How To Give A Great Presentation

How to Give a Great Presentation
This class covers the gamut of giving an effective presentation using take-away materials, A/V
(audio/visual) technology, and spoken content. You'll learn how to create stunning hand-out materials
from professional business templates and output them to a color printer, and how to package them with
attractive binders, tabs, and other finishing touches. You'll also delve into the creation of A/V events
using a computer, projector, and other electronic devices. Short scenarios throughout the class
illustrate how real-world presenters use technology and materials to get their points across and leave
their audiences with a positive and lasting impression.
Lessons
1. What's your point?
In this lesson, you'll learn to assess your speaking situation and decide what
you want your presentation to accomplish. You'll also learn about the types of
take-away materials and latest technologies that'll make your presentation more
stimulating and effective.
2. Organize and assemble your presentation
In this lesson, you'll develop your spoken content by creating an outline and
adding transitions, as well as learn some pointers for incorporating visual aids
into the mix.
3. Prepare your materials
In this lesson, you'll learn how to review the venue for your presentation to
make sure it's suitable. After that, you'll find out how to create and organize your
supplemental materials and put them to their best use. In addition, you'll get tips
for creating an A/V presentation and "packing" your presentation, and some
low-tech reminders for practicing your presentation.
4. Start your presentation
In this lesson, you'll learn techniques for grabbing your audience's attention
from the start and drawing them in with presentation aids and technology. You'll
also get some essential presentation tips on vocalics and body language.
5. Give your presentation
In this lesson, you'll learn how to give a memorable presentation -- complete
with materials and technology -- that holds your audience's interest throughout
the event.
6. Close your presentation
In this lesson, you'll find out how to leave your audience with a positive
impression and a call to action through a variety of techniques. You'll learn how
materials can reinforce your message long after the presentation is over.
What's your point?

In this lesson, you'll learn to assess your speaking situation and decide what you want your presentation to
accomplish. You'll also learn about the types of take-away materials and latest technologies that'll make your
presentation more stimulating and effective.

Set your expectations and goals

Make Mine a $Million
In a New Yorker cartoon, a man proposes to a woman with the help of a Microsoft® Business
PowerPoint presentation. The joke isn't far from reality. PowerPoint and other
presentation aids have become so commonplace, it seems, people can't get their
points across without them. But are they using them the right way?
Co-founded by Count
Eric Matson wrote in the Feb/Mar 1997 issue of Fast Company that "Presentations
Me In for Women’s
have become a ubiquitous ritual of corporate life -- and for good reason. As more
Economic
work becomes teamwork, what you know is less important than how well you
Independence and
communicate it."
OPEN from American
Express®, this
Nearly a decade later, he's more right than ever. An array of constantly evolving tools organization helps
lets you whip together presentations out of thin air, and thin air they'll remain without a women entrepreneurs
message behind them and an effective use of presentation aids to get that message build million-dollar
across. companies. Each year,
the group’s award
program presents
When it comes to presentations, no skill is more important than knowing how to women with money,
prepare one in the first place. In this lesson, you'll learn how to massage your ideas mentoring, and
into a presentation and find out which presentation tools -- from handouts to flip marketing support.
charts to A/V (audio/visual) aids -- can help you communicate them most effectively.
Learn More!
The only two presentations you'll ever need
Just My Business
Interview
What do you want out of this presentation? What does your audience want? Before
you can go any further, you must figure these out. Most presentations fall into two
general types:
Informative: A presentation that introduces a new subject or re-examines a familiar

one. When you're addressing the attendees of a comic book convention about the
iVillage and renowned
history of Batman, your intent is to inform and present the facts about the Caped
business journalist JJ
Crusader in as objective a manner as possible.
Ramberg bring you the
Persuasive: A presentation designed to change the listeners' views and/or actions.
"Just My Business"
If, at that same convention, you're asked to speak on Why Batman Would Win in a
interview series. In this
Battle Against The Incredible Hulk, your mission is to present a clear opinion on the
exciting series JJ will
subject (Batman can outthink the Hulk, knows how to use martial arts to subdue a
interview emerging and
larger opponent, has various gadgets in his utility belt if things get really hairy, and
experienced
so on) and convince your audience that you're correct.
entrepreneurs. You will
Both of these approaches have their benefits. Say you're Batman's friend Police get an inside scoop on
Commissioner Gordon, and you must report to the mayor every week on crime in what it’s like to own
Gotham City. What you choose to tell your boss shapes his impression of how well your own business as
you do your job. If you highlight successes that week, such as the capture of the well as great advice on
Joker, the recovery of a bejeweled Egyptian cat statuette stolen by Catwoman, and getting started.
the roundup of the Penguin's gang, the mayor will be more likely to see you in a
positive light. But if you mention that Batman was the one who actually caught these
Watch the Video!
criminals, the mayor may not think so highly of you.
If your objective is making the mayor think crime is down and the police force is doing
an effective job, you'd present only the successes. If you want his help (extra money
in the budget for a new Bat Signal, for example), you'll need to be more forthcoming
with all the facts.
Without a keen awareness of what you want to say and how you want to say it, at
minimum you'll leave your audience unimpressed. At worst, you may accidentally
let slip information you didn't mean to share.
Although your presentation will have much of the same information whether you
mean to inform or persuade, you must follow through with one approach or the other.
Starting off a presentation in an informative way and then switching to a persuasive
tone halfway through will confuse your audience and waste time. Figuring out which
approach to take and sticking to it will make your presentation and the visual aids you
use in it much stronger.
The message of your presentation is the line you'd blurt out if you only had five
seconds of time with your listener. You should be able to write the message you want
to convey as a simple sentence, such as "Batman may do all the work in this town,
but at least I keep him abreast of crime with the Bat Signal." Spend plenty of time
refining your message as you prepare your preparation -- it's the main point your
listeners will take with them, so you must make it a good one.
Size up the crowd

When it comes to presentations and the visual aids you'll use with them, the audience Choose your equipment
based on your audience
makes all the difference. Look no further than the way you interact with different
people in your everyday life. In the morning, no matter your mood, you'll likely greet
your spouse as an equal, or at least a peer. When you wake the kids, you'll assume a If you're going to be
parental tone that asserts your greater age and wisdom. At the breakfast table, you presenting to a group
might address both spouse and children as a family unit. Later at work, you'll of 200, you'll need
approach your coworkers with varying degrees of friendliness, conspiracy and different equipment
antagonism, depending on your relationship with them. Likewise for your boss -- than if you were
although you'll probably insert at least a modicum of respect in interactions with those presenting to a room of
who rank above you. 20. Prepare yourself
with a high-
performance digital
People subconsciously tailor their speech to changing conditions. You may have the projector from HP.
same argument and the same points to get across, but you'll state your case
differently depending on the makeup of your audience and the context you're in. By American Express®
taking control of this process and consciously grooming your message for the people Business Gold
you're addressing, you can make your presentation much more memorable and Rewards Card
meaningful for everyone involved.
A presentation is only successful when it engages an audience.
Apply today and let the

Find a way to relate built-in Membership
Rewards® program
You could be a super presenter in most respects, but if you can't make your message reward you and your
relate in some way to the lives and experiences of your listeners, you'll never win business. You can
them over. Just because you may be on the same payroll along with the rest of your earn up to 100,000
coworkers doesn't mean they'll be any more receptive to your presentation -- you've points in your first year
got to work to make what you say relevant to them -- likewise with any other group. alone, that’s enough
for 4 domestic round-
trip airline tickets. And
Take the following factors about your audience into consideration before your with so many ways to
presentation: redeem points — from
travel to treats for you
Size: How many people will show up? Is the group to be large or small? A single and your employees —
person or a banquet hall's worth of folk? Formality and structure work well for you’ve got support that
presentations to big groups, but in small settings they may seem stifling, thus a can help build your
more casual approach is usually preferable. It'll naturally be harder to make a large business. (Terms and
audience feel involved in your presentation than a small one; however, you can Conditions Apply.)
figure out ways to encourage participation in both.
Demographics: Who will be listening? Age, career, ethnic, or cultural background,
socioeconomic status, educational background, gender -- they all play a role in Apply Now!
what you can and should say to your audience. You'll address a room of middle-
aged female Buddhist accountants from Germany differently than you would a Just My Business
bunch of college-age Lutheran male musicians from Alabama. Deference plays Interview
well with old people, occupational expertise with wage earners, and a dash of
commiseration with the young. Consider what to exclude as much as what to
include. If the people who came to hear your financial advice don't own stocks,
they'll tune out when you start talking about reductions in the dividend tax.
Knowledge level: What do they already know about this subject? Are you chatting
with balloon technology experts about new developments in the field, or are you iVillage and renowned
introducing the topic to laymen? Whether you're informing or persuading, before business journalist JJ
you can jump in to the heart of your subject, you may need to prep the audience Ramberg bring you the
with some background and history. "Just My Business"
Motivation: What do your listeners hope to get out of your presentation? Your interview series. In this
biggest concern in this area: Are they paying to hear you speak? If they are, you'd exciting series JJ will
better deliver. Even if they're not, you should still consider what they audience interview emerging and
wants out of you. If your boss asked you to give this presentation, your coworkers experienced
may cut you a little slack; however, if you suggested this presentation, you'll have entrepreneurs. You will
to work even harder to win everyone over. You should also assess any objections get an inside scoop on
your audience may have to your topic and see how you can work around them. what it’s like to own
Which aids will most appeal to them: Is this a techno-savvy crowd that has "been your own business as
there, done that" with computers, or is it a bunch of people who will find well as great advice on
PowerPoint and a digital projector a fascinating new world? To the uninitiated, the getting started.
old, flashy technology can be a potential distraction. By the same token, younger
audience members may not want to work too hard reading traditional aids such as
fliers or posters. Watch the Video!
If you don't know anything about the audience to which you'll be presenting, do some
footwork and ask around. Coworkers, business contacts, or presentation organizers
should be able to answer your questions as you prepare.
Visual aids: a primer

Power Networking:
Visual aids enable sensory contact with your audience, which lets you get your How the Biz Does
message across to them on levels beyond the verbal. Visual aids can: Business
Improve an audience's understanding of the topic.

Throw some variety into a presentation.
Add support to your evidence.
Help reinforce your points.
Generate more impact to help listeners remember your presentation.
Go behind the scenes
There's no end to the number of visual aids you could use in a presentation. The trick and find out how
in using them is to pick those that best illustrate your point and make sense in your successful producers
presentation. used marketing,
advertising, brand
building, and more to
Know your visual aids become some of the
top names in the
entertainment industry
Depending on your subject and audience, you could make perfectly effective visual in the "Power
aids out of marionettes, live animals, or a watermelon and a sledgehammer (it works Networking: How the
for Gallagher). The sky's the limit on the visual aid options open to you. For this class, Biz Does Business"
however, you should concern yourself with the most prominent and widely used aids webcast, sponsored by
out there. OPEN from American
Express®. Join host
Peter Bart, Editor-In-
Traditional tools Chief, Variety, online
moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Of the many varieties of visual aids, the following are just a few to consider:
Jantsch, along with
Images: Sketches, maps, photographs, illustrations, and other images can say successful producers
1,000 words. Because you don't want to do all the talking at the podium, let them Sydney Pollack,
help you out. Lawrence Bender and
Posters: These portable displays will incorporate any one or all of the image types Nancy Meyers as they
mentioned previously. They usually work best at smaller presentations. share insights to help
Physical objects: Seeing something from the real world -- besides you -- that's grow your business.
pertinent to the topic of your presentation can help your audience stay focused.
Charts: These aids organize information in logical and standardized ways. Most
Learn More!
people instantly recognize a flow chart and its boxes of text linked together to show
the steps of a process or the hierarchy of an organization. Other types include tree
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charts, which also show hierarchy; sequence charts, which handle progression;
Interview
and pictographs, which represent numbers with easy to understand pictures.
Graphs: These aids help sharpen information by making instant, visual
comparisons. The most common include:
Pie: For percentage comparisons

Bar: For side-by-side comparisons business journalist JJ
"Just My Business"
Line: For chronological progressions interview series. In this
Flip charts: Whether you're writing on a blank flip chart or you've already put the
information there (or both), nothing beats this aid for moving to the next idea. Just
experienced
flip to a new page. It works best for smaller audiences.
White boards or dry-erase boards: They worked in school and they'll work for you
get an inside scoop on
now -- they're a medium that's easy to wipe clean once you get across one idea
what it’s like to own
and are ready to move on to the next.
your own business as
Handouts: These should serve as references to your presentation. They can be
well as great advice on
printed versions of your slides, general notes, or just about anything you want.
getting started.
You'll learn more about handouts throughout this class.
Electronic A/V tools Watch the Video!
A/V tools can greatly enhance a presentation, and modern audiences now expect at
least some form of electronic aids in a presentation:
Laser pointers: Why do people follow the red dot so doggedly? Maybe because it
reminds them of a laser sight on a sniper rifle and they don't want to take any
chances. Think of a pointer as an extension of your hand, a long finger that can
point anywhere.
Wireless headsets: No more need to stay at the podium with this handy portable
microphone mounted to your head. You can walk most anywhere in the room and
free up your hands and your voice will still be amplified.
Overhead projectors: Most conference rooms come equipped with one. They're
standard operating presentation procedure nowadays.�
Transparencies: Transparencies are created by copying a document or image onto
a sheet of special transparency paper (any copy shop can produce these for you
from original artwork) and beamed onto a screen through an overhead projector.
Films and audio: Nothing quite commandeers the imagination like a moving image
or sound.
Computer projection: Computers are one-stop shopping for most of the A/V types
mentioned previously. They can show digital versions of slides, films,
transparencies, charts, graphs -- you name it. When used alongside a projector,
the combination is the only A/V equipment you'll ever need.
Presentation software: Projecting your presentation from a computer offers several
advantages over traditional 35-millimeter slides, such as the ability to make last-
minute changes as well as incorporate sound, video, animation, and other
computer programs into your presentation.
PowerPoint: PowerPoint has become such a widely used computer

program in large part because it's made by Microsoft and included with
the company's popular Office suite. Even so, this piece of software
deserves its reputation as the leading presentation package. Among its
many features, the application includes templates that let you
incorporate images, charts, graphs, text, and anything else you'll need
for a presentation in a matter of minutes. (And it can recommend the
best layouts and text sizes to boot.)
OpenOffice.org IMPRESS: Part of the OpenOffice.org suite, this is an

open source alternative to PowerPoint that performs many but not all of
the same functions, but costs nothing.
Take-away materials that work

Handouts, as mentioned previously, serve as presentation aids, but can be even For your mobile printing
needs
more effective as take-away materials. Because handouts aren't essential for your
audience to read as you speak, you can include more information in a handout than in
the other more immediate visual aids. If you plan to distribute handouts after the talk If you're away from the
as a take-away package, feel free to load up the handouts with information. office giving a
presentation for a
client or at a
If your presentation encourages networking among its participants, consider providing conference, don't hole
a sign-up sheet at the front table on which participants include their professional up at a copy center. Be
contact information. Have an assistant make copies of the sign-up sheet near the end your own copy center
of the presentation and slip a copy inside a handout package that you distribute at the by taking a mobile
conclusion. You can also ask all participants to come to the presentation with a stack printer as part of your
of business cards, and ask them to leave the stack on the sign-up table for other travelling office.
participants to pick up as they like.
American Express®
Business Gold
Better yet -- provide a business card scanner at the check-in table, have participants Rewards Card
scan their business cards, and then send the vCards to all participants via email after
the presentation.
Other take-away materials your audience might find useful are:

Apply today and let the
Background materials on your company
built-in Membership
A list of upcoming seminars or presentations
Rewards® program
An evaluation sheet
reward you and your
Preprinted pens, highlighters, and notepads with your company's name and logo
business. You can
Be sure to compile your take-away materials in an attractive package. For handouts, earn up to 100,000
use professional-quality covers and binding, and print them in color. You'll learn more points in your first year
about that in Lesson 3. alone, that’s enough
Consider burning all of your printable, electronically generated materials to CD or with so many ways to
DVD for your audience to take back to the office. It can be less expensive than redeem points — from
producing bound materials, in many cases. travel to treats for you
and your employees —
you’ve got support that
Moving on can help build your
business. (Terms and
Conditions Apply.)
With all you learned in this lesson, figuring out the details of your presentation should
give you plenty to mull over, but don't dwell on them too long. In Lesson 2, you'll have
more important decisions ahead of you as learn how to plan your presentation and Apply Now!
explore A/V aids in greater depth. Before moving forward, do the assignment and
take the quiz for Lesson 1, and then check in with your classmates and instructor via Just My Business
the Message Board. Interview

"Just My Business"
experienced
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Assignment #1
Before you can get anywhere with your presentation, you've got to figure out what your message is.
Get a notepad and start writing. Begin with a paragraph and then whittle it down to a sentence,
removing all the excess. You should be left with a single line that, although it may oversimplify what
you have to say, sums it all up and can be easily remembered by an audience.
Quiz #1
Question 1:
What are two types of presentations? (Check all that apply.)
A) Flashy
B) Informative
C) Passive
D) Persuasive

Question 2:
True or False: You should avoid the use of physical objects in a presentation. They distract from the overall
message.
A) True
B) False

Question 3:
Which of these factors about a group of people should you consider before addressing them?
A) Size of the company they work for
B) Demographics
C) How many coworkers they like
D) Knowledge level

Question 4:
Which of the following are common types of graphs? (Check all that apply.)
A) Pie
B) Bar
C) Line
D) Tabular

Question 5:
True or False: Microsoft PowerPoint is relatively limited in the types of presentations it allows you to deliver.
A) True
B) False

Organize and assemble your presentation

In this lesson, you'll develop your spoken content by creating an outline and adding transitions, as well as learn
some pointers for incorporating visual aids into the mix.

Outline your points

After pinpointing the message of your presentation, you must determine how you'll When you're on the go
present it. A good way to prepare is to create an outline of the most important points
you want to make throughout the presentation, and then add some brief scripting to If you're away from the
help prompt you through a mind "blank." However, don't script your entire office giving a
presentation word for word, gesture by gesture. Here's why: presentation, rely on
your handheld PC for
You'll flub it: Trying to memorize prepared text will only make you second-guess last-minute research or
your own words. When you can't remember them exactly, you could very well communication with
panic, lose your place, and have to go back and repeat yourself or skip over a your office.
whole section.
You'll read it: Opt to bring your script along with you to the podium and you'll end American Express®
up reading from it. Audiences hate this. It sucks all the spontaneity out of a Business Gold
presentation and makes crowds feel as though you don't care enough to engage Rewards Card
them face to face. People like to be talked to, not lectured to.
You'll distance it: Remember all that information about your audience that you
were supposed to gather and incorporate into your presentation? If you've scripted
your presentation, you'll have much less chance to use it, especially the crucial
information you gather just before you take the podium.
You'll formalize it: Scripted presentations inevitably lead to overly formal and stilted Apply today and let the
speeches. You'll end up sounding wooden and a far cry from the engaging built-in Membership
speaker you want to be. Rewards® program
reward you and your
This isn't to say you should show up for your presentation completely unprepared and business. You can earn
willing to wing it -- far from it. In any presentation, whether informational or up to 100,000 points in
persuasive, it's essential to get to the point quickly and stay on topic throughout. The your first year alone,
best way to sustain this oral efficiency is to outline what you have to say beforehand. that’s enough for 4
domestic round-trip
airline tickets. And with
Get your points together so many ways to
redeem points — from
Before you can create an outline, you need ideas and points to organize. To get the travel to treats for you
brain juices flowing, go through these three steps: and your employees —
can help build your
1. Determine which points support your message best and will help convey what business. (Terms and
you want your audience to know, understand, or feel. Conditions Apply.)
2. Determine a handful (three to five, in most cases) of the most important facts
that seem the most relevant and necessary.
3. Throw out anything that doesn't support those facts. Apply Now!
Just My Business
Gather evidence Interview
With your salient points in hand, flesh out each in greater detail. Think about how
much support they may need through facts, figures, and other evidence.
A presentation just isn't credible without supporting materials. You could be charming iVillage and renowned
as Miss Manners, but without evidence to back up your claims and show that what business journalist JJ
you say is true, no one will buy it. Evidence provides the meat for what would Ramberg bring you the
otherwise be nothing but an outline of ideas. "Just My Business"
Evidence brings the following to the table in a presentation: interview emerging and
experienced
Clarification: It elaborates on your ideas and/or position. entrepreneurs. You will
Proof: It shows that what you say is true. get an inside scoop on
Life: It makes your presentation more memorable and interesting. what it’s like to own
A number of different types of evidence will work for your presentation. Here are a well as great advice on
few to consider: getting started.
Facts and figures: Data verifiable by an outside source. These include:

Watch the Video!
Statistics: Information explaining something in terms of size or
frequency. Statistics sound like facts and figures, but they can be easily
skewed and manipulated to give an impression that they may not be
true. Always consider the source of a statistic and what its agenda
might be. It's best to seek out multiple sources and their statistics to
make sure the one you want to use is accurate. Also be sure to use
only current information because statistics can often get out of date
fairly quickly.
Statements by authority: Quotes from experts. Sometimes, popular

figures such as politicians, television, or radio personalities are worth
quoting, but unless they're speaking to their profession, they shouldn't
be presented as authorities. When quoting experts that aren't well
known, mention their credentials.
Testimony: Supporting statements by others. There are three general types of

testimony:
Expert testimony: Same as statements by authority mentioned

previously.
Prestige testimony: Popular figures such as politicians, business

personalities, or movie stars.
Lay testimony: A civilian who isn't necessarily an expert on the subject

but can shed some light on it. This type of testimony is usually used to
show that a problem or issue exists and may even be prevalent.
Narratives: Stories that illustrate a point by triggering the imagination through

imagery. Similar to your presentation, narratives should have a beginning, middle,
and end. They should also be pertinent and free of too many unnecessary
tangents and other details. The human mind hasn't changed much since ancient
people spread information through myths and epic poetry -- stories still pass
information more effectively than most other forms of communication.
Definitions: You have three different types of definitions at your disposal:
Dictionary: The standard meaning that comes from the dictionary.
Etymological: The history of a word's development and where it came

from.
Operational: A measurement for a concept or idea that eludes easy

definition. For example, happiness, which can be defined many ways,
could be defined in one particular situation as the number of times
someone smiles.
Humor: Funny stories or quips related to the topic. Careful here -- they may get
attention and ease the crowd, but sometimes they just may not be appropriate.
Take a look at The Quotations Page to get some ideas of humorous and great
quotes you can use to perk up your presentations.
Mix and match types of evidence
Of these evidence types, only facts and figures, statistics, and testimony can actually
prove anything. If you really want to prove something, you'll need to include one or
more of them in your presentation to strengthen your argument. Additionally, you may
want to also include other types of evidence as well, such as a narrative or two to
show the subject in human terms, or humor to ease the crowd. Combining evidence
both builds an effective argument and keeps your listeners riveted.
Select an organizational structure
The next trick after gathering your information is to organize it. The body of your
presentation needs some kind of order; otherwise, you'll end up like one of those
unfortunate speakers who jumps from one subject to another seemingly at random,
repeating things and never getting to the point. Stick to an organizational structure
and you can avoid those problems.
How you organize depends on your overall topic. Certain subjects lend themselves
naturally to certain structures, the most common of which are:
Topical: Relates distinct ideas to the theme and makes each a main point. Most
useful for informative speeches.
Chronological: Framed around a time sequence. Useful for both informative and
persuasive speeches because each requires background information.
Classification: Puts material into categories. Useful for both informative and
persuasive speeches.
Problem/solution: Describes a problem and presents a solution. Most useful for
persuasive speeches.
Cause/effect: Describes the cause of a problem and then presents its effects. Most
useful for persuasive speeches.
One of these patterns will work for most subjects, but it's got to support your
message and the goal of the presentation.
Whichever way you choose, just make sure you stick with it throughout the
presentation -- jumping from one organization plan to another can be almost as
confusing as having no organization plan at all.
As you're organizing, consider which materials will go with each point and which will
bring your evidence to life. You'll learn more about this topic toward the end of this
lesson, but first, take a look at how to link your information together through
transitions.

Transitions
American Express®
How you get from your presentation's opening to its body, from point to point within Business Gold
the body, and from there to the conclusion, can make or break you as a presenter. Rewards Card
That's why transitions are so important.
Transition statements move your audience from one idea to the next. In one or two
sentences, they wrap up your last idea and move it into your next idea. If handled
properly, transition statements can make your presentation all the more smooth, Apply today and let the
polished, and engaging to a crowd. built-in Membership
Rewards® program
reward you and your
Transitions make the presentation go round business. You can earn
up to 100,000 points in
your first year alone,
Think of transitions as the cement that bonds together the structure of your
that’s enough for 4
presentation. They help your audience from getting confused as they absorb the
domestic round-trip
information you provide. If your points had no markers between them and ran
together with no distinction, listeners might not realize that you've moved on to a new
so many ways to
topic or why the current evidence you're providing is relevant.
The audience will eventually figure it out, but that will take time -- precious time in
which they won't listen to you as closely, possibly missing some of your presentation.
can help build your
Even worse, they may blame you for gumming things up (and rightly so), which will
cost you credibility. Audiences may not notice the transitions in a presentation (which
Conditions Apply.)
is kind of the point), but they'll definitely notice those that they're missing.
Apply Now!
Well-crafted transitions come in two flavors:
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The kind that reinforces your speech's organization: This approach emphasizes
Interview
where your presentation has been and where it's headed, letting the audience
know that you've finished point A and are moving on to point B, so it's time to
switch gears and prepare for new information.
The kind that demonstrates how your ideas relate to the theme of your
presentation: This method pulls the listeners back for a moment to remind them of
the main topic that brought them to your presentation in the first place before
further elaborating on it. iVillage and renowned
There's only a fine line of difference between these two approaches, and both can be Ramberg bring you the
mixed and matched interchangeably. In fact, the best transitions perform both of "Just My Business"
these functions. interview series. In this
Give your transitions a trial run. Although you should never completely script a experienced
presentation, you should always at least plan your transitions ahead of time. entrepreneurs. You will
Transitions are the easiest elements of a presentation to forget, especially if you're get an inside scoop on
nervous and just want to get your time in front of the crowd over with. Practicing what it’s like to own
transitions ahead of time assures you won't forget them later. your own business as
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Working visual aids into the mix

Now that you've assembled your ideas and transitions into a cohesive plan for a Charts and graphs
presentation, you're ready to work in where the visual aids will go. Go through your
outline and see which ideas would be best expressed, or at least enhanced, by the Charts and graphs are
power of an image. where to turn when you
want to show numbers
and the connections
Remember the attributes of visual aids that you learned in Lesson 1? Keep them in
between them. They
mind throughout this process. You want to select aids that improve the audience's
help people
understanding of the topic, provide variety, support your evidence, reinforce your
comprehend the
points, and generate impact to make the presentation memorable.
meaning behind data at
a glance. Each type of
chart or graph
Visual aids aren't meant to simply dazzle your audience with cool materials and
specializes in
gadgets or give you a crutch to hide behind and avoid talking. Visuals serve to focus
presenting particular
attention, arouse and sustain interest, and help you quickly get ideas across that are
types of data best. Be
complicated and difficult to comprehend with words.
careful though, not to
overuse them. Such a
Here are some considerations when selecting visual aids: standardized means of
presenting numbers
How versed is the audience in this subject? How much does it need visual aids to can actually help an
drive home the points? audience tune out.
Which points will be hard to make without some sort of visual to drive it home?
Should I use a visual aid to reinforce some particularly important points? Use handouts
Don't forget the practical: How much time do I have and what sort of equipment can I
use? You could spend hours putting together the most convincing computer and light Whether you opt for
show, but if there's no electricity to run it, why bother? Likewise, if your presentation predigital or fully
will be at an outdoor venue, you may want to lay off the handouts -- the wind could electronic A/V tools,
blow them away -- or make sure they're properly bound. consider providing
handouts. They can
give your audience a
That being said, certain information lends itself best to certain types of presentation handy reference to
materials. Keep these pros and cons in mind as you mull your options. come back to
throughout a
presentation, spare
Predigital tools your listeners from
excessive note-taking,
may contain more
Generally, predigital materials such as posters, flip charts, and white boards are low-
information than
cost, simple solutions that are best suited for smaller crowds. In addition, flip charts
materials used on
and white boards in particular are:
stage, and help ensure
that your audience
A great way to interact with an audience and keep them involved. Ask your audience leaves with your
for ideas and go back to whatever you wrote down or drew if it becomes pertinent message, literally.
again. This reinforces the crowd's awareness of their participation.
Business
Ready to go before the presentation but can also be expanded or altered during the
presentation, potentially making things more exciting for the audience.
Designed to be wiped clean or flipped closed when you're done, so they don't distract Co-founded by Count
anyone. Me In for Women’s
Economic
Independence and
One disadvantage of predigital tools is their bulkiness. Posters and flipcharts can be OPEN from American
tricky to transport without bending or ripping. In addition, assuming the white board Express®, this
you're using isn't electronic, you generally lose the information after the presentation organization helps
is over and the eraser comes out. women entrepreneurs
build million-dollar
companies. Each year,
Overhead transparencies the group’s award
program presents
Overhead transparencies are good for developing your presentation as you go along. women with money,
It can be exciting for speaker and audience alike to see ideas written out and mentoring, and
projected on to the screen during a speech. marketing support.
Some advantages of using transparencies include: Learn More!
They're a good way to build your point by laying down overlays that elaborate on Just My Business
what came before. Interview
You can use an overhead projector with significant light in the room, thereby
maintaining eye contact with your audience.
You can easily create transparencies on a computer or by hand, and modify them
during a presentation.
They become instant handouts when run through a copy machine.
They more or less do what a slide does but don't take nearly as much time or iVillage and renowned
money to get together. business journalist JJ
A few disadvantages of using transparencies include: "Just My Business"
Writing or marking on them can sometimes go awry due to slippage, and so on. exciting series JJ will
You might feel captive to the projector because you must change each interview emerging and
transparency by hand. experienced
The informality of transparencies may turn off some people who equate computer entrepreneurs. You will
slide shows with professionalism. get an inside scoop on
Adjusting the focus and size of the projection can be annoying to an audience, what it’s like to own
especially if performed throughout the presentation. your own business as
Physical objects
getting started.
If you're talking about it, why not bring it? Let your audience see the object of your
Watch the Video!
discussion. If it's the sort of item you can pass around or demonstrate, by all means
do so. Interacting with objects will give your audience a stake in the presentation.
If you can't bring in equipment or models for demonstrate purposes, consider using
photos or line drawings.
Digital tools
The future of presentations has arrived, just be sure to read the instruction manual.
Using computer-projected presentation software is a versatile option. You can create

a pleasing, all-in-one visual aid, incorporating multiple types of materials -- images,
charts, text, video, and audio -- in one seamless presentation. Everything in your
computer can be projected, eliminating the need to bring several bulkier types of
visual aids. Plus, an electronic presentation is easy to transport, and last-minute
changes can be made in a snap. Just be sure your last-minute changes don't affect
the content of your preprinted handouts -- consistency is very important to credibility!
If you've got the time, money, and think you can make a video that won't put your
audience to sleep, go for it. A well-developed video can convey with imagery and
sound what you can't, and can add a huge dose of professionalism to any
presentation.
However, depending on the make and model, connecting a projector to a computer

can be a challenge to all but the techno-savvy. If you're in this group, plan ahead to
have a technical person available to help you set up before the presentation, and to
get out of a bind during an event.
Did somebody say "technical difficulty?" The reliance on electronics comes with
the risk that something will break down, or that the electricity will go out. Always
have a backup plan, just in case.
Use accessories
Laser pointers are good for working big rooms with a lot of visual material. They draw
the audience's eye like few other aids can. In addition, a clip-on microphone or, even
better, a wireless headset, is a must for a large audience when you have lot to say.
They amplify your voice, and free your hands to use a laser pointer or control a
Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
Moving on
In this lesson, you looked at outlining your presentation and which A/V materials to
consider as part of your presentation plan. Next up, you'll explore how to create those
materials and prepare for the big event. Before you move on, complete the
assignment and take the quiz for this lesson, and then head over to the Message
Board to share comments and questions with your fellow presenters and instructor.
Assignment #2
One of the most important things you can do for your presentation is to illuminate it with visual
aids. For this assignment, refer back to the materials listed in Lesson 2 and find at least three
types of aids to include in your presentation.
Think about which points and evidence you want to get across and which presentation aids will
help you communicate them. After you've narrowed down your selections, see if they're right for
the room in which you'll speak and, most of all, the audience you'll address.
Quiz #2
Question 1:
What are three types of organizational structures? (Check all that apply.)
A) Topical
B) Problem/solution
C) Classification
D) Goal/results

Question 2:
True or False: After you've selected one type of evidence to use in your presentation, you should use only that
type of evidence throughout.
A) True
B) False

Question 3:
What's one disadvantage of using presentation software as a visual aid?
A) Someone could hack your computer and present all your credit card information to the audience.
B) The temptation to make last-minute changes can lead to laziness.
C) The computer might fail during the presentation.
D) The audience won't have handouts to take away after the presentation.

Question 4:
True or False: With the popularity of presentation software, transparencies are obsolete.
A) True
B) False

Prepare your materials

In this lesson, you'll learn how to review the venue for your presentation to make sure it's suitable. After that,
you'll find out how to create and organize your supplemental materials and put them to their best use. In
addition, you'll get tips for creating an A/V presentation and "packing" your presentation, and some low-tech
reminders for practicing your presentation.

Set the stage

The space in which you give your presentation affects both you and your audience. Business
Ever see that VH1 "Behind the Music" special about Styx where the guitarist
described being afraid for his life as the band acted out ludicrous and lengthy scenes
from the "Mr. Roboto" rock opera for an impatient outdoor audience in sweltering 100+
degree heat? That's why it's important to size up the physical surroundings in which
you'll be presenting. Speak in an auditorium and only 10 people show up, you'll have Co-founded by Count
to work harder than you might think to maintain their attention. Speak in a tiny, hot Me In for Women’s
room with external noise and bad lighting and you've got a whole other set of issues Economic
with which to contend. Independence and
OPEN from American
Express®, this
Keep the following in mind when looking into a space for your presentation:
organization helps
women entrepreneurs
Capacity: What number of people can the space comfortably seat?
Seating: Does the place have enough seats for the invitees? If not, will there at
companies. Each
least be space for them to sit on the floor or stand? Also, are the chairs arranged so
year, the group’s
everyone can see you, or will some have to do a contortion act to catch a glimpse
award program
of you?
presents women with
A/V equipment: Are there appropriate electrical hookups, Internet connections, and
money, mentoring,
devices for any presentation aids you may be using?
and marketing
Distractions: Which elements in the space could detract from your presentation?
support.
What might cause undue noise or divert eyes away from you?
There are times when you won't have control over your venue, but knowing what to
Learn More!
expect will at least let you work around the shortcomings. When in an uncomfortable
room, call for frequent breaks. If the space is too big for the number of people who
Just My Business
show up, group everyone close to you to make things more intimate.
Interview

Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
series. In this exciting
series JJ will interview
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
scoop on what it’s like
to own your own
business as well as
great advice on getting
started.
Watch the Video!
Design your materials

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Your visual aids should be so simple your audience will "get" them at a glance. That Business Gold
doesn't necessarily mean they'll be simple to make, however. As you gather and Rewards Card
create the materials for your presentation, it's important to keep in mind good design.
A few universal rules of good visual aid design are:
Be brief: The most text an audience will want to read shouldn't be longer than a Apply today and let
sentence, and it should be a piece of information that's worth their time. If you can't the built-in
get the point across in 10 seconds, you need to rethink it. Membership
Rewards® program
Apply the billboard rule: If you could pass by your visual aid at 65 miles per hour and reward you and your
grasp the point, you've done your job well. business. You can
earn up to 100,000
Choose pictures over words: If your audience wanted to read a list, quote, or points in your first year
lengthy statistic on a screen, they'd have stayed at home and surfed the Web. The alone, that’s enough
best visual aids use very little text, if any at all, to convey a concept. Pictures, for 4 domestic round-
graphs, diagrams, and other art are a much better way to drive home the points
you're trying to make. Just don't load on too many images; pictures talk louder than with so many ways to
words, so you don't need as many. redeem points — from
Keep graphics graphic: If a graphic needs a written explanation, it's probably not a travel to treats for you
good graphic. If you really must use it, put it on a handout and determine something and your employees
better to have at your side during your talk. — you’ve got support
Start big, stay big: Your visuals should stick with big concepts. Save the details for that can help build
your speech and handouts. your business. (Terms
Be the materials master: Rely too much on your materials and you'll be playing and Conditions Apply.)
second fiddle to them in the presentation. Try not to use more than one aid per
minute. Otherwise you'll come across like a tour guide on a journey from one visual
to the next. Apply Now!
Design tips Just My Business

Interview
Knowing what you want an aid to say is the only the beginning. The real challenge is
designing your materials so that they effectively say it.
Keep it readable
Audiences should be able to see your materials from the back of the room, and from Ramberg bring you
every angle, for that matter. Keep the size of your venue and audience in mind (as the "Just My
well as seating arrangements and other factors) as you figure out the size of your Business" interview
graphics and text. series. In this exciting
emerging and
Choose striking images experienced
entrepreneurs. You
Avoid clip art, or at least, the same clip art everybody else uses. Your best approach will get an inside
is to use custom artwork. If your budget says "no way," Microsoft offers a plethora of scoop on what it’s like
clip art online, and you can find aesthetic artwork at a reasonable price on the Web to own your own
from companies such as Getty Images. Your goal is to select images that will grab an business as well as
audience's attention, not just remind them of something they've seen before. great advice on getting
started.
Use color wisely

Watch the Video!
The Internet and TV ads have primed audiences to respond best to bold, bright colors.
That's not to say you should go hog-wild with the color wheel. Don't use more than
three colors in an aid, and make sure you select combinations that contrast each
other.
A blue background with yellow, white, or orange print could very well look glaring up
close, but in a big room, everyone will be able to read it.
Maintain consistency
Don't vary the color schemes, fonts, or other elements from aid to aid. They'll go over
better if they all have a similar look.
Regarding text in particular, don't stray from using more than two font styles and sizes
unless you have a very good reason. Otherwise your materials will appear cluttered.
Also keep the following in mind:
Use the right font size: Titles two to three inches high work best for flip charts and
white boards. Make other text approximately 1 1/2 inches high. Titles at 38 to 44
points and other text at 28 to 32 points work best for transparencies and Microsoft
PowerPoint screens.
Incorporate white space: White space is your friend, and a way to beautify an aid
and separate points.
Use appropriate capitalization: Only capitalize the first letter of a word,
OTHERWISE YOUR TEXT WILL LOOK ANNOYING.
Use san serif fonts: San serif fonts are the kind without curly, curving letters. This
makes them easier for people to scan across a room. Lay off the frilly fonts or
novelty typefaces, and stick with a simple sans serif font such as Helvetica or Arial.
Avoid too much bulleted text: Don't make people read lists when they could be
listening to you.
Spread it around: Don't cluster all your text in the center of the aid. Give it room to
breath all over the page.
Seek alignment: Use flush left and ragged right alignment (not justified) for good
readability.
Figure 3-1 shows an example of a not-so-well designed visual aid.
Figure 3-1: For a number of reasons, this handout just isn't designed well.
Read and re-read all your materials for misspellings and other blunders, such as
factual errors. Nothing will undermine your credibility more than sharing the stage with
your own screw-up.
Tips for making handouts, charts, and transparencies

No visual aid is created equal. Each type of presentation material has its own unique Handouts that impress
needs that make it work best.
Whether your handout
is meant to sum up
Handouts your presentation or
provide more in-depth
If you plan on giving out handouts before your talk, make sure they're brief. You don't information to be read
want to spill the beans to the audience about what you have to say and then have to later, color adds the
contend with their boredom for the rest of your talk. Instead, a concise, skeletal outline impact and visual
of your presentation will give them something to take notes with and remain engaged. interest that will make
If you plan to distribute handouts after the talk, feel free to load those up with your materials stand
information. out.
Power Networking:
Include your name, company name, phone number, e-mail address, Web address, How the Biz Does
and other contact information on handouts. Business
You can create professional-quality handouts from a finalized PowerPoint

presentation, for example, by outputting the slides to a color inkjet or laser printer,
including front and back covers, and binding them with 3-hole prongs, combs, spiral
coils, or VeloBind®. Many report covers include a cut-out for a business card, which is
a nice touch, and you can overlay a clear plastic sheet over the front cover for
protection and polish. and find out how
successful producers
used marketing,
If your handout pack is lengthy, consider including brightly colored index tabs to help advertising, brand
your audience quickly find and flip to certain information. Most office supply stores building, and more to
offer a variety of preformatted and customizable index tabs. Create handouts after become some of the
you've completed all other presentation visual aids, whenever possible. That way, top names in the
you'll know that your handouts match your presentation precisely. entertainment industry
in the "Power
Networking: How the
Charts and graphs Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
Using Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.org CALC is a matter of entering your data into a American Express®.
spreadsheet and using the built-in tools and preset formats to quickly and attractively Join host Peter Bart,
create any number of charts and graphs. Most of the formats are customizable, so you Editor-In-Chief,
can modify them for the color scheme and overall style that's right for you. Variety, online
moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Once they're polished and perfect, you can print them and create handouts or Jantsch, along with
overhead transparencies, or embed them in a presentation software slide. For successful producers
example, to embed an Excel chart in PowerPoint, open a PowerPoint slide, select Sydney Pollack,
Insert > Object, select Create from file, browse to the Excel chart, select it, and then Lawrence Bender and
click OK. Nancy Meyers as they
share insights to help
grow your business.
Avoid heavy use of 3-D bar graphs -- they look better in two dimensions.
Learn More!
Whatever style chart you use, don't get hung up on the numbers. Instead, state clearly
what the numbers are saying. If you're showing your audience a line graph of the Just My Business
dwindling number of crimes you've had to solve over the years, don't just use "Crimes: Interview
2000–2006" as a heading. Use instead, "Dwindling Crime, Greater Harmony in
Gotham City: 2000–2006." The heading of the chart should point out what you want
the viewer to see in the numbers.
Flip charts
Don't write or draw in the bottom third of a flip chart page -- it's a gutter of poor Ramberg bring you
visibility for your audience. While you're at it, keep any drawings or other doodlings as the "Just My
simple as possible. Audiences don't want complexity in their flip chart graphics. Also, Business" interview
flip chart paper is often thin, so leaving a blank page or two between each one that series. In this exciting
you use can make the page easier to turn. series JJ will interview
emerging and
experienced
Transparencies entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
You can and should design transparencies ahead of time, but remember that their
to own your own
greatest advantage is that they can be easily drawn up and altered with a marker as
business as well as
you talk. That's not to say all of your transparencies should look like hand-drawn
doodlings. You can add a touch of class to any overhead with color acetate gel and
started.
colored markers.
Watch the Video!

Another transparency advantage: You don't have to make as many as you think.
Stack different points one after the other and cover them with a sheet of paper. As you
talk, slide the paper down to unveil each new point. Waiting to see what comes next
adds an air of mystery to presentations that can keep the audience's attention. On the
other hand, it can also stick you with a process that the crowd may find boring. So be
sure to gauge their reactions and be ready to speed things along.
Number the pages of transparencies in case they spill on the floor.
Get your tech on with presentation software

With PowerPoint and other presentation software (we'll just refer to PowerPoint from Business
hereon to keep things simple), it's easy to create visual aids. Getting them to look
good is another story.
PowerPoint comes with a wide variety of tools for selecting colors, fonts, formats, and
Co-founded by Count
styles; importing content from word processing programs or charts from spreadsheet
Me In for Women’s
applications; and creating your own graphics. However, its tumbling, whooshing,
Economic
flying, singing, and screeching graphics can disconnect the materials from the
Independence and
presenter. Used wisely, PowerPoint can be an effective tool to help audiences
OPEN from American
remember your message, while allowing you to prove, reinforce, and support your
Express®, this
claims. Used unwisely, PowerPoint becomes a distraction that upstages the presenter
organization helps
and buries the message.
women entrepreneurs
The following sections outline tips for effectively using PowerPoint. companies. Each
year, the group’s
award program
Get to know thy templates presents women with
money, mentoring,
and marketing
PowerPoint comes loaded with templates to help you plug in information and crank support.
out charts and slides. They're a good way to ensure variety in your layouts, as long as
you don't get carried away. Be sure to use the same fonts, color schemes, and other
consistent elements throughout your materials. Learn More!
Just My Business
In PowerPoint 2003, for example, you begin a presentation with a blank slide. To Interview
select a design template upon which to build your own design, click From Design
Template in the New Presentation pane on the right. A blank PowerPoint slide with the
design templates displayed is shown in Figure 3-2.

Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
Figure 3-2: The start of a PowerPoint presentation. great advice on getting
started.
Enlarge image
Watch the Video!

To select a design template, click it in the Apply a design template list. If the color is
close to but not exactly what you want, click Color Schemes in the right pane, and
then click the Edit Color Schemes link at the bottom of the right pane. In the Edit Color
Scheme dialog box, shown in Figure 3-3, select an area in which to change the
scheme color, such as Accent, click Change Color, select a color, and then click OK.
Click Apply when you return to the Edit Color Scheme dialog box. You'll see your new
color scheme applied to the slide.
Figure 3-3: The PowerPoint Edit Color Scheme dialog box.
A big time-saver in PowerPoint is to create an initial slide with the font style, color
scheme, background, and other elements that reflect your company's look and feel.
Then, save it as a Slide Master and create the rest of your presentation based on that.
If you need to tweak the design later, you can do it once. The design changes carry
through to all slides.
From there, you can place text, graphics, and objects to suit your needs. A starter
slide with text is shown in Figure 3-4.
Figure 3-4: A revised sample "starter" slide in PowerPoint.
Use transitions wisely
You know the importance of word transitions; however, they're just as important with
images. PowerPoint comes with a number of transition effects between slides,
including:
Blinds: The next image comes into view as if through the slits of window blinds.
Checkerboards: The next image populates the screen in broken-up pieces that
quickly fill the screen.
Fades through black: The next image appears after the screen goes black for a
moment.
Splits: The next image fills the screen from a horizontal or vertical slit in the screen.
Wipes: The next image overtakes the previous slide from left to right, top to bottom,
or diagonally.
Don't overuse transitions. They work best when introducing a big idea, not every idea.
When saved for these special points, the audience knows they're about to learn
something important.
Transitions can go a long way toward reflecting and reinforcing the tone of your
presentation. Checkerboards can enhance a speaker's whimsical manner, while splits
and wipes can help make the presenter seem more efficient.
Likewise, these transitions affect the pacing of your speech. Fade through black
always seems to take a lot longer than a quick wipe or split.
The other pitfall of transitions: computer processor time. Be sure your effects don't
slow down your machine.
Resist the urge to overload
It almost goes without saying, but don't get fancy for fancy's sake. Just because you
can use a multitude of fonts, clip art, and transitions doesn't mean you should. Also,
those animations that look fun and nifty in the design stage will become your greatest
enemy when you're trying to win back your audience's attention.
Need you say more? Say it with notes
The PowerPoint Notes section is a handy place to dump any unwanted information
that didn't make the cut as a visual. You can print this text out later as a handout.
When to pay a professional
Most computers these days come equipped with software that lets you create your
own video film and audio editing. Although it may be tempting to whip together your
own video and audio for your presentation, make sure you understand how to use
your programs first. Some of these packages require a steep learning curve.
You may be better off hiring professionals to do the job for you. They won't come
cheap. Ten minutes of film can take several hours to produce. With that kind of
expense and time commitment in mind, video is best for big crowds in a big room, and
shown multiple times.
Prepare your presentation for mobility

American Express®
When you're taking your show on the road, you don't want to forget anything. You'll Business Gold
need to pack up everything -- low- and high-tech. Rewards Card
Low-tech packing
Pack like you're going on an outing with an infant. After all, this presentation is your Apply today and let
baby, and you don't want to be caught unawares in the event of an accident. the built-in
Membership
Rewards® program
In a duffel bag, backpack, or briefcase (or a combination thereof), pack the following:
reward you and your
business. You can
Your visual aids, and copies of your visual aids, including photo copies, extra
earn up to 100,000
slides, a spare flip chart, and so on
points in your first year
Note cards and backup note cards
alone, that’s enough
A laptop and portable projector
Backups of any digital files and images on CDs, DVDs, or flash drives
Spare batteries for all your equipment, including your laptop
with so many ways to
An extension cord, and a few three-prong to two-prong adaptors
A/V cables and adaptors for them to assure you can hook up to any TV, speaker, or
other equipment
and your employees
Your business card
— you’ve got support
A change of clothes
that can help build
Markers, pens, and pencils
your business. (Terms
Bottles of water
and Conditions Apply.)
High-tech packing
Apply Now!
Another sort of packing involves packaging your PowerPoint presentation for sending
Just My Business
off to an audience prior to an event (if you really want them to have access
Interview
beforehand) or to a remote client who can't attend your presentation, or to save on a
CD or flash drive to use on a different computer at an event venue. Packaging saves
all of the files and fonts you or anyone else needs to properly display your
presentation at a remote site.
Microsoft makes packaging an easy task in PowerPoint 2003: iVillage and renowned
Ramberg bring you
1. Select File > Pack and Go. The Pack and Go Wizard starts. Click Next.
the "Just My
2. Pick the files to pack, as shown in Figure 3-5. Select Active presentation if your
Business" interview
file is already open, or select Other presentation(s) to browse and select a file
on your hard drive. Click Next.
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
started.
Watch the Video!
Figure 3-5: Select files to package.
1. Select a drive to copy the file to, as shown in Figure 3-6. If you know the
packed presentation will exceed the capacity of a floppy diskette (1.44
megabytes), select Choose destination and select a folder on your hard drive in
which to save the file. Click Next.
Figure 3-6: Select where to save the file.
1. Select whether to include linked files and fonts in your packaged presentation
file, as shown in Figure 3-7. You should always include linked files, and check
the Embed TrueType fonts checkbox if you have any doubt whether the
computer that'll display the presentation has the required fonts. Click Next.
Including these items can greatly increase the size of your packaged file.
Figure 3-7: Select whether to include linked files and fonts in the file.
1. Select whether to include the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer in your packaged

file, as shown in Figure 3-8. This can be a great help to your end users if they
don't have PowerPoint, and to you if you're unsure which computer you'll use to
show your presentation. Click Next.
Figure 3-8: Select whether to include the PowerPoint Viewer.
1. Click Finish.
PowerPoint creates two files -- PNGSETUP.EXE and PRES0.PPZ. You need both
files to show the packaged presentation. You can transfer them to portable media,
such as a CD, DVD, or flash drive; send them via e-mail or FTP (File Transfer
Protocol); or just take them with you if you saved them on your laptop computer.
When you're ready to run the presentation, just run PNGSETUP.EXE.
Practice presenting
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It's trite but true: practice makes perfect. You may have your outline handy, but you'll Business Gold
still need to do a few run-throughs before you take the podium. You'll get better at Rewards Card
presenting over time with experience, but there's no reason you should subject
yourself to a trial by fire. In fact, the blows to your confidence and ego that a flubbed
presentation may cause you to wipe out any presentation wisdom you may have
picked up from the ordeal.
Apply today and let

It's better to practice first -- in private, not public. Give the presentation a run-through the built-in
in front of family, friends, or a mirror. You could even record yourself on video or audio Membership
and, as much as it may make you cringe, play back the tape and see how you look Rewards® program
and sound. reward you and your
business. You can
earn up to 100,000
Practice from the outline points in your first year
You should practice from your outline as well as present from it. As you go over it,
you'll get used to the way your wording changes every time and get used to how to
refer to the keywords.
and your employees
Rehearse in the right way — you’ve got support
that can help build
Don't run through the presentation over and over each time you practice. Focus your business. (Terms
instead on the opening and closing. These are the most crucial to rehearse because and Conditions Apply.)
starting and stopping are the hardest parts of any presentation. After you get going,
you should be fine, but the getting there and the getting out of there won't be so easy.
Apply Now!
You should also focus on your pacing and delivery as well as the transitions. Try to re- Just My Business
create -- at the very least in your mind -- the conditions in which you'll be speaking. If Interview
you'll be presenting slides, presentation software, or other displays, never practice
while facing the screen. You won't be speaking to the audience that way, so there's no
point in rehearsing as if you will. Think of the worst-case scenario that may befall you.
Moving on iVillage and renowned

You've planned your presentation to a tee at this point, and packaged it for the road. Ramberg bring you
Lesson 4 will help you start delivering it. But first, do the assignment and take the quiz the "Just My
for this lesson, and then peruse the Message Board and let your classmates and Business" interview
instructor know what you think. series. In this exciting
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
started.
Watch the Video!
Assignment #3
Apply the design principles you've learned to an honest-to-goodness visual aid:
1. Gather or create images that demonstrate one of your points.

2. Write a heading or caption for it, keeping in mind the rules for effective
messaging in design.
You can use this graphic and text with any type of visual aid you create, so get
cracking.
Quiz #3
Question 1:
When using visual aids, it's important to do which of the following?
A) Make them simple and clear.
B) Pile on the words!
C) Don't use color.
D) Use a variety of unusual fonts for impact.

Question 2:
True or False: You should capitalize all text to draw attention to its significance.
A) True
B) False

Question 3:
When using Microsoft PowerPoint, which of the following should you keep in mind? (Check all that apply.)
A) Resist the urge to overload.
B) Use templates as long as you keep them consistent.
C) Use minimal transitions.
D) Include extraneous information in the Notes section.

Question 4:
True or False: When it comes to bar graphs, say "yes" to 3-D.
A) True
B) False

Start your presentation

In this lesson, you'll learn techniques for grabbing your audience's attention from the start and drawing them in
with presentation aids and technology. You'll also get some essential presentation tips on vocalics and body
language.

Deploy presentation materials the right way

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Visual aids, in their purest form, supplement an audience's comprehension of your Business Gold
presentation, but they won't do the talking for you. Presenting the information and Rewards Card
bringing it to life is still your job -- visual aids just help you get there.
Your first order of business is to make sure the visual aids will work for you in the
designated space. You've already learned how to take this into consideration, now
you have to put it to practice. When you enter a venue before your presentation, look Apply today and let the
for the following items that can impact your presentation: built-in Membership
Rewards® program
Spare back-up parts: projector bulbs, batteries, and so on reward you and your
A lighting dimmer switch business. You can
A cordless microphone versus a standing microphone earn up to 100,000
Any special plugs and the adaptors to use them points in your first year
Equipment you don't know how to use but would like to alone, that’s enough
Points to remember trip airline tickets. And
As with other elements of your presentation, visual aids require practice and planning
to be used effectively. Some of these tips for physically using visual aids will sound
familiar because they're common sense, but they bear repeating:
can help build your
Get to know them: Practice handling the visual aids until you can move smoothly
from one to the next. You should be so familiar with the aids that you won't have to
Conditions Apply.)
read them to communicate your point.
Plan their arrival and departure: Figure out when you'll break out the visual aids
and when you'll put them away. Don't pull them out until you're ready to use them Apply Now!
and get rid of them as soon as you're done; otherwise, they'll cause distraction.
Also, don't distribute materials as you speak. Wait until before or after the Just My Business
presentation. Interview
Keep them in their place: Don't hide behind your materials. Their purpose is to
enhance your message, not take the place of it.
Talk to the audience, not the aid: Your visual materials don't sigh, yawn, or get
glazed-over eyes, so of course you'd rather speak to them. Don't. Keep eye
contact with the audience as if your visual aids aren't even there.
Don't block the view: Make sure your audience can see the visual aids. Stand to
the side if necessary. iVillage and renowned
Point: In this case, it's polite -- pointing to the visual aid will let your audience know business journalist JJ
exactly what part of the aid you're referencing. Ramberg bring you the
Don't use them as teleprompters: Visual aids complement spoken words; they "Just My Business"
don't duplicate them. Any visual aid that prompts you to read directly from it is a interview series. In this
bad one. Think of it this way: Visuals serve the audience's needs, not yours, so exciting series JJ will
they should never include the script of your speech. However, aids that display an interview emerging and
outline of your main points can help the audience keep track of what you've experienced
covered and where you're headed, but they only work if you use keywords and entrepreneurs. You will
nothing longer. get an inside scoop on
Give them time to breath : Like a wine steward, you must give the audience a what it’s like to own
chance to see, smell, sip, and savor your product. You should also pay close your own business as
attention to them: Is your audience absorbing the information you're putting before well as great advice on
them? Do they need more time or less time? getting started.
Guide the audience through them: Even if you've done an outstanding job creating
visuals that get the point across in an instant, your message will sink in with the
audience better when you explain it to them in your own words. Watch the Video!
A note on notes
Notes can help you keep track of your place in a presentation; however, they can
prove to be a dangerous crutch. To keep them helpful instead of harmful:
Select from cards or paper: Paper notes are easier to prepare, but cards are more
versatile --- not as clumsy to carry around if you don't have a podium and easier to
zip through.
Stick to the outline: Your notes should consist of topic lines from the outline, not
complete sentences that you'll be tempted to read aloud. Ideally, you should list
words or symbols on them that remind you of what you'd like to say.
Number your cards: Number your cards in case you drop them or they get out of
order.
Gauge your time: In the bottom corner of each card, list the time you think each
point will take to make. Glance at the clock that's on the back wall or mounted to
your podium as a quick check whether you need to slow down or speed up a bit.

Ensure your materials are seen

Of course, you can't point to your visual aids if the crowd can't get a visual. Arranging Quality projectors
seats in a semicircle rarely fails. Just be sure you leave enough room between your
podium and the first row so that no one has to strain their neck to see you. Choose a projector
that makes the most of
your presentation: a
Ask everyone to move closer to the stage if you've got the space -- a close audience
quality digital projector
grouped together is more receptive to eye contact and vocalics. (More on that later in
from HP.
this lesson.)
Power Networking:
How the Biz Does
When the chairs are attached to the floor, move yourself closer or farther from the
Business
seating, whichever works better.
Keep the room's setup and comfort level in mind. Unfortunately and unfairly, you'll be
the one held responsible if the venue proves less than pleasant. Audience members
stuck with a stiff chair or obstructed view around which they have to crane their necks
to see you won't just miss parts of your presentation -- they could very well relate you
to their discomfort and leave with a negative impression of your presentation. That's
and find out how
why it's essential to arrange the room to your greatest advantage.
used marketing,
advertising, brand
Making room to move building, and more to
become some of the
In a cramped room, a podium can be more of a liability than an asset, so feel free to top names in the
chuck it aside if you can do without it. You could even remove the first row of seating entertainment industry
while you're at it -- whatever it takes to get a little room to make the crowd in the "Power
comfortable and give you some room to move in front of them. Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored by
Just keep in mind that standing behind a table or podium reminds listeners that you're OPEN from American
the speaker and they're the audience. If you're a less experienced speaker and need Express®. Join host
this credibility and power, keep the barrier around. Peter Bart, Editor-In-
Chief, Variety, online
moderators Susan
As you learned earlier, show up early to check out the space. This gives you time to Sobbott and John
figure out which arrangement will work best. Jantsch, along with
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender and
Nancy Meyers as they
share insights to help
grow your business.
Learn More!
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Interview

"Just My Business"
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Brush up on basic presentation tips

American Express®
Presentations aren't lectures -- they're performances. And like any actor, you must Business Gold
learn a few things about stage presence to perform well. Stage presence includes Rewards Card
several elements you rarely think about in everyday communication, such as poise,
movement, projection of desired emotions, and ease in front of a crowd.
True, actors spend years honing their nonverbal skills to reinforce the words they
speak. Fortunately, laypeople only have to work on three key elements of stage Apply today and let the
presence to give a good presentation: vocalics, body language, and use of space. built-in Membership
Rewards® program
reward you and your
Using vocalics business. You can
earn up to 100,000
points in your first year
Think of your words as clay, and vocalics (also known as vocal techniques) as the
fingers that mold these words into a work of art. Through vocalics, you can create
emphasis and achieve a conversational tone that will help win over your audience.
A good delivery conveys emotion and brings words to life, but also feels natural,
believable, and not forced. Consider applying these techniques to your presentation:
Voice volume: Shouts as well as silence are equally effective at getting attention. you’ve got support that
To figure out how loudly you should be talking, first choose the right default volume can help build your
-- the one you'll use most of the time in the presentation. In a small space, the walls business. (Terms and
tend to amplify sound and make a normal speaking voice loud, so you'd have to Conditions Apply.)
quiet yourself down a bit. On the other hand, you'll do better in a large space if you
speak loud enough to reach the back of the room -- unless, of course, you're using
Apply Now!
a microphone.
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Speaking in a quiet voice is one thing, but not speaking altogether can be just as
Interview
effective. A bout of silence lets your words sink in.
Voice pitch: Raising and lowering your voice can achieve some startling effects.
You can add gravity by deepening your voice or humor by lightening it, and even
alternate between voice pitches to play the parts of different people in a mock
conversation.
Voice speed: How fast you speak also creates certain moods. Talking quickly iVillage and renowned
conveys excitement and energy, but can easily grate and annoy if you do it too business journalist JJ
long. Likewise, talking slowly can help complex ideas or very important points go Ramberg bring you the
down more smoothly, but after a while it can bore an audience. "Just My Business"
Listening to storytellers can give you a good idea how to change your vocal style for exciting series JJ will
maximum effect. Take a look at any book or poetry readings at your local library, interview emerging and
bookstore, or coffee shop. experienced
Using body language what it’s like to own
As nonverbal as it gets, body language -- the gestures, movements, and mannerisms
getting started.
people use to communicate -- nonetheless speaks volumes. Among the more
important parts of body language to consider in a presentation include the following:
Watch the Video!
Eye contact: When you look into the eyes of your listeners, you're including them in
your presentation. They'll return your gaze and keep on looking at you rather than
out the window.
How do you maintain eye contact with a room full of people? Look
around the room and make contact with as many audience members as
you can, including those to the far left and right that you could easily
overlook. Just don't bounce your eyes around as if you're watching a
tennis match. Try to hold someone's gaze for at least a few seconds, or
however long it takes to complete one thought.
Gesture: The body is a walking punctuation mark, its limbs capable of illuminating
and emphasizing words as effectively as any voice trick. A hand movement as
simple as a raised forefinger can designate a number one when you're listing
points. A flick of that same digit can represent a check mark as you scroll down the
list. Such gestures help people visualize words, thus bringing their meaning home.
The flip side of gestures: Too many are a distraction. Wave your hands
around or nod your head too much and people may think you're
nervous (or more nervous than you already are).
Posture: How you carry your body -- its posture -- is as important as how you use it
to make gestures. The advice you've had burned into your skull since grade school
-- stand up straight with your shoulders back, with head centered above your body
and feet shoulder-width apart -- still applies. However, don't look so stiff that people
may fear you're really an android sent from the future on a mission to bore them to
death. Maintain a good stance, but make it look natural.
To avoid the slumping, leaning, arm folding, chin thrusting, and foot shuffling that will
eventually become so tempting, imagine that the mafia has encased your feet in
cement and thrown you into the sea. (Just don't get confused and talk as if you're
underwater.) Standing this way will convey calm and confidence to your audience.
Movement: The mafia may have delivered you to Davy Jones's locker, but you're
not down for the count yet. Although you should keep still behind the podium,
there's nothing wrong with leaving the podium to move around.
As with vocalics, practice the gestures you have planned to make them look as
natural as possible (and to avoid excessive gestures you don't want to make), or they
could backfire on you -- there's nothing more embarrassing than pounding the podium
on the wrong word.
Manage your stage fright. You could practice a presentation for months and it still
wouldn't cure you of stage fright. Deal with this anxiety head on. During your
prepresentation venue visit, stand at the podium, and pretend to face a packed
house; then pretend to face a room with just a few attendees. Figure out how you'd
handle both situations.
Establish a tone and rapport

You can learn every trick in the book used by professional speakers from politicians Business
to news anchors for effective public speaking, but these tricks won't help unless you
get your audience to like you first. Listeners react to carefully chosen words and
rhetoric much more favorably when they're partial to the speaker.
Co-founded by Count
This means that in the first 7 to 10 seconds of your presentation, you've got to win
Me In for Women’s
over the audience on sheer personality alone. You don't need a magnetic persona
Economic
that will charm and delight everyone who gazes on you. It's simply about being a
Independence and
gracious host who shows consideration for people.
OPEN from American
Express®, this
As people flow into the room and take their seats -- a time during which you should be organization helps
"on" anyway -- leave the podium and work the crowd. Talk one-on-one to as many women entrepreneurs
people as possible. If you already know them, briefly catch up. If you don't know build million-dollar
them, introduce yourself and learn their names. Talking with even a small percentage companies. Each year,
of the largest crowd will ease the air for everyone, even those with whom you don't the group’s award
interact. program presents
women with money,
mentoring, and
All this talking can serve a practical purpose: It will help you size up the crowd. marketing support.
Speaking to as many people as possible will help you refine whatever information
you've already gleaned about your listeners and how best to communicate to them.
As you shake hands and small talk, make brain memos of anything about the crowd Learn More!
that you can apply to make your presentation even better. To the audience at large,
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you can bring up an anecdote about someone you just met or share some other
Interview
personalized tidbit you've just gleaned from among them. These sorts of personal
touches show groups that you understand them, and everyone likes to be
understood.
More importantly, talking with individual audience members helps you before you
even begin your presentation. It shows your audience that you care about them, a iVillage and renowned
helpful first step toward creating rapport and trust, and improving your chances of a business journalist JJ
good reception as you deliver your opening. Ramberg bring you the
"Just My Business"
Blowing it from the start in seven easy steps exciting series JJ will
There are a few key methods for establishing a good first impression, but countless experienced
ways to make a bad one. The difference between a podium and a water cooler is entrepreneurs. You will
vast, and inflicting your everyday communication habits on a group that expects to be get an inside scoop on
addressed, not chatted up, is a surefire way to have listeners lose interest. A few what it’s like to own
common mistakes to avoid include the following: your own business as
Talk sloppily: Try not to use abridged or informal variations of words and phrases getting started.
such as "anyways" or "that's a whole nother thing."
Talk lazily: Again, avoid using casual expressions and slang such as "you guys,"
Watch the Video!
"okee dokey," and "no problem."
Use verbal fillers: Peppering your sentences with "ums," "ahs," and other words
that serve no good purpose.
Hide your hands: Keeping your hands in your pockets or behind your back conveys
a level of shiftiness to the viewer. If you want people to trust you, keep your hands
where they can see them.
Show up late: Who's going to want to listen to you if you don't even respect them
enough to arrive on time?
Clear your throat: If you have a scratchy throat and need to clear it, by all means
explain this to your audience; otherwise, clearing your throat to silence a crowd
and steal its attention is a surefire way to look as if you have a superiority
complex.
Act unenthusiastic: It may look cool to act nonchalant about your subject, but it
won't get your audience any more excited about your presentation. Quite the
opposite.
Open wide
Every presentation has an opening, a body, and a conclusion. Failing to follow this
order will leave your audience confused and disoriented about what you're trying to
say. That's why your opening is so important. It's one thing to bungle the conclusion
and leave the audience confused about your overall point, but quite another to start
off so badly they never knew your point in the first place.
A good opening achieves many things for the presenter. It grabs the attention of all
listeners, builds (or continues to build) rapport with them, introduces your topic, and
sets the tone for the rest of the presentation. There are no hard and fast rules about
how long any part of a presentation should be; however, where the opening is
concerned, take no longer than a fraction of your overall presentation time. For
instance, if you're giving a 15-minute presentation, the opening should be no longer
than one or two minutes.
Introduce yourself
A presentation can't start without an opening, and an opening can't begin without an
introduction of the presenter. This step is especially important if the group to whom
you're speaking doesn't know who you are. The audience needs a good reason to
listen to you. Make sure everyone knows your credentials and that you're an expert
on the topic you're about to present. If someone else is introducing you, give that
person some notes about who you are and why you're the right person to give the
presentation.
Hit the right tone
After you've been introduced, you've got to immediately hit the right note in the
opener to set the tone for the rest of the presentation. You'll look at a few different
attention-grabbing techniques to achieve this in the following sections.
Make 'em laugh
How many times have you been to a presentation, heard the speaker open with a
joke or story, found it funny, but couldn't for the life of you remember it the next day?
As long as you remembered the body of the presentation, the speaker did his or her
job. In presentations, humor isn't an end of itself, but rather a vehicle to get attention
and usher an audience to your main point.
People like to laugh, and they're more than willing to cut a speaker some slack if he or
she tries to make them laugh. You shouldn't be discouraged from using humor just
because you're afraid a joke will bomb. While sitting through a presentation, have you
ever been surprised how well even the cheesiest jokes have gone over? Audiences
can be very forgiving of would-be jokers and often just appreciate the attempt to be
entertaining. Most listeners will cut you some slack -- they'll recognize that they're not
attending a standup comedy routine and that you're not a stand-up comedian. As long
as you don't overdue the joking and follow it up with the useful information your
audience came to hear, even mediocre gags and quips can go over big.
In a business setting, where many presenters are all too willing to throw out the
pleasantries and jump right into the information (which can make it seem more mind-
numbing than it might otherwise be), people often crave even the hokiest pun.
Delivering a little joke or two shows that you care enough about the audience to slip
away from the main topic for a moment and engage them as real people.
In fact, humor in public speaking achieves many others ends, such as the following:
It gets the audience's attention

It helps you connect with the audience
It disarms audience hostility
It shows that you don't take yourself too seriously
It makes a positive impression
That being said, one way to meet blank stares is telling a gag that doesn't relate to
the audience. Any joke you tell should have some relationship to the rest of your
presentation or to your audience, however tenuous. At a Texas Book Festival dinner
in Austin, author Kinky Friedman, the master of ceremonies, had most everyone in
stitches (granted, the wine was flowing) with quips ranging from drug use to politics.
He made it work because he tied all of the jokes to the authors reading that night and
to the literary world at large. Pegging your jokes to either your audience or your
subject will make them much more relevant and hence, funnier. If your joke is
completely off-topic, it'll sound as though you found it in a book about public
speaking, and your audience will feel as though you didn't care enough about them to
personalize your presentation.
It should go without saying: Telling a sexist, racist, or ageist joke will get people's
attention, but it won't necessarily get the audience on your side. Know your crowd
before risking and breaking the bounds of decorum.
Your jokes can even further your presentation. A funny story may illustrate a greater
point. Don't feel as if your humor has to have meaning, but if you can use it to further
your subject, by all means try.
Another caveat: A good percentage of humor is in the delivery. Practice your joke
before delivering it, and don't forget to pause after the punch line for laughter. If you
just can't tell a joke to save your life, don't bother. Knowing your limitations is key in
public speaking.
For such a serious-sounding outfit, the Advanced Public Speaking Institute has a lot
of useful information about the use of humor on its Web site.
Moving on
You've looked at how to get your presentation off to a great start, and use visual aids
effectively. Now comes the challenging part: using your materials to maintain
audience interest. That's up next in Lesson 5. Before you skip ahead, complete the
assignment and take the quiz for this lesson to reinforce concepts you learned, and
then stop by the Message Board to check in with your classmates and instructor.
Assignment #4
Now that you've planned out your talk, and aren't yet in front of a live audience, practice using the
visual aids that will bring your presentation to life. Remember, don't attempt to do the wording the
same every time. Stay flexible. Get accustomed to reading keywords from the outline. Repeat this
process as necessary until you feel like you've got the presentation and materials down pat.
Quiz #4
Question 1:
True or False: The good thing about visual aids is that you don't have to practice using them.
A) True
B) False

Question 2:
What are three techniques for good delivery of presentations? (Check all that apply.)
A) Adjusting the volume, pitch, and speed of your voice
B) Making eye contact
C) Maintaining a proper stance
D) Using frequent hand gestures to emphasize your points

Question 3:
Which of the following should you avoid during a presentation? (Check all that apply.)
A) Using verbal fillers such as "um"
B) Showing up late
C) Acting unenthusiastic
D) Using slang

Give your presentation

In this lesson, you'll learn how to give a memorable presentation -- complete with materials and technology --
that holds your audience's interest throughout the event.

You're the expert

American Express®
"When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen." The people in those old commercials Business Gold
dropped their conversations to eavesdrop on the E.F. Hutton client because the Rewards Card
company was perceived as an industry expert (in the commercials, at least) and its
advice therefore worth listening to. By establishing yourself as an expert, you can
command the same respect, or at least get and maintain the crowd's attention.
If you're giving a presentation on a particular topic, audiences will naturally assume Apply today and let the
you have something to say about it. But they'll listen all the more closely if they know built-in Membership
from the start that you have something worthwhile to say about it. The only way to Rewards® program
sound worthwhile is to have -- or at least be perceived to have -- experience with the reward you and your
topic. business. You can earn
You can list off the salient parts of your résumé to a crowd, but actually that’s enough for 4
demonstrating your expertise is much more effective. Instead of talking yourself up, domestic round-trip
let your knowledge do the talking. Share the data, figures, latest developments, and airline tickets. And with
little-known facts you should have at your fingertips -- in the form of charts, graphs, so many ways to
slides and other visual aids. Providing this sort of evidence will get a crowd going "ah- redeem points — from
ha" and wanting to hear more. travel to treats for you
If you're not an expert in the subject of your presentation, draw on the expertise of can help build your
others. Quote bigwigs in the field -- especially someone the audience has heard of -- business. (Terms and
to illustrate your point. Conditions Apply.)
Apply Now!
Just My Business
Interview

"Just My Business"
experienced
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Keep your presentation moving

If you can make it past that initial introduction and still remain standing, you've won Business
half the battle. From there, the rest of your presentation can proceed along a time-
tested path. The following sections describe how to do it.
Summarize what's ahead Co-founded by Count

Me In for Women’s
You've introduced yourself and have your audience's attention. The hard part's over. Economic
Now you're ready to finish what you've started. In the final phase of your opening, Independence and
you'll state the subject of your presentation, give an overview of it, and then transition OPEN from American
to its main body. Express®, this
organization helps
women entrepreneurs
Clarify your subject build million-dollar
the group’s award
The opening is your oath to the audience about what they'll get out of your program presents
presentation. To make sure you promise something you can deliver, define your topic women with money,
based on the goal of your presentation. mentoring, and
marketing support.
If you aim to inform: In informative presentations, you'll need to think through what
you can cover in the time allowed. You likely won't be able to talk about everything
relating to your subject in 30 minutes, but you'll be able to hit the highlights. For Learn More!
example, you're not going to be able to discuss everything to do with destroying
Superman in one presentation, but you can cover strategies that have failed, Just My Business
approaches that have come close, and promising tactics currently under Interview
development.
If you aim to persuade: The openings of persuasive presentations work best when
they tell the audience the following points:
What's the problem?

Which group cares about the problem? business journalist JJ
"Just My Business"
What's the solution to the problem? interview series. In this
You must be clear on why your listeners should care about the topic right now, and experienced
how you intend to solve the problem. Don't equivocate. Be assertive about how you entrepreneurs. You will
feel. get an inside scoop on
Outline what's ahead well as great advice on
getting started.
Now fully prepped, the audience is ready to hear what this presentation holds in store
for them. Why? Because presentations only get better through a little repetition. Say Watch the Video!
something once and people may forget it. Say it twice and they'll remember, or be
more likely to, at least.
Briefly outline the topics you plan to cover. In this capacity, your presentation outline
is similar to a verbal map -- your listeners will glance at it at the beginning of your
presentation. Later, they'll refer to it throughout the presentation. You won't give away
all the details and specifics of the presentation ahead, just the organizational
structure.
The best outlines cover the main points of your presentation and reference (not spell
out word for word) your evidence. The best way to make a reference to evidence or
other material in an outline is to only write down a keyword that refers to it and will
trigger your memory. Rather than write out the entire story of how you met your
fiancée, you'd write in your outline "Meet story." In this way, you've noted your overall
organizational structure and evidence without tying yourself down to a script about
what you'll say.
One of the few exceptions to this rule is statistics (or any other numbers). You likely
wouldn't be able to remember these even with a memory trigger, so it's best to insert
them directly into the outline, along with the source information. Quotes, too --
whether they're long or short, the only way to make sure you repeat them correctly is
by writing them out word for word. And while you're at it, transitions are also okay to
copy down verbatim if you're afraid you'll forget them; however, everything else in the
outline should be a key word.
Working from an outline gives you several benefits:
Conversational flow: You'll sound more natural as you talk.

Breathing room: You'll have room to integrate information you learn about your
audience (or anything else that occurs to you) with a quick note to the outline.
Coverage: Lost your place during the presentation? No sweat. Outlines enable you
to see any points you've missed and jump back to make sure you've covered
everything.
Time flexibility: If you've confused your audience over one of your main topics, you
can spend more time with it and then easily pick up where you left off by returning
to the outline.
In other words, working from an outline lets you respond to your audience better.
Transition to the main body
With the overview finished, all you need now is a bridge to take your audience from
the opening to the body. It's hard to go wrong here -- just avoid getting too cheesy
about it. Don't fall into the pitfalls of news announcers who use some of the worst
transitions ever devised between their news segments: "Speaking of grisly murder,
here's Ken Johnson with a report on the brutally hot weather ahead." You don't have
to try to be clever in your transition. Simply stating that you've arrived at the main
topic at hand will do the trick, so long as the audience knows the previews are over
and it's time for the feature presentation.
A note about notes. Little good can come from writing out a presentation in full,
but keeping notes on hand about it is never a bad idea. If you're nervous about
public speaking or have little experience with it, having an outline of what you
plan to say will help you through the initial moments of warming up the crowd.
Just practice a lot beforehand so you don't have to constantly refer to the notes.
Even if someone offers to write the opening for you, you should still do it yourself
-- you'll remember it better that way. Besides, the words should be your own.
Get audience participation
Engaging listeners by taking a poll will also fire up their minds and lend you the
authority you need to capture their interest. Ask for a show hands to questions such
as:
"How many of you have experience with this?"

"How many of you have had problems in finding _______?"
"Has anyone found a really effective way to _______?"
This approach gets people thinking about how the topic at hand relates to them.
They'll listen much more closely if they feel they have a personal stake in the
subject.
Holding a mini-brainstorming session can work just as well. Simply break out a
flipchart and ask a question that you know will generate answers you intend to
discuss. Write down the pertinent suggestions on a white board or flip chart. The
suggestions will likely parallel topics you already plan to discuss, and touching on
them throughout the presentation gives the audience a personal stake in what you
have to say.
Presenting facts and attracting participation aren't mutually exclusive. You could start
off your presentation with a request for a show of hands and then present some facts
and figures. Or you could present some facts and figures and then break into a mini-
brainstorming session. Both approaches can work well together.
As you know by now, visual aids can help you get and maintain your audience's
attention. The key is in knowing how to use them to the greatest advantage
throughout your presentation.
For the agile: If you're conducting an all-day presentation and need to incorporate a
lunch break, your audience can return a bit sleepy. Things get worse if the first thing
after lunch is a slide show or film in a soothing, darkened room. If you're up to it, kick
start things after the break by waiting for your audience to be seated, and then
running from the back of the room and onto the stage, or jumping onto a table dead
center. It's an effective wake-up call.
Use presentation materials on stage and off

The way you use your presentation aids gives the audience a true impression of how Stock up
well you've prepared your materials and, unfairly or not, how well you know your
topic. You may have practiced what you have to say a million times and have the Don't find yourself low
niftiest visual aids they've ever seen. But if you're spilling slides, unable to cue up the on supplies when it
TV, out of ink in your markers, or clueless about using the computer, you may as well comes time to print the
be wearing a dunce cap as far as they're concerned. And no, jokes won't get you out handouts or visual aids
of it either, unless you're a true master in front of an audience. for your presentation.
American Express®
When you use your aids properly, you're showing the audience that you have a Business Gold
plan and are executing it effectively. Rewards Card
Always introduce your materials
Before you use one of your presentation aids, introduce it first, even if in passing. Apply today and let the
You don't have to put on a big production about how much time you spent getting built-in Membership
your aids together or noting their pretty colors. Stating "As you can see on the screen Rewards® program
…", "Take a quick glance at that handout and you'll note…", or some other such line reward you and your
will do the trick. business. You can earn
Transition from aid to aid that’s enough for 4
domestic round-trip
When jumping from page to page or image to image, use those transition skills you so many ways to
developed in Lesson 2. "We've viewed statistics that show a marked decrease in redeem points — from
crime in Gotham City; now let's hear what the mayor has to say in this tourism promo travel to treats for you
video." and your employees —
can help build your
Audiences absorb images best if they can see them for at least 30 seconds. Pace business. (Terms and
your presentation accordingly. Conditions Apply.)
Point it out Apply Now!
Just My Business
Pointing is the simplest way to emphasize the message on a visual aid. Use your Interview
finger, a laser pointer, or the mouse pointer arrow on the computer screen. Even so,
it's not as simple as it seems and takes a bit of practice to make it smooth.
Writing on boards and flip charts

Get the height of the easel right and come loaded with paper. Be careful not to vary business journalist JJ
the size of your letters and make them as legible as possible. It helps an audience's Ramberg bring you the
focus when you write the subject or heading of your idea at the top of the page. By "Just My Business"
the same token, using colored markers will further grab them; just stick to the darker interview series. In this
colors that show up better. And, reinforce audience participation by writing their exciting series JJ will
responses to questions. interview emerging and
experienced
Keep your notes in the top two-thirds of the page. Go any lower and the folks in the get an inside scoop on
back may not be able to see them. what it’s like to own
Wow them with A/V getting started.
Audio/visual aids take a lot of prep work before a presentation, but after that, they run
Watch the Video!
themselves. All you'll have to do is adjust the volume, tweak the brightness and color
of the monitor and projection system, and, if it's interactive with your talk, learn your
cues. You may want to dim the lights as well, if the projected image requires it.
Even if you've seen your video or heard your audio so many times you know it by
heart, feign excitement anyway. Any lack of enthusiasm on your part will rub off
on the crowd.
Make sure the base for the projector isn't vibrating, and that it's set at a lower point
than other surfaces in the room to lessen its chances of blocking anyone's view.
Turning it diagonally also helps to keep the projector out of the way.
Once you've set the projector where you want it, adjust the focus before the
presentation to make sure you have a clear image. In that dim light, stay mindful of
the cord so you don't trip over it. If you're at a podium, consider using a light.
However, your presentation may go over better if you stand next to the screen. If you
don't have a remote, have a helper keep the visuals moving along for you.
Be prepared to use a louder voice if the projector is noisy -- or use voice amplification
in a large room -- and to shut it off when you need extended talking time. With slide
projectors, simply jump to a black or blank slide until you're ready to move on.
Showing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
Use the simple-to-use controls that Microsoft developed to help you show your
presentation. With the full-blown version of PowerPoint, or even just the Viewer, you
can start, pause, jump back to, and forward to any slide of your choice. If you're
delivering a presentation for the umpteenth time, you've probably got your timing just
right and can allow the PowerPoint presentation to run automatically in the
background, without much intervention on your part. For more flexibility, use the
mouse or a special USB (universal serial bus) pointing device to click through slides
manually.
Handing out handouts
The rules for using handouts is simple:
If they don't have much detailed information and are meant to serve as starting
notes for your audience, distribute them before the presentation as a guide to what
you have to say.
If they have a lot of information, hand them out after the presentation as a take-
away the crowd can digest later.
Be judicious in determining whether to distribute a new handout during a
presentation.
Regardless of your take-away materials, make sure they don't pose a distraction
during your presentation.
Don't refer to your presentation aids for too long
Keep in mind the ways to avoid distractions that you learned in this and previous
lessons:
Speak over that loud projector or just turn it off temporarily.

Repeat yourself as you pass around a pertinent handout during a presentation.
Allow images to linger for at least 30 seconds.
Don't bombard your audience with too many graphics, and turn off or hide the
slides when you need time to elaborate on a point and want to pull the attention
back to you.
Moving on
Now that you know how to effectively present your pitch, idea, or monthly report to
your audience, you still have to close it with finesse. You'll learn about that in Lesson
6. In the meantime, do the assignment and take the quiz for this lesson to reinforce
important concepts, and then drop by the Message Board to share your insights and
questions on delivery, timing, and all things "presentation" with your classmates and
instructor.
Assignment #5
One of the most important points of this lesson is getting familiar enough with your presentation aids so
that the audience knows that you know what you're doing. This takes practice, which can be a hard
thing to motivate yourself to do. Here's an easy way to get in some time with your materials without
feeling like you're simply going through the motions of your entire presentation: Decide which
transitions you'll use to move through your presentation. Once you've chosen them, give them a run-
through.
Quiz #5
Question 1:
True or False: It's always good to delay the body of your presentation, emphasizing the opener as much as
possible.
A) True
B) False

Question 2:
Which of the following is a proper response to a noisy projector?
A) Break out your baseball bat and destroy it.
B) Speak more loudly and, when you need to talk for an extended period, turn it off.
C) Pretend that it's not a problem and push on as is.
D) Disconnect the projector and describe the intended visual aids instead.

Question 3:
True or False: There's no need to introduce your materials. The audience will figure it out.
A) True
B) False

Question 4:
True or False: It's not polite to point, even at a visual aid.
A) True
B) False

Question 5:
Which of the following are good ways to reference your materials? (Check all that apply.)
A) Use a mouse pointer.
B) Introduce them.
C) Elicit audience participation.
D) Use transitions.

Close your presentation

In this lesson, you'll find out how to leave your audience with a positive impression and a call to action through a
variety of techniques. You'll learn how materials can reinforce your message long after the presentation is over.

Take a hint: know when to close

Only one time is the right time to close a presentation: when you've covered all your Business
main points and don't have any new ideas to present. Make no exceptions. Too
many decent presentations have been ruined when the speaker presented another
main point in what was supposed to have been the conclusion.
Co-founded by Count
The opening and conclusion are the bookends of your presentation. The body is the
Me In for Women’s
row of books. That means that you develop all your ideas in the body. If you have
Economic
another main point to discuss, do it in the body. Only when you've shared all the
Independence and
ideas you want to discuss will you be ready to conclude.
OPEN from American
Express®, this
organization helps
A big "however" that should be pointed out: You're allowed to provide new women entrepreneurs
evidence in the conclusion, but don't confuse evidence with points or ideas. It's build million-dollar
fine to add a new fact or story to the conclusion, as long as it illustrates a point companies. Each year,
you've already made in the body. the group’s award
program presents
women with money,
Keep it short and sweet mentoring, and
marketing support.
You have three primary objectives in delivering your conclusion:

Learn More!
To inform the audience you're about to close
To summarize the main points Just My Business
To leave the audience with something to remember Interview
That's a tall order to fill, but it doesn't give you license to go on and on. No matter
how well you're doing in a presentation, never talk too long. The attention span of
every crowd has a built-in expiration date, and eventually -- no matter how funny or
brilliant you sound -- all your listeners will get bored or start thinking about other
things if you keep going. Think of the careers of pop stars, athletes, and actors that
have lasted too long. They may still be doing fine work, but they've simply worn out
their welcome. You'll look just as annoying if you keep going. It's best to quit while
you're ahead.
"Just My Business"
Try to wrap up your presentation before the audience starts to drift. Don't keep
talking just because you've been given 30 minutes but only need 15. If you sense
experienced
that you've gotten through to the crowd, cut it loose. The audience members will
appreciate your consideration of their time and will leave with a more positive
impression of you and your message.
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Techniques for ending your presentation

The conclusion deserves as much planning as any other part of the presentation. As You can take it with you
the last thing you tell people, it's what they'll remember most, making it the final
impression they'll leave with of you and your speech. Running the
presentation from your
own notebook allows
Conclusions are similar in a lot of ways to openings, using many of the same
you to make last-
techniques. In fact, you could think of them as openings in reverse. In the opening,
minute adjustments as
you had to get people's attention, introduce the topic with a quick run-down of at least
necessary and control
a few of the main points, and then transition to the body with your opening.
every aspect of the
Conclusions transition from the body, summarize the points you've covered, and offer
presentation.
a parting shot designed to grab the audience.
Business
Give 'em something to talk about
After your transition, you should simply tell your audience what you've already told
them. Having already developed and elaborated on the main ideas in the body, you
should be able to summarize each in as short and succinct a way as possible. Co-founded by Count
Me In for Women’s
Economic
With this finished, it's time to deliver the parting shot, that last message that leaves Independence and
your audience with something to think about. The same attention grabbers you used OPEN from American
in the opening will work here. Make a joke, tell a story, give a statistic, quote an Express®, this
expert, and so on. Use evidence that maximizes the bang for the buck because it's organization helps
your last chance to convince your audience that what you've been talking about is women entrepreneurs
important. build million-dollar
the group’s award
Come full circle program presents
women with money,
mentoring, and
One way to help your message sink in with the audience is to bring it back to the
marketing support.
opening in some way. You could finish something you started in the opening, either
completing an anecdote, giving an answer to a specific question, or revealing the
speaker of a quote. You could also simply restate any evidence you brought up in the Learn More!
opening.
Just My Business
Interview
Use materials to wrap things up
Visual aids are your best bet for getting your closing points across. Break out the flip
chart or white board and write down the key points of your summary, or have the list
ready on your computer or slide and then talk the crowd through it. If you're using an
electronic white board, offer to save the proceedings to an electronic file and send it iVillage and renowned
via e-mail to participants who drop their business card in the fish bowl on the check- business journalist JJ
in table. Ramberg bring you the
"Just My Business"
You can also refer them to a take-away package containing the same information. It's exciting series JJ will
to your advantage to provide attractive and detail-rich handouts as take-aways to interview emerging and
your audience. (More on take-aways in the next section.) experienced
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Rally the troops: call them to action and reinforce it with materials
You shouldn't be content with polite nods and tepid applause at the end of your Business
presentation. A good presentation evokes a deeper response, a call to action.
Earlier lessons discussed the importance of sitting down in the planning stage and
figuring out what kind of reaction you want out of your listeners, how you want them
Co-founded by Count
to think, feel, and what you'd like them to do. If you can think of something for your
Me In for Women’s
audience to do, by all means ask them to do it. A call to action achieves two
Economic
important functions:
Independence and
OPEN from American
It lets your listeners focus more clearly on the information you've provided by
Express®, this
giving them a goal.
organization helps
It gives your listeners a reason to think about your presentation after it's over.
women entrepreneurs
Make it easy but meaningful
the group’s award
This isn't to say you should demand an uprising. A simple suggestion of some activity program presents
will do. Just suggest something the crowd could easily accomplish. If you ask your in- women with money,
laws to execute every menial task and phone call involved in your wedding plans, mentoring, and
they'll likely think up an excuse. But if you ask them to dwell over the next week on marketing support.
whom to put on the guest list, they'll be more than happy to participate and continue
thinking about your presentation for days to come.
Learn More!
Just make sure the call resonates with listeners and will be worth their time to Just My Business
pursue, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of everyone. Interview
Give them take-aways
Handouts are your friend in this regard. They'll leave the audience with something to
take back with them and mull over long after your presentation is done. With this type iVillage and renowned
of handout, feel free to load on as much information you like, just be sure it looks nice business journalist JJ
and not too daunting for a reader to approach. Ramberg bring you the
"Just My Business"
Handouts aren't the only take-aways you can provide an audience. You can always exciting series JJ will
burn your slideshow on a DVD -- even as an expanded version, or director's cut, if interview emerging and
you will. Any pamphlets, reference books, or print-outs of Web sites on your subject experienced
will fulfill the same helpful function. You can even think outside the box: a CD of entrepreneurs. You will
music to remind the audience of your talk, for instance. get an inside scoop on
Consider your take-away handouts to be a potential marketing tool for your company well as great advice on
or endeavor. You never know if an audience member will be so taken with your getting started.
presentation that they'll share your materials with others.
Watch the Video!

Suggest information aids you can't supply
Be helpful. If it's appropriate, suggest additional sources of information about your

subject somewhere in the conclusion. Any audience member who writes them down
will be reminded of your presentation every time he or she consults the note or the
source. Also, if you're willing, let the crowd know how you can be contacted for
further questions after the presentation.
And don't forget to thank them for their participation: "I want to thank you for making
the time in your busy schedule to join this event today. Now, give yourself some time
to think about the potential benefits to your company by what you learned, and don't
hesitate to contact me when you're ready to put a plan into action."
Moving on
Well, that's that. You've covered the basics of giving a presentation with materials,
from selecting the right visual aids to deploying them to their maximum effectiveness.
The choices may seem maddening and the tips on how to use them overwhelming,
but don't sweat it too much. As long as you remember to have fun up there before
your audience, they'll likely have fun too. Before you sign off, be sure to complete this
lesson's assignment and quiz, and then stop by the Message Board a final time to
discuss any details about giving effective presentations with the group.
Assignment #6
Summarizing the points of your conclusion with visual aids goes a long way toward sustaining the
impact of your message. Grab a flip chart or a computer and write or type what your final thoughts
will be -- just as you would before your audience. Practice this a few times.
Quiz #6
Question 1:
True or False: After 30 minutes have passed, you'll know it's time to deliver your conclusion.
A) True
B) False

Question 2:
Which of the following is a sound objective of a conclusion?
A) To summarize the main points of your presentation
B) To inform the audience you're about to close
C) To market another facet of your business
D) To leave the audience with something to remember

Question 3:
True or False: A conclusion has no similarities whatsoever to an opening.
A) True
B) False

Question 4:
True or False: A call to action in your conclusion should should let your listeners focus more clearly on the
information you've provided by giving them a goal.
A) True
B) False

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How To Give A Great Presentation

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How to Give a Great Presentation

What's your point?

Set your expectations and goals

Informative: A presentation that introduces a new subject or re-examines a familiar

Size up the crowd

A presentation is only successful when it engages an audience.

Apply today and let the

Visual aids: a primer

Improve an audience's understanding of the topic.

Pie: For percentage comparisons

iVillage and renowned

PowerPoint: PowerPoint has become such a widely used computer

OpenOffice.org IMPRESS: Part of the OpenOffice.org suite, this is an

Take-away materials that work

Other take-away materials your audience might find useful are:

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Organize and assemble your presentation

Outline your points

Facts and figures: Data verifiable by an outside source. These include:

Statements by authority: Quotes from experts. Sometimes, popular

Testimony: Supporting statements by others. There are three general types of

Expert testimony: Same as statements by authority mentioned

Prestige testimony: Popular figures such as politicians, business

Lay testimony: A civilian who isn't necessarily an expert on the subject

Narratives: Stories that illustrate a point by triggering the imagination through

Dictionary: The standard meaning that comes from the dictionary.

Etymological: The history of a word's development and where it came

Operational: A measurement for a concept or idea that eludes easy

Mix and match types of evidence

Select an organizational structure

Watch the Video!

Working visual aids into the mix

Some advantages of using transparencies include: Learn More!

Using computer-projected presentation software is a versatile option. You can create

However, depending on the make and model, connecting a projector to a computer

Prepare your materials

Set the stage

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Design your materials

A few universal rules of good visual aid design are:

Design tips Just My Business

Use color wisely

Figure 3-1 shows an example of a not-so-well designed visual aid.

Tips for making handouts, charts, and transparencies

You can create professional-quality handouts from a finalized PowerPoint

Watch the Video!

Number the pages of transparencies in case they spill on the floor.

Get your tech on with presentation software

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Watch the Video!

Figure 3-4: A revised sample "starter" slide in PowerPoint.

Use transitions wisely

Resist the urge to overload

Need you say more? Say it with notes

When to pay a professional

Prepare your presentation for mobility

Watch the Video!

Figure 3-5: Select files to package.

Figure 3-6: Select where to save the file.

1. Select whether to include the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer in your packaged