Effective Presentations

1. GIVING EFFECTIVE
PRESENTATIONS
WestTexasA&M University
Department of Agricultural Sciences

2. Learning Objectives
■ Developing goals and objectives
■ Creating engaging content
■ Practicing effective communication skills

3. PART ONE
Developing Goals & Objectives

4. Goals and Objectives
■ Allows for you to measure success
■ Use your time wisely
■ Clearly define what you want your audience to learn/do

5. SMART Goals
■ S - Specific
■ M – Measurable
■ A – Attainable
■ R – Relevant
■ T –Time-bound

6. Setting Goals
■ Begin with big picture, top level ideas/goals
■ Break into smaller and smaller details/targets you need to hit
■ Goals should be:
– Measurable
– Clearly defined
– Specific

7. Examples of Goals for Presentations
■ Express the benefits of the County Commissioners Court’s financial support of the local
4-H program.
■ Educate an audience about theTexas 4-H Photography program.
■ Can I speak to the crowd without the saying “um” or looking at my slides the entire
speech?
■ Can I connect and hook people from the beginning?
■ MORE?

8. PARTTWO
Creating Engaging Content

9. Creating Engaging Content
■ Include engaging content on your slide, such as photos that tell the story you’re
portraying.
– Let the audience read the slide while you elaborate and sell your message

10. Creating content that is engaging but
not distracting
■ Use neutral colors for backgrounds
■ Use fonts and colors that are easy to read, usually dark colors are best
■ Less is more when it comes to the number of words used on each slide.
– If there are too many words, the audience won’t be listening, they will be reading

11. PART TWO
C R E AT I N G E N G A G I N G C O N T E N T

12. Engaging your audience
■ Twitter/Tweet Deck
■ Kahoot
■ What will engage your audience?
– Think about demographics when you’re trying to decide how to engage with your
audience.
– Is your audience older?Younger? Etc.

13. PARTTHREE
Practicing Effective Communication Skills

14. Practicing Effective Communication
Skills
■ Express your passion for the topic and connect with your audience
■ Keep the needs of your audience in mind
■ Keep it simple and concentrate on your core message/goals
■ Practice good interpersonal communication skills

15. Practicing Effective Communication
Skills
■ Have a strong start
■ 10-20-30 rule of thumb for most presentations:
– Contain approximately 10 slides
– Last no more that 20 minutes
– Use a font bigger than 30 point
■ Include stories or anecdotes
– If people can connect to your presentation personally they are more likely to stay
hooked.

16. MoreThings to Consider
■ Preparation for presentation/speaking engagement:
– Equipment
– Demographics
– Room layout
– Time constraints
– Number of people
– Special populations/ accommodations

17. Wrap-Up
■ Do you feel like you can:
– Develop goals and objectives for your presentations?
– Create engaging content for your audience?
– Utilize effective communication skills?
■ If not, what areas can we help expand on?