PRESENTATION STRATEGIES

“The art or skill of attractively and effectively packaging an idea

and then delivering it to the audience for achieving desired objective
is known as presentation.”

Effective communication is an essential requirement of leadership. Scientists and

engineers, especially those holding key positions or possessing critical technical
knowledge, are often required to communicate their views. The main concern of the
speaker is to influence the thinking and actions of those who listen the speech.
Success depends on this ability to penetrate the mind of the audience with the
speaker’s power of persuasion.

Defining Purpose
The purpose of a presentation must be clearly defined before the start of the
presentation. The purpose of the presentation determines the content and style of the
presentation. It also affects the amount of audience interaction. For instance, when the
purpose is to provide information (to inform), the audience generally interact in a
limited manner. On the other hand, when the purpose is to persuade people then the
interaction would be more. Depending upon your purpose- to inform, to analyse, to
publicize a product or to persuade, you should be flexible enough to adjust to new
input and unexpected audience reactions.

Audience and Locale

Communication through speech requires a psychological insight into the human mind.
The art of communication depends on the skilful application of this insight. While
communicating, one is dealing with human beings. It is essential to have a clear idea
of how normal people behave and act under diverse conditions. The nature of your
audience has a direct impact on the strategy you devise for your presentation. The
objective of the speaker should be to mould or shape the thinking process of the
listeners to enable them to grasp the presenter’s points of view.
Knowing about the locale (the physical environment) is another preparatory
step. The speaker should know about the place of presentation (whether a large
auditorium or a conference room), a podium or a table provided, public address
system, seating arrangement of the audience, mike, projector, computer screen, dais,
etc. The speaker has to adjust his presentation with the facilities available.

Organizing Contents
A well-prepared speech can leave its mark on the audience. Such a speech, in addition
to good preparation, requires excellent delivery. This implies successful
communication of the essential ideas of the speaker to the audience. When a speaker
prepares his presentation, he is likely to collect lots of material from relevant sources.
If the whole of it is poured out on the audience, the effect might be confusion and
shock. Like any other piece of writing or speech, a presentation should have order,
unity and a systematic arrangement of ideas or facts. A speaker generally arrange the
contents of his presentation into three major parts: introduction, main body and
conclusion.
Introduction, the opening of the presentation, it should be made interesting and
arresting. We may begin with some alarming statistics, some humorous anecdote, or
some quotation. The speaker has to imagine that he is taking the audience through a
journey. It is a journey from an unknown to a known world where the aspirations of
those listening the speech could be fulfilled. When the speech begins, the audience
have an open mind, with no idea about what the speaker is going to say. A forceful
and resourceful speaker helps the audience understand the purpose of the speech
gradually. Then state the purpose of our presentation. Thus the introduction prepares
the audience for what is to come in the main body of the presentation.
The main body requires its own arrangement of material according to a
system. The purpose will decide in what kind of order the main contents is to be
organized. We may take up several parts of the topic point wise. We may trace the
development or growth of a phenomenon (institution, organization)with reference to
its chronological stages. If a problem is to be discussed and its solution is to be
suggested, analyze the causes, highlight the effects, and conclude with the suggestions
to deal with the problem. If a new product is to launched, point out its need,
advantages by dwelling upon its distinctive features.
The conclusion will sum up the main points. As you conclude, remind the
audience briefly about the purpose of your presentation. Tell them what you want
them to do, think, or remember based on your presentation. Conclusion can also be
made interesting by using some quotations.

Preparing Outline
In order to save the presentation from being unnecessarily lengthy or rambling, it is
desirable that we use an outline. It helps in the management by keeping us restricted
to the pre-designed track.

NUANCES OF DELIVERING THE SPEECH

If the content of the presentation is important, the manner of putting them forth is
even more important. It is not enough that we know what to say; we should also know
how to say it in the most effective manner. So the delivery of the speech is to be
understood in terms of its nuances. Nobody would like to listen to a badly delivered
speech. The best material would be wasted if the art of delivering the speech has not
been mastered. Delivery of the speech may be extemporaneous, impromptu speech,
manuscript and memorization.

EXTEMPORE PRESENTATION
Extemporaneous presentation is by far the most popular and effective method when
carefully prepared. This activity asks the speaker to persuade or to inform the
audience ‘on short notice’. Participants choose a topic out of 3-5 topics (usually out of
an envelope). Topics are in the form of questions about current events.

How Do I Prepare:
 It requires studying current topics/events.
 Speakers must prepare the notes beforehand.
 Be aware of the rules and regulations.
 Well organization.
 Proper planning so that your presentation will sound natural.

ADVANTAGES:
 Easier to sound natural and confident.
 Easier to respond to feedback or changes in the situation.
  You can be flexible in your use of language.
 It allows to establish eye contact.
A good extempore speech involves:
 Preparation
 Structure
 Support
 Practice
 Main idea
 Introduction & Conclusion

MANUSCRIPT
The material is written out and the speaker has to read out the written matter with tone
variation. Unfortunately most speakers are not good readers. It can make it
uninteresting and dull. For effective use of it, you should have gone through the
material several times beforehand till you’ll be familiar with it.

Advantages
 Permanent and accurate record of what you have to say.
 Understanding of the points step-by-step.
 Language can be more effective by writing and rewriting.
Disadvantages
 No chance for proper eye contact.
 Lack of interaction with the audience.
 Absence of non-verbal communication.

IMPROMPTU
The impromptu speech, as the word suggests, is what you use when you have to
deliver an informal speech without preparation. It is a natural act, whose quality
depends on the personality and the skill of the speaker. Here the speaker depends on
his/her ready knowledge about a subject.

Advantages
 You should sound natural because you don’t get enough time for preparation.
 You have to say what you feel, not what you ought to say.
 You can express your thoughts freely.
Disadvantages
 Frequent use of vocalised pauses.
 Disorientation of ideas.
 No support material.
 Various points may get lost.

MEMORIZATION
It is very difficult mode of communication. Speaker has to memorize his speech then
deliver it to the audience by memorizing.

Advantages
 Easy to maintain eye-contact.
 Speaker can easily move.
 Non-verbal communication can be used.
  Speech can be finished with in time.
Disadvantages
 Memorizing need lots of time.
 Without rehearsal it can be a failure.
 Fear of forgetting words.

BODY LANGUAGE (KINESICS)

Your body communicates different impressions to the audience. People not

only listen to you, they also watch you. Slouching tells them you are indifferent
or you do not care...even though you might care a great deal! On the other
hand, displaying good posture tells your audience that you know what you are
doing and you care deeply about it. Also, a good posture helps you to speak
more clearly and effective.

Throughout you presentation, display:

o Eye contact: This helps to regulate the flow of communication. It signals

interest in others and increases the speaker's credibility. Speakers who make
eye contact open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern,
warmth, and credibility.
o Facial Expressions: Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits happiness,
friendliness, warmth, and liking. So, if you smile frequently you will be
perceived as more likable, friendly, warm, and approachable. Smiling is often
contagious and others will react favorably. They will be more comfortable
around you and will want to listen to you more.
o Gestures: If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be perceived as
boring and stiff. A lively speaking style captures attention, makes the material
more interesting, and facilitates understanding.
o Posture and body orientation: You communicate numerous messages
by the way you talk and move. Standing erect and leaning forward
communicates that you are approachable, receptive, and friendly.
Interpersonal closeness results when you and your audience face each other.
Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be
avoided as it communicates disinterest.
o Proximity: Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction
with others. You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading
other's space. Some of these are: rocking, leg swinging, tapping, and gaze
aversion. Typically, in large rooms, space invasion is not a problem. In most
instances there is too much distance. To counteract this, move around the
room to increase interaction with your audience. Increasing the proximity
enables you to make better eye contact and increases the opportunities for
others to speak.
o Voice. One of the major criticisms of speakers is that they speak in a
monotone voice. Listeners perceive this type of speaker as boring and dull.
People report that they learn less and lose interest more quickly when listening
to those who have not learned to modulate their voices.

PARALINGUISTICS

Paralinguistic communication is the study of voice and how words are said. When
we open our mouths we reveal all kinds of things about ourselves that have
nothing at all to do with the words we are uttering and manipulating the
nonverbal elements of our message can completely change its meaning.

Paralinguistic cues refer to everything having to do with speech for the words we
actually utter. These may be a bit subtler other forms of nonverbal behaviors in
communicating our intent. Certainly a booming, yelling voice is not subtle.
However, a firm that conveys conviction is more nuanced than a pointing finger,
big gestures, or the invasion of one's personal space. Vocal cues include:

Rate: How many words per minute? In the United States, people from the north-
east speak with more rapidity than do Southerners and generally men speak
faster than women. Rapid rates of speech (and quickly coming up with a retort)
have been correlated with composure and self-assurance.

Volume: How loud or soft is the voice? Researchers have found that confidence,
assertiveness, and boldness are reflected in louder speech.

Pitch: Is the voice high or low in pitch? A high-pitched voice can sound squeaky
and childlike. We associate lower pitches with greater credibility. More men are
born with low-baritone or bass-pitched voices. They rarely use the highest level of
pitch that women use.

Inflection: Inflection refers to variations in pitch. How song-like does one sound?
Imagine a storyteller reading a book to children. We would expect inflection. Too
much inflection, however, in other contexts such as the business world can
undermine credibility. In contrast, we are put to sleep by speakers who employ a
monotonic voice, and they are perceived as less charismatic.

Quality: Quality generally refers to those vocal characteristics that allow you to
differentiate one voice from another. Is the voice small, feminine, or tremulous;
thin, throaty, or fronted (aloof); tense, flat, grating, nasal, harsh, or shrill? All of
these represent different combinations of rate, pitch, and volume.

Intensity: How emphatic are the statements? For example, "I really want you to
do it now!" The intensity can be a direct indicator of the speaker's passion and
commitment or lack of it!

Silence: Silence can speak Volumes. It can provide thinking time, hurt another
person, isolate oneself, prevent communication, convey feelings, create personal
distance, signal respect and reverence, provide greater opportunity for increasing
awareness of the self and others, accent or emphasize certain messages, say
nothing, allow the speaker to explore his or her own thoughts and feelings, or
create interpersonal distance. The Amish call this "shunning." Pausing is a form of
silence that can be motivated by anxiety. It also impacts the rhythm and cadence
or flow of the speech.
 PROXEMICS

The term proxemics was introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966.

Proxemics is the study of set measurable distances between people as they
interact.Body spacing and posture, according to Hall, are unintentional reactions to
sensory fluctuations or shifts, such as subtle changes in the sound and pitch of a
person's voice. Social distance between people is reliably correlated with physical
distance, as are intimate and personal distance, according to the following
delineations:

 Intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering

o Close phase – less than 6 inches (15 cm)
o Far phase – 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm)

 Personal distance for interactions among good friends or family members.

o Close phase – 1.5 to 2.5 feet (46 to 76 cm)

o Far phase – 2.5 to 4 feet (76 to 120 cm)

 Social distance for interactions among acquaintances

o Close phase – 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 m)

o Far phase – 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 m)

 Public distance used for public speaking

o Close phase – 12 to 25 feet (3.7 to 7.6 m)

o Far phase – 25 feet (7.6 m) or more

Hall notes that different cultures maintain different standards of personal space. In
Latin cultures, for instance, those relative distances are smaller, and people tend to be
more comfortable standing close to each other; in Nordic cultures the opposite is true.
Realizing and recognizing these cultural differences improves cross-cultural
understanding, and helps eliminate discomfort people may feel if the interpersonal
distance is too large ("stand-offish") or too small (intrusive). Comfortable personal
distances also depend on the culture, social situation, gender, and individual
preference.