Designing an Effective Presentation

Designing an Effective Presentation

1. 6. DESIGNING POSTERS

   • General Points About Posters
     • Posters are presented in large areas. The three most standard sizes are 1 x 2 meters, 60 x 90 cm and 40 x 60 cm. Remember that the first measure represents the length of the poster and the second represents the height.
   • Methods of Making Posters
     • Approach One - One-piece method The presenter may choose to design the poster in one, single large piece. Approach Two - Panel method The canvas of your poster can be divided into a number of separate panels. These may consist of different elements such as pictures, charts, texts, or titles.
   • Stages in Producing a Poster
     • Step One - Choosing content The first step is to be clear on the task that you have before you and the type of information that you will need to include in your poster.
     • Step Two - Making a plan Once you have decided on the content of your poster, you need to consider the way the information should be displayed. A useful starting point is to prepare an outline plan that will help you make the most effective use of the space available to you.
     • Step Three - Preparing your final poster Having done all the steps we have just proposed, you can start preparing your final poster. We have discussed some design elements in our first module, but composition (that is, the way your elements are distributed and presented) is essential.
     • Step Four - Displaying your poster Poster presentations can take many forms. Sometimes your poster will simply need to ‘stand-alone’ as part of a general display, or perhaps you will be asked to stand next to your work, talking to people and answering their questions as they browse.

2. 7. Using Apps

   • Open Office
     • A free alternative for the famous Microsoft Office suite, it can help you create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations (compatible with PowerPoint) and even databases.
   • Google Drive
     • A great collaboration tool for just about any project, Google Drive is primarily a cloud-based storage service where you can upload and share your files with others.
   • Microsoft Office Online
     • Microsoft has allowed free online versions of its desktop software, where you can find software applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote or OneDrive ready to use without installing anything additional.
   • iCloud
     • Its name says it all. iCloud is the Apple cloud service that works as online storage, with a few online apps that work really well. This is a purely storage-based service provided by Apple and is almost exclusive to Apple users.
   • Evernote
     • Evernote is a very handy multiplatform workspace application. In Evernote, you can create sophisticated notes with file attachments, images, audio, and written text.
   • Gmail
     • Gmail has demonstrated it has the best free features. As we mentioned before, it works for all the Google free services and the Play Store for Android.
   • Dropbox
     • One of the first cloud services that really works well. It’s an online hard drive for all your files and it syncs across platforms and OS.
   • SlideShare
     • To use it, you import a source file from PowerPoint, Word, PDF or other formats (and you can also import video with the paid pro version).
   • Google Presentations
     • Google Presentations gives you a tool that imitates PowerPoint, but it has the advantage of being online.
   • Prezi
     • One of the most exciting presentation tools online. You can import PowerPoint to Prezi, but the best way to experience it is to create a Prezi from scratch.
   • Powtoon
     • Create dynamic and animated videos presentations using catchy and fun graphics and audio files. PowToon offers a large image and video library, along with many free templates, plus the ability to incorporate your own narration, images and audio.

3. 8. Interactive Presentations

   • Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular presentation programs supported by both Mac and PC platforms. Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to create interactive presentations for classroom, business, or personal use. In our case, we need to produce effective presentations, which is the creative combination of all the elements including, of course, design. In this topic, we’ll be referring to the 2010 version of the program as it is the most commonly found and used, and offers great stability and options.
     • Saving
       • Before you do anything, it is advised to save your document. To do this, go to File > Save As. Microsoft PowerPoint will open a dialog box where you can specify the new file’s name and location where you want it saved.
     • The Design Ribbon Toolbar
       • The Design Ribbon toolbar contains several categories for formatting the design and elements of your presentation. These include: Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review and View. These icons are convenient but will not bring up dialogue boxes that allow you to change the settings of these actions. You should use whichever method works the best for you.
     • Formatting your Presentation
       • The default slide design for Microsoft PowerPoint documents is a blank slide. Therefore, if you want your slides to have a specific design, you must add one. To do this, go to the Design Ribbon > Themes.
     • Inseting and Adding Objects
       • Inserting Clip Art. When trying to enhance your document you may want to include Clip Art and/or Word Art. The program comes with a Clip Gallery that contains a large variety of images, pictures, borders, and backgrounds
     • Animating Text and Objects
       • In PowerPoint you can animate text and objects such as clip art, shapes, and pictures. Animation (movement of an element on the slide) can be used to draw the audience's attention to specific content or to make the slide easier to read. To apply an animation to an object: Select an object, click the Animations tab. In the Animation group, click the More drop-down arrow to view the available animations.

4. 9. Tools For Effective Presentations

   • Social Media
     • Next to Google, it is the second most used website on a global level and is the most popular social networking tool in existence. Why do people like it so much? Because you can connect with the people you know, share interesting thoughts, learn from others and, in general, stay updated with what you’re interested in. Doesn’t that sound like what we do in seminars, lectures, classes and presentations? Precisely.
   • Creative Tools
     • Have you heard of podcasts? They have become increasingly popular in the latest years as a way of producing your own contents in audio format. Podcasting is an excellent way to share your ideas, thoughts or contents with only basic knowledge in audio editing. One of the best sites to share your podcasts is SoundCloud (although there are many others), and with the link they provide you, you can take it to any other site (social network or presentation) you want.
   • Prezi
     • Prezi is an online multimedia tool, designed to create presentations in a manner similar to that of PowerPoint or Keynote. It is an internet-based app and offers a limited free version along with a more robust paid membership version. What makes it an ideal original, is that you have a large canvas on which you present your ideas as a whole, and then you can ‘zoom’ on each step of your presentation. The idea of this zooming interface is to simulate a 3D environment, making presentations innovative and extremely dynamic, keeping the audience more interested and changing the classic ‘slideshow’ experience that other programs offer.

5. 10. Reasons Why Presentations Fail

   • Before we get into the mistakes you want to avoid, let’s take a few minutes to review some things that you can do right. Based on the research we mentioned, we can distinguish three important components for an effective presentation, with a specific value each. Remember, what cannot be measured, cannot be improved. The most important part is the first one, to make an emotional connection with the audience. Without this connection, the presenter’s message won’t be fully heard. The second is to generate and maintain a high level of energy. It is about holding the audience’s attention throughout our whole presentation. The third is to focus the content on the payoff for the audience. This is something we mentioned earlier, too, through the question WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)
     • Make an Emotional Connection with the Audience. Every audience will form an instant opinion for or against the presenter the moment they see him. We discussed the importance of your physical appearance, and that is because of the judgment people form (even if it is unconscious) when they see someone for the first time, especially when we’re expecting something from them. So, the impression you convey to them will determine if they accept your message or if they don’t.
     • Present with Energy. Capture the audience’s attention right away by telling a dramatic story or a very interesting anecdote. If you can manage humor, use it too. Try to keep the energy level high throughout your presentation. To get them excited about your idea you have to show them your own excitement about it.
     • Spell Out the Payoff for the Audience. If you’re presenting information, give lots of attention to describing its relevance and applicability. If you want the audience to accept a change you’re announcing, focus on the benefits for them; remember the principle of “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM).
     • The Metrics. What’s the relative value of the three components of this approach to presenting? Mnemonic devices are always useful so let’s create a formula. Clearly, making an emotional connection by being likable and trustworthy is the most important component, because if you lack these your argument will not be accepted.
     • Elements To Avoid
       • Not knowing your Topic
       • Making slides your presentation
       • Too much information
       • Poorly designed presentations
       • Electrifying color choices
       • Poor font choices
       • Irrelevant photographs or graphs
       • Too many slides
       • Different animations on every slide
       • Hardware/Logistics malfunction