Planning and presenting with PowerPoint



Planning and presenting with PowerPoint

Practical workbook

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To provide practical training on how to plan, prepare and make a PowerPoint presentation, and an opportunity to practice presentation skills in a supportive environment.

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Plan and prepare an effective presentation using a PowerPoint slideshow

• Use a multi-media projector

• Make a short timed presentation to an audience of course members

• Recognise and respond to the needs of an audience

• Manage a question and answer session

• Evaluate their own presentation skills

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Related documentation

Other related documents are available from the web at:



The student course document ‘PowerPoint XP (2002) for academic posters (document number pptxp-ss3)’ is available on the web at:



Contents

To update the contents list, right click on the list and choose update field and then Update entire table.

Related documentation

Task 1 Planning the presentation 1

Task 2 Preparation – Designing your PowerPoint slideshow 6

Task 3 Practice - Running through the presentation 9

Task 4 Presentation – Making and evaluating a presentation 12

Introduction

This course aims to provide you with some simple guidelines on how to plan, design, develop and deliver presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint. The principles of good presentation design and delivery are just as relevant if you are using another presentation medium, for example OHP slides. They are based around a four-stage process:

• Planning

• Preparing

• Practice

• Presentation

Prerequisites

Basic Windows NT or 2000 skills. Familiarity and confidence with all the main functions of PowerPoint, e.g CC1SPP – Getting started with PowerPoint.

1 Planning the presentation

• To introduce the essential elements of the planning phase.

• You will examine a range of planning issues and complete a planning exercise for a five minute presentation.

• Time spent making thorough plans for your presentation is never wasted. The issues you didn't consider in advance are most likely to be the ones which let you down on the day.

Guidelines for planning your presentation

1. Begin by asking yourself the following questions:

What?

• Etablish the topic of your presentation

• Decide on an appropriate title

• Be clear about what you intend to cover and what you can afford to leave out

• Make a list of the points you wish to make and the order in which you will cover them

Try using a Mind Map to get your ideas down on paper, then organise them into a list.

How to make a Mind Map

• Use plain paper, turned landscape

• Draw the focus (topic, issue, problem)

• Radiate thick branches, each a single-word sub-topic or theme

• From each branch, radiate secondary lines, with key words

• Use arrows or codes for further associations

2. Why?

• Why have you agreed to make this presentation?

• What particular knowledge or expertise do you have which makes you the appropriate choice? You may wish to include this information in your introduction to establish your credibility with the audience

3. When?

• How long do you have to make your presentation?

• Is it a 10 minute slot in a conference, a one-hour lecture, or a half-day training course?

• Do you have a choice about the date or time?

• If you can choose the date, you can allow yourself plenty of time to prepare

• If you can choose the time, remember people are most receptive in the mornings - after lunch and just before the end of the day, the attention of your audience may be more difficult to maintain!

• Once the date has been agreed, work backwards in your diary and set your milestones, for example:

• 2 weeks before presentation - check venue and equipment

• 1 week before presentation - handouts to printers

• 2 days before presentation - schedule a run-through

• 1 day before presentation - panic!

4. How?

|What method or methods can you use to get your message across? |

|This will be determined by: |

|The length of your presentation: a half-day training event gives you far more scope to try multiple methods of |

|delivery than a 10 minute slot in a conference |

|The nature of your topic: some topics lend themselves more readily to audience involvement than others |

|The size of your audience: brainstorming is only possible with fairly small groups; practical demonstrations |

|are problematic if only the first three rows can see what you are doing |

|In addition to a PowerPoint presentation, or a series of presentations in the case of a long time-slot, you |

|might try: |

|Brainstorming |

|Practical demonstrations |

|Question and answer sessions |

|Handouts to provide additional information/references |

|A short quiz |

|Small group discussions with feedback |

| |

| |

5. Where?

• Do you have any choice about the venue?

o If you have a choice, check out the available rooms for facilities, blackout, sightlines etc and select the best

o If you have no choice, find out as much as you can about the room, for example:

▪ Does it have adequate blackout?

▪ Can you change the layout?

▪ Are the acoustics and sightlines good?

▪ Are the projection facilities fixed or do they have to be booked?

▪ If equipment needs to be booked, are you required to do this yourself?

▪ Can you get access in time to set up your presentation before your audience arrive?

▪ Is a PC available and does it have PowerPoint installed?

▪ Is there someone who can provide technical backup if you need it?

▪ What resources do you need to take with you?

• If you are presenting off-site, for example at a conference, make a list of questions about the venue, facilities, contact names and technical support, and get answers well in advance so that you are not taken by surprise.

6. Who?

• Find out as much as possible about your target audience

▪ How many are likely to be present?

▪ What are their expectations?

▪ What do they know already?

▪ Is there anything you should provide in advance of your presentation to prepare them, e.g. list of topics, background papers?

Practical Exercise 1 - Planning your presentation

1. Choose a topic for a five minute presentation from the list below, or select a topic of your own choice

2. Plan your presentation, using the planning guidelines in Task 1 and the Presentation Planner overleaf

3. If you wish, try using the Mind Map technique to structure your presentation

4. Your audience will be the other course participants, and the venue will be the room in which this course is taking place

5. You have 20 minutes to complete this exercise.

Suggested Topics for a Five Minute Presentation

1. Brief overview of your current department.

2. What your current job entails.

3. Where you see yourself in five years' time.

4. The City of Bristol (or your home town/village).

5. Your favourite hobby or sport.

6. A club or society to which you belong.

7. An interest or specialist skill.

8. Your favourite holiday destination.

9. Your pet hate.

10. Anything else you would like to talk about.

| |Presentation Planner |

|What? | |

|Topic, title, list of points | |

|to be covered | |

|Why? | |

|Your knowledge or expertise | |

|When? | |

|Date, time, length of | |

|presentation. Time allowed for| |

|questions etc | |

|How? | |

|Slideshow, list of handouts, | |

|anything which needs to be | |

|sent out in advance | |

|Where? | |

|Location, facilities | |

|available, layout, access, who| |

|to contact. List of resources| |

|you will need to provide. | |

|Who? | |

|Number and nature of | |

|attendees. What are their | |

|expectations? Any | |

|pre-requisites? Information | |

|to be provided in advance? | |

2 Preparation – Designing your PowerPoint slideshow

• To introduce some guidelines for good PowerPoint slideshow design and to provide an opportunity to put these into practice.

• We will examine some of the features of PowerPoint and consider their use in designing effective presentations. During the practical exercise you will produce a short, simple PowerPoint slideshow for a 5 minute presentation on a topic of your choice.

• A good PowerPoint slideshow can considerably enhance your presentation, drawing attention to your key points; providing a structure to your talk and making a professional impact on your audience. A badly designed or inappropriate slideshow will irritate your audience; distract them from what you have to say; may even ruin your presentation.

Good Presentations - Bad Presentations

7. Spend a few minutes thinking about presentations you have attended where PowerPoint was used by the presenter. Note below some good and bad features you have observed.

|Good features |Bad features |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

Guidelines for PowerPoint slideshow design

8. Keep it simple

• Avoid using too many colours

o Some colours are difficult for some people to see

• Find a font you like and stick with it

o Sans serif fonts are generally easier to read than serif fonts

o This is Arial - This is Times New Roman

• Use special effects with caution

o Animation, slide transition and sound effects have their uses but may irritate your audience if they are over-used

• Try to keep some empty space for contrast

o Resist the temptation to overcrowd your slides

o Your important points will have more impact if they stand alone

• Be consistent - use the same style throughout

o Find a template you like and make it your 'house style'

o Develop your own design master and use it for all your presentations

o Put anything you want to appear on all slides on the slide master to ensure it will be in the same position on every slide

9. Keep it clear

• Aim for a maximum of 8 lines of text per slide

• Aim for a maximum of 10 words per line

o Practice writing concise bullet points - you can fill in the details when you speak

o Expanding a bullet point into a full sentence is preferable to reading a whole sentence from the slide

• Use a font size everyone can read without difficulty - however far from the screen they are

o PowerPoint templates use the following sizes:

Main headings 44

Level 1 bullets 32

Level 2 bullets 28

Level 3 bullets 24

o Use colours which contrast well with the slide background

o The quality of projection equipment varies considerably

o Light text on a dark background makes the best use of available light

o Dark text on a light background may cause problems in poor blackout

• Make use of bullet points and the 'build' feature in PowerPoint

o Information presented all at once on a slide may lead the audience to read ahead instead of listening to you

o Using the build effect to display bullet points concentrates the audience on the point you are currently making

o You have the choice to leave all bullets displayed once they have appeared, or fade them out, or even hide them altogether

• Use diagrams where appropriate to illustrate concepts

o Keep diagrams simple and check they can be seen from a distance

o Animate diagrams where possible so that they build up on the screen rather than appearing all at once

10. Keep it relevant

• Use your slides to structure the presentation

• You may wish to begin with a short list of the topics you will cover. Expand on each topic as you move through your slides

• Return to your list of topics at the end and tick off each to reinforce the fact that all your objectives have been covered

• Use your slides to keep you on track

• Avoid the temptation to sidetrack - particularly in a timed slot

• Use notes pages to remind yourself what you wish to say

• Write your notes in a large font so that you can leave them on the desk and glance at them rather than holding them in front of your face

• Decide whether to provide the audience with a hard copy of your slideshow

• Give out handouts (3 slides per page) in advance if you want them to write notes as you speak

• Keep handouts for distribution at the end if you don't want to give the game away - otherwise they will read them as soon as they arrive and you won't have any surprises!

• If you provide handouts you will have to stick to your script!

• Check that the information you include on your slides is ACCURATE and UP TO DATE

• Use the SpellCheck facility within PowerPoint - spelling errors stand out when projected on a large screen

11. Keep it short

• Audience attention span is approximately 20 minutes

• If your slot is longer than 20 minutes, consider using another method to get your message across

• You could make two shorter presentations with a break for questions

• As a general rule - work on an average of 1 minute per slide

• Remember the shorter your time slot - the more difficult it is to get the timing right, you have no hope of speeding up a little to get through

• If you run out of slides - you can keep talking; if you run out of time before you've covered all your slides, you are in trouble!

• Rehearse and time your presentation so that you know how long it takes to cover all the topics you've included

• PowerPoint has a facility which will record rehearsal timings for you

• If your slideshow is too long - be ruthless, cut out some slides, rather than aiming to get through them faster on the day

• Generally live presentations take up more time than rehearsals - not less!

Practical Exercise 2 - Designing a PowerPoint Slideshow

1. Using PowerPoint, develop a slideshow to support the five minute presentation you have chosen to make during the afternoon session

2. Refer to the Guidelines in Task 2

3. If you are confident with PowerPoint, use a design template or create your own master style

4. Add slide transitions and animate your bullet points if you have time

5. Save your presentation to the floppy disk provided

6. You have 30 minutes to complete this exercise

3 Practice - Running through the presentation

• To stress the importance of doing a dummy run and to provide some simple guidelines for carrying this out.

• You will have an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the multi-media projector in the training room and note any other considerations which you should take into account before making your live presentation.

• Work on the premise that 'If things can go wrong - they probably will!' Experienced presenters frequently miss out this stage of the process - many get away with it, some do not!

Guidelines for a presentation run-through

12. Before your practice session:

• Give someone a copy of your slides to check for accuracy, consistency and spelling

o They will usually find something you have completely overlooked

• If you have the opportunity - check out the projector and the room in which you will make your presentation

• Check the sightlines and acoustics to ensure everyone can see and hear you

• Decide how you would like to change the room layout (if this is possible)

• Run through your checklist of the things you need to provide to ensure you haven't forgotten anything

13. During your practice session:

• Run through your presentation and time yourself

o If you can't do this in the room allocated for the live presentation, try to find a room with similar facilities

o If you've never worked with a multi-media projector borrow one and try it out until you are confident with its use

• Get a colleague to sit in and provide you with constructive feedback

• Ask for questions and practice providing concise answers

14. After your practice session

• IMMEDIATELY make a note of any problems you encountered

• Decide how you can prevent problems recurring

• Make any necessary changes to your slideshow

• Schedule another run through if you feel you need it

Guidelines for using a multi-media projector

1. Check the connections BEFORE YOU SWITCH ON

• If you are working with a desktop PC, there will usually be two cables between the projector and the PC:

o One connects the PC monitor to the projector (instead of the PC)

o One connects the projector to the PC (where the monitor would normally be connected)

• If you are working with a portable or notebook PC, there will usually be just one cable which connects the projector to the PC

• There will also be a power cable from the projector to the supply

2. Switch on the projector BEFORE the PC, and then switch on the PC.

• If you switch on the PC before the projector you may not get an image on the PC monitor

• On portable PCs there is usually a function key which switches the image between the PC screen, the projector screen and both PC and projector simultaneously

3. Project and adjust the image

• Remove the lens cover if there is one

• The projector may be on standby. Locate the button on the projector or remote control which switches on the beam

• Most projectors allow adjustment to the size and focus of the image, generally by rotating the adjustment ring(s) on the projector lens

4. Moving through slides

• Left click with the mouse to advance to the next slide

• Use PageUp or PageDown to advance to the next slide or to return to the previous one

• Use the Space Bar to advance to the next slide

• Right click to access a menu of options which includes next slide, previous slide, end show, go to (list of slides from which to select), and black screen

5. Go to black/white screen

If you wish to pause during your slideshow, you can use the following options:

• Right click and go to black screen from the on-screen menu

• Use or to go to a black/white screen - then repeat to return to the original slide

• Use the black screen button on the projector or the remote control

6. At the end of your slideshow

• Press the Power button on the projector or remote control to switch off the beam, leaving the fan running to cool down the bulb

• DO NOT switch off the projector's power supply until the fan cuts out and the projector returns to stand-by mode, or you will shorten the life of the bulb

Practical Exercise 3 - Working with a multi-media projector

• Using the guidelines for use of a multi-media projector on the previous page, examine the projector in the training room to find out:

o How it connects to the PC

o How to switch it on, adjust the focus, display your slides

o How to go to a black screen and return to your slideshow

Working in pairs, decide where you are going to stand and introduce yourself, checking that your partner, standing at the back of the room, can see and hear you clearly.

Consider how the layout of the room could be improved to make your presentation more effective.

You have 20 minutes to complete this exercise.

4 Presentation – Making and evaluating a presentation

• To introduce some guidelines for presenters before, during and after a presentation, and to provide an opportunity to put these into practice.

• You will have an opportunity to make a short presentation to an audience of your fellow course members and to evaluate your own presentation skills.

• The presentations will be strictly timed to allow every course member a total of 15 minutes to set up, make their presentation, take questions and participate in a short feedback session.

Guidelines for presenters

15. Before you begin:

Arrive with plenty of time to prepare yourself and your set-up

• Have the slideshow open and ready before the audience arrive

Your opening slide should include your presentation title and your name. You may also wish to include the date, your role and your logo (if you have one).

• Check the focus and the sightlines

• Give out copies of the slides and any additional notes or handouts (if appropriate)

o You may wish to keep these for distribution at the end

• Stand up!

o Your voice will carry further if you practice good posture

• Get the audience's attention

o Your audience should fall silent and pay attention when you stand

16. Making a Start

• Introduce yourself

• Establish your objectives

o Briefly explain the purpose of your presentation - you may wish to include a slide for this

• Outline your programme

o A slide which lists your main topics in the order you intend to cover them

• State your expectations

o Make it clear whether you are prepared to be interrupted (not recommended!)

o Inform your audience that there will be time for questions at the end

• Smile and make eye contact

• Remember to breathe!

17. General Advice

• Face the audience - not the screen

• Use your slides as prompts

• Avoid reading from your script if at all possible

• Use the mouse pointer to explain diagrams (or a laser pointer if you prefer)

• Be aware of and respond to audience reactions

18. Coping with Nerves

• Don't take shortcuts at the planning and preparation stages

• Remember - if things can go wrong, they probably will!

• Anticipate and prepare for all disaster scenarios

• Practice, practice and practice again until you are confident

• Have a glass of water ready in case your throat dries out

• Inhale slowly and deeply, exhale slowly, then take a normal breath before you begin

• If your hands are shaking - anchor them

• Take your time and remember to breathe regularly throughout!

19. Using Your Voice

• Vary the pace - but not too much

o Avoid being the racing commentator or the station announcer

• Vary the pitch for emphasis

o Raise your voice but don't shout

o Lower your voice but don't whisper

• Pause to take more breath when you need to

• Stand up straight and keep your head up as this aids projection

• Be aware and try to eradicate speech appendages, e.g. Okay, Um, Actually

20. Body Language

• Maintain eye contact with the entire audience area

o Try not to focus on one person in the front row throughout

o Vary your eye contact to take in those at the back and to the far right and left

• Be aware of the body language of your audience - are they falling asleep!

• Match your facial expression to your topic

• Use your hands positively - but don't fiddle!

• Move about if you wish, but don't pace up and down

21. Dealing with Questions

• Establish at the outset when you will take questions - after, NOT during your presentation!

• Expect to be asked questions

• Anticipate the likely questions and prepare your answers in advance

• Try to give everyone a chance

• Make sure the whole audience is aware of the question - repeat it if necessary

• Keep your answers as brief as possible

• Stick to your timing

• Provide contact details on your handouts for anyone who wants to find out more

• Admit when you don't know the answer, promise to follow up later

22. After the presentation

• Make notes and remember to follow up any outstanding questions

• Ask yourself 'How did it go?' - answer honestly!

• Ask a colleague who was present for feedback on how it might be improved

• Make a note of any problems you encountered and how you could overcome them

• Note anything you would change if you were doing it again

• File your notes for future reference

• Ask yourself 'Did I enjoy it?' and if the answer is 'NO' try to establish why not

Exercise 4 - Understanding body language

Look at the pictures in the left column overleaf which depict the body language you may observe being displayed by members of your audience. Each one is communicating a non-verbal message from the list on the right. Try to match each of them, ticking the message you think is being expressed.

|[pic] | |

| |A |

| |Making a decision |

|[pic] |Critically evaluating |

| |Bored |

| |Interested |

|[pic] |Negative |

| |Superior |

|[pic] |Making a firm stand |

| | |

| |B |

| |Making a decision |

| |Critically evaluating |

| |Bored |

| |Interested |

| |Negative |

| |Superior |

| |Making a firm stand |

| | |

| |C |

| |Making a decision |

| |Critically evaluating |

| |Bored |

| |Interested |

| |Negative |

| |Superior |

| |Making a firm stand |

| | |

| |D |

| |Making a decision |

| |Critically evaluating |

| |Bored |

| |Interested |

| |Negative |

| |Superior |

| |Making a firm stand |

| | |

| |[pic] |E |

| | |Making a decision |

| |[pic] |Critically evaluating |

| | |Bored |

| | |Interested |

| | |Negative |

| | |Superior |

| | |Making a firm stand |

| | | |

| | |F |

| | |Making a decision |

| | |Critically evaluating |

| | |Bored |

| | |Interested |

| | |Negative |

| | |Superior |

| | |Making a firm stand |

| |[pic] | |

| | |G |

| | |Making a decision |

| | |Critically evaluating |

| | |Bored |

| | |Interested |

| | |Negative |

| | |Superior |

| | |Making a firm stand |

| | | |

|Answers to Exercise 4 - Understanding Body Language |

|A |Charles Darwin was the first to note that humans, as well as |

|Interested |animals, tilt their heads to one side when they become |

| |interested in something. |

|B |Critical evaluation cluster, includes hand-to-face gesture, with|

|Critically Evaluating |the index finger pointing up the cheek while another finger |

| |covers the mouth. The arm barrier and the crossed legs indicate |

| |the listener is defensive. Head and chin are down, indicating a |

| |degree of hostility. |

|C |Chin stroking, combined with head to one side, indicate that a |

|Making a Decision |decision is about to be made. If followed by crossed arms and |

| |legs, the decision is likely to be negative. |

|D |Hand supporting the head, cupping the chin, combined with the |

|Bored |facial expression and the loss of eye contact clearly indicate |

| |that there is no further interest. |

|E |The hands behind the head gesture is typically used by those who|

|Superior, confident |are feeling confident, dominant or superior. This challenging |

| |pose is saying something like 'You can't tell me anything, I |

| |already have all the answers'. |

|F |Hands tightly gripping the upper arms to reinforce the arms |

|Making a firm stand |crossed position and stop any attempt to unfold the arms and |

| |expose the body. Eyes are cast down to indicate unwillingness to|

| |make eye contact; lips are pressed tightly together. |

|G |The folder has been used as a barrier, the arms and legs are |

|Negative |folded, and his sunglasses hide any eye signals. A further |

| |barrier is displayed by the crossed legs. |

|For further information on body language: |

|Body Language : How to read others' thoughts by their gestures, Alan Pease, Sheldon |

|Press, 1988. |

|Practical Exercise 5 - Making your presentation |

|Make a 5 minute presentation on a topic of your choice, using a PowerPoint slideshow to |

|illustrate your talk. |

|Your audience will be the other course participants. |

|The running order for the presentations will be decided by drawing numbers from a hat (or|

|other suitable receptacle). |

|You have a total of 15 minutes in which to set up, make your presentation, answer |

|questions and take part in a short feedback session. |

|A timer will be used to ensure that you don't overrun your 5 minute slot. |

|During the feedback session you will first be asked to comment on how YOU felt it went. |

|Your fellow course members will then be asked to make CONSTRUCTIVE suggestions. |

|This session is intended to provide a supportive environment in which you can try out |

|your presentation skills. |

| |

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