- Joined
- 23 Jul 05
- Moves
- 8869
20 Jan 07
As part of some key skills work in college, I am required to make a 10 minute presentation on a subject of my choosing, followed by some questions; it will be in front of about 20 people and will have to be presented in a few weeks.
I figure I'd enjoy talking about the topic of Global warming because I already know a lot about it, and it is something of great concern to me. Furthermore, I have already read the first two parts of the stern report and I think this will become very useful as I can lots of information/diagrams from it.
Has anyone got any useful ideas on what is the best way to approach such a task?
I have already made some preliminary notes on what techniques I should use to deliver the speech itself, but I'm a little confused on how to organise the material in the speech.
I am unsure on how I could introduce the topic, myself; how much detail I should go into, and how I should make the conclusion
Any help would be appreciated. 🙂
20 Jan 07
Originally posted by Bad wolfIn order of presentation:
As part of some key skills work in college, I am required to make a 10 minute presentation on a subject of my choosing, followed by some questions; it will be in front of about 20 people and will have to be presented in a few weeks.
I figure I'd enjoy talking about the topic of Global warming because I already know a lot about it, and it is something of ...[text shortened]... il I should go into, and how I should make the conclusion
Any help would be appreciated. 🙂
1. When you get up to stand in front of the audience, stand for two minutes (it will feel like a long time), with your arms relaxed at your side. Don't fidget and don't stick your hands in your pockets or behind your back.
2. The build up is: Introduction; centre piece; conclusion.
3. Keep it short. Part 1 should be part of your speech.
4. Don't learn yourn presentation off by heart. If you're using slides, right one or two words per note to trigger your memory.
If speaking in one go, have about 7 words jotted down in the correct order you want to tackle the subject.
5. Don't go deep. If people want deepness, they'll read the papers. Keep it as light-hearted as you can and as superficial as you can. Your speech isn't to prove anything to them, your presentation is to trigger their curiosity.
6. Look around while doing your presentation. Don't look at any one longer than 2 seconds. Re-focus the whole time.
7. Breath. Try to use your voice to go up near the end of a sentence and the back down near the end. It's prose.
Train yourself to take 2 to 3 second pauses between blocks of information.
You can't go wrong!
And MOST IMPORTANTLY. Forgive yourself. You did your best!
20 Jan 07
Originally posted by Bad wolfI went on a presentation skills course recently... there was alot of airy-fairy mumbo jumbo, but I did learn one thing:
Any help would be appreciated. 🙂
Use the Power of Three... it never fails. When describing something, use 3 adjectives. When using bullet-points on a slide to describe something... use 3 bullets. Its a magic number... any more than 3 and you lose the audience.
Interesting article to back that up:
http://www.psychotactics.com/artpsycho3.htm
20 Jan 07
Originally posted by Bad wolfGo to a pub that does karaoke.
As part of some key skills work in college, I am required to make a 10 minute presentation on a subject of my choosing, followed by some questions; it will be in front of about 20 people and will have to be presented in a few weeks.
I figure I'd enjoy talking about the topic of Global warming because I already know a lot about it, and it is something of ...[text shortened]... il I should go into, and how I should make the conclusion
Any help would be appreciated. 🙂
Get really drunk.
Attempt to sing a song you don't know the words to.
You will never be nervous or embarassed about anything you do in public again.
20 Jan 07
Originally posted by Bad wolfTiming is extremely important. I have been at several conferences, and there are always quite a few presenters who have no idea how long their presentation will take, and they inevitably run into time trouble. Some of them "solve" that by talking faster, others randomly leave out things, others just get cut off, again others spend most of the time talking about how they don't have enough time to say what they want to say. So it's very important to practise your presentation and taking the time, and you'll have to take into account that you'll probably need more time when you are doing the real thing than when you are doing it at home.
As part of some key skills work in college, I am required to make a 10 minute presentation on a subject of my choosing, followed by some questions; it will be in front of about 20 people and will have to be presented in a few weeks.
Don't try to get too much information into the presentation. Concentrate on very few important points, maybe just one main point. Try to connect other information in some way to this main point. If people get bombarded with lots of facts, they won't remember anything. If you have one important point you keep coming back to, they are likely to remember that, and the facts you can connect to it will make more sense that way and will therefore also be easier to remember.
20 Jan 07
Devise useful and at-least-semi-appropriate "props" that will have a visual impact 🙄 Move while deploying them 😉
Remember you have to get their attention, if you want them to listen... 😲 That's what the "props" are for.
For the biggest impact, develop a presentation in which some of the audience will be required to participate 😀
20 Jan 07
Ten minutes is hardly enough time to do justice to such a complex issue, but if you must, bring your audience to the place where signs of global warming are three times more apparent than anywhere else on the planet -- Antarctica. Glaciers are melting, a slam dunk for visuals. Make your presentation short and sweet, and don't be pedantic. The details and numbers are there if they want to look them up -- your job is to paint a dramatic word picture. The British are coming and you're Paul Revere (sorry about that, but it seems so appropriate). And even though it's a grim subject, don't forget to smile when you tell them there's still hope.
20 Jan 07
2 edits
Originally posted by NordlysI've had some success with simple paper aeroplanes... built in steps that underline your points, then launched into flight? 😀 "See, it can fly!"
Smilies? 😲
😛 If there are material objects involved, use a few, the more brightly coloured the better. 😉 Juggle or toss one or two... Pass them out to the audience.
With global warming as a topic, I would think ice cubes, strong lights and magnifying glass, matches and the like could be used to great effect 🙄
The idea is to engage something in the audience beyond simple listening and comprehending skills 😴 😴 😴 ... which, alone, can be very boring...
Smilies would certainly work in a formal slide/powerpoint presentation, particularly animated gif.format smilies, as so many lecturers are boringly staid and anal...
I do numerous 'performances' in my wine guide persona, as well as in my working life.
I've learned to use flipcharts and markers as great tools for inviting and validating audience participation...
Maybe I should find a battery-driven 'smiley' that I can attach to the charts at will, where and when appropriate... or not... 😵
20 Jan 07
1 edit
Originally posted by Bad wolfI've done a pretty good amount of public speaking. Simply put...
As part of some key skills work in college, I am required to make a 10 minute presentation on a subject of my choosing, followed by some questions; it will be in front of about 20 people and will have to be presented in a few weeks.
I figure I'd enjoy talking about the topic of Global warming because I already know a lot about it, and it is something of il I should go into, and how I should make the conclusion
Any help would be appreciated. 🙂
1. Introduce your topic and give the reason for the discussion.
(Do you want them to take action? Be better informed?)
2. Tell them what you plan to talk about. Break it into 3 sections.
(Today I'm going to talk about...the causes of global warming, its effect on the environment and what we can do to stop it.
2. Go into each of your three topics, introducing each topic before you go into it. ("First let's talk about what causes global warming."😉
3. After going over all three topics, wrap it up by telling you audience what you told them. ("Today we talked about...1...2...3." Give a little tidbit of info after each one.)
4. Review your action step discussed in #1. ("So I hope that each one of you will be motivated to write a letter to your congessman."😉
5. Thank your audience.
6. Grab your junk and say, "Peace Out!".
EDIT: The smileys were unintentional. They were supposed to be parenthesis.
20 Jan 07
Originally posted by rbmorrisrb you freakin' kill me. "Grab your junk and say Peace Out"
I've done a pretty good amount of public speaking. Simply put...
1. Introduce your topic and give the reason for the discussion.
(Do you want them to take action? Be better informed?)
2. Tell them what you plan to talk about. Break it into 3 sections.
(Today I'm going to talk about...the causes of global warming, its effect on the environment and w ...[text shortened]... t!".
EDIT: The smileys were unintentional. They were supposed to be parenthesis.
Now that's laugh out loud funny!
20 Jan 07
Originally posted by rbmorrisAren't you supposed to start the thing with a lame joke?
I've done a pretty good amount of public speaking. Simply put...
1. Introduce your topic and give the reason for the discussion.
(Do you want them to take action? Be better informed?)
2. Tell them what you plan to talk about. Break it into 3 sections.
(Today I'm going to talk about...the causes of global warming, its effect on the environment and w ...[text shortened]... t!".
EDIT: The smileys were unintentional. They were supposed to be parenthesis.