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 Characteristics of an Effective Large-Group Presentation
Adapted from a workshop by C. Micheal Brooks,
EdD, and James L. McKittrick, EdD., and from Using visuals in presentations, by
Media Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
- Has a clear introduction and summary
- Has a clearly organized plan of attack
- Is designed to be presented easily within the allotted time
- Makes an effective use of a limited number of visuals and
examples
- Makes an appropriate use of handouts (optional)
- Conveys interest and enthusiasm by the presenter in
presenting to this particular audience
- Is presented via a smooth and non-distracting delivery
Designing a Large-Group Presentation
Adapted from a workshop by C. Micheal Brooks,
EdD, and James L. McKittrick, EdD., and from Using visuals in presentations, by
Media Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Questions to be considered:
- What is the learner knowledge base and level of knowledge
needed on this topic? Identify the knowledge level of the students on the topic and on
related topics on which an understanding of your topic may depend. If in doubt as to
whether the students recall the base knowledge, ask or probe, and review it if necessary.
Also, identify the level of understanding of your topic needed by the students. Limit the
concepts to be presented to those needed by the students.
- What are the key instructional points I want to include?
Present not more than 5 or 6 key points that unquestionably contribute to the
students’ understanding of the overall topic.
- What instructional strategy(ies) should I use? Select
an instructional strategy which seems to work for students. Explain the new concepts by
building on and relating to what the students already know, and use instructional
techniques (uninterrupted lecture, rhetorical questions, probing questions, etc.) and
comfortable presentation methods (visual illustrations previously prepared or developed
during the presentation). Maintain a consistent approach and design of visual
illustrations that clearly reveal your point with a minimum of background material.
- Will my explanations be clear? Do at least a partial
run-through of the explanations and visuals with a colleague and/or a student. An
illustration that is very clear to you as an experienced person in the field may make no
sense at all to students.
- How should I handle questions? Be sure to open
yourself to questions, but decide if you will entertain them during or at the end of the
presentation.
- What references should I provide? Refer students to
selected information sources that will be useful to them.
- Should I provide a handout and, if so, what should it
look like? If a handout is distributed to accompany the presentation, design it
carefully to convey your message, its organization, and relationships and use it
effectively by referring to points on it without quoting from it verbatim. (Click here to see how to
design an instructional handout.)
Delivering the Lecture
Adapted from a workshop by C. Micheal Brooks,
EdD, and James L. McKittrick, EdD., and from Using visuals in presentations, by
Media Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Get
organized.
- Plan your notes carefully and provide yourself with good
cues.
- Mark your notes with details about lights, projectors, and
exact points for visual changes.
- Practice with the finished visuals to help smooth your
delivery and reduce anxiety during the presentation.
Avoid equipment operation
distractions.
- Familiarize yourself with projector and lighting controls
before the presentation.
- Check provisions for back-up in case of failure, e.g., spare
lamp, remote control, etc.
- Have slides or transparencies loaded in tray or arranged in
order and checked BEFORE the presentation.
- If using an overhead projector, be sure a lavalier type
microphone is provided at the projector location.
Control the audience's
attention. Focus attention on the screen or on the speaker. If a visual on the
screen is not being referred to, remove it. Use a blank plastic slide to avoid shutting
off the slide projector. With an overhead transparency, simply turn off the projector or
cover a portion of the visual with a sheet of paper.
Avoid distractions caused
by:
- Beeper messages you won't answer until after the lecture
- Cluttered or ambiguous photographs
- Photographs with poor exposure or color
- Crooked mounted slides
- Projector not setting level or out of alignment
- Slides loaded backward in tray
- Dusty slides
- Stray light falling on the screen
Why Use Visual Aids?
Derived from Gelula, M. H. (1997). Effective
Lecture Presentation Skills. Surg. Neurol. 47, 201-204.
Visual aids help to direct the audience's attention and are
important reinforcement/support tools. Visuals help the instructor to reach the audience,
to keep on time and on topic, and to assure audience comprehension. Good visual aids
complement and enhance the presentation by reinforcing concepts, illustrating ideas, and
stimulating interest.
Good visual presentations support a lecture, but are not
the essence of the presentation. Here are some tips that allow the visual presentation to
support a presentation:
- Don't talk to your slides. Your audience
will be familiar with the back of your head and you cannot watch them for cues to your
talk's acceptance.
- Let the slides speak for themselves. Allow
the audience to read them. Use silence and don't read slide content word-for-word. It will
bore the audience and provide unnecessary redundancy.
- Pause after highlighting points on a slide.
The audience will have a chance to absorb the information. You can then regain and hold
attention with your oral presentation.
- You are the central force behind the presentation
-- not your video or slides.
What Visuals Must Do in Order to Contribute to
Large-Group Presentations
- Attract and hold the audience’s attention
- Provide organization and illustration (a common reference
point) and clarify information in the talk
- Encourage active thought---but not distraction---by the
audience
- Increase both the effectiveness and the efficiency of the
presentation
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