Tips on GOOD Presentation Performance

Yeah, I mentioned before in an earlier blog entry that Abel gave me some good tips on giving a good presentation...
I guess I'll share them with you, since it should be spread around...
Presentations are VERY IMPORTANT during your years in university ever since secondary school and even after that!

Tip #1 - Planning
When planning a presentation, try to pick a topic that you are interested in... or know well about..
That way, it'll be easy for you to do the presentation..
this also contributes to your confidence when presenting...

Tip #2 - Attention Grabbing
The first two minutes into your presentation is quite vital... important... as it can determine if the audience is going to be interested throughout your presentation...
so it's best to be able to capture their attention from the start.. obviously...
an easy way to do that is usually to start off with a story or something... then go on to your topic or introduction... cause usually, stories can capture attention easily...
and another way of capturing attention or interest from the audience, is to interact with them... let them feel, like part of the presentation.. i.e. let them speak a little to you... like how it is in Q & A sessions...

Tip #3 - Focus, Focus, Focus
Doing a presentation, be specific of your topic... don't go generally...
If you are given to do a presentation on one ethnic group of Malaysia (for example), go on to talk about it.... but then you state obviously that you'll be focusing mostly on this topic... and not add in others, like the government is disrupting the ethnic group's living, etc.... unless your topic IS on that...
If in groups, one person should present on one particular topic... like, one on marriages only, another in beliefs, and so on... best not too much different topics for one person...

Tip #4 - Group Presentation Style
When presenting in groups, the one that is speaking/presenting stand forward from the rest, while the rest sit down, instead of standing around...
cause standing around.. they'll be distracting.. fidgeting around here and there...
the one speaking should have his/her head higher than the rest of the group..
After this person's turn is transfered to the other, then, he or she can sit down, while the next person stands up.

Tip #5 - Crowd Control
You need to control the crowd as well if you wanna be sure that they're paying attention to you... or, make sure that they pay EXTRA attention to you...
move around... for example.. there are three sections of the audience, left, middle and right...
ok, maybe first, you pay attention during your presenting to the right section...
then a little while later... the left section.. then proceed to pay attention to the middle section..
this is audience controling... so that the audience don't feel neglected by you, since one usually do his/her presentation to whoever is in front of him/her.. usually where the 'VIPs' are found.....

Tip #6 - The Presenter
As in you yourself...
Your voice will need to be loud and clear... loud but not shout....
This will need a little practising, so that you know how to project your voice to the crowd.
Actions can help to emphasize what you are saying...
And the most important, obviously, is your confidence...
one MUST be brave when doing presentation...
DON'T be afraid that the audience is going to laugh at you... cause really, they're laughing WITH you...
laughter means they like you... not that they look down on you...
if you feel you're losing confidence.. calm yourself down... tryto make a joke... have a little laugh with the audience... that should help..

and one more thing... NEVER READ... if you have notes to tell you what to talk about next...
DON'T read them!! Skim through those notes and then elaborate on the spot....
if you're reading, you're paying more attention to your notes than your audience...

And another thing... best to prepare a little of what you're going to present...
practise a little 'script' with yourself before your presentation... that way, you'll have an idea of what to say when you're up..

Tip #7 - Transfering
Usually, my friends transfer their turns to the next with a line such as this..
"And now I'm going pass the time to my friend...."
Abel said not to do that, cause this will lose the momentum of the presentation... as in, the audience don't see the connection between what you've said and what your friend is going to say...
he say, when transfering turns to the next, you must make a connection to your friend...
he told me of a line such as this..
"That is all for my topic, but that is not all. Next, my friend is going to tell you about blah blah blah..."
something like that..
another method of transfering he told me is of telling a story...
this story is not going to be on whatever topic you were talking about..
it'll be mostly on what the topic your friend is going to talk about...
"*story story story* That's what happen. Why? My friend is going to explain it to you."
something like that.... depends on your presentation...

Tip #8 - Presentation Slides
This is only if you have something to present, like slides through projector or something... that everyone will see....
Should ALWAYS put those notes as point form, and not in full sentences...
if you're reading them off the slides.. the audience will just pay more attention to your slides than what you're talking about...

Another thing.. those notes should not exceed four lines.. as in.. not be a paragraph...
those notes in your slides you present for everyone to see, should not appear like a paragraph, with so many words in the sentence that it takes up a few lines...
make them short and then elaborate them on your own...



Hmm.... I think that's all... these tips should help you to do better in your presentation...
do take them into mind and not forget them...
I'm telling you... presentations are important for you... no kidding...
Heed my words!!! ^_^