Synchronized body language & Use of appropriate media Unit 3 Sem 4

 Presentation Skills

Presentation skills definition

Presentation skills are the skills you need in delivering effective and engaging presentations to a variety of audiences. These skills cover a variety of areas such as the structure of your presentation, the design of your slides, the tone of your voice and the body language you convey.

 

Presentation Skills

Strong presentation skills are essential for today’s professional. Presentation skills are invaluable tools for the boardroom and the classroom. Effective presentation skills enhance teaching and learning at the university. It is important for instructors to have clear, engaging, and memorable presentations for their audience to take away the message. “Effective Presentation and Media Skills,” graduate students broke down the different parts of a presentation and gained valuable resources to improve their own presentation skills.

Structuring a Presentation

The icebreaker segued into positive presentation skills and the importance of having a presentation structure. A presentation with structure is easier for audiences to follow and gives presenters a logical flow to move through their presentations. Lucas facilitated a jigsaw activity where participants were numbered into groups, and each group was responsible for one part of the presentation structure. The groups were mixed up and one member from each group joined together to form a new group where each person shared the parts they knew.

The Structure of a Presentation:

1.   Purpose – Determine the learning objective and goal of the presentation. Focus on the main points the audience will gain from the presentation.

2.   Audience Pre-Assessment – Identify the audience. Look for characteristics such as size, age, knowledge, background, seniority, and faculty. Presenters want to know who their audience is and what they want/need to know. Tips to gauge the audience: ask them questions and mingle before class.

3.   Opening the Presentation – Also known as the hook. Grab the audiences’ attention and provide them with a reason to be interested in the presentation.

4.   Body of Presentation – The major portion of the presentation. Stick with three major points and provide examples that connect directly to the purpose. Can be informative, introductory, or commemorative with personal narratives.

5.   Closing the Presentation – This is the final impression that the presenter will leave with the audience – make it a strong one. Connect back to the purpose; leave the audience with a clear understanding of the points. Examples for closings presentations included closing with the strongest points or offering a future perspective for the topic.

Essential Life Skills

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in getting your message across. Today, presentation skills are required in almost every field, and most of us are required to give presentations on occasions. While some people take this in their stride, others find it much more challenging.

It is, however, possible to improve your presentation skills with a bit of work.

Stride (strʌɪd) - walk with long, many people feel terrified when asked to talk in public, especially to bigger groups. However, these fears can be reduced by good preparation, which will also lay the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

There are Different Types of Presentations, but They’re All Presentations

There are any numbers of occasions when you may be asked to speak in public or to a group of people. They include:

1.   Presenting or making a speech at a conference or event.

2.   Objecting to a planning proposal at a council meeting.

3.   Making a speech at a wedding.

4.   Proposing a vote of thanks to someone at a club or society.

5.   On behalf of a team, saying goodbye and presenting a gift to a colleague who is leaving.

6.   Seeking investment or a loan to help you set up a new business.

 

These can all be considered presentations.

They do not, however, all require the same approach. You would not, for example, use PowerPoint to thank a colleague who was leaving. It would be unusual (though it has been done) to use it in a speech at a wedding. However, a conference audience would be somewhat surprised NOT to see slides projected onto a screen.

It follows, therefore, that there is no single set of rules that apply to all presentations. There are, however, some things that every presentation opportunity has in common. These include:

You will present better if you have prepared effectively.

You need to be clear about your audience and your message. Every presentation will be better if you have clearly considered the message that you want or need to convey, and how best to convey it to your audience. These two pieces of information drive your style, structure, content, and use of visual aids.

You must never overrun your allocated time.  In other words, don’t outstay your welcome. Almost every speech or presentation is better if it is shorter.

Generally speaking, your audience starts on your side. As a rule, your audience is there (more or less) voluntarily. They have chosen to listen to you, and they want to enjoy your presentation. The occasion is yours to lose.

A Synchronizing Body Language

Synchronizing body language definition

Body language is a type of a nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey the information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space.

People who are in rapport (Rapport is a connection or relationship with someone else) unconsciously synchronize their body language and their vocal characteristics. "When you deliberately synchronize your body language with another's, amazing connections can happen. Our response to synchronization is a function of our predisposition to reciprocate behavior.

Synchronizing Body Language

During a radio interview with Nicholas Boothman, the author of several books describing the body language synchronizing phenomenon, the host told him, "I read you’re over the weekend. On Sunday night, my husband took me out to dinner, so I decided to try out your synchronizing exercise with someone in the restaurant to see what would happen. I was a little skeptical."

She went on to explain that sitting about three tables away was a slightly older couple. The woman was more or less facing in her direction, but they never made eye contact. "For about twenty minutes I gently synchronized her overall body language and posture. When she moved, I moved; when she shifted her weight from one elbow to the other, I followed. I did it all without ever looking directly at her. And then an incredible thing happened. The woman got up from the table and came over to me. 'Excuse me,' she said, 'but I'm sure I know you.' I was blown away."

Synchronize Body Language to Negotiate Successfully

When negotiating, your body language conveys your thoughts. That’s not a revelation. What may come as a revelation is the fact that you can assist in how you’re perceived through your body language, by controlling the body language signals you emit.

In order to exact such a demeanor, first consider the image you wish to project and the role that your body language will play. Then determine how you will cast the role in which you’ll play during the negotiation.

Try implementing the following suggestions.

1.    Set the stage: Prior to the negotiation, assess what the proper body language should be for the situation in which you’ll be negotiating. Be sure to dress, speak, and display the appropriate mannerisms for that environment. If the negotiation is held in your environment, be sure it reflects the theme you’re projecting.

2.    Stay on message: Before the negotiation, determine what your most important position will be. Then, during the negotiation, if you wish to be perceived as being very focused, stay on point and align your body language to highlight that position. Regardless of the rebuttals you receive from the other negotiator, drive the focus of the negotiation back to your main point. Use body language, verbal and nonverbal communications, to assist in this effort. State your position and don’t move far from it, unless the other negotiator makes concessions that are sufficient for you to do so.

3. During the negotiation: Apply the appropriate body language signals (facial, hand, feet, and other body language expressions) throughout the negotiation. Stern facial expressions, coupled with steepled hands when conveying the degree that you believe your position has validity, will add to your allure. Use softer gestures (smiling with hands open/apart) to express the signal that you might be open to modifying a segment of your position.

The more dogmatic you are about synchronizing your body language with your negotiation position, the more your position will be perceived as being succinct and important. Such perception will occur at a conscious and subliminal level within the other negotiator. Suffice it to say, if done appropriately, you’ll be in a better position from which to negotiate … and everything will be right with the world. Remember, you’re always negotiating.

The Negotiation Tips Are …

When negotiating, you don’t have to play the hand you’re dealt. You can change the hand in the process of the negotiation. In order to do so, increase your knowledge of how to read and use body language.

As you negotiate, pay attention to what the other negotiator says, but pay more attention to his body language. Words can be used to manipulate, but the body never lies.

There will be times in a negotiation when finesse will outdistance persistence. Learn when to utilize the most advantageous ploy by increasing your knowledge of negotiation strategies, tactics and the reading of body language.

B Use of appropriate media

Properly chosen communication media can present information more effectively than teachers do, and free the teachers to plan activities, diagnose learning problems, counsel students, and perform other tasks requiring human judgment and warmth. However, the influence of passive entertainment media too often causes instructional media to be used passively, overlooking the importance of learner response and interaction. Modest, inexpensive media, such as still television, slidefilms, and telewriting, often fill a teaching need as well or better than more complex, expensive media. Studies of training films have consistently shown them to contain surprisingly little relevant motion.

Some professional touches can actually detract from learning. This report describes the 29 kinds of communications media and discusses their most common applications in instruction. Simple, clearcut criteria, checklists, and flowcharts are provided to help course planners decide when media should be used and which class of media is best suited to each need. A taxonomy of communications media and a dictionary of terminology are appended.

Computer-Based Media

In most careers in business, industry, and other professions for which students are preparing themselves, computer-based presentation aids are the norm today. Whether the context is a weekly department meeting in a small conference room or an annual convention in a huge amphitheater, speakers are expected to be comfortable with using PowerPoint or other similar software to create and display presentation aids.

If your public speaking course meets in a smart classroom, you have probably had the opportunity to see the computer system in action. Many such systems today are nimble and easy to use. Still, “easy” is a relative term. Don’t take for granted someone else’s advice that “it’s really self-explanatory”—instead, make sure to practice ahead of time. It is also wise to be prepared for technical problems, which can happen to even the most sophisticated computer users. When Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and cofounder of Pixar, introduced a new iPhone 4 in June, 2010, his own visual presentation froze. Macworld. (2010, June 7). WWDC: Steve Jobs’ iPhone 4 launch glitches The irony of a high-tech guru’s technology not working at a public presentation did not escape the notice of news organizations.

The world was first introduced to computer presentations back in the 1970s, but these software packages were expensive and needed highly trained technicians to operate the programs. Today, there are a number of presentation software programs that are free or relatively inexpensive and that can be learned quickly by no specialists. 

Using Media in a Presentation

The second half of the session was dedicated to media skills that are beneficial for presentations. Some people have a tendency to overuse PowerPoint presentations, so the session demonstrated some best practices for more effective uses. Zack stressed that whatever media a presenter chooses to use, it should be there to help the presenter. Media are merely visuals that back what you, the presenter, are saying.

The wealthy investor, Guy Kawasaki came up with the 10/20/30 Rule to make more impact PowerPoint presentations. Guy became bored with businessmen presenting him tedious and long-winded PowerPoint presentations. His rules simplify and get to the point of the presentation. Below is the outline for his ideal presentation:

§  10 slides – Challenges people to put their ideas into fewer slides.

§  20 minutes – People only truly focus on a topic for 20 minutes before they need a break. Presenters should say what they want to say immediately.

§  30-size font – The text has to be visible to the entire audience and slides should not be all text.

Furthermore, an unacknowledged author came up with the 6/6 rule that breaks down the text on PowerPoint presentations to 6 lines per slide and only 6 words per line. This creates presentations that emphasize the main idea and leaves the viewers with what is important.

Aside from PowerPoint there are other media options used by instructors, students, and businessmen alike. Lucas and Zack recommended two other options for using media in presentations: Google Presentations and Prezi Zoom Browser.

Google Presentations is very similar to PowerPoint; however, it has several differences that many people prefer over Microsoft’s system. Google Presentations allows users to add almost any media, such as web links and YouTube videos. Users can easily share presentations by posting its link or embedding it in websites, blogs, or even WebCT Vista and the new learning management system, Connect. Google Presentations can be accessed from anywhere and multiple users can collaborate on a single project.

Prezi, in contrast, is a zoom browser that differs from Google Presentations and PowerPoint in its non-linear set up. Prezi places items and links on a canvas or in a pathway that zooms up on a particular part. Similar to Google, users can easily add images and videos using URL addresses, but users can further zoom in on elements of embedded media and diagrams. Like Google Presentations, it can be shared and embedded online, making it an ideal tool for sharing presentations and doing group assignments.

These tools should be used with caution. Prezi is often considered too distracting for academic presentations. It is often difficult to control details on Prezi. It is also important to keep a Prezi presentation tight so that the audience does not get overwhelmed or dizzy. Both Prezi and Google Presentations are US-based services and users need to be aware of potential privacy issues as a result of the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. No student information should be stored on US servers.

Participants in the session were then given time to practice and associate themselves with these new media tools. The participants appreciated the introduction to new presentation media and the resources that were provided in the session. Information about the presentation tools discussed can be found on the workshop’s wiki.