SkillsWebinar

PresentingfortheInformationAge
Presenter
KennethHunter,MPA CityofRockyMount,NC ABFMExecutiveCommittee

Thankyouforattending

SpecialThanks!
ASPA&ABFM AmyOmang BenClark(ClevelandState) DanSmith(NYU) DaleRoenigk (UNCChapelHill)

Specialthankstothefollowingfriendsandcolleaguesfortheir assistance,guidanceand contributions

Overview Whatdowegetwrong? Howcanweimprove? Whatelsedoyouwanttoknow?

Thispresentationisgoingtohelpanswerthreeissueswefacewithrespecttoouruseof presentations: First,letslookatwherewearegoingwrongwithourcurrentpresentations,andidentify thosekeypoorpracticesthatoftenleadtopresentationfailure. Second,welldiscussfivestrategiesforimprovingourpresentationsandenablinggreater effectiveness. Third,welltakesometimeforquestionstoseewhatelseyouwouldliketoknowabout thiscriticaltopic.

3PsofPresentationFailure

TheimagesyouseeaboveeachassociatewithoneofthethreePs ofpresentation failure: PowerPointistheglobalstandardofpracticeforpreparingpresentationvisuals,as commontodayasthetransparencywas30yearsago.Morethanlikely,though,9outof 10PowerPointpresentationsfailtohelpthepresenter,andoftenservetotheirdetriment. Piechartsareaverycommonmethodfordisplayinginformation,andaverypooroneat that.Ifthereisonethingyoutakeawayfromthispresentation, pleaseavoidusingpie charts,especiallyinpresentations. Preparation,oftenthelackthereof,meansthedifferencebetweenagreatpresentation andapoorone.Thetimeweinvestinwhatwearepresentingaboutfaroutweighsthe resourcesweactuallybringforthtodevelopandexecuteaengagingandinformative presentation.Youneedtolearntoswimbeforeyoujumpinthelake.

IfPowerPointisSOGREAT

LookingcloseratPowerPoint,ifwearesuchproficientexpertsofit,ifouruseconsistently enhancesourpresentations,thenwhyaretheresomanybooks,workbooks,manuals, articles,andonlinepostscondemningit? JustGooglebadpowerpoint slides sometimeandyoullseeforyourself. PowerPointisheretostay.ThispresentationwasbuiltusingPowerPoint.Thereisnothing inherentlywrongwithit.TheissueoftenlieswiththewayMicrosoftsetupdefault settings,subconsciouslyencouragingyoutochooseformatsandstylesthatdonot complimentyourpresentation. Asawhole,PowerPointisagreattoolfororganizingandoutlininginformation.Itisnota presentationtool.You,andyourpersonalknowledgeandpassionforthesubject,arethe presentation.PowerPointsroleshouldbetoreinforceandaffirmwhatyouwaywithyour words,inamannerthatenhancesretentionandpositiveresponse.

Dopiechartsreallysayanything?

AsaGFOABudgetAwardreviewer,IcanassureyouthatmostofthedocumentsIreview containasubstantialuseofpiecharts.Theyarethedefaultgraphofchoiceforshowing distributionofdataonthebasisofagivenvariable. However,theyreallydonttelluswhatweoftenwanttoknow.Wemightthinkwewantto knowtheshareofthewholeaspecificvariablehas,butwereallywanttoknowhowthat sharecomparestothatofanother.Tobetterdifferentiatethecomparison,weshould substitutepiechartswithbarcharts. Ifyoulearnnothingelsetoday,pleaselearnthatyoushouldavoidusingpiechartswhen comparingsharesformorethanjust2variables.

Howpreparedareyou,really?
Howmuchtimedoyou
accumulateandengageinlitreview? preparequantitativeanalysis? writemultipledrafts? setasidetowriteyourclassnotes? workpreparingtheannualbudget?

Wemightthinkweareprepared topresent,butwhenyouthinkaboutthetimeyou spendontheworkyouchoosetopresent,comparativelyspeaking, itreallyisntallthat muchtime. Litreview,analysis,draftsandeditingcantakehundreds,ifnotthousands,ofmanhours. Months,ifnotyears,areinvestedinyourwork,whetheritsaresearchpaper,developing notesforyournewestclassorpreparingtheannualbudgetforyourtownorcounty.

Howpreparedareyou,really?
Howmuchtimedoyou
thinkabout/researchwhomyouspeakto? drilldownEXACTLYwhatyouwanttoaccomplish? frameyourworkforquickunderstanding? rehearsewhatyouwillsay,andshow? expresswhatitmeanstoYOU?

Wealsohaveatendencytothinkofpreparation onintermsofpractice. Thereissomuchmoreweneedtoconsider.Doyoureallyknowwho youwillbe presentingto?Haveyouthoughtaboutwhatyouaregoingtosay? Howareyougoingto frame yourpresentationsotheaudiencecanrememberwhatyoushare?Howmany timesdoyouseriouslyrehearse? Perhapsmostimportantly,doyouknowwhatthispresentation,thetopic,theopportunity, meanstoyou?Areyoupreparedtosharethatpersonalconnection withthosewhoshow up?

5StrategiesforImprovement

Ourlookatthewayswehinderandlimitourabilitytopresentwellleadsustowonder, howshouldweplanandprepareinordertodeliveraneffectivepresentation? Hereare5importantstrategiesforaneffectivepresentation.Welldiscusseachofthesein depth: 1.KnowYourAudience 2.IdentifyandIncorporateGoals 3.VisualizetheInformation 4.Practice 5.PresentwithPassion

KnowYourAudience

Whileyoushouldknowwhatyouareplanningtopresentandtalkabout,youmightnot necessarilyknowwhoyouarepresentingto.Evenifyouthinkyouknow,thatdoesnot meanyourassumptionsareaccurate(aretheyever?). Itisverydifficult,ifnotimpossible,toplanandpreparetoknow,meetandexceedthe expectationsofeveryindividualattendee.Whatyoushoulddoisspendsometime learningthebasicsaboutwhoyouarepresentingto,inorderto betterplanandprepare yourmaterialtofittheirgeneralinterests,skilllevel,andprofessionalduties.

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Honestly,goingbacktothe5Ws isagreatwaytodiscoverwhoyouraudienceisgoing tobe. Startingoffwiththewho, includingsomeunderstandingofthegroupandits membership/participants,isagoodidea.Youcanfindoutgoodgeneralcharacteristics abouttheminmostcaseswithrespecttobackgrounds,experience levels,etc. Itsalsoagoodideatoknowwhat theyaredoingattheeventyouarepresenting.Your placeinagivenagendacanimpacthowapresentationisinterpretedbytheaudience, especiallyifittakesplacepriorto,immediatelyafter,orincompetitionwithdesirable activities. Goingbacktotheagenda,When isalsoimportant.Thegeneraltimeofyearyouare presentingisgoodtoknow,asitmightcontributeortakeawayfromtherelevanceofyour work. KnowingWhere ismorethanjustthetownorcity.Thespecificlocation,alongwithits amenities,capabilities(audiovisual,size,etc.)aregoodtoknowwithrespecttohowyou organizeandpresentyourinformation. Lastly,itsimportanttoknowWhy theaudienceisthere,forbothyourpresentationand theevent.Hopefully,eventorganizersarelookingforyoutoprovideaspecifictakeaway, possiblyrelevanttoageneralthemeormission.Findingoutwhattheyarelookingforisa goodidea.

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IdentifyGoals

Onceyouknowmoreaboutyouraudience,youhavetheabilitytounderstandthe expectationsandopportunitiesyoucanusetoevaluatewhatyouwanttoshareand identifyspecificgoalswithrespecttoyouractualpresentation. Forpresentationpurposes,itmightbeworthittothinkofyour goalsfromtheperspective ofbothyourselfandyouraudience.Inthissituation,thinkofyourselfasthestrikeronthe soccerpitch,settingupapenaltykick.Yourgoalissimple,to score. Inotherwords,yourgoalistoconnecttheworkyouaresharing withyouraudience,so theycanfinduseforitintheirwork.Whatgoodisyourresearch,yourdiscovery,your monthsandyearsofstudyandanalysis,ifitcannotinfluenceandbenefitthosemostlikely tolearnandapplyit? Ontheotherhand,youraudienceismuchlikethegoal.Theymightnotrealizeit,oradmit it,buttheyarriveatthepresentationwiththeirownbiases,thoughts,priorities,lackof focus,etc.Muchlikeagoalie,theirintuitiveresponseistoblock outnewideasor suggestions.Theywillnaturallyattempttoquestion,criticize andargueagainstwhatyou havetosay.Thisisespeciallytrueifyouarepresentingyourresearchtoagroupofpeers, manyofwhomhavetheirownworkstheyseektodefend. Thegoodnews,andyouknowthisifyouwatchsoccer,isthattheoddsareinyourfavor. Mostpenaltykicksresultingoals,andyouhaveastrongopportunitytoinfluenceyour audienceinameaningfulway,especiallyifyouknowwhatyouwanttoachieveandcan preparefortheirsubconsciousdefenses.

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Knowledge

Competence

Skill

Attitude

Yourgoalsshouldbeyourownwithrespecttothespecificitems youwanttoshareand connectwithyouraudience. Theywilllikelyaffectaneffortonyourparttoexpresstoyouradvancedskillsand knowledgeonthegivensubject,alongwithanattitudethatreflectsconfidenceand humility. Inotherwords,yourgoalsaremeasuresbywhichyouseektoproveyourcompetence.

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Moreoftenthannot,ourgoalsaretiedtospecificconclusionsderivedfromourstudy, researchandanalysis.However,simplysharingconclusionsdoesnotnecessarilymeanthey willberemembered. Effectivegoalstakeconclusionsandframetheminafashionthatachievesrelevancewith theaudience.Oncethisisaccomplishedandeffectivelyexecutives,yourgoalstransition intotheessentialtakeawaysthatlandinthenet andstaywiththeaudiencebeyondthe presentationencounter.

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VisualizetheInformation
Respect Limits Two Channels Guide Attention

Transforminggoalsintotakeawaysdependsagreatdealonhowyoupresentyour information.Presentationisaconversationbetweenyouandthe audience,whetheritbe justonepersoninaninterview,orhundredsorthousandsataconference. Inordertopresenteffectively,youmusttakecaretovisualize inadvancewhatyouare goingtosharesoyoucanmaximizeyouraudiencespotentialtoabsorb,understand,and commitittomemory..Anaudiencescapacityislimitedwithrespecttowhatyouhavethe opportunitytosharewiththeminasinglegivenencounter.Therefore,effective visualizationiscriticaltoasuccessfulpresentation. Thisfirstmeansrespectingthelimitsofyouraudience.Hopefully,knowingmoreabout themmakesyouawareoftheircapacityingeneral.Atthesametime,youhavetotakeinto accounttheavailabletimeframe,agenda,othercommitments,and more.Focusyour presentationonafewspecifics,reflectingyourgoalsandbesteffortstodevelopnoticeable takeawaysthatcanintroduced,guidedandreinforcedduringthepresentation. Next,rememberthatcommunicationisbothvisualandauditory.Theaudienceiswatching andlisteningtoyou.Bothchannelsneedtocomplimentandreinforceoneanother,butnot necessarilyreplicate.Readingyourpresentationslideswontcutit.Period. Ofcourse,noneofthisworksifyouareabletocaptureandguidetheattentionofthe audience.Youneedthemtofocusonwhatyouaresharingwiththemiftheyaregoingto beabletounderstandandinterpretitinternallyforlaterapplication.

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Before

Thebattleforattentionisoftenlostinyourvisualaids,especiallywhenitcomesto PowerPoint.AsIstatedbefore,PowerPointisgoodatorganizing information,butitsbuilt indefaultsandwizards,nottomentiontraditionaltrainingtechniqueslike6by6, facilitateratherineffectivepresentationvisuals. Thisslideisoneexample.Fromaconventionalperspective,some mightthinkthisiswhat anideaPowerPointslideshouldlooklike,followingseveralcommonconventions. Unfortunately,itleavesthereaderlessthanimpressed. Inreality,theslideistoowordy. Nottomention,thewordsandbulletpointsareabouthowperfectionisNOTsignificant withrespecttosharingresults. However,thelevelgraphicatthebottommakesonlyservestoreinforcetheideaof perfection(bubblesareatexactmiddle). ThisslidedoesNOTHINGtoreinforcethemessageofthepresenter.Morethanlikely,they willreaddirectlyfromit. Whatisthegoalofthisslide?Whatpointisittryingtocommunicatewiththeaudience? Whatisthepresentertalkingaboutwhiletheslideisonthescreen?

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Wouldntitmakemoresense,insteadofcopyingyourpresentationnotes onaslide,to developavisualthatreinforcesandcomplimentswhatyouaretryingtosay. Thisalternativeslidetotheonepicturedbeforeisagoodexample. Theimageiswellrecognizedbymostaudiences. Thepointisreinforcedwithminimaluseofwords. Theslidedrawsattentioninamannerwheretheaudienceismore likelytofocuson listeningtothepresenter,sinceitdoesnttakemuchtimetounderstandthepointofthe slide.

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Whatyoureusedto

So,whydoourPowerPointslideslookmorelikethefirstexampleratherthanthesecond? Herearetwopotentialreasons: First,PowerPointsdefaultsandwizardsENCOURAGEpoorpresentationdevelopment Second,wehaveatendencytouseslidestooutlineandnoteour presentations,rather thandevelopcomplimentaryvisuals WhenyouopenanewPowerPointdocument,youarebroughttoasingleslideutilizingthe Title format.Whenyouaddthesecond,thedefaultsettingtakesyoutotheinfamous titleandbulletpointsslide.Already,thesoftwareisconditioningyoutooutlineandwrite notes,notpreparevisuals.

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Whatyoucandoinstead

Thegoodnewsisthattheslideisntlocked,andchangingtoamoreopenlayoutisfairly easy. Rightclickontheslideyouwanttochange,thenclickontheLayout option.Multiple layoutsappear.ClickoneithertheTitleOnly orBlank options. Theribbonsonthetoolbaraboveprovideyouwiththeabilityto inserttextboxes,images, andmuchmore.Avoidingmorerestrictivetemplatesandwizardsandstartingfromscratch ismorelikelytoencourageyourcreativityandfocusonthevisualaspectsofyour presentation.

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AnotherwaytobetterpreparethevisuallayoutofapresentationistoutilizetheSlide Sorter view.Thisallowsyoutolookatyourpresentationlikeastoryboard,better understandinghoweachslidecomplimentsorhinderstheimpactofoneanother,and makingsureyouachievetheappropriatecohesionnecessarytoachieveyourgoalsand sharespecificinformation. ThispresentationwasdevelopedbyDr.BenClarkatClevelandStateforarecent conference.Youcanseehowmorethanhisfirsthalfofslidesareentirelyvisual,followed bylimiteduseoftextandsharingofdataandresultsofspecificinterest.

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Practice!
Embody

Avoid

Greatpresentersbelievethepresentationitselfcarriesclosetoorequalvaluetothework theychoosetopresent.. Greatpresentersknowtheirwork,orthatoftheircolleagues,isonlyworthanythingif othersaccept,embraceapply,andconsumeit. HowoftenareyouworkingonthePowerPointthenightbefore,or eventhemorning before,youpresentation? Doyouactuallydressrehearse yourpresentations? ThegoalhereisnottobelikeSteveJobs,orcountlessothergurus,politiciansandmodern idolsknownfortheirpresentingskills.Ourgoalshouldbe,however,tolearnfromtheir examplesofconnecting withouraudiencessowecaneffectivelyshareourvast knowledgeandfindings. Wewanttofaceouraudiencewithconfidence,notturnourheadawaysowecanreadoff thePowerPoint,asifitwasanotecard.

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Ifyoudesignyourslidestobevisuallyappealing,youstillneedtointegrateyouractual presentationlanguagetoensurecontinuity.TheNotesViewinPowerPointallowsyouto scriptyourpresentationnotesandassignthemtoaspecificslide.Thephysicaldocument alsoholdspotentialasashareabledocument,ifyouareaskedforcopiesofthe presentation.

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4X

Sometipsyouwanttoconsiderinclude: Practiceyourpresentationatleastfourtimes,preferablyinfrontofotherswhocan criticallyevaluateyou.Theydontnecessarilyhavetobepeers.Infact,ithelpswhenyou canfindpeopletowatchyourrehearsalthatbestreflectyourintendedfinalaudience. Italwayshelpstoseeyoursel finaction.Ifyoucan,considervideorecording afull rehearsedpresentation.Makesureyousetitupsoyoucanseeeverythingyoudo(words, movements,eyedirection,etc.)whenyoureplay. Practicetimingyourremarks.Rememberhowmuchtimeyouhave,basedonyour researchoftheevent. Becomecomfortableenoughthatyoucanpresentwithoutnotes.Evenwritingonyour handnowadaysisconsideredunprofessional. TestALLaudiovisualequipmentyouareusing.Makesuretheprojectorworks,andthatthe computerthatwillbeusedfortheactualfinalpreparationwill runthepresentationyou areusing.

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IpresentedthissetofslideslastfallattheABFMConference. IthoughtIhadfounda balancebetweenmodernizingmytechniqueandprovidinginformation.INEVERtooka lookatitonaprojectorscreenbeforeIpresentedit,andtheaudiencecouldbarelyreadit!

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PresentwithPassion

Thefinalkeyisperhapsthehardestforustocommittoasrational,datadriven professionals.Arentwesupposedtobeunbiasedinourpresentationoffactandtheory? Yes,butthatdoesntmeanwecantbepassionate,andexpressthatpassionina measured,professionalmannerthatencouragestheaudiencetopayattentionwithwhat wehavetosay. First,passionisnotanotherwordforselfimportance.Yourinterestinthetopicathandis whatisimportantrightnow,notwhatyouhavedoneorwhatothersnecessarilythink aboutyou. Second,engagingtheaudienceiscritical.Avoidthepodiumandstandingnexttothe computer.GoonAmazonandbuyaremoteclicker youcanusetogofromslidetoslide. Movearound,andletthemseehowmuchyouactuallycareaboutwhatyouare presenting. Third,involvetheaudiencebyaskingthemquestions.Ifyouveresearchedtheaudience wellenough,youshouldknowatleastoneortwowaystoinvolve theminthe presentation. Finally,humorisdelicate,butitcertainlyhelpstohaveawelltimedjoke.

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Reminders&OtherSuggestions
Dontreadfromslides! Dontusetemplates! Rehearsewithanaudience! Dontreadfromslides! Limitresultstablestokeyfindings/variables! Picturesaremorevaluablesthanwords! Dontreadfromslides! Investinaclicker! Summarizeyourlitreview! DONTREADFROMSLIDES!

Strategiesaside,thereareofcoursemanyothertipsyoucanfindoutthere.Alongwith thoselistedontheslide,youcangoogle BadPowerpoint orAvoidBadPowerpoint or similarphrasesandseewhatisoutthere. SomehavementionedapplyingotherpresentationsolutionslikePrezi.Dependingonthe sophisitication ofyouraudienceandthenatureofthecontentyouaresharing, thisisan availableoption. Anotherconsiderationwithrespecttopracticeisfindingwaystosimplypracticeyour presentationandpublicspeakingtechniques.Groupslikealocal chapterofToastmasters Internationalgiveyouagreatopportunitytopractice,gainfeedbackandbecomemore accustomedtothepresentationenvironment.

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Questions?
KennethHunter kenneth.hunter@nclgba.org @kwhunter

Presentationw/notesavailableat

Thankyouverymuchforyourtimeandparticipation.Pleaseletmeknowifyouhaveany questions.

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References
http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/qandafetch msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1 http://www.juliasilvers.com/embok/Design/Needs_Assessment_files/image001.jpg http://nclgba.org/wordpress/wp content/uploads/2012/07/PowerPoint_Skills_Notes_nclgba.pdf http://www.slideshare.net/PublicFinanceTV/graphinginexcel24032189 http://www.presentationmagazine.com/presentationskills2rehearsal7374.htm http://www.charliehawkins.com/articles/PassionatePresentations.html http://www.sethgodin.com/freeprize/reallybad1.pdf

Ifyouwanttolearnmore,youcancertainlydoyourownresearch.HerearesomelinksI stronglyrecommendyoutakealookat. EdwardTuftes shortmonographonPowerpoint isworthalookat,asarebooksby StephenFew: TheCognitiveStyleofPowerpoint:Pitchingoutcorruptswithin,byEdwardTufte http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/powerpoint ShowMetheNumbers:DesigningTablesandGraphstoEnlighten,byStephenFew http://www.amazon.com/dp/0970601999 InformationDashboardDesign:TheEffectiveVisualCommunication ofData,byStephen Few http://www.amazon.com/InformationDashboardDesignEffective Communication/dp/0596100167/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375986593&sr=14

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