HEALTH, SAFETY, AND HUMAN FACTORS

(91-302)

EFFECTIVE ORAL
PRESENTATION SKILLS
PROFESSOR LISA M. SALFI
March 8, 2018
 Who Am I?
Professor Lisa M. Salfi, B.A.Sc., B.A., M.A., E.I.T.
• B.A.Sc. Honours Environmental Engineering, UWindsor
• Project Manager – Jagger Hims Limited/GENIVAR (Now WSP)
• B.A. Honours English Language and Literature, UWindsor
• M.A. English Language and Literature, UWindsor
• Writing Instructor at St. Clair College
• Academic Writing Advisor at UWindsor (Student Success Centre)
• Free-lance technical writer and editor
• Free-lance web content writer
• Learning Specialist (Technical Communications Development and
Support Coordinator) in UWindsor Faculty of Engineering

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 Agenda
Communication considerations
What makes a presentation good / bad?
Tips for oral presentations
Presenting in teams
Slide design tips
Answering questions
Coping with presentation anxiety

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 GO TO MENTI.COM
AND USE THE CODE 49 70 58

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COMMUNICATION
CONSIDERATIONS
PRESENTATIONS

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Group Activity

Image source: http://www.ssimt.edu.in/group_discussion/

 Parts of a Presentation
• Introduction
– (tell them what you’re going to tell them)

• Body
– (tell them)

• Conclusion
– (tell them what you told them)
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 Choosing Effective Language

• Advance organizers
• Transitions
• Summaries
• Memorable language

Source: Markel, M. (2010). Technical communication. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 10

 Use Your Voice Effectively
• Volume
• Speed
• Pitch
• Articulation
• Nonfluencies

Source: Markel, M. (2010). Technical communication. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 11

 Use Your Body Effectively
• Maintain eye contact
• Use natural gestures
• Don’t block the audience’s view of the screen
• Control the audience’s attention

Source: Markel, M. (2010). Technical communication. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 12

Use Technology Wisely

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Make It Memorable
PRESENTING IN TEAMS

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 Presenting in Teams
• Smooth Transitions
• Comportment of Group Members
• Using your Space
• Question Period
• Managing the Technology

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ANSWERING QUESTIONS

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 Answering Questions
1. You’re unsure whether everyone heard the
question.

2. You don’t understand the question.

3. You have already answered the question

during the presentation.

4. Someone in the audience rejects your

response and insists on restating their
original point.
Source: Markel, M. (2010). Technical communication. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 18
SLIDE DESIGN TIPS

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 Limit Your Text
• Make sure you do not have too much text on your slides.
• A presentation is much different than simply coming up in front of an
audience and reading your work to everyone.
• Your slides should be a guide for you and your audience
– You should not be reading off of them, word-for-word.
– Your bullets are talking points – you should use them as a guide and build
on them in your talk.
• Similarly, you should not expect your audience to read everything
that is on your slides and also listen to what you are saying
– people cannot process all of this information at once.
• Full sentences and paragraphs do not belong on slides.
– You can probably take something out
– This is a place where fragments are okay
• Don’t try to do too much in one slide – break up your ideas / topics
• If your text is not at least 18-pt, you are doing something wrong.

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 Font Size
Calibri Garamond Courier Times NR Lucida Sans
40 pt 40 pt 40 pt 40 pt 40 pt
32 pt 32 pt 32 pt 32 pt 32 pt
28 pt 28 pt 28 pt 28 pt 28 pt
24 pt 24 pt 24 pt 24 pt 24 pt
20 pt 20 pt 20 pt 20 pt 20 pt
18 pt 18 pt 18 pt 18 pt 18 pt
16 pt 16 pt 16 pt 16 pt 16 pt
14 pt 14 pt 14 pt 14 pt 14 pt
12 pt 12 pt 12 pt 12 pt 12 pt
10 pt 10 pt 10 pt 10 pt 10 pt

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 Spelling and Grammar
• Mistakes make you
look careless /
incompetent

• Spelling and grammar

mistakes on a
projected screen can
be really
embarrassing!

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Equations

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 Results
A B C D E
• What does 0.89279 0.23423 0.93279 0.23423 0.57651

this mean?
0.9083 0.356456 0.9483 0.87087 0.7621
0.723687 0.98954 0.763687 0.237897 0.00034
0.2897 0.45453 0.3297 0.283799 0.786876
0.8278 0.768769 0.8678 0.78789 0.666755
0.84724 0.274868 0.88724 0.48782 0.83724
• You’re proud 0.778287 0.265772 0.818287 0.318799 0.897898

of your 0.31321
0.09098
0.79899
0.347679
0.35321
0.13098
0.112234
0.0042
0.000023
0.78987
results…but 0.786872 0.679876 0.826872 0.9999 0.131412
0.887786 0.85379 0.927786 0.457625 0.877786
is there a 0.283767 0.358707 0.323767 0.189731 0.78132

better way to 0.237688

0.676786
0.567892
0.8989
0.277688
0.716786
0.187499
0.654137
0.79878
0.2423
show them? 0.2323 0.28782 0.2723 0.743976 0.23424
0.23425 0.879711 0.27425 0.847072 0.78782

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 Graphs

Okay –
this isn’t
great,
either!

Keep it
simple!

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 Animation
• Too much animation is distracting!

• Too much animation is uncomfortable!

• Be professional – remember your purpose!

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 Contrast
• This is difficult to read.
• So is this.
• Could you look at this for an entire
presentation?

• Can you see this?

• Or this?
• Or this?

Image Source: http://www.kmeverson.org/academic-poster-design.html 28

 COPING WITH
PRESENTATION ANXIETY

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 Coping With Presentation
Anxiety

Before you deliver a presentation, how do

you feel
1.Mentally?
2.Physically?

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1) Focus On The Message

Source: Salem-Wiseman, L. & Zaman, S. (2015). Writing for Canadian health

professionals. 2nd Edition. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.
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 2) Practise

Source: Salem-Wiseman, L. & Zaman, S. (2015). Writing for Canadian health

professionals. 2nd Edition. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.
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3) Use Positive Self-talk

Source: Salem-Wiseman, L. & Zaman, S. (2015). Writing for Canadian health

professionals. 2nd Edition. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.
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4) Release Nervous Energy

Source: Markel, Michael H. Technical Communication. 9th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St.

Martin’s, 2010, pp. 578-606.
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 5) Fake Confidence
To Become Confident

Source: Salem-Wiseman, L. & Zaman, S. (2015). Writing for Canadian health

professionals. 2nd Edition. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.
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 Contact Information
Name: Prof. Lisa M. Salfi
Office: 2135 CEI
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-3:30 pm
(or by appointment)
Phone Number: 519-253-3000 x5495
Email: lisa.salfi@uwindsor.ca

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