HOW TO MAKE

EFFECTIVE
PRESENTATIONS
METU DBE
OUTLINE

Part 1
1- Initial steps to follow for an effective presentation
2- What to do after the initial preparation
Part 2
3- At the end of the presentation
4- Useful language to use during presentations
PART 1
INITIAL STEPS TO FOLLOW
 To prepare an effective presentation, follow a step-by-step process.
 The steps to follow for a successful presentation:
1- Choose your topic
2- Analyze your audience
3- Narrow down your topic
4- Gather information
5- Prepare visual aids
6- Organize your speech
CHOOSING YOUR TOPIC
 Choose a topic that interests you as well
as your listeners.
 Sometimes, however, you may be
assigned a certain topic to work on.
ANALYZING YOUR AUDIENCE
 Before you start to prepare your
presentation, think about your
audience, its level of interest and
knowledge on your topic.
 NARROWING DOWN YOUR TOPIC

• Presentations are
covered in a limited
period of time.
• Narrow down your topic
to a particular aspect of
it.
GATHERING INFORMATION
To gather information about your topic, you can use one or
more of the following ways:

 Internet search tools

 Internet advocacy groups with a stance on your topic
 Newspapers and magazines
 Books and references
 Government sources
 ORGANIZING YOUR SPEECH
 Determine the order the subtopics
that you want to present.
 Use signposting language
e.g.,
- I’ve talked about X, and now let me move on
to…
- The second issue I would like to mention is…
PREPARING
Use visual aids because they make a
VISUAL AIDS presentation clear and interesting.
Visuals;
 add variety
 help your audience focus on what you

are saying
 show relationships among ideas
 help to explain the points you make

more clearly
 help the audience remember what you

have said
PREPARING VISUAL AIDS
Visual aids:
white board, posters, pictures, and power point presentations
 A presentation that uses visual aids effectively is more persuasive
and professional.
 Your visuals must be attractive, informative, and convenient to use.
 Choose your visuals carefully.
 Avoid offensive images.
 WRITE THE SOURCES OF THE VISUALS.
PREPARING VISUAL AIDS

For slide shows:

 Your slides must not be overloaded with long sentences/
too many sentences.
 Use keywords, phrases or short sentences.
 Write the sources of the information.
Compare the two slides
PREPARING VISUAL AIDS
 Never combine too many fonts.
 Use at most two: one for headings and one for text.
Compare the two slides
PREPARING VISUAL AIDS
 Choose colors that help the text to read well.
 You should have as much contrast as possible between
the font and the background.
Compare the two slides
 AFTER THE INITIAL PRESENTATION
 Choose a title for your presentation.
 Prepare the body of your presentation.
 Prepare a preview/ outline.
 Prepare an attention-getting opener.
 Determine your style of speech.
 Optionally, prepare a summary.
 Rehearse your presentation.
CHOOSE A TITLE
 The title of an oral presentation should
prepare your audience for the content you
will present.
 In this way, from the beginning of the
presentation, your audience will know
what you will be talking about.
PREPARE THE BODY OF YOUR PRESENTATION
 Arrange the points of your presentation in a clear and
logical manner.
 The organizational pattern you choose will depend on
your topic and must enable your audience to follow what
you are saying easily.
PREPARE A PREVIEW/OUTLINE
 Prepare a preview to tell your audience what you are
going to cover.
Example:
 My purpose today is to tell you what to do in the event of
a hurricane. I will cover three major areas.
o First, how to prepare for a hurricane.
o Second, what safety measures to take during a

hurricane.
o Third, what to do after the storm is over.
PREPARE AN ATTENTION-
Try to attract your listeners’
GRABBING OPENING
attention at the beginning.
Possible ways to do so:
 Ask your audience a series of
(rhetorical) questions
 Tell a story/anecdote
 State a surprising fact
 State a well-known quotation
 Show a picture and ask a
question
DETERMINE YOUR STYLE OF SPEECH
 Style basically refers to your
- choice of words
- length
- structure of your sentences
- tone, or attitude you express toward your audience.
TIPS FOR CREATING AN EFFECTIVE STYLE
 Use short, simple sentences to express your ideas clearly.
 Avoid using excessive jargon and abstract word
 Explain any important words your audience may not be
familiar with.
 Design your presentation with planned repetition.
 TIPS FOR  Announce each main point as
CREATING AN you come to it.
EFFECTIVE STYLE  Do NOT memorize your
presentation, and do NOT write
out your whole presentation.
 Use brief notes, written on one
page or on cards.
 Use your voice well: Speak
clearly and at the right volume.
 PAY ATTENTION TO NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
 Use your voice well. Speak clearly and at the right
volume.
 Pay attention to pronunciation and intonation.
 PAY ATTENTION TO NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
 Check the pronunciation of certain words in your slides or speech.
Practice saying them out loud beforehand.

Tip: Note down the pronunciation of difficult words on your notes.

e.g.,
doubt
/daʊt/
 PAY ATTENTION TO NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
 Eye contact & effective use of body language are
important for successful presentations.
 EYE CONTACT
• Establish eye contact
with the entire audience.

• Avoid focusing on only

one or two people, such
as your teacher.
 BODY LANGUAGE
• Body language: Very effective in
keeping the audience interested.
• Use your body language in a way that
suits your context.
e.g., When you are mentioning a serious issue,
a serious look on your face would be
appropriate.
• Point at your visual aids (if you want.)
• Maintain a good posture.
 OPTIONALLY, PREPARE A SUMMARY
 You can make a summary of the main points that you
have made throughout your presentation.
 REHEARSE YOUR PRESENTATION
 Practice giving your presentation until you feel
comfortable.
 Keep time while rehearsing.
 Check the pronunciation of certain words in your slides
or speech.
 VERY IMPORTANT!
 DO NOT READ YOUR SCRIPT FROM YOUR NOTES,
SLIDES, OR YOUR MOBILE PHONE!
 A quick glance at your notes or slides is acceptable,
but make sure you do NOT read whole sentences.
PART 2
AT THE END OF YOUR PRESENTATION
 Ask the audience if they have any questions.
 Reflect on your performance (think about the strengths
and the weaknesses of your presentation.)
 subject
* I’m going toIntroducing
present your presentation
the recent history ...
talk is… * I’d like to talk about ...
explain Turkey’s position on ...
* The focus of my presentation
inform you about ...
is…
describe a little-known phenomenon...
topic

USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR PRESENTATIONS

 Greeting
 * Good afternoon.
 USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR
PRESENTATIONS
Introducing the outline/main parts of your presentation:

- I’ve divided my presentation into four parts/sections.

- The subject can be looked at under the following headings:
- We can break this area down into the following fields: …
 USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR
PRESENTATIONS
While ordering your ideas;

- Firstly/first of all ...

- Secondly/then/next ...
- Thirdly/ and then we come to ...
- Finally/lastly/last of all ...
 USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR
PRESENTATIONS
Questions

- I’d be glad to answer any questions at the end of my talk.

- If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt.
- Please interrupt me if there’s something that needs clarifying.
- Otherwise, there’ll be time for questions at the end.
 USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR
PRESENTATIONS
Signaling the end

- That brings me to the end of my presentation.

- That completes my presentation.
- That covers all I wanted to say today.
 USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR
PRESENTATIONS
Closing

- Thank you for your attention.

- Thank you for listening.
- I hope you have gained an insight into ...
 USEFUL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR
PRESENTATIONS
Inviting questions

- Do you have any questions?

- Does anyone have a question?
SOURCES
Comfort, J. (1995). Effective Presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Carney, Josh and Karabağ E, Ayşen, Reading, Listening, Speaking, 2007,

METU
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/speaking-exams/oral-

presentation
DBE Materials Archive
DML Materials Archive
THANKS FOR LISTENING!