When you are planning your presentation, you should analyze your audience and purpose for your oral presentation. This is actually different than when you are writing. You should do everything you can to learn about your audience beforehand, but you'll oftentimes be presenting to a mixed group. Next, you should consider what situation you will be speaking in. How much time will you have? What, exactly, is your reason for speaking? And how large will your audience be? Then, you can select a type of presentation from the following list: informative presentation (provides facts and explanations), training/instructional presentations (a how-to), persuasive presentations (attempts to gain support or change an opinion), action plan presentations (motivates people to take action), and sales presentations (inform and persuade).
There are also several types of delivery methods you can take when giving your presentation. You can memorize your speech, but this takes a long time to prepare and it's best avoided in workplace situations. An impromptu delivery is natural, but it can only be pulled off when you really know your material. Scripted delivery is meant for complex topics-- you should consider this method when you really want your presentation to be perfect. The last method is extemporaneous delivery, which is carefully planned and practiced and based on notes. Careful preparation is key to this method!
When preparing your presentation, plan systematically. First, you must research your topic carefully. Next, aim for simplicity and conciseness by boiling your material down to a few key points. Typical attention spans hold for about thirty minutes, so brief is best. It's best to also anticipate questions from your audience. Your presentation outline will contain the basic pieces: an introduction (capture your audience and give a preview), a body (use transition words to show you are moving from point to point), and a conclusion (where you tie everything together).
You should also include visuals in your presentation because they oftentimes will spark your audience's attention. The visuals that you should use will probably vary by the topic that you are presenting upon. Creating a storyboard is helpful as well. You can also fit each of your visuals to the situation you are in. When preparing your visuals, be selective, make sure they are easy to read and understand, and use the appropriate technology to present them for the highest amount of quality. It's also important to choose the right medium for your visual, but you should keep in mind that the more technology you use, the more you will need to prepare.
Delivering your presentation is the most important part of this post. Your delivery should be rehearsed, and you should get a feel for the situation you are presenting to first. You can also cultivate a human landscape by doing the following: knowing your audience, being reasonable, displaying enthusiasm and confidence, and avoiding preaching. There are also several guidelines you can follow to keep your listeners involved and focused on your presentation. Start with a clear and engaging introduction. Next, give concrete examples, and provide explicit transitions. Then, review and interpret your information. Plan how you will use visuals that are not computer-involved, and manage how you present (your body language, your volume, and eye contact). Also, manage your speaking situation by listening to feedback, sticking to your plan, and leaving your listeners with something to remember you by.
Webinars are Web-based seminars and they allow you to deliver your presentation via the Internet, which is perfect for situations where everyone you need to talk to is not in the area. It's possible to use the following technologies within a Webinar: PowerPoint, digital whiteboards, real-time chat tools, and videos.
Group Discussion Questions: Have you ever been involved in a Webinar? Was it easy or difficult to stay involved? I find that I get easily distracted because I am in my own element still!
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