Skills for effective oral presentations
Skills for effective oral presentations
In this paper, I intend to highlight the skills that will help in effective and dynamic oral presentations. Oral presentations can be in the form of public speaking, church sermons, drama festivals, academic presentations, among other activities.
Over the decades, it has been argued that great speakers are born, not made. This in essence, has been due to the fact that many speakers do not prepare adequately ahead of the various oral presentations. According to Jennifer Selland’s article on Effective Oral Presentations Skills, she states that every great speaker in history has over the years learnt the skills of mastery of the content, adequate preparation and delivery as well as the techniques required to overcome anxiety. In her article, Jennifer Selland states that one has to
Organize and visualize the content so that he/ she can create mental pictures on what is to be presentated. This helps in reducing anxiety and in turn gives a perfect presentation to the audience.
Proper prior planning of the content gives an excellent presentation. According to Selland J, planning is done by analyzing the audience and developing the objectives of the presentation. A good speaker assesses the level of knowledge of the audience and then links to the content. Use of jargon and acronyms without explanations should be avoided.
Develop and brainstorm the ideas systematically by developing the objectives, introductions, the main message and the conclusion of the presentations. According to Selland J, This helps in creating a rapport with the audience hence an effective oral presentation.
According to Nakate S’s article on Oral Communication Skills, important and relevant should be relayed first. A good speaker should elaborate on key issues. This process should be interactive with the audience so that they give their input without feeling the boredom of the presentation.
There should be proper pronunciation of words during the presentation. This brings out clarity of ideas as well the flow and fluency of words which in essence captures the attention of the audience.
In addition, a good speaker should not wander from the main content of the presentation. He/ she should not deviate into irrelevant data which would easily bore the audience.
Maintain the right posture by standing upright, but not stiff. This builds the confidence of the speaker as she/ he speaks. The eye contact should also be maintained. A lot of movements should be avoided as this increases anxiety. Use of gestures also enhances elaboration of points and thereby building the confidence of the speaker.
The tonal variation should also be enhanced. A good speaker should avoid using low and inaudible tones which usually causes murmuring the audience. There should be good projection of the voice so that everyone hears the presentation.
According to Nakate S’s article on Oral Communication Skills, she emphasizes that the item of presentation should be organized so that the orator has a smooth time during presentation. A disorganized text creates a room for confusion for both the orator and the audience. The quality of the item of presentation should therefore be excellent so that the orator delivers the presentation harmoniously.
During the conclusion of the presentation, there are questions and answers sessions. A good public speaker prepares for this session in advance. The orator should be prepared to be asked very difficult questions whose answers may not be available. During such questions, the orator should be honest and admit that he/ she does not know the answers to the questions but will find out.
In addition, a good orator should not interrupt the audience while asking a question but should listen carefully and attentively to the question being asked. According to Glickstein Lee’s book: “Be Heard Now, ” Scientists argue that human beings think five times more than they can speak. As a result, a good speaker should hold back his/ her comments until the response time. In some instances, the orator should repeat the question being asked to the audience. This creates time and room for the orator to prepare for the answers as the audience also brainstorms about the answers.
In conclusion, effective oral presentations create a conducive environment for good communication, which is very essential in the world today. According to Nakate S’s article on Oral Communication Skills, business and individual skills are best developed through effective communication.
Works Cited
Glickstein, Lee, “ Be Heard Now”, New York, Broadway Books, 1998. Print
Nakate Shashnak, “Oral Communication Skills” , 2010
Selland Jennifer, “ Effective Oral Presentations”, 2006
