UGC 2009: Tips for a Great Presentation
Now is the time to secure your spot in our state-of-the-art Technology Pavilion as anticipation is building for the 2009 CBORDŽ User Group Conference (UGC)!
Our conference staff is available to help make your presentation run smoothly. Feel free to contact Melissa Flood should you need any assistance, mlf@cbord.com or 607.330.3980.
Please call on us to help you with any of the following:
- Review your presentation outline.
- Run through your presentation.
- Edit your presentation.
Tips for Presenters
- Engage your audience by introducing yourself and your co-presenter.
- State your qualifications and interests.
- The average adult attention span is less than ten minutes. A combination of lecture and audiovisual aids will help keep your audience interested.
- Stick to your outline! Attendees will be disappointed if audience comments and questions divert you from advertised topics.
- Help your listeners stay on track. Watch the clock! Only fifteen minutes is scheduled between sessions for attendees to find their next sessions and for other presenters to set up in the room you are in. Be courteous and stay on time.
- Collect session evaluations. A labeled envelope will be in your assigned room along with blank evaluations.
- Stress to attendees the importance of filling out the evaluations, and be sure to allow time at the end of your session for this purpose. Get an early start on your presentation!
Three Ways to Feel Comfortable while Presenting
- Feel thoroughly familiar with the content of the presentation.
- Feel in control of the presentation and the audience.
- Feel that slides, video, or other visuals are supporting the presentation rather than serving as a cause of stress.
Tips for Putting Together a Presentation
PowerPoint Hints
PowerPoint can make or break your session. If you use PowerPoint, here are some helpful hints:
- Make sure your text is at least 24-point font.
- Have a limited amount of text on each slide. Participants do not enjoy having slides read to them.
- Use images, videos, and audio to make your presentation more appealing to the participants.
- Choose a font with uppercase and lowercase letters and organize your text in a horizontal, left-to-right manner. Left-justify the text. The easiest to read fonts are Times, Helvetica, and Palatino.
- Less is more. Participants would rather have fewer PowerPoint slides than too many.
Show Enthusiasm
Tell your session attendees what you know. Show enthusiasm for your topic; it will spread to your audience.
KIS—Keep It Simple
There are numerous ways to apply this concept. The bottom line is that the more complicated you let your presentation get, the more trouble you can expect. Keep your presentation focused on the message.
Engage Participants
How will you make your presentation engaging? Can participants ask questions during the presentation or at the end during the question-and-answer period? Make your presentation relevant and applicable to the participants. What will they take away from your session and back to their organizations?
Group Participation
Think carefully about the questions you want to ask to elicit an engaging dialogue. Allow adequate time for discussion.
Lecture style can often lead to audience disengagement, so remember to keep the attendees involved in your presentation.
Rehearse
Rehearse your session in advance and try not to read your presentation. Have a dialogue or conversation with your participants. Use good eye contact.
If You Defer Any Questions
Follow through as promised. Nothing will damage your credibility in the long run more than not keeping your word.
Begin and End on Time
You are responsible to those who got to your session on time. Maintain your awareness of time throughout the session.
Plan to reserve the last five minutes for an overall summary, written evaluations, and last-minute questions.
Five Things to Do When You Are All Done
- Thank your audience!
- Make your materials available.
- Make yourself available.
- Provide the attendees with a method of reaching you.
- Get feedback—find out what the audience thought of you, what they learned, what they were hoping to learn but didn’t, how you can improve your presentation, how to improve your communication skills, and so on. (Be sure to collect session evaluations.)
Session Evaluation—What to Do
Be sure to collect your session evaluations from attendees. Immediately after your session turn these into the conference Registration/Information Desk. These evaluations help us to plan future sessions at UGC!
Thank you for being a part of CBORD’s 30th annual User Group Conference!
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