11.2 Developing Presentation Skills
Suzan Last; Monika Smith; and Robin L. Potter
Like any kind of advanced communication skill, the art of giving effective presentations is not in-born; it requires deliberate practice. The following video, 7 Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking (2017), offers some tips on giving presentations.
An excellent way to learn more about delivering effective presentations is to follow a systematic process:
- Observe others.
- Study their strategies and reflect on their effectiveness.
- Select and practice strategies that will work for you; reflect and get feedback from others.
Step 1: Observation
You can learn a lot simply by observing how successful public speakers “work the room” and engage their audience. Observe what they do. How do they use their voice to make it work as a tool of communication? How do they deploy tone, pausing, pacing, and projection? What do they do with their hands? How do they make use of the physical space around them? Take note of how speakers physically operate, either in person or in media: Identify what they do, make note of what you feel works well and what doesn’t, then put what you’ve learned into practice.
As a student, you might start by observing your professors. Aim to identify what makes one professor a great lecturer and another less engaging. Compare what they do with their voice, their hands, their gestures, their movements. Pay attention to how they pace their talk to draw you in and create emphasis. Reflect on what they do to convey a sense of enthusiasm for what they’re talking about—or fail to do so. You want to know what kinds of things to avoid—a dull monotonous tone, for example—as well as what kinds of things to adopt to ensure your voice comes across as a powerful tool for communicating your ideas clearly and emphatically.
EXERCISE 11.2.1 Observation in action
Whether observing your favourite professor give a lecture; watching your favourite podcaster, TV or YouTube presenter; or viewing the videos linked below, turn your observations into an active learning experience: Create a list of what the speakers do well as speakers, and then use them as role models. The goal is to create a toolkit of practical tips, approaches, and ideas for building confidence, developing your own “spark” as public speaker, and engaging your audience. In short, watch, observe, and learn.
Here are some public speakers on film that you may enjoy watching and learning from:
- Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams by Randy Pausch (2007), computer scientist (Carnegie Mellon). As you watch the video, make note not simply of what he says, but how he says it.
- The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout Will Change Your Life by Rick Rigsby (2017) offers a glimpse into the impact of storytelling on supporting key ideas.
- The Joy of Stats by Hans Rosling (2010) offers an engaging and inspiring description of 250,000 data points from over 200 years for 200 countries—in 4 minutes flat!
As you are watc