iLEAP Academia

What is my game plan?

Now that you have prepared the outline consider how you would like to proceed. No  doubt  you  have  got  together  your  content, structured the main and  sub points, and considered the  aids  you  would use. But how are you going to connect with the audience?
Simple strategies like your style of dressing can affect the audience. Let us say you are presenting before a group of professors from a rural background. A simple sari for women or sober trousers and a plain shirt would strike a chord than flashy shirts or skirts. Moving on to your introduction, what are the credentials you would like to present? It  is not necessary  to  list  out  all  your  qualifications and awards but  only those  relevant  to the  topic  you are presenting. You may be an excellent sportsman but that is of no consideration if the topic of presentation is Effective Leadership. Based on the  level  of maturity  of  the  audience you  could  decide  how  much  of  visual or  other  aids  you  would like  to use. Laying expectations and ground rules right at the start will help you gain credibility and make the audience comfortable.

 Plan how you would like to place yourself through the course of the presentation. Would you like  to stay only  in the  front  of the audience,  or  would you like  to change  locations  simply  to create a change or engage differently  with the  audience? How often would you like to structure breaks. Would you factor in activities at opportune moments to increase interaction?
Some other factors that need consideration - what is the length of your presentation, do you have cue cards ready and how are you going to chunk the information.
These are among the many strategies you could think of while planning the presentation and of course your plan B in the case of any unforeseen circumstances.


Choosing the appropriate mode of Delivery

While the kind of presentation will determine your chosen mode of delivery, there are a couple of styles that are generally used.

The manuscript style: Typical of research paper presentations or commission reports where you are reading out from written text. Bringing inflection into your voice, using nonverbal cues and pacing your delivery can help to improve the attention of the audience.

Memorized speech: Useful  for key note  speakers; however, use your  voice  effectively and  couple it  with  nonverbal  cues so that you  don’t  sound monotonous and rehearsed.

Impromptu: In this style you can draw from your personal experience and knowledge. Be brief and avoid the tendency to ramble on. Use gestures and movements that relate to what you are saying.

Extemporaneous: In this style you use a full content outline, keep speaking notes and adapt your delivery to suit the audience as you go along.
With practice you will learn to adapt the extemporaneous style which is generally preferred over the others.
Your presentation can take the form of a lecture, a demonstration, a discussion or a training session. Your mode of delivery will be based on the form of presentation. If you are conducting an orientation session, your mode of delivery would be stand up delivery and interaction with the participants. Suppose you were to lead a discussion, you would take on the role of a facilitator where you allow the participants to interact and intervene when necessary. When you conduct a training session again, you would take on the role of a performer or facilitator depending on the kind of training you are conducting. Sometimes we can present like a ventriloquist - a person who uses his sound to make it seem like it is coming from somewhere else. In the earlier days they used puppets and made it seem like the puppet was speaking. In this style you could use another medium like a hand puppet, or perhaps some members from among the participants. You will facilitate and mediate, and they will carry the presentation forward. In the case of a discussion  or debate, your requirement to talk is  limited and  your  presence is required only  to  guide  or direct  while the participants  take  center stage.
Always adapt the style to suit the audience. Bringing in an element of change midway, changing your place or position in the room, introducing a surprise element will bring in the punch and make your presentation lively.

Summary:

Choose the factors and points that help you strike the right chord with your audience.
What style will suit which presentation? You decide! The manuscript style, memorized speech, Impromptu, extemporaneous.

Reflection Time

At your workplace, there are many occasions when you are required to make a presentation to your team, to your managers and sometimes to stakeholders. Your mode of delivery will vary based on the occasion. Given below are some situations. Think and decide what would be the mode of delivery you would adopt in each of these cases.

• Your manager has received an award and the team is planning to hold a felicitation meeting to congratulate him. You have been chosen to speak and laud him on his achievements.
• The stake holders are accompanying a new client to understand about the account that you represent. He needs to know about how the process works, strength, growth plans, changes initiated, and the next one year plan for the process. You are required to make this presentation.
• There is going to be merger of your company with another established name in the market. You are the team lead and the manager has requested you to break the news gently to the team, detailing both the pros and cons of this merger. Their fears need to be allayed and their questions answered.

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