George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Project Manager at University: Speaking Skills
Use these top tips so you are well prepared for the different types of presentations you may have to give during your course:
1.Make sure you know the range of choices permitted before dedicating yourself to a topic area. Read any project guidelines carefully, and check for any further details in documentation.
2.Never over pack a presentation in order to get in more detail. Instead, select a few relevant items that link well. This does not mean leaving out major points, but maybe leading the project team into asking questions that help you expand a point further.
3.You are the person giving the presentation, and the main focus of the audience. Do not replace yourself with audio-visual aids. These should only be used where they can enhance your presentation. For example, you might use a well-designed and fully accessible diagrams to help you explain selected details.
4.If over phone, keep focused on your audience, If face2face, direct look at your audience all the time you are speaking. They cannot hear you properly if you turn round and talk at a screen. In addition, facing a window at right angles also causes disengagement. You are not talking to the pigeons passing by!
5.If face2face Move your gaze around the audience. Never stare at one person and address them only. This can be quite scary for them and the rest of the audience will feel left out. If over the phone, address most members as you can, do not address constantly one single person o group of persons. Remember you're presenting if all.
6.Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. You need to be familiar with content and order, and to time yourself. Find a sympathetic friend/peer to help you. You can give them a short list of what to observe, such as your speaking pace. Allow time for feedback, discussion and possibly a second run through.
7.Lubricate your voice before any public speaking, including rehearsals. Plain, still water is always best. Other types of liquid can hamper good voice production. Keep any caffeine for afterwards.
8.Speak slower than you usually do and have pauses between sections. You have taken time to prepare, and the audience wants to listen. They also need time to take in your content. If you know you speak too fast, get help, and in good time, so that your speech habits can be retrained.
9.Use clear signposting language, such as: ‘First of all,…’; ‘Now I’d like to move onto X’. This keeps your audience with you and helps you to order your content.
10.Let people know when you have finished and are ready to take questions. This is all part of signposting. Use our handout Presentations: signposting for ideas. It includes useful phrases for group presentations.
All comments are modified from Alida Bedford www.Port.AC.UC/ASK, 2015 to reflect project manager point of view. This post is not intended to add anything new but to share great insights obtained from University Background that might be helpful to other Project Managers.
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