BSBCMM401 Make a Presentation
Imagine you have to deliver a presentation to a group of people who are feeling slightly resentful that they are required to attend and that your allocated time slot is last thing on Friday afternoon. Are you feeling slightly sick or a little daunted at the thought of it?
101 comments
Melanie
I agree with the other Melanie! “Presenting with energy, interest and well-placed humour or emotion works well. I especially appreciate when the presenter connects personally with the audience through shared experience to really bring it to life.”
Melanie
Presenting with energy, interest and well-placed humour or emotion works well. I especially appreciate when the presenter connects personally with the audience through shared experience to really bring it to life.
Keryn Turner
If a presenter cares about the topic they are discussing this is obvious to the audience and automatically helps engage interest. I think it is also important to have less text and more pictures on any slides as pages of text are the last thing any audience wants to see.
Natasha
When the presenter is passionate about the subject matter I think it is contagious and makes for a very informative and enjoyable presentation!!
Antoinette
I think that genuine and lively people are much easier to listen to.
Llewellyn Best
Meaningful pointed information that allows an instructor or student to understand the core details of the slide and presentation. Limited graphics that is only used to add value / humour to the slide content
Debbie
A good presentation for me has variety, the presenter makes it interesting with good visuals and voice changes not a monotone voice. Passion in the topic also comes through very clearly as well as preparation and genuine knowledge in the subject.
Chelsea
For me, a good presentation is all in the delivery. If a presenter can engage me with their attitude, passion and knowledge, than staying focused is easy and I will retain the information longer term. Eye contact is important, because it forces the audience into participating and makes the presentation feel more like a conversation rather than a lecture. Being well-rehearsed gives the presenter a sense of confidence and knowledgeability, but being too rehearsed can also be a detriment and make the presenter seem robotic or dry. The same can be said for audience involvement — sometimes forcing the audience to participate can take away from the presentation content.
Scott M
In an ideal world a presentation would firmly convey the necessary information to the target group whilst simultaneously –
– Be engaging and draw out the attention and participation of even the most disinterested party in the room
– See the instructor continually making eye contact with each individual so they felt there was no alternative but to interact
– Display competence not only during the presentation of material but in answering questions completely
– Be the length of time appropriate to the material
– use variation in presentation media rather than the infamous ‘death by powerpoint’
Louise
When presenting alter the information being presented to the target audience – providing the same presentation to persons working in the field as civilians could leave audiences either spoken down to or confused. Treat the audience as peers who want to get the information you are also passionate about and be prepared. I like interaction but if caught off guard with questions you don’t know the answers to don’t blag.
Alia
The delivery style of the subject matter. Be passionate , engaging, know your material, interactive smile and make connection .
Maria Jose Lopez Alvarez
The following are a few of the components in some of the presentations that have left a positive impact on me:
-Topic of my interest.
-Presenter is well prepared, passionate about the topic and confident.
-Presenter does not read from a sheet of paper, but speaks to the audience.
-There is some level of interaction with the audience, where perhaps a question is asked for reflection before launching into the topic.
Larelle
So many concepts to a great presentation. The main ones for me are:
Interesting topic delivered in an engaging and concise manner by a presenter with great storytelling abilities and humility.
Julie Cross
A well prepared and engaging presenter takes the audience on a journey. Relevant stories assist to make the presentation interesting and engage the audience. Hearing about someones personal experience can really bring the presentation to life and the enthusiasm can be contagious.
Philip Bancroft
The presentations I have enjoyed the most are where the presenter has really engaged the audience. This has been through either their own personality and the connection with the audience, or by their passion and knowledge of the subject.
Jade
Some of the best presentations I have attended is when the presenter is passionate and engaging without being ‘over the top’. They have excellent knowledge and experience about the subject and don’t force too much in the way of audience participation.
Ian Spencer
Sometimes its best to address the elephant in the room…eg its Friday arvo and I know you feel you are captive here…..so lets make the most of the situation…….
Joanna
I think definitely if the presenter is passionate and engaging, this makes a presentation much more enjoyable. The worst presentations I have been to are ones where the presenter is clearly just going through the motions, is unprepared or is trying to give you too much information. The best presentations keep things simple, are targeted to the audience appropriately and ask questions of the audience, getting them to think and engage with the topic. Also I think a few jokes help!
Hannah
I agree wholeheartedly with the helpful hints given at the end of the article and when I think back to engaging presentations that I have watched the presenter ticked every one of them. Being passionate can turn a presentation about just about anything into a good presentation, if that comes across to the audience and the presenter makes an active effort to try get the audience passionate about it too. Further to this, it is also helpful if the presenter makes themselves relatable, and uses language which will be understood and clear to the audience.
Teresa Wojcik
I think it is important to understand the material well yourself. Refine what you want to share by whittling it down to what is most relevant to the audience and most vital in your opinion. Make sure that your target audience is able to absorb the necessary information during the presentation – keep it simple! Changing the pace with anecdotes, asking the audience questions, discussion time at the end, questionnaires, exercises (I teach singing, so getting the students to stand up and try a basic exercise and the asking for direct feedback is always great), etc. is very useful. Many people have stated that keeping energy high is important and I agree, but I think if you are genuinely interested in communicating your information with your audience and are connecting with them – actually checking if the information has landed, etc. – one naturally forms a relationship with the listeners and they are willing to match your energy.
Rohan
I think the key to good presentations is finding a way to engage the audience by being relatable and keep the content as simple as possible. Starting with an Overview, a few nice simple slides and a wrap up summary tends to work well. I find presentations when the presenter is passionate and enthusiastic it tends to rub off on the audience and keep them engaged.
sara
For me, a good presentation is concise, short and to the point.
Of course, it helps if the presenter is engaged, interested and energized through it.
But I have found through the years, that if I am interested in a topic there will always be an enjoyable compartment of any boring presentation.
Elizabeth
Presentation features that have stood out for me are :-
* started on time
* kept to the topic that was advertised
* kept moving and not stop/start, interrupted (the presenter was prepared)
* engaging
* the presenter was passionate and believed in what they were presenting
* there were opportunities to collaborate/discuss with others, either during or at the end of the presentation
* they were relevant to me
CASEY BUCHANAN
I believe that the key ingredients to teaching are to be very approachable to students, apprentices, labourers, subcontractors, employees, etc. As in the above key points, engaging and creating attention to students and creating a workspace when conducting training, advice, overseeing and picking up on key mistakes as well as praising students/apprentices in the workplace. I come from the Construction industry, and have trained Apprentices in various trades, levels of their apprenticeships, and even subcontractors and direct work personnel, including but not limited to office staff, supervisors, onsite workers, etc. There is a lot of teaching on a daily basis on top of this, where as when onsite it is a constant overseeing various trades, material delivers, etc, from domestic housing, to renovations, townhouses, medium rise 3 storey walkups, retail projects, shopfiting, government projects involving all aspects of gornment divisions, through to medium to high rise projects, project managing Tier1 and Tier 2 projects. A lot of other industries do realize the everyday teaching and advising that is involved and expected from Builders, Project Managers, Construction managers, Site Managers, Forepersons, Leading Hands, etc.
Kylie Cross
I had an Economics lecturer in my undergrad who made me want to sit for an hour in a cold theatre with 150 other students on a Wednesday night at 1730 in the middle of winter. She made dry content interesting and complex theories relatable. She used a basic slide show and stood simply on a stage with a microphone. I feel what made her so engaging was her energy. Her subject knowledge was second to none, but her capacity to make clear correlations with the audiences level of understanding and education was impressive. Never did you feel she was speaking at you with condescending undertones more that she was guiding your thought processes to reach a light bulb moment in comprehension. I was always left with a feeling of fulfilment. It was the perfect learning environment and experience.
Lianna Kim Georgia Brown
I think a good presenter will always have the audience engaged, giving the audience as well the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas. There needs to be positive energy, having the confidence to be able to present in front of a big crowd or even small. I find it very daunting before I present but with right materials and having the time to go through my lesson plan I feel less likely to make mistakes. slideshows can keep the audience engaged for an amount of time, having my own ideas and information bought in can help make it more interesting and make it fun at the same time – bring activities or ask the audience for answers, have small role plays, Friday afternoons are hard as its the last day of wk and last few hours and all the audience wants to do is get out. Keep them informatively entertained.
Kirsten Daly
After becoming an NLP trainer and practitioner, the state of being of the trainer is key – their confidence and authority while being personable to the audience.
This comes from being prepared for the audience, topic and even rehearsing (in the mind and practicing out loud) – a good pilot with peers is a good start for a new program. Energy needs to be passionate – you feel it each time. Identifying the typical problems, issues, why do I need this, and how it will benefit the group up front is key. Starting with something different like going straight into a story-example breaks the audiences boredom wondering what the storyline is and why it relates. This only works if one makes sure there is a direct linkage of the reason for the story to the training. Asking questions, learning names, and involving the group up front without targeting anyone especially intuits is key. Looking at the whole group, being careful not to focus only on those agreeing or showing smiles is a skill. Having 3-5 chunks of information and really simple visual aids to support the key learning is key. Giving real examples people can relate to helps the learning meet all VAK learning styles. Moving with intention around the room and at the front without standing in the glare of the slides is an art. Having fun and enjoying the space is great. And building in workshop style interactions in small groups, helps the group learn from each other, moving the learning away from pure lecture style. Finally involving the group to share their insights and value at the end reinforces learning with possible time for what they will do when they return to the workplace.
Christopher Dixon
Well done Kirsten. You have outlined in a nutshell what a good trainer should be able to do. As Kroehnert said in his excellent book “Basic Training for Trainers”, training, above all should be fun. People learn much better if they enjoy their training. I must share one of his mnemonics (pronounced ni-mon-ik – it’s a way of remembering things. He gave 9 methods to get the group involved:
Use a quiz
Seek their opinions
Entertain them
Ask them what they want
Give them props
Always challenge them
Make them guess
Encourage them
The mnemonic here is that you take the first letter of each point – and I’ll leave you to work out the key word 🙂 And this is exactly what you have outlined Kirsten. Well done.
Kym
A good presentation is engaging. It uses entertaining and simple language, interesting content and visual aids. A little humour goes a long way too. Inspirational presentations that I have witnessed have almost always had great body language as a core element. The presenter doesn’t need to appear confident, in my opinion, because the most knowledgeable presenters can still get stage fright. I feel that the presenter just needs to be prepared, know the subject matter, and present in an engaging way.
Isabella Natale
A good presentation has personality. The presenter shares something personal related to the topic, engages listeners in what they want to get out of the session and displays (real) enthusiasm for the topic. Slides are used to enhance or accentuate points but should never be read out. A good presenter is very knowledgeable about a topic and uses real life examples or case studies to demonstrate points.
David Lorkin
Precisely Mary ….. slides/presentation show only contain the main points and the presenter adds to these points with life examples or case studies. I even ask my students for examples from THEIR past too this then makes it a more engaging and interactive presentation. Looking forward to the fact your next unit is Making a presentation Mary
Isabella Natale
A good presentation has personality. The presenter shares something personal related to the topic, engages listeners in what they want to get out of the session and displays (real) enthusiasm for the topic. Slides are used to enhance or accentuate points but should never be read out. A good presenter is very knowledgeable about a topic and uses real life examples or case studies to demonstrate points.
David Lorkin
Precisely Mary ….. slides/presentation show only contain the main points and the presenter adds to these points with life examples or case studies. I even ask my students for examples from THEIR past too this then makes it a more engaging and interactive presentation. Looking forward to the fact your next unit is Making a presentation Mary
Darren Mumford
A good presentation engages the audience and recognises there is collective knowledge in the audience which can be shared. It provides relevant and practical information the audience members can easily apply and shares information in an interesting story format.
Good presenters recognise the different learning styles in the audience and provide , images, text, verbal information, factual examples, small group learning opportunities etc. They have an ability to help the audience feel comfortable, making eye contact, delivering in a friendly, genuine and expressive tone and keep the message on point.
A good presentation has clear take-aways that can have a positive impact and presents new ideas in an easily understood manner. It is based on solid research and involves ideas from a number of people with expertise. It is well-planned and practiced but still presented in a natural, flowing manner; a good TedTalk is an excellent example.
David Lorkin
You are so right Darren , I look forward to your contribution/s as you are now on the Make a presentation unit. You designed some excellent programs in your DES401 Assessments so I look forward to your next lot. Cheers!
Darren Mumford
A good presentation engages the audience and recognises there is collective knowledge in the audience which can be shared. It provides relevant and practical information the audience members can easily apply and shares information in an interesting story format.
Good presenters recognise the different learning styles in the audience and provide , images, text, verbal information, factual examples, small group learning opportunities etc. They have an ability to help the audience feel comfortable, making eye contact, delivering in a friendly, genuine and expressive tone and keep the message on point.
A good presentation has clear take-aways that can have a positive impact and presents new ideas in an easily understood manner. It is based on solid research and involves ideas from a number of people with expertise. It is well-planned and practiced but still presented in a natural, flowing manner; a good TedTalk is an excellent example.
David Lorkin
You are so right Darren , I look forward to your contribution/s as you are now on the Make a presentation unit. You designed some excellent programs in your DES401 Assessments so I look forward to your next lot. Cheers!
Gabrielle Jones
Being well prepared is essential. Understanding the audience expectations – what are they there to hear about – is key to preparations. Thinking about adult learning concepts will help to develop a presentation that will interest, inspire and engage the audience. Presentation skills are essential such as clear speech, moderate pace and “reading the room” to be present and stay connected with the audience as much as possible. Being enthusiastic about the topic, friendly and professional will help to maintain the audience’s attention. I think that the purpose of any presentation is to deliver information in meaningful, useful and interesting ways that also encourages the audience to think differently or consider new ideas about the topic.
Gabrielle Jones
Being well prepared is essential. Understanding the audience expectations – what are they there to hear about – is key to preparations. Thinking about adult learning concepts will help to develop a presentation that will interest, inspire and engage the audience. Presentation skills are essential such as clear speech, moderate pace and “reading the room” to be present and stay connected with the audience as much as possible. Being enthusiastic about the topic, friendly and professional will help to maintain the audience’s attention. I think that the purpose of any presentation is to deliver information in meaningful, useful and interesting ways that also encourages the audience to think differently or consider new ideas about the topic.
Julia
Good presenters know their material well, and have a well rehearsed talk that is the right length for the time frame, so they are not rushing through their material.
A power point slide with diagrams or graphs enriches a presentation, as long as it doesn’t dominate.
A good presenter knows what is on the slides, and doesn’t need to crane his or her neck and keep looking at them. A remote control slide changer is useful for this sort of presentation.
If the presenter doesn’t have his or her nose in the notes and on the slides, he or she will be making eye contact with the audience, and the talk will be more interesting.
Julia
Good presenters know their material well, and have a well rehearsed talk that is the right length for the time frame, so they are not rushing through their material.
A power point slide with diagrams or graphs enriches a presentation, as long as it doesn’t dominate.
A good presenter knows what is on the slides, and doesn’t need to crane his or her neck and keep looking at them. A remote control slide changer is useful for this sort of presentation.
If the presenter doesn’t have his or her nose in the notes and on the slides, he or she will be making eye contact with the audience, and the talk will be more interesting.
Cassandra Obrien
Here are some of my thoughts which I think make a great and engaging presentation, concise information, engaging rhetorical questions to get your audience to think about the content , images or short video clips that relate back to the information
Cassandra Obrien
Here are some of my thoughts which I think make a great and engaging presentation, concise information, engaging rhetorical questions to get your audience to think about the content , images or short video clips that relate back to the information
Jennifer Clarke
There are a multitude of factors involved in creating a good presentation. One of the keys is to plan and prepare carefully. This includes making sure your material is addressing the audience’s needs, has a clear objective and that the delivery is well structured. To engage the audience, the speaker needs to confidently demonstrate their expertise with passion. It is also important to gain feedback from the audience on the effectiveness of the presentation so that the presenter can review her skills and continually improve.
Jennifer Clarke
There are a multitude of factors involved in creating a good presentation. One of the keys is to plan and prepare carefully. This includes making sure your material is addressing the audience’s needs, has a clear objective and that the delivery is well structured. To engage the audience, the speaker needs to confidently demonstrate their expertise with passion. It is also important to gain feedback from the audience on the effectiveness of the presentation so that the presenter can review her skills and continually improve.
Claire Holloway
I like Simon Sinek’s philosophy of “Start with Why” as a way of structuring the strategy for a talk. When you answer the questions of: “Why should it be me talking about this?”
and “Why should we think about this? Is it new, ground-breaking, a great story…”
Simon’s “Why” keeps you focused on leadership rather than being didactic because this gives listeners respect and space to ponder your thesis. It also means you need to think about the ball you are throwing to the audience which means that you will make it easier for them to catch by contextualising carefully.
Academy Staff
Good point Claire, it is important to establish your credibility with the audience at the beginning of your presentation.
Claire Holloway
I like Simon Sinek’s philosophy of “Start with Why” as a way of structuring the strategy for a talk. When you answer the questions of: “Why should it be me talking about this?”
and “Why should we think about this? Is it new, ground-breaking, a great story…”
Simon’s “Why” keeps you focused on leadership rather than being didactic because this gives listeners respect and space to ponder your thesis. It also means you need to think about the ball you are throwing to the audience which means that you will make it easier for them to catch by contextualising carefully.
Academy Staff
Good point Claire, it is important to establish your credibility with the audience at the beginning of your presentation.
Helena Michels
Interaction with your audience, getting them engaged and participating. I believe that a good presenter should show a sound amount of knowledge about the particular presentation material. A good presenter should be able to use this knowledge to speak clearly about the topic, be able to move smoothly through the presentation without confusion or hesitance and would be able to engage more with their audience. A bad presenter, I believe, would be someone that doesn’t know the material, therefore this could result in not being able to move smoothly through a presentation and leading to the audience losing interest in the presentation.
Body language plays a big part of being a good/bad presenter also.
Helena Michels
Interaction with your audience, getting them engaged and participating. I believe that a good presenter should show a sound amount of knowledge about the particular presentation material. A good presenter should be able to use this knowledge to speak clearly about the topic, be able to move smoothly through the presentation without confusion or hesitance and would be able to engage more with their audience. A bad presenter, I believe, would be someone that doesn’t know the material, therefore this could result in not being able to move smoothly through a presentation and leading to the audience losing interest in the presentation.
Body language plays a big part of being a good/bad presenter also.
Lenise Walker
I feel being a good presenter & keeping your audience interested is “knowing your stuff”,
being passionate, professional, have product knowledge, well versed, well rehearsed, & make it interesting.
Involve the clients, actively listen, & be a bit spontaneous.
Most of all enjoy what we do.
Lenise Walker
I feel being a good presenter & keeping your audience interested is “knowing your stuff”,
being passionate, professional, have product knowledge, well versed, well rehearsed, & make it interesting.
Involve the clients, actively listen, & be a bit spontaneous.
Most of all enjoy what we do.
lucy
To me any presenter who has a genuine interest in the topic they are presenting about and a genuine interest to bring that topic alive for the audience will have a good chance of being successful.
Academy Staff
You are quite right Lucy, it is very evident if the presenter has a passion for the topic. I remember a student of mine sharing a presentation about some type of cactus and I thought, hmm this will be boring, however because of his knowledge and enjoyment of the topic it made the session interesting for all.
lucy
To me any presenter who has a genuine interest in the topic they are presenting about and a genuine interest to bring that topic alive for the audience will have a good chance of being successful.
Academy Staff
You are quite right Lucy, it is very evident if the presenter has a passion for the topic. I remember a student of mine sharing a presentation about some type of cactus and I thought, hmm this will be boring, however because of his knowledge and enjoyment of the topic it made the session interesting for all.
Beryl
I like interactive learning, a presentation that has the participants contributing is what I consider is a good presentation.
Academy Staff
I agree Beryl, these types of presentations always seem to be more engaging.
Beryl
I like interactive learning, a presentation that has the participants contributing is what I consider is a good presentation.
Academy Staff
I agree Beryl, these types of presentations always seem to be more engaging.