Why Use Humour in Your Presentations?

Why should I bother using humour in my presentations?

Can't I just deliver my information and sit down?
You sure can!

That's what most people do.

The problem is that most people are not effective presenters.

They are nighty-nite, snooze-inducing, say-your-prayers, hit-the-sack, unlicensed hypnotists.

They are ZZZZZs presenters.

They might be experts in their field and able to recite hours and hours of information on their topic, but is that effective?

Read on ...

Research used to correct school langage

University researchers have helped West Australian teachers and schoolstudents tweak their talking skills to better suit modern life. For six months, a team of Edith Cowan University (ECU) researchers, Associate Professor Rhonda Oliver, Dr Yvonne Haig and Dr Judith Rochecouste, assisted 50 teachers to investigate the language skills of about 2500 of their students.

http://ecumediaqa.ids.ecu.edu.au/popups/mrPopup.asp?mrID=655

Public speaking FAQ

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Preparing for your presentation

There are so many ways a room and its set-up can affect your presentation. It is so important to make sure it works for you - your position, the audience's position, the equipment, the sound, the heating ...

Graham Jones used this gret example in his tip : Check the room layout for presentations

I was at a meeting the other day when a woman was invited to speak. She stayed where she was in the room to deliver her five minute talk. However, this meant that some people in the room couldn't see her; others couldn't hear her. As a result, about half her audience had five minutes of their time wasted. She also wasted much of her time because she didn't get her message across to half the room.

Where you sit, where you look and how the audience feels is dependent upon room layout. You need to seriously consider all the options before you talk. Get the room layout right and your presentation will be much better. What this means is you should never accept the room as it is - unless it is perfect for you and your audience. Almost every room needs changing in some way so that the audience gains the best from you.

Public Speaking Success Tip - Creating a confident first impression

Before you open your mouth to say the first word of your speech, you are communicating with the audience. Your stance, facial expression and body language are a picture that paints a thousand words. Make it calm, confident and pleasant, and you start "on the right foot!" So plant both of your feet, stand up straight and smile at them. You'll feel confident, sincere and professional and the audience will know. Then you can play with them.

Using Computer Presentation Programs Effectively

"Are you still doing speeches in the stone age?" This was the question a participant asked of a presenter at a recent conference I attended. The presenter had lugged along a box of transparency slides to show during his half-day seminar, and I admit, I was a little doubtful at first about the lack of modern technology. The presentation went well, overall, but could have clearly been enhanced by a good Microsoft PowerPoint, Lotus Freelance, or Aldus Persuasion program. Additionally, it would have been much easier to present for the speaker, and definitely lighter to carry on the airplane.

Later in the month, however, I got a different perspective when I spoke a participant in one of my seminars after the rest of the class had gone. She told me that when she first walked into the room, she was very disheartened to see a computer-generated image being shown on the screen. She confided that although she had enjoyed the presentation entirely, and that I had overcome her initial apprehension, her first reaction was:"Oh no! Not another PowerPoint Presentation"

This reaction is not unique, I've found. When talking to people in my seminars and social settings, the message I get is clear; People are tired of worn-out power point presentations! Does this mean we should jettison the technology and go back to the "stone age", as one person put it, in giving our presentations? No more than we should ban television because of the likes of Jerry Springer and Temptation Island. The medium itself is not to blame, it is how that medium is used that falls short.

Read the whole article

We’re in an Epidemic and it’s called PowerPoint!

Everyone uses it, but is it the best way to present your information?

Most people who use PowerPoint of give Presentations have not had much, if any, public speaking or presentation skills training. However, we tend to copy what others are doing. I would like to suggest stop doing what everyone else is doing and do it right. The following steps will help you stand out above the rest.

Read on ...

Powerpoint backgrounds

To create effective backgrounds in PowerPoint is one of the most challenging tasks for a presenter, as balancing visual impact, layout balance, properly matching colors while keeping great legibility is nothing that I would consider easy. Article continues