Challenges, Joys,
Heartbreak of Presenting

Associate Professor Mark Weeks
Department of Academic Writing Education©pixabayVocabulary
engagement
pragmatism
scenariothesis / hypothesis

Take a minute to check the meaningIntroductory Questions
Do you often watch presentations, such as TED.com, online?

Do you ever imagine yourself presenting on a big stage?

Do you think you are as brave as the average person?
Yes / NoWhat are you most afraid of in life?

Think about it for a minute and write down a list.

% of Americans who fear...

閉所恐怖症

What are you mostafraid of?

ピエロ0510152025%

2014. *1500 people surveyedCharles Darwin“I could see nothing all around me
but the paper, and I felt as if mybody was gone, and only my headwas left.”
Quoted in Alley, The Craft of Scientific Presentations 178.

Public Domain

What’s my aim?
Help you think about presentations differently.

https://www.pikpng.com/pngvi/ibJiiix_powerpoint-presentation-writing-presentasi-kartun-clipart/ 2021/09/21

Outline

1. How can we become less nervous?
2. What kind of preparation works best?
3. What’s the best way to present?

Be flexibleDifferent context = Different presentation formstylecontent
There are no rules.

©pixabayWhy Me?
I do presentations.

https://www.tekportal.net/hold-ones-breath/ 2021/10/5

My Recent International Presentations
 Delhi, India

 Istanbul, Turkey

 Krakow, Poland New Orleans, USA Bangkok, Thailand Oakland, USA Sydney, Australia

 Dublin, Ireland Williamsburg, USA Toronto, Canada Manila, Philippines Tokyo, Japan

Why Me?
I do presentations.
I teach presentation skills.
Graduate school researchers
Undergraduate English classes
Andis Rado CC-sa/4.0/

Part 1. How can we become less nervous?

My little storyAnalyze your fears.

Le Moustier, Charles R. Knight 1920)©pixabayWe think it’s an exam.

It’s usually NOT.

©pixabay

Consider why you are presenting
In the “Real World”, why do we usually present?
To get useful feedback/input from others for the future
To share our ideas
To impress people

It’s not the end... it’s part of a process.
©pixabaySo, it’s NOT about YOU. It’s about your ideas and the audiences help.
Presentations are communication
collaborationcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_Club
www.lumaxart.com (creative commons(

What do YOU think is the BEST thing that can happen?

©pixabay

Best-case scenario * for me

A lively question time with useful input.

Someone says, “That was a great presentation.”

Public Domain

What do YOU think is the WORST thing that can happen?

©pixabay

Worst-case scenarios*from my experience

No useful questions or comments
Timing problems (didn’t finish)
Audience didn’t understandDistracted/sleeping audience
No audience“I forgot what to say. There was a long silence!”©pixabay1. How to relax Summary
1. Overcome your inner-caveperson.
2. It’s usually not an exam.
3. Consider why you are presenting.
4. Consider your communication as collaboration.
5. Imagine the best and worst scenarios©pixabay

Part 1
Summary question:
Which of the mentioned ways to help you think in a more relaxed way about
presenting have you tried before? Which are new to you? Which would you like totry in your next presentation?

Think about it for a minutePart 2. What kind of preparation works best?

microbizmag/50382974363/ (Creative Commons)Part 2
If you have a presentation to do, do you usually start preparing more than 1 week
before?
Yes / NoConsider your audience

If you don’t understand your audience...
they’re not going to understand you.

©pixabay

Work from a single question / idea

PDCreate a Through-Line
Introduction

Idea/Question

Support= Connection
Conclusion

Idea/Answer

Excitement Level

Final Message
Conclusions
Results
Testing Method

Problem / Question
Background
HookPranjal Kukreja, CC BY-SA 4.0

Time

Anything can become a story.

Simplify
If you have lots of extra detail, save it for the Q&A or put it online.

Write a script?
WHY?
Clear
Safe
Checkable
Reusable
Shareable
Wikimedia commons https://secure.flickr.com/photos/7944769@N03/

Recommended preparation sequence
Idea
OutlineScriptSlides

Practice + get feedback

AdjustPracticeFeedback

2: Preparation Recommendations Summary:




Think of what the audience knows, wants
Have a single main idea/question
Have a clear through-line *connecting to your main idea/question
Simplify
Write a script, get feedback
Preparation sequence: idea/question / outline / script / slides
Practice presentation, with timing, and Q&A©pixabay

Part 2
Summary question:
Which of the preparation issues do you think is your strong point / weak point?

Think about it for a minute!

Part 3. What’s the best way to present?

Part 3
Do you think you could ever enjoy presenting?
Yes / No ?

Speak directly©pixabay

Don’t be afraid of mistakes

Silence never killed anyone.

©pixabay“I taught myself to feel that it did
not matter whether I spoke wellor badly; the universe would
remain much the same.”
Philosopher Bertrand Russell(Nobel Prize in Literature, 1950)©WikipediaQuestion Time (Q&A)
Prepare for it.
But it’s not an exam.
It’s OK to say, “I don’t understand.”“I don’t know.”

Kalsom Cheman’ CC sa/4.0/n

Cristina Zapata Pérez, CC BY-SA 4.0

Public domain / wikimedia

You don’t need to entertain theaudience... but engage them.

The best way to engage them is for you
to be engaged with your idea.

You don’t need to perform.

©pixabayPhlizz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Just have focused energy.

Choose to enjoy yourself.

3. Presenting SummarySpeak directly *not reading, not memorizing every word
Don’t be afraid of mistakes, silence
Q&A: Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
Be yourself, engaged with your content
Enjoy yourself©pixabay

Part 3 Summary Question
Which of the points about delivery do you think you most need to work on?

Think about it for a minute, turn to your neighbours and share!

Conclusion
Connect with your content.
Think of it as a collaboration, process.
Prepare well.
Forget about perfection.
Learn from the experience.
Decide to enjoy it.

©pixabay

Best of Luck!

©pixabayFor CREDIT students only: REPORT questions
1. Why can presentations be considered as collaboration?
2. What are the benefits of writing a script?
3. How would you prepare for a Q&A?

Longer question requiring deeper consideration
Imagine a presentation on any one topic given to two different types of audience.
Explain how the presentations for each audience would differ and why.

https://www.pikpng.com/pngvi/ibJiiix_powerpoint-presentation-writing-presentasi-kartun-clipart/ 2021/09/21