CEIM-IV

Engineer 

Pamphlet

25-1-91

Department of the Army

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Washington, DC 20314-1000

E25-1-91

1 August 1990

EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS

Distribution Restriction Statement

Approved for public release; distribution is 

unlimited.
Effective

Presentations

EP 25-1-91, Aug 90

sonal communication, which happens

each time we make our wishes and

thoughts known to one another,

Many Corps of Engineers employees

are required to communicate through

presentations to groups of other

employees or individuals outside the

organization. This IS one of the most effective ways, and sometimes the only

way to reach a particular audience.

This guide examines the steps

necessary to implement presentation

techniques that will assist in the communication effort,

Albert J.Genetti, Jr.

Colonel, Corps of Engineers

Chief of Staff

side or outside the organization, represent themselves, their office and the

organization they work for. A neat appearance is the first step toward mak

It enriches those who receive it without

impoverishing those who give it. A smile

is rest to the uneasy, daylight to the

discouraged and sunshine to the sad.

Hear Your Words

Design your text for an oral presentation.

Merely reading a paper does not make a

productive presentation. Take a positive

approach: It has been shown to be 50%

more effective than negative information.

Keep it simple. Use short, declarative

sentences containing familiar words. Use

key words near the beginning of each

sentence. Design a pattern, a verbal or

visual device which repeats key

information throughout the presentation.

Repetition IS also a very effective

memory aid.

Meet your listeners at their level of

understanding. Use metaphors: Compare

unfamiliar facts with something simple

the audience already knows. An example

would be comparing the flow of water in

a pipe with the flow of electricity in a

wire. People learn more rapidly when

the information relates to their own

experience.

3. Environment (Where)

Barriers to effective communication

involve three elements: the sender, the

receiver and the circumstances that exist

4. Organization (Why)

Much effort goes into preparing

a presentation. This effort will be much

more effective if an objective is clearly

defined and focused on during the

preparation process.

Why

Why are you communicating? What do

you want to accomplish with your

efforts? What do you want the receiver to

think, feel or do? Is there a call to action?

Defining objectives helps the presenter to

maintain focus on the communication

target. Many speeches, slide presentations and one-on-one talks fail because

they lack this fundamental direction.
important environmental issue.

Order

When preparing a presentation you are

confronted with an overabundance of

related information. One of the most

facts. Reduce complex items to the

simplest terms, then build these into the

final message. Quantity and quality go

hand-in-hand in effective presentations.

The audience should be given a map to

follow the presentation so they know

where they are going and when they will

get there. Planning a presentation is

critical to the success of the

communication effort. Have a plan of

execution and follow it like a blueprint.

Timing

The average speaking rate for a

presentation is 120 words per minute.

With this scale, you can estimate 1800

words spoken in a 15 minute period.

The presentation should be organized

into three areas. The first area of concern

is the introduction, which should include

announcements and purpose. The

second area that needs orchestration is

the body of the presentation. The body

should cover the main points from simple

to more complex, then build one point

upon another. And finally, the summary.

The summary should draw conclusions

and make recommendations.

Determine the length of your introduction

and length of your summary. Subtract

from total presentation length to get the

amount of time for the main body of the
presentation. Time should be included for

pauses and changes of pace to add

interest to the message.

Time may also be given to audience

participation. The more senses used

when communicating—sight, sound,

taste, feel, smell—the more the

communication will be remembered.

Toward this end, there are many

communicative vehicles available to get

your message across: objects, videos

and slides—to name just a few. People

retain 10°/0 of what they hear, 20°/0 of

what they see, and 90°/0 of what they do.

5. Technique (How)

Now that you have decided what to

communicate, the next step is to determine how to get the message across.

Each presenter must develop his or her

own style of speaking and nonverbal

communication. Try to put yourself in the

place of the audience and interact with

their needs to receive the information.

No matter how formal or informal the

presentation is going to be, some degree

of structure is indespensable. The

speaker must keep the message from

sounding like hopeless rambling. Don’t

allow stage fright to keep you from being yourself. The ultimate achievement

of all great speakers is to let their personality shine through.

y py

with adequate volume. Remember that

your level of enthusiasm, motivation and

interest will be reflected by the audience.

Check timing and edit where necessary.

Go over your presentation with visuals in

the space where it will be delivered.

Visual Aids

Projected visuals can communicate complex information more rapidly than the

spoken word. Make sure, however, that

they relate to the subject of the presentation. Too often presenters use visuals as

a crutch and tend to put the presentation

narrative on each visual. Visuals should

be used to strengthen your message, not

to carry the weight of it.

Visual aids draw audience participation

by attracting and holding attention.

Complex ideas are often difficult to

express in words. Visuals can communicate a wider range of information in less

time and reduce misinterpretation of the

facts presented.
contains. Verify accuracy of facts and

figures before slides or art is prepared;

afterwards will be too late.

● A single well-chosen idea clearly

presented makes each picture “worth a

1000 words. ” Simplify the information.

When too much information is crowded

on a visual it will not communicate. illustrations and charts should be used

sparingly for key ideas only.

● Don’t use white backgrounds. Deep

background colors are much more effective. Colors should be used consistently

to avoid confusion and to shorten the

communication processing time. For example: blue background with white letters throughout the presentation.

● Good legibility leads to better attention

and audience commitment. Type should

be well-spaced and legible. White type

with a drop shadow on a dark background

is an excellent combination.

● Data should be plotted in graph rather

than tabular form for greater readability.

Choosing the Right Media

Viewgraphs (Overheads) can be used in

bright light; they promote more audience

involvement and can be rearranged at the

last minute.

Liquid Character Display Projection

Panels compliment and provide a wider

range of possibilitles with anything that

can be created on a personal computer.

The first models introduced were limited

to black and white and had low resolution. Today some models offer a range of

colors. Liquid Character Display Projection Panels require a personal computer

to operate.

Slides offer brighter, deeper color, look

more professional and are lightweight,

making them convenient to carry on the

road.

Video monitors offer richer colors and

clearer pictures than video projection but

are limited in the image size. Large

audiences require several monitors.

Video Projectors are becoming increasingly more popular. High Definition

Television and video projection offer the

best results for large groups of people.

Many software programs are available to

interface PC graphic packages with video

output devices. This media is getting

more economical and easier to use with

each technological advance by the

industry.

Video Teleconferencing Centers are available in limited locations throughout the
included in the back of this guide for your

convenience.

6. Evaluation (Result)

Evaluation is one of the most critical steps

to success; throughout the presentation

unified. This means that we tend to fill

in the pieces that are missing. A

presentation that does not clearly give

the audience a direction in which to go

risks allowing them to find their own,

possibly Incorrect, way.

When the public sees a Corps’ logo, we

like to think that they are filling in the

pieces that include things like “Contemporary Engineering Organization, ” ‘(Quality”

and “Professionalism. ” The viewer, when

looking at the castle and signature, sees

more than its physical makeup. Perception reflects past experiences, emotions,

needs and expectations.

US Army Corps

of Engineers

There are no guarantees that come with

the communication process, but the person who is well prepared and continues to

evaluate content, technique and interaction

with the audience, based on a predetermined objective, will have a higher rate of

success with effective communication.

For additional information about

effective presentation techniques or

support services available, contact the

Visual Information Manager located in

the Information Management Office at

your activity.
Have you analyzed your audience

(size, age, experience, education, special

interests, etc.)?

Have you prepared an outline,

organizing your presentation around a

theme and presenting ideas in a smooth

sequence?

Have you researched your

supporting information for accuracy and

anticipated questions?

Have you carefully selected slides

or other visual aids that are relevant and

have good composition and quality?

Have you practiced your

presentation and checked for slide

sequence and timing as well as for a

smooth delivery?

Did you give the presentation an

interesting but understandable title?

Does your program need

additional materials to be shown or

handed out?

Have you checked to see if all

equipment is available and in good

working order?

Have you made

travel arrangements?

all necessary

meeting room (keys, lighting, public

address system, noise, ventilation,

outlets, etc.)?

Have you set up all of your

equipment (prefocus and center image,

set up screen, extension cords, etc.)?

Did you consider appointing and

instructing someone to help you with

the lights, projector and/or doors (for

late arrivals)?

Presentation

Did you make all necessary

announcements?

Did your introduction include a

welcome, arouse interest and set the

stage for the presentation?

Did you work in the name of your

organization?

Did you have smooth transitions

between sections, ideas and slides in the

presentation?

Did you avoid distracting body

movements (change jiggling, swaying, etc.)?

Did you avoid making direct

reference to the slides?

_ Did you stick to your theme?

Did you finish with a strong,

definite conclusion?
“SO” and “You Know”)?

Did you use appropriate language

for your audience and explain technical

terms when used?

Did you adapt your volume to the

audience so all could hear you?

Did you pronounce words

correctly and distinctly?

Did you vary your tone as well as

your pace to add emphasis and interest

to your talk?

Feedback and Evaluation

Were you aware of audience

reactions and feedback?

Did you start and finish on time?

Did you have someone (Colleague)

give you candid criticism?

Notes for improvement:

Did you speak in a friendly,

conversational tone?

Did you relate to the audience’s

interest and experience?

Did you use questions, examples,

stories or comparisons?

Did you use quotation, testimony

or narration?
information in the most effective and

efficient manner, accomplished through,

but not limited to, the life cycle

management of: still photography,

motion picture photography, video or

audio recordings, graphic arts, visual

aids, models, displays, visual presentation services, electronic publishing,

computer generated visuals, conferencing and teleconferencing, and the

processes to support them. The VI

discipline includes the following programs, products and services:

Audiovisual Equipment Loan

Property Accountability

Equipment Management (inventory control, repair, replacement, upgrades, etc.)

Audiovisual Support

Conference Room Design

Projectionists

Multimedia programing

Projected Visuals

Slides

Viewgraphs

Video Projection

LCD Projection Panels

Blackboards/Whiteboards/Flip Charts, etc.

Photographic Support

Documentation

Official Portraits

Duplicating

Film Processing

Camera Loan

Equipment Management (inventory control, repair, replacement, upgrades, etc.)
Illustrations

Technical Illustrations

Publication Drawings and Diagrams

Presentation Techniques

Identifying Appropriate Media

Identifying Objective

Evaluation

Technical Advice and Support

Other VI Management

Responsibilities

There are several Information Management disciplines that have responsibility

to manage organizational requirements

that fall into a gray area. While regulations are rigid and draw definite lines of

responsibility between these disciplines,

changes in technology are bringing

parts of each discipline into an overlapping mode to meet the needs of the

organization and promote efficiency

along the way.

For additional information on VI

regulations, mission and

responsibilities:

● AR 25-1, The Army Information

Resources Management Program

. ER 25-1-90, Visual Information

Management

. ER 360-1-2, The Unified Visual

Communication System

. DA Pam 25-1-91, Visual Visual

Information Procedures

. EP 25-1-90, Computer Generated

Visuals User’s Guide

. EP 310-1-6, Graphic Standards

Manual

. EP 310-1-6a and 6b, National Sign

Standards Manual

● The Corps Electronic Publishing

Style Guide

U. S. Government Printing Office: 1990-273-967 (20715)