Communication
Mastering the Power of Words
Ideas are meaningless until you know how to effectively communicate with others. We strive for all of our students to achieve mastery and comfort presenting in front of large audiences, facilitating team discussions, interviewing users, and holding professional conversations with mentors. To help them refine their existing abilities and acquire new skills, all of our CEL classes make use of the presentation expectations, practices, and resources below - developed by Influential Presentation instructor, Daria Maidenbaum (New Media). We are confident that, no matter how much the world changes, storytelling will remain an essential skill for success.
Presenting
Voice
- Moderate speed with pauses so the audience can understand. Speaker may vary speed.
- Words are audible throughout the room - no mumbling or softness.
- Vocal tone is engaging and features variety - no monotone.
- Filler words (um, like, uh etc...) are kept to a minimum.
- Microphone does not distract and is positioned to pick up voice.
Body
- Make eye contact with different members of the audience throughout presentation.
- Animated, deliberate movements. Avoid distracting behavior like pacing, shifting weight etc...
- Body and face are open to the audience, not the screen, and arms are used naturally.
Preparation
- Speech has an introduction that draws the audience in and presents the basic topic.
- Body of speech is purposeful and consistent in topic and theme.
- Conclusion is interesting and engaging, pulls story together, and ends on a strong note.
- Speaker is familiar with script and glances at notes infrequently, if at all.
Rehearsal
Speaking practice.
Regardless of the length of your presentation, the more familiar you are with the material, the better your chance of a successful delivery. For many speakers, the optimal amount of preparation is to spend 1 hour of practice for every minute of presentation. Along with knowing your content, being aware of and practicing your speech patterns and body language will help you both feel and appear more confident and professional. In addition to using the resources linked below, you could also practice by:
- Recording yourself speaking and listening to it on repeat like you learn a song.
- Giving your speech in front of a mirror to watch your body language.
- Take a full body video and rewatch to target nervous habits and body language.
Understand your tech.
How does it connect and work? How is it controlled?
Where should it be placed?
How does it look when presenting?
Do a dry run.
Pretend it's the real thing. Set up your slides, use your clicker, and go through the whole speech. Find an audience if you can. Take video if you can't. Analyze how it goes. Repeat if necessary.
Last minute checks.
Close your eyes and do a mental run through. Drink some water, clear your throat, and warm up your voice. Shake out your shoulders, take a deep breath in, exhale, and go.
Slide Decks
Formatting
- Consistent color scheme and theme.
- Feature 1-3 fonts that work well together (e.g. all sans serif, or different styles of the same font).
- Text is of a readable font, color and size - minimum of 18 point.
- Transitions and animations are not distracting.
- Deliberate layout of elements - centering, spacing, within slide limits, no overlapping.
Media
- Directly embed video and audio files in presentation - no external links.
- Image and video size and aspect ratio does not appear distorted or pixelated on a large screen.
- Images and videos are not obscured by large watermarks.
- Credit everything that is not your original work, including images, quotes, and videos.
Content
- No full sentences unless using a specific quote.
- Text serves a specific purpose.
- Limit the use of bullet points.
- Slides enhance presentation and does not distract.
Design
Select a theme.
Use your theme choice to support your tone. Think about colors, textures, fonts, borders, and shapes. Choose or create a theme that fits your presentation.
Limit your word count.
Before adding text, ask yourself what value the words add. If your audience is reading, they are not listening.
Prioritize large images.
The brain processes visuals faster than text, and a picture is worth a thousand words. When possible, use large, clear pictures or graphic elements that connect with what you are saying.
One concept per slide.
The more you have on a slide, the more thinking the audience has to do, and the more distracted they become. It is better to have many clear, simple slides than fewer complex, dense ones.
Reveal information.
If you must use bullet points, statistics, or specific text, take advantage of animations and transitions so they become visible as you complete the point. The audience can read faster than you speak and will tune you out if you're reading what they have already read.
Remember the purpose.
The audience is there to listen to you. You are the information source. Your slides exist to enhance your presentation and add value. Make them polished and engaging, but do not let them distract from your speech.