Delivering a presentation can be an overwhelming experience for beginning teachers or novice presenters. Sadly, we’ve all learned that some presenters never become much better with experience. But the fact is that anyone can become a very effective presenter—in a classroom or giving a workshop—by applying some basic practices of effective presentations. If you consistently put the following into your repertoire you’ll see immediate positive results in your students or audience.
Prepare yourself for the presentation.
Along with preparing the lecture, materials, and other aspects of your presentation, spend time preparing yourself. Assume that your audience wants to hear what you have to say. Dress appropriately, in a way that will not distract your audience and makes you comfortable. Use whatever technique helps to burn away nervous energy or jitters. Need a dose of confidence? Strike a confident pose before taking the stage–chin up, chest out, hands on hips.
Avoid a “false start.”
When it’s time to begin the presentation, then begin. The start of your presentation should be overt and clear. Avoid rambling, avoid telling a joke not connected to your material, apologizing, hemming and hawing, or otherwise delaying the start of your presentation. Your audience is waiting for your cue that the presentation has begun, so give it to them. You can simply say, “Let’s begin,” then BEGIN.
Grab the hearer’s attention with your opening.
Merely making your opening “interesting” is not enough, however. Your opening should (1) be relevant to your presentation (don’t tell a joke just to amuse or to “get them laughing”), (2) identify in the mind of your audience the need your presentation will address, (3) state the objectives for the session overtly, (4) provide an overview of the presentation’s organization (give an outline of the presentation). Remember, an actual, felt, or unrealized need is a motivator. Your opening should leave your audience thinking, “Wow! I know what this presentation is about and I see how it’s going to help me; I need to know this!”
Practice “With-it-ness.”
During your presentation scan and monitor your audience for attentiveness (people cannot learn what they don’t pay attention to). Be sure the group as a whole is following your presentation, is on-task, and engaged. Watch for signs of confusion, boredom, or restlessness–that’s a sign they have lost attention Listen for the “cough index.” If there is a breakout of coughs in the room that’s a sure sign you’re starting to lose your audience. Watching your audience will give you cues for when you need to adapt your delivery to regain attention.
Focus on concepts and principles, moving from the abstract to the concrete.
The focus of your presentation should be about one or two (at most) concepts or principles. Trying to cover more than that risks “information overload” for your audience, causing them to tune out. Identify those overtly in your opening and then spend the rest of your presentation explicating, illustrating, and applying the concept or principle. Because concepts and principles are abstract provide concrete examples, illustrations, anecdotes, stories, or application methods. See more about teaching concepts here.
Use stimulus variation.
Varying the stimuli of focal points in your lesson will keep your audience engaged and will help them follow the flow of the presentation. Use movement (walk from one side of the room to another, or from behind the podium to its front) while making a point or making a transition. Point to an object, the board, or screen to shift focus and emphasizing. Hold up an object (a model, chart, poster, etc.). Projected slides (Powerpoint) can provide stimulus variation if the design is right (the design of the slides should provide “novelty.” Seven consecutive slides of bullet points is not novel!) but even then you want to shift the focus from the screen to you, the speaker, at appropriate points in your presentation.
Vary the pace and movement of the presentation.
You can vary the pace of your speech and delivery, but you can also vary the movement of your presentation. For example, after a formal explication vary the pace by telling an illustration. Then, vary the movement by dividing the class into small discussion groups to answer questions related to the concept. Vary the movement again by calling the groups back for a summary report or debriefing. Use overt “Induction” to help your audience get a sense of movement. Induction is when you overtly cue your listeners to transitions in the presentation (opening induction, transition induction, closure induction). “We’ve just reviewed the concept, now let’s move to our next step….”
Provide closure.
No presentation is complete without a clear and overt closure set. Audiences need emotional closure to help make the learning process complete. Make your closure overt, and once you cue your listeners that you are closing, then close! Don’t delay by adding additional material or rambling. You can close by summarizing, telling a story, reviewing major points, soliciting insights learned, or providing a challenge. But, when you conclude, stop talking!
Finally, one of the best pieces of advice on effective presentations from Edward Tufte, one of the most effective communicators today: “Finish early. People will be delighted.”
Want to learn more about becoming an excellent instructor? Check out Galindo, Mastering the Art of Instruction: The 9 Essential Instructional Skills Every Teacher Needs to Master.
