Consider the audience. Many do not speak English as a first language:
- Speak slowly and articulate each word;
- Do not read directly from hard copy or slides. Your audience can read what you have written there;
- Use pauses and deliver sentences in a slow cadence;
- Engage with the audience. Ask a question to get a response, or note something familiar in the audience such as acknowledging a delegation from a country/region you visited;
- Audiences will remember success stories, case studies, and experiences;
- Audiences remember activities they experience and how they can apply ideas;
- It is more helpful to share experiences, lessons learned, and best practices rather than share lots of statistics.
When reporting research to an audience of counselors:
- Explain the problem and why it is important;
- Describe the methods and population studied in one paragraph or less;
- Completely skip the analysis and any statistical tables;
- Describe your findings succinctly;
- Explain what the results imply for providing career guidance to your targeted population(s);
- Ask attendees how this research might apply to their clients.
Designing an interactive workshop:
- Get feedback from colleagues that your Power Point Presentation is clear and easy to understand;
- Have enough handouts for the anticipated number of attendees;
- At the beginning, explain what you hope to accomplish in the workshop;
- Give clear directions. Ask audience if they understand the directions;
- Allow enough time for participants to interact and carry out directions;
- Conclude with a synopsis of workshop goals and what participants did;
- Allow 5 – 10 minutes for questions/answers at end of the workshop.
Designing PowerPoint slides or visual aids that add value to both the content and entertainment:
- Compose a talk that has a welcoming start, states the purpose for the presentation, then delivers the content and facts, and closes by reviewing three points for a conclusion;
- Your PowerPoint presentation should contain only the “outline” or “important points.”
- Slides should include only key points — the fewer words the better;
- Restrict yourself to a maximum of 5 points/statements per slide;
- Do not use clip art to fill space unless it is related to the topic;
- Select dark or richly contrasting colors to enhance the visual readability;
- Provide your contact information on the first and last slide;
- Build a presentation to deliver in the amount of time allowed;
- Be bold, smile, acknowledge applause, and say thank you.
Practice your presentation:
- Deliver your presentation to a few colleagues or in front of a mirror;
- Time yourself and allow 5 minutes for questions;
- Do not exceed your allowed time. Edit your presentation if necessary.