Effective Presentations

Effective presentation  for me, (as I found out recently) incorporates some key factors. Factors, that if omitted may lead to your presentation not living up to it’s full potential. These factors are in no particular order,

1. Know your subject matter.
Having an excellent knowledge of your chosen subject will not only inspire confidence in yourself but also in your audience. This is also extremely helpful if you not just giving a presentation but are allowing for a Q & A session afterwards. Being knowledgeable about your subject also allows you to keep the audience attentive.

2. Know your audience.
This may seem obvious but knowing whom you are speaking to prevents any possibility of embarrassment. You certainly do not want to offend a potential client or employer.

3. Know your Self.
Knowing what you are and what you are not capable of beforehand will also prevent any embarrassing moments. You do not want to be midway through you presentation and then realise that you are in fact not equipped to tell the hilarious joke you were told in pub last week. Do not try to get too technical or in-depth with the subject matter just because you know what you are talking about, keep it relative.

4. Prepare your script.
Again stating the obvious here. If you are using cue cards then make sure they are clear, concise, relevant, in order and legible. Have an opening/introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Very important to CONCLUDE.

5. Have a theme.
Try to make sure that you have a constant theme that runs through your presentation. You do not want to find yourself losing audience interest because you are flitting from one topic to another without there being a constant, tying everything in together in cohesion.

5. Rehearse-rehearse-rehearse.
Make sure that you run over your presentation a number of times, especially if you are restricted for time. Also make sure that you rehearse with any visual aids or props that you may incorporate into the presentation. All to have often we have seen presentations being given and have laughed at how a product refuses to work or something falls over. I love this, it is the perfect example of being caught out.
 

Critical Reading/ Thinking

What is critical thinking and what is critical reading you may ask? Well they are both tools in the discovering and evaluation of information and ideas within an article or written piece. They can also with a bit of training be used in general, day-to-day life. Critical reading instigates the process, whereby the reader will in a careful, analytical and reflective fashion read the piece. Then the critical thinking begins. What is it that you have read that you believe to have validity? What is that you have read that causes you to ask questions? What is it that you have read that will inspire you to investigate, enquire, peruse once again and what is it that you have read, that will leave a lasting impression. To critically read leads to critically thinking. They, for me and for the most time, work in harmony. There cannot be critical thinking without the reading. Moreover, all this leads to an understanding, that is of better quality and that will have far better results. If one just quickly “glosses over” text then it will be far harder to explore the piece due to a lack of understanding than if one makes an effort to a-c-t-u-a-l-l-y digest what is being said or may even give insight into what is not being said. I am going to ask you now to watch this video and take notice within yourself of what it is your thinking and feeling, firstly at the beginning and then see if you are still thinking and feeling the same by the end. You may have a better insight into Critical reading and thinking after this.