Small things make

perfection, but
perfection, is not a
small thing!

Making Good Presentations:

A presentation is about effective communication.
The following skills of the presenter are tested:
Verbal and non-verbal communication skills
Presentation aids like PPT slides or other audio-

visual aids
Interpersonal skills during Q&A
Heckling, objections, differences of opinion
Summation and courteous end note

Good speakers are born not made:

A philosophical argument that can continue till

the end of time (and I do not think that it is
true!). The fact is that if you work hard
enough, you can become a good speaker.
I am an introvert. I feel very nervous:

Use the nervous energy to your advantage.

Practice makes perfect! Practice as often as
you can.

I am scared of looking at all the faces in the

audience. It makes me forget my material and

I fail to present my thoughts:
Know your matter thoroughly. Do not memorize.
Memorization is the quickest way to make
blunders in a presentation.

I am not a fluent speaker. How can I make a good

presentation?
Fluency is only one aspect of presentation. Harness
your other strengths if fluency is not one of them.
I have a vernacular education background. I find

it difficult to express my thoughts in English!

Use

your

preparation

time

to

translate

your

thoughts into English. Use audio-visual aids to

complete the communication loop.

I must make a perfect presentation every time

I present!
Nice goal, but reality may be a little different.
Sometimes your presentation may not be
perfect, yet must be good enough to achieve
its purpose.
How you handle your listeners may the
difference between a good and a great
presentation.

Developing a Presentation:
Knowing your topic
Knowing your audience
Knowing what your audience wants from you
Knowing your presentation style

Presentation Style:
There are 3 presentation styles:
The Cool Zone
The Hot Zone
The Dull Zone

The Cool Zone Speaker:

A skilled presenter who capture the audience
Good persuasive skills
Pitch, tone, volume are all under control
Analytical,

intellectual

logical,

pragmatic,

rational,

The Hot Zone Speaker:

Loud

voice,

rhetorical

style,

dramatic

body

movements & voice inflections

Driven by passion
Instinctive, charismatic, creative, impulsive, daring
Most speakers alternate between hot and cool zones

The Dull Zone Speaker:

Boring experience
Lack of pitch or voice inflection variation
Nervous body language
Hurried in speech
Noncommittal, ambivalent

Structure:
A presentation is done to convey a big idea to

an audience.
The

structure

of

the

presentation

must

be

supportive of the big idea or the central theme.

Lack of structure may cause the audience to lose

focus on the information.

The flow of information must be coherent. It can

be chronological, sequential or in an order that

makes sense in that context.

Student: So how do I
structure the presentation?
Teacher: How do you make a
sandwich?
Student: ??? (Confused..)

Some key points to bear in mind as you make

your PPT presentation:
Number of slides -Too few ad you risk making
the presentation sparse. Too many and it
distracts the audience trying to constantly
keep up with changing slides.
Font size should be readable
Be consistent with the font, bullet points,
numbering, colors etc.
Use charts, diagrams when possible.
Avoid long sentences.
Use action oriented verbs.

Before You Present:

Rehearse, practice, get feedback from your

colleagues, boss, etc.

Confidence
Spontaneity
Synchronization with visual aids
Interaction with audience
Inviting questions and answering them

Dress Code While Presenting:

A business presentation must be done in
business formal or business casual attire (you
should be familiar with your corporate
guidelines/culture).
In a group presentation make sure all members
are dressed consistently (i.e. all should be formal
or all should be semi-formal etc)
Jewelry items should be tasteful and not
ostentatious.
Make up should not run if you start sweating.
Consider losing the jackets/ties if there is no
climate control.

Back-ups:
You should have multiple back-ups of the
presentation.
1.Your laptop
2.Flash drive
3.Online
4.Printout