Oral Presentation Dos and Donts

1.

Know your audience thoroughly. Deliver an extempore- prepared talk

2.

Never read from notes, a sheet or directly from an overhead projector

3.

Bring audience up to the speed, in the first few moments

4.

Stay within the time allotted

5.

Include relevant humorous stories, anecdotes or joke ( Only if you are good at it)

6.

Avoid using specialized technical jargon. Explain the terms if you feel the audience may not know.

7.

Understand your message clearly. The whole goal is to clearly communicate the message

8.

Practice-practice-practice, may like to memorize introduction and concluding remarks

9.

The dry run is a dress rehearsal. Use it to iron out problems in delivery,organization and timing.

10.

Avoid mannerisms: Speak confidently but not aggressively

11.

Maintain eye-to-eye contact with some audience and keep shifting that contact through the talk.

12.

Never talk to the board or to empty space

13.

Present the material in a clever fashion, but not in a cheap and sensational fashion. Be genuinely sincere and professional

14.

Logical presentation is much more critical in oral than in written presentation