Mastering Engaging Presentations with Boz Bostrom

Win the Crowd Delivering Engaging Presentations Boz Bostrom, CPA Professor of Accounting and Finance College of Saint Benedict and Saint John s University bbostrom@csbsju.edu / (612) 414-9629 https://www.linkedin.com/in/bozbostrom/ June 29, 2023 1 1

Logistics Polling questions throughout the meeting 2.0 CPE Hours: Personal Development (non-technical) Required for CPE If you have issues answering the polling questions, please chat or email across your answer Questions (and tips) are very welcome, submit through chat at any time Course evaluation and CPE certificate will be e-mailed shortly after the session 2

Learning objectives Understand how to deliver engaging presentations In-person and virtually Understand how to effectively use PowerPoint as part of presentations Understand how to incorporate relevant content into your presentations Learn from examples of strong and weak presentations 3

Introduction 4

What types of professional presentations are there? Keynotes Trainings Presentations to: Investors Creditors Boards Employees Stakeholders Client Meetings One-on-one with a boss, colleague, direct report, interviewee, etc. 5

What do you think about delivering presentations? 6

Polling Question 1: What do you think about giving oral presentations? a. Love them b. Like them c. Indifferent d. Dislike them 7

What are benefits of delivering effective presentations? Career advancement Personal satisfaction Showcase yourself or your company Help others Unique opportunities 8

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What does it mean to Win the Crowd? Audience learns or is inspired to take action Usually, the audience is engaged 10

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Glossophobia and failure 12

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Glossophobia Greek origin glossa (tongue) phobos (fear or dread) Common symptoms of fight-or-flight include: rapid heartbeat trembling sweating nausea or vomiting shortness of breath or hyperventilating dizziness muscle tension urge to get away What are we afraid of? Judgment Failure https://www.healthline.com/health/glossophobia#symptoms 14

My biggest failures Oversleeping / Arriving late Comments in evaluations you guys Inaccurate information Not knowing who is in the audience Not verifying equipment Spellchecking, but not proofreading Typos Pubic interest, asses goals Poking fun at people 15

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My biggest failures Not providing materials in advance Not enough substance Not being passionate enough Being flat with a small crowd Too much material looks sloppily planned Too little material how do you fill the time? Using material prepared by others At least I wasn t like this guy 17

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Polling Question 2: If someone makes a mistake when presenting, what is your reaction? a. It happens b. They should be embarrassed c. I m glad it s not me up there 19

Delivering effective presentations 20

Strengths Weaknesses 21

Overview Initial Preparation Organization Visual Aids Practice! Giving the Presentation 22

Initial Preparation Make sure you understand the exact purpose of your presentation What does your audience want to hear? Who is your audience? Know who you need to impress Know how you are expected to dress Know how educated your audience is on the topic Anticipate their questions 23

Initial Preparation Know how long you are expected to speak for Break your presentation into sections and estimate how long each will take Know what tools (e.g. computer, projector, audio, Wi-Fi) you will have available Determine whether you can trust that the necessary items will be ready for you or if you should bring your own Scope out the room you will be using Do the necessary research and ensure the content of your presentation is up to date and accurate be the smartest person in the room on the topic Can be difficult to use someone else s materials 24

Organization Initial Hook Start with something interesting/strong to get the attention of your audience Introduction Clearly state the purpose Likely provide an overview/agenda of your presentation Set expectations 25

Organization Body Use slide headers which tie back to your overview ENGAGE your audience. Conclusion Leave the audience wanting to take action, or remind them of your key points 26

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Visual Aids PowerPoint or similar handouts are critical Make sure slides/handouts are readable Keep the PowerPoint slides simple - Phrases, not sentences Use animations to keep audience focused on you 28

Polling Question 3: In general, I like it when a presenter uses animations a. Agree b. Neutral c. Disagree 29

Visual Aids Randy Pausch s Last Lecture Over 21 million views on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo Slides were mainly pictures https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/ 30

Practice! Practice your presentation out loud and in front of someone who will give you candid feedback Time your presentation Ask yourself would I want to listen to this presentation? If your answer is no, make changes until your answer becomes yes Practice the intro, the conclusion, and the transitions 31

Giving the Presentation Breathe, breathe, breathe Talk slowly if needed Have water available Eye contact make eye contact with the leaders but don t talk solely to them Don t simply scan the room back and forth, look an individual people engage them Use only a few notes to enhance flow only the main points, make sure they are very easy to read from a distance of 3 feet Try to use the PowerPoint as your notes 32

Giving the Presentation Use transitions between slides practice (memorize) them Focus on listeners who seem receptive to you (look for head nods, not head bobs) Voice change your pitch, speed, and volume to make your key points stick Slow down when making key points Smile, express warmth and enthusiasm How to avoid filler words? Practice! Slow down 33

Giving the Presentation Right before the presentation, get in the proper frame of mind: Confidence. You are serving others. They are going to hear a great talk In presenting, authenticity beats perfection 100% of the time 34

Special Topics 35

Team Presentations Establish a leader or order Discuss desired roles and embrace your differences Let people talk on areas they are most knowledgeable about Look to get all of your teammates involved Practice handoffs Look affirmatively at your colleagues When questions arise, be assertive when you know the answer, deferential when you don t 36

Presenting Data or Spreadsheets Directing the audience s attention is key Animations Pointing/gesturing Don t put too much data on the slides only include data you will directly speak to Vary the appearance somewhat to keep things engaging and lively When using spreadsheets Bold/highlight the important items Have a clear plan hit the main items 37

Virtual presentations Use a platform like Zoom which can maximize engagement Arrive at least five minutes early / build rapport Find a few people you can engage with Set expectations with audio/video Engagement - Without regular engagement, people will start multi- tasking Acknowledge participant comments when possible Energy has to be higher higher than when in-person Utilize a partner, assistant, or chat-master 38

Polling Question 4: I prefer to present a. In person b. Virtually c. Hybrid (people present in person while I m also being broadcast via something like Zoom) 39

Long presentations Break your presentation into modules Estimate time of each module Review each module for something interesting / engaging Create engagement early Use different pedagogy Content delivery, discussion (small and large group), videos, games/activities End strong 40

Engagement and improvement 41

Engagement - General Interject items of interest throughout the presentation to keep the audience s attention Affirm those who engage But not those who take over When appropriate, make your presentations interactive Ask a question that isn t too hard or too easy If you are going to direct it at someone, say their name first Direct your question at a group, not an individual Ask for an opinion, not a fact What is Code Section 1001? 42

In-person Eye contact with all parts of the audience Solicit feedback What is the key to a lasting and happy marriage? Use group discussions Call on a group, not a person Show videos Games Skits Phone calls? 43

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Virtual Polls Banter with a co-host Annotation Words, stamps Animation Entrance and exit effects Videos Breakout rooms 45

How to get better? Practice Solicit and review feedback I will hold remotes as makeshift microphones, stand in front of the mirror, or record myself. I will usually give it to my family once or twice at the end. Study effective presenters! 46

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Polling Question 5: My favorite speakers are those who are: a. Authentic b. Passionate c. Engaging d. Technical experts 49

Engaging Slides 50