Authors
Barbara Chivers and Michael Shoolbred

Pub Date: 09/2007
Pages: 176

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Barbara Chivers and Michael Shoolbred

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 Why do a presentation?
This first chapter outlines the different purposes of student presentations and looks at the underlying reasons why these presentations can be so stressful for students. Six examples are described in structured detail so that readers can create templates of presentations relevant to their individual situations.

Chapter 2 What makes an effective presentation?
This chapter explores what 'effective' means in a presentation context and describes eight essential characteristics of effective presentations. These set the scene for the rest of the book by describing the different kinds of communication and presentation skills that students will need for preparing and delivering their presentations. At the end of the chapter a list of key principles is provided, which is a useful toolkit to help students throughout the technical side of the presentation research.

Chapter 3 Individual performance
Here students are helped to consider their own performance during a presentation. The chapter includes exercises and coping strategies for the physical and mental aspects of the presentation. It emphasises the value of rehearsal as one of the most vital parts of the presentation preparation. Students are encouraged to deal with presentation nerves by using mental rehearsal techniques and improving their awareness of how the body and the voice contribute to successful presentations.

Chapter 4 Presenting as part of a group
Students often have to deliver presentations as part of a group, which brings its own stresses and issues. This chapter focuses on the positive benefits of group presentations whilst acknowledging the range of problems that can arise. It helps students to identify specific strategies that can be used to reduce the normal tensions and difficulties. It concludes with key tips on ways in which students can work together effectively so that the final presentation is more than the sum of its individual parts.

Chapter 5 Ten Steps for preparing your presentations
The authors recognize that students sometimes have limited preparation time so this chapter has been developed as a stand alone guide to the tasks needed to complete a presentation. Links are made to relevant chapters in the book that cover some points in more detail but this chapter can be used as a working framework by the reader.

Chapter 6 Understanding your audience
The audience can be an important influence on presentations and this chapter encourages students to think about the size and composition of the different members and their reasons for watching the presentation. Students are encouraged to consider the different perspectives that members of the audience will have. This can be especially useful if a Tutor is assessing the presentation or when it is part of an interview or workplace situation. Key principles are provided to enable students to understand their audience.

Chapter 7 Developing content and structure
This chapter discusses ways to research content effectively using a range of free electronic resources. It demonstrates different ways of structuring the presentation, including advice on creating memorable beginnings and endings. Most importantly, the chapter insists that you must help your audience to understand your presentation structure.

Chapter 8 Creating Visual aids and handouts
Audiovisual aids and other types of supporting documents such as handouts usually need to be created for presentations. This chapter helps students to consider which specific materials will most enhance their presentation. It discusses the creative use of audiovisual aids of all kinds, from flip charts through to electronic whiteboards. Emphasis is placed on the need for proper preparation and rehearsal for using these tools during the presentation. The chapter offers tips on making presentations clear and readable and advises on ways of planning for and minimising the inevitable problems with technology.

Chapter 9 Using PowerPoint effectively
This chapter helps students to avoid the most commonly made mistakes when using PowerPoint, especially getting too involved in technical subtleties. It gives advice on keeping slides simple and has many useful tips on how to incorporate freely available images into PowerPoint slides. PowerPoint is a tool, and should not dominate the entire presentation. The chapter advises students on ways of keeping PowerPoint in perspective.

Chapter 10 Learning from presentations
How can you learn from the presentation? This chapter will help students to learn each time they do a presentation and therefore make presentations more enjoyable and more rewarding. It also helps students to think about the different ways in which their audience may be learning, so that the presenter offers a range of approaches. It suggests specific techniques to help students continue to develop their own communication and presentation skills, rather than repeating the same mistakes each time. It also encourages them to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses and carry forward that learning to the next time they prepare a presentation.

Chapter 11 Delivering a presentation as part of an interview
This unique chapter help students and recent graduates to look at interview presentations as a special kind of presentation. It has been included as a response to the increasing trend for presentations being used as part of the recruitment process. The chapter provides advice on ways to balance the time between the interview part of the assessment and the presentation within the assessment. It sets the presentation in the wider context of the interview event. The chapter also encourages students to see the presentation from the wider perspectives of the panel members as well as of the interviewee.

Appendix 1
Many students struggle to present numeric data effectively in their presentations. This appendix provides a brief guide to presenting numbers with a series of key points for students to remember. A longer version of this document is available on this web site.

Appendix 2
Students need to be aware of copyright and plagiarism issues. This appendix is a brief outline of the major issues that students need to know to ensure that they comply with good academic practice.

Appendix 3
This appendix brings together the key points from all of the chapters in easy-to-use guidelines to help students ensure that they have focus on all the key aspects of presentation preparation, delivery and reflection.