7 Habits Presentation

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As innate storytellers, our brains are hardwired to crave and engage with narratives. Charismatic speakers are great storytellers, and their talks and presentations are often structured as such. Take a look at our blog, Storytelling lessons from great leaders for tips.

While it might look good on paper, rehearsing your presentation will iron out any issues before the big day. Time yourself and pay attention to pauses and rhythms. Rehearse as much as possible in front of you friends and family and ask for feedback. Practice actually makes perfect!

Dave Paradi is one of my favorite people in the presentation design world. He is a Microsoft MVP, has been a professional speaker since 1999, and has authored 9 books and over 100 articles on PowerPoint. His focus is on helping business professionals create clear visuals of financial data.

There are demonstrable, subtle and consistent differences between presenting virtually and presenting in-person. However, it would be wrong to assume that the emphasis switches to the technology and that takes precedent. Whilst mastering the technology is a pre-requisite of well-honed virtual presenting skills, it is also important to factor in the fundamentals of content design and delivery.

No two exceptional presenters are the same. However, there are 12 areas that are critical habits for both face to face and virtual presentations. They are the foundations of any presentation.

Every presentation needs to be audience-centric. Many business presentations are the exact opposite: presenter centric. Prepare with the audience in mind and identify how you can offer real value. If you are too anxious, you are focusing on yourself. If you stuff your presentations with boring bullet pointed slides, you are focusing on yourself. Exceptional presenters ask:

Audiences like structure. Having a high-level framework ensures that your message is delivered clearly and increases the chances of your audience recalling the information you deliver. Avoid subjecting your audience to an information dump. Less is more.

Of course engaging your audience virtually requires new ideas. We will be exploring these next week, when we look at how to engage an online audience with new approaches such as PechaKucha and new technology such as Mentimeter.

Using evidence and logic will increase your credibility as a presenter. People are persuaded by both logic and emotion. Focus on finding some key relevant pieces of evidence to support your claim, rather than a slew of facts that are loosely related to your main point.

There is no failure, only feedback. You never stop learning. Every presentation is a new learning opportunity. Feedback is critical, so always seek it out (from trusted colleagues) and look for candour from your colleagues. Feedback can become feedforward as you put the new suggestions into action.

If the idea of standing up to present at work is a little to daunting to start with then consider joining a group. Somewhere you can practice speaking in a safe and supportive environment. Toastmasters is an International speaking club which has 16,600 clubs in 143 countries.

Presenting your ideas effectively to colleagues, clients or strangers is underpinned by the same principle. In this context, that journey of imagination begins with you sitting quietly long before you open your laptop to begin building your presentation. Ask yourself 2 questions:

The first habit presents the idea that if you really want something to happen, the only person who can make it so is yourself. Habit 2 challenges us to accept the reality that we have to be abundantly clear on what that is and to be able to see it in our minds too. I believe that if Stephen Covey were writing these habits with the focus on presentations and presenting, he would say that Habit 3 is about your message. That entails:

This is a principle which embraces the idea of thinking and preparing your presentation in a way that is cooperative rather than competitive. Very closely aligned to Habit 3, it encourages us to focus exclusively our audience. It expels the notion of someone winning and someone else losing and urges us to craft a story that brings the presenter and her audience together.

As you can see, there are a number of very important questions which need to be asked and answered long before we open our laptops. Once we make the effort to really understand our audience, we increase the likelihood of them understanding us.

Synergize means developing the habit of approaching every presentation as an opportunity to work closely with our audience. It means creating the time and making the effort to interact with and involve them in our message.

It is a habit of self-renewal that promotes the idea that to be the best we can be we have to keep fresh and stay ahead of the game physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. How can we expect to influence and inspire our audience, to lead action and change if we are not in peak condition?

Do you think people are tired of counting sheep to get to sleep? Can you think of a solution for people to improve their sleep habits? Of course you can, because you are a creative mind! If one of your ideas is an application to monitor sleep habits and make them healthier, this pitch deck will be very useful to present your data. The design is very relaxing, with images of people sleeping to go perfectly with the theme. Start editing and remember the importance of getting enough sleep!

It is no surprise that public speaking is not a favorite pastime for most professionals. That said, it is a requirement for many jobs. Therefore, it is important that professionals learn to become confident speakers in order to deliver powerful presentations. Most people will agree that they are searching for ways to better engage their audience. One of the best ways to do this is to avoid some common (but very bad) mistakes. These bad presentation habits can put a barrier between the speaker and the audience. Here are 5 of the most common habits that cause distractions in presentations.

1. Reading Straight From The Notes

Nothing will put your audience to sleep faster than being read to. While it is perfectly acceptable to refer to notes during a presentation, it is not acceptable to read straight from them. Great communicators understand that their presentation immediately loses its authenticity when they are reading directly from a script. Instead, practice your speech multiple times beforehand making sure to hit all key points. With sufficient practice, a good speaker can make their presentation feel more like a conversation.

3. Standing In The Same Place Throughout The Presentation

Great speakers understand that standing in the same place appears stiff and boring. It can make the presentation seem exhausting. Instead, the speaker should walk, move around, and use hand gestures in a purposeful manner. This will make the presentation more lively and animated.

4. Talking Too Long

The best way to deliver a powerful presentation is to be clear, passionate, and concise. A great presentation can be given in a short amount of time when the speaker is direct and articulate. Many people think the longer they speak, the smarter they appear. The opposite is actually true. A lengthy drawn out speech is a sure fire way to lose audience attention.

5. Dressing Too Casual

The clothes someone wears can speak volumes when it comes to a professional presentation. This does not mean you have to go out and purchase the most expensive suit, but it is important to look the part when giving a speech. You want to appear professional and well put together.

Great communicators understand that these mistakes must be avoided in order to deliver a meaningful presentation. Avoiding these common behaviors is essential for business professionals. These bad habits can ruin an otherwise good presentation. In order to become a great speaker, take note of these bad habits and practice in order to overcome them.

Breaking (and replacing) unproductive habits requires, as we have said, more than just willpower alone. It can be achieved in the same way that the original habits were established: through repetition of the desired behaviour in the presence of the relevant environmental cues. So what does that mean for teaching? It means repeatedly using of a new technique or approach in a realistic (or near-realistic) classroom environment.

This volume brings together research from multiple perspectives on the experiences of commuter college students in academic libraries. The majority of American college students are commuters and are more likely than residential students to have responsibilities apart from their roles on campus; the commute itself may impact the student experience. Each chapter is a case study of research on serving commuter students at a particular institution, encompassing a detailed description of the research methods used, analysis of what was learned during the research, and specific interventions or changes made in library services, resources, or facilities as a result. Taking into account the lived experiences of commuter students at our institutions can enable librarians to design and develop services, resources, and facilities to best meet the needs of these students. Included research protocols will allow readers to consider using the methods for research at their own library.

Online learning continues to grow throughout higher education, including expansion at urban commuter institutions like the City University of New York (CUNY) that have traditionally focused primarily on in-person courses. Building on research into the scholarly habits of CUNY students, we undertook a qualitative study to explore the lived experiences of CUNY students and faculty using technology in online and hybrid courses. Our research revealed how students and faculty use online tools in support of learning and illuminated a range of experiences determined by differing access to and skills with technology, the usability of required technology platforms, availability of support, and communication and connection in online courses. Insights from this research can inform the development and deployment of online learning tools and support for students and faculty at CUNY and on other commuter college and university campuses.

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