Presentation Guidelines

According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy! --- Jerry Seinfeld

Preparation
Preparation is the key to giving an effective presentation and to controlling your nervousness. Know your topic well. You will be the expert on the topic in the classroom. Good preparation and the realization that you are the expert will boost your self-confidence. After your research, you will find that you know much more about your topic than you will have time to present. That is a good thing. It will allow you to compose a good introduction, to distill out the main, most important points that need to be made, and to finish with a strong conclusion.

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

First, make sure you are well prepared. No matter how much your prepare, you're going to be nervous standing in front of the class. However, you're going to be a whole lot less nervous if you know you've put a good deal of work into this speech. If you write a speech at the last minute, you're going to be nervous about standing in front of the room and because you're about to bomb an assignment. The following are some important ways to get prepared

 Make sure you understand the assignment completely. Talk to your professor well in advance of your presentation date if you have any questions. Make sure you do your research on your topic (5-10 sources REQUIRED) and can talk about it comfortably. Make sure your talking points are clear and in orderyou can also use your handout as a guideline for your presentation. Make sure your PPT is working. On the day of your presentation, come to class at least 15 minutes early to load and check your PPT on our class computer. Email yourself your PPT too just in case theres any problem with your USB. Practice. Practice often, and preferably in front of an audience of sympathetic friends. (If this makes you too nervous, practice in front of a mirror.) If you give your speech for the first time in class, you're going to be way more nervous than if you've practiced. When you practice, time yourself and make sure your speech is within the prescribed time limit. If it's not, tweak the speech until it is. If you have no idea how long the speech will be, you're going to make yourself way more nervous than necessary.

Second, when you speak, pretend that you are confident. Pretend that you belong up there in front of the class. You own the class, baby. Trust me. You'll be surprised how much more confident you actually feel when you pretend. Besides, projecting confidence is an important part of public speaking, so these are good things to practice. The following are some ways to project confidence

Speak loudly. Speak slowly. Stand up straight (but not too rigid, or you'll look like Al Gore). If you use the podium, don't lean on it; similarly, dont lean on or hang onto the computer. Make strong eye contact with your audience. This is one of the more difficult parts of public speaking, but do the best you can. Project enthusiasm. Don't be afraid to go a little overboard. Think of how much more credible your enthusiastic professors sound than your bored ones. Never giggle. Ever. Well, maybe if you're giving a speech about giggling, but even then, giggle in moderation. Avoid disclaimers. Disclaimers are statements such as, "I know this is a really dumb topic, but..." or "I know this isn't a very good visual aid, but..." Dress nicely. A business suit is probably not necessary for a class presentation, but be sure to dress like you take yourself seriously. No baseball caps, ever. Even if you're giving a speech about baseball.

Finally, just relax. This is easier said than done, I know. But the following are some ways to psych yourself out to get rid of some of the anxiety

 Take deep breaths. You'll be surprised at how well this works. If you know some special breathing techniques, use them, but all you really need to do is breathe deeply in and out for awhile. Do some simple stretching exercises before class. Avoid caffeine or any food or drink that makes you jittery. Drink something that relaxes you, like decaffeinated tea. The night before, close your eyes and visualize yourself giving the speech and everything going well. Make friends with your classmates & professor! Find a friendly face and remember, we want to see you succeed! Keep things in perspective. You do much more dangerous things every day, like driving a car or crossing the street. Chances are you've already gone through some stressful or dangerous experiences in your life, and you made it through, right? Keep in mind that everybody is nervous. You're not alone. Keep in mind that you rarely come across as nervous as you really feel. Unless you're shaking and stammering, the audience probably won't know how nervous you are. Just do it. Speak. Speak more. The more experience you have with public speaking, the less nervous you will feel.

Preparation
Know your topic= become an expert Learn as much about the topic as you can to boost your selfconfidence Think about your audience & consider them when thinking about much detail to go into and what kinds of things you may have to explain/define Prepare an outline of topic= create talking points by bulleting or numbering the main points A 12-20 minute talk is roughly equivalent to 5-8 double spaced pages in 12-pt. font and 1 margins however, never read a presentation. Write out your presentation if you need to organize your thoughts, but then use your outlineyour talking pointsfor the actual presentation. You may also use the Notes feature print-out of your actual PPT (similar to the Handouts feature)

Visual Aids A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

Visual Aids Psychological Impact of Color in Presentations

Light backgrounds with dark colors have the most impact, and give better visual acuity. This is especially important when making a presentation in a large auditorium. Black, blue, red, and green are the colors most visually appealing. They also give a psychological impact.

Black implies that the presenter is serious, knowledgeable, and professional. It is a no-frills choice for simple presentations. Blue gives the impression of trustworthiness and being accessible. When trust is important, blue is the best choice. Red is a power color. It infers the presenter is in charge and it can also be used as a motivational tool to spur listeners and viewers to action. Green is the color of choice when dealing with earth-friendly topics. It is also the color of comfort, life, and money. Presentations about increasing trends often include shades of green.

Using Sound in a Presentation

It can annoy the audience to have silly or grating sounds as slideshow transitions.
It can be distracting to have a different type of sound for each slide transition. Keeping the sound for transitions to a minimum keeps the audience focused on the points being made in the speech. During audio clips, members of the audience may stop paying attention or engage in sidebar conversations. Keeping clips short and interspersing them throughout the presentation gives them more impact.

Audio clips should be kept short, utilizing the part that drives the message home.

Public speeches are much more interesting when visual and audio aids are included. The speaker appeals to three levels of learning:
Auditory Visual Verbal

Keeping these guidelines in mind when creating audio visual aids will make the presentation effective, powerful, and memorable.

Visual Aids Fill the Screen with Visuals

When preparing a visual presentation, ensure the screen will be large enough for the room or auditorium in which the speech will be held. Zooming in and enlarging photos and clip art to full screen size gives a big impact. It is also a way to focus on a particular feature the speaker wants to emphasize, such as a facial expression or an important fact/figure.

Sentences should be written as bullet points in large type. Bullet points are easy to read. Bullet points target the key ideas. Bullet points are easier for the audience to remember.
NOTE: Pictures used as backgrounds will not appear in the handouts!

Using PowerPoint Effectively

Make sure the audience can read each slide easily. This may sound obvious, but it's a common mistake during presentations. Use large fonts with letters that are easy to read, and avoid using colored backgrounds that are too dark or that obscure the writing. Keep the background simple. Beige or light pastel colored backgrounds are a good bet because they add a nice touch without making your slide difficult to read OR dark backgrounds with light colored letters make an impact if used correctly too. Make sure each slide looks professional. Remember, when it comes to visual aids, professional does not necessarily mean fancy. What it does mean is neat and organized. Make sure the contents of each slide are neatly organized on each page.

Using PowerPoint Effectively

Make sure the information on each slide is spelled correctly and is accurate. Failure to do so can ruin your credibility and embarrass you painfully. Limit the amount of text on each slide. When it comes to a presentation, written words are a distraction. Your audience will start reading the slide and will stop listening to you. Never include information on a slide that isn't covered in your speech. Limit the amount of information on each side. Keep it simple. A visual aid should make one point, and that's it.

Resist the urge to pimp your presentation. There's all kinds of cool things you

Using PowerPoint Effectively

can do with backgrounds and graphics on PowerPoint, but you should use them because sparingly & specifically or they will distract your audience from the content of the presentation. Use graphics, etc. to help you emphasize a point in your presentation.

Don't hide behind your PowerPoint slides. PowerPoint slides can create a

psychological barrier between the speaker and the audience, which can be great if you have a fear of public speaking. Unfortunately, an effective speaker needs to create a sense of dialog with the audience, and you can't do that if you hide in a corner and let your slides speak for you. Stand in full view of your audience and make eye contact with them throughout the presentation.

Don't read the slides word for word. This is very unprofessional and awkward,
and may be confusing to the audience.

Make sure the technology is working. You should always leave yourself plenty of
time to make sure the PowerPoint setup is functioning properly. On the day of your presentation, make sure you come to class at least 15 minutes early to load your presentation on the desktop of our computer. Whenever you give a PowerPoint presentation, you should always have a back up plan in case the technology fails you. Remember you can use your handouts as your speaking guide if necessary.

Handouts
Handouts are required for the entire class:. You may have Prof. E print out & copy your handouts IF you email your PPT before midnight the day before your presentation. Otherwise, please make the copies yourself & distribute your handouts at the start of the period. If your presentation is only 12 slides, you may choose to print out 6 slides per page. If your presentation is 13 slides or more, you may choose to print out 9 slides per page.

Title & Works Cited Slides

Your title slide should include the following:
Your name Prof.s Name Class Date you are giving your presentation Title of your presentationyour title should be indicative of your THESIS idea

Your Works Cited slide should include any sources for images, charts, facts, etc. that you used solely in the creation of your PPT presentation.

Evaluation
Please review and print out the Presentation Rubric to bring with you to class starting the day of our first presentations: You will evaluate your peers & they will evaluate you based on the rubric. On each handout you receive, write your name as evaluator & list the 5 rubric categories and give a score out of 10 for each. For each score, write a brief explanation for your gradeyou can do this while listening attentively to each presentation. Write at least one question for the presenter about his/her presentation. At the end of the period, return the handouts to the presenters for that day for compiling & review: Presenters will add up the scores from each handout out of a possible total of 50 points, divide that number by total # of handouts returned & report their average as part of the Metacognitive Discussion.

Final Presentation Grading Rubric

Each section is worth 10 points for a total of 50 points!

1. Organization: the orientation takes into account its audience & informs & persuades. 2. Visualization: it is clear what the topic has to do with the visuals & information chosen for the presentation. 3. Research: the topic is well-researched & presented in an understandable & relatable way. 4. Audience/Conection: the presenter related the information according to his/her audience. 5. Presentation Skills: the information was presented appropriately, was easy to follow & understand, slides were legible, speaker didnt go too fast or stray off topic, made good eye contact, etc.

A Gentle Reminder:
Remember to email your PowerPoint to me the night before you present! You will need to provide handouts to the class if you dont! So, save yourself $$ and time and email your PPT to kenciso@collegeofthedesert.edu BEFORE MIDNIGHT the day prior to your presentation!

Works Cited

Suite101: Fear of Public Speaking: Overcome speech anxiety in your public speaking class http://www.suite101.com/content/fear-of-public-speaking-a11665#ixzz1657k3LJQ http://go.owu.edu/~dapeople/ggpresnt.html Suite101: Using Audio Visual Aids for a Presentation: Guidelines to Engage the Audience and Illustrate Points in a Speech http://www.suite101.com/content/using-audio-visual-aids-in-apresentation-a123880#ixzz165EOES4O Suite101: PowerPoint for Public Speaking: How to Use PowerPoint Slides in a Speech or Presentation http://www.suite101.com/content/powerpoint-for-public-speakinga27307#ixzz165L6TsJ3