stage for the rest of your presentation. People
tend to remember what they hear first.
Capture the attention of your audience at the very beginning of your presentation.
Use a personal story or fact that helps them understand the importance of
your presentation (for example, the number of accidents and deaths caused
each year by drowsy driving). Pose a question such as, “Have you ever found yourself
so sleepy that you forgot an important item?” Cite statistics: “Two-thirds
of American adults don’t get between seven to nine hours of sleep recommended
by sleep experts for optimal health.”
The Body (50-75%) — The body of the presentation incorporates various
related topics and main points within the theme. Each section is built around
that topic, providing specifics, examples, a summary and transition to the
next section. The outline is used for these sections to prepare the body
of your talk.
Here is a sample outline:
I. The Importance of Sleep
A. Sleep is essential to your health.
- Important hormones are
released during sleep.
- Sleep helps you remain alert and
perform in a safe manner.
- Sleep
contributes to improved mood and makes you less prone
to illness.
B. Between seven and nine hours of sufficient, quality sleep
without disruption is recommended for most people by sleep
experts for optimal health and safety.
II. Consequences of Sleep Deprivation
Not getting enough good sleep can lead to serious consequences.
A. Health problems
B. Safety issues
C. Society and lifestyle issues
III. Conclusion (5-10%)
A conclusion should inform the audience that you are about
to close. Summarize the major points and apply them to what
they need to know and to do. The closing must be memorable
and bring them back to the purpose of your presentation.
Finish forcefully and confidently. For an effective conclusion,
keep the following in mind:
- Move
your audience in your closing remarks with a call for
action. Motivate them to agree and be encouraged to increase
awareness and/or take action.
- Explain how they can use the
information and a future direction for what they can do.
- For example, you might encourage them to use a sleep diary,
pay more attention to daytime sleepiness, and talk to their
doctor about a sleep problem.
- Summarize the key points of
your presentation as they relate to your audience. Most
people can remember no more than three to five key points.
It’s
up to you to tell them what they are.
- Don’t forget
to thank your audience. Let them know what materials
and resources are available for further information or consultation.
Conduct an evaluation and review the results so you can do
even better next time.
What is the best way to convey information to an audience? People learn best
when several senses are involved in the learning process. Use visuals whenever
possible and appropriate to enhance and support—but not to replace—the
content. Consider the size of the audience and the room, ensuring that everyone
will be able to see and hear. With advanced technology today, we have more
choices for audio-visual aids. Make sure the necessary equipment is available.
Match the mode of delivery to not only the content, but also the teaching techniques
used and whether the presentation will be formal or participative. And don’t
forget to talk to the audience—not to the screen!
Audio-visual aids should:
- enhance and support understanding
- add authenticity and variety
- have lasting impact
They should be:
- visible and legible
- pleasing and balanced
- simple and relevant
- colorful
Types of audio-visuals:
- pictures, sketches and photography
- graphs, charts, and maps
- flip charts for small groups and
exercises
- posters, objects and models
- slides (such as PowerPoint™),
overheads and transparencies
- video, film, audiotapes and
CD-ROM
- the Internet can be accessed for “real time” information
- hand-outs
and other reference material
All of these materials should support and enhance the audience’s
understanding of the content of your presentation.
PowerPoint™ is widely used today for producing slide presentations. You can create
your outline and content in Word and then transfer it to PowerPoint™. The program
offers various formats and slide layouts as well as Notes Pages, which you
can use for your presentation, and Handouts to provide to your audience. When
you distribute these to your audience, they are not as compelled to take so
many notes and will pay more attention to your talk. To create the most effective
slides:
- Limit content to a title and about six lines. Each slide
should have one basic thought.
- Follow the “tee-shirt rule”: don’t
put any more information on one slide than you would print
on a tee-shirt! If there are too many points on a slide or
if it takes too long to present (over two minutes), break
it up into more slides.
- Use a font of at least 18 points,
large enough for the audience to read from the back of
the room. Fonts have “personality”;
they should be legible and suited to the topic.
- Stick to an
overall color scheme. Cool colors (e.g., blue, green, or
purple) are best for backgrounds.
- Warm colors (e.g., red,
yellow, or orange) will “pop out” and can be
applied to the text, charts or images. Color should have
a purpose; it is not just decoration.
- Background format
and slide layout are available in PowerPoint™, under “Design
Template,” although
you can create your own background. Variation on the slide
layout will make your talk more interesting.
Arrive early to avoid further stress and get yourself oriented to your surroundings.
Test the equipment in advance and get acquainted with the technical personnel.
Have a back-up plan and materials if equipment does not work.
The Fear Factor—Take a deep breath. Relax. Ask yourself: what’s the
worst thing that can happen? Remember that even experienced presenters have some
anxiety before a talk. The best way to reduce anxiety is to be well prepared.
Direct your nervous energy to your presentation.
- Be yourself! You will be more natural, more comfortable,
and more believable.
- Dress comfortably, professionally, and appropriately.
- Check your body language. Face the audience and maintain eye
contact. This helps you achieve credibility with the audience.
- Address the audience with respect and convey an understanding
of their interest and their needs.
- Varying your speaking
style makes for a more interesting talk. Use pauses, vary
your volume, and project your voice for emphasis. Be aware
that the tone in your voice conveys interest in the topic.
- Achieve a rapport with the audience. Periodically check
out a few people for facial expression, attentiveness, and
body language. You need to “touch” them
by relating to them early on.
- And remember: Enthusiasm,
Enthusiasm, Enthusiasm!
- Be in control by being confident. The audience is more
likely to listen to you and see your competence. (Decide
prior to the talk whether you will entertain questions and
inform the audience when you are ready.)
- Cite references when
appropriate or use quotations to add authenticity to your
content.
- Pace yourself. Don’t talk too slow or too fast.
Try to capture the audience’s attention and maintain
it by varying your pace and volume. Be aware of the time.
Maintain the integrity of the program by sticking with the
time scheduled for your talk.
- Use humor if it is comfortable
for you, but use it sparingly. Humor is more appropriate
if it makes a point.
- Use short, concise sentences and select “power” words
that are descriptive and expressive whenever possible. Use
the active voice, because it sounds more vigorous and interesting.
- Avoid jargon. Use language that is familiar and relevant
to the audience.
- Always engage the audience whenever possible by using examples,
demonstrations, and audiovisuals.
- Make sure your remarks
are compatible with your visuals. Consider engaging your
audience by proposing questions or interactive exercises
(e.g., “Sleep IQ
Test,” “How’s Your Sleep?” tool)
as appropriate.
- Finally, leave your audience wanting more and leaving the
room discussing your messages and what they are going to
do!
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