Photo: Andrea Mabry, UAB Marketing and Communications
Are so-so slides keeping your presentations from standing out? Do you wish you could sprinkle some TED Talk-level tricks into your next speaking gig at the department meeting?
Check out these tips from Jerad Watson, manager for UAB Learning and Development. Then register here to reserve your spot at Developing Great Presentations, a quarterly in-person workshop that will hold its next session from 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, at Medical Towers.
Photo: Ian Logue, UAB Marketing and Communications
1. Know your audience
It may be tempting to reuse the same slide deck for every group you speak to; but great presenters always start by asking themselves who their audience will be, what the audience’s level of knowledge is and what the audience hopes to get out of the talk. Those questions will keep you from boring experts or talking over the heads of people who need foundational context. Before you give your next presentation, try implementing the strategies in this Preparing for a Presentation one-pager.
Photo: Andrea Mabry, UAB Marketing and Communications
2. Use the 5x5 rule
“Omit needless words” is a famous piece of writing advice from Strunk & White, and it applies to PowerPoints just as well. Keep your slides clear and engaging with the 5x5 rule: Limit text to five bullet points with no more than five words each. The next time you are asked to give a talk, explore the guidelines in this Designing Effective Slides one-pager.
Photo: Andrea Mabry, UAB Marketing and Communications
3. Incorporate physical engagement
Get your audience involved in your presentation and set the stage for an interactive session by inviting them to stand up and stretch — or to turn to their neighbor and share one takeaway from the previous section of your presentation. Find more ways to activate your listeners with the one-pager Three Ways to Engage Your Audience.
Photo: Andrea Mabry, UAB Marketing and Communications
4. Practice, practice, practice
Great presentations are rarely delivered off the cuff. Practicing in front of a mirror or to your family is a good way to get in the repetitions that lead to polished talks. But new tech offers other options as well. The meeting coaching analytics feature in Zoom offers feedback on recorded presentations, including your talking speed, filler word usage and patience during discussions. PowerPoint has its own Speaker Coach feature that offers similar feedback and even flags euphemisms and terms that may be misunderstood across cultures.
Get hands-on practice and more help in the Developing Great Presentations workshop from 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, at Medical Towers. Register online.