Page 51 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes 2. Audience analysis: Before making presentation, audience analysis is very necessary. In
this context, the following points should be noted.
(i) Get an idea of the number, nature, needs, level of knowledge, and likely attitude of
the audience.
(ii) Determine the language of delivery and selection of inputs.
(iii) Understanding the audience’s needs.

(iv) Never consider your audience to be a hostile group.
(v) Always look for some smiling faces among the listeners.
(vi) Make eye contact with them.
(vii) Remember the purpose for which you are addressing your audience.

Also, keep in mind that different persons attending your presentation may be looking for
different information related to your topic, according to their own interests or needs.
Therefore, define the focus and scope of your presentation at the very outset.
3. Designing your presentation: Think of a presentation in terms of a journey; designed to
take an audience to a pre-planned destination. Use this analogy to identify the key points
of your message, prioritize them and all allocate each one an appropriate time slot. Nearly
all presentations should fit into a simple structure. This comprises four clearly identifiable
parts and timing of each part too:
(i) Introduction (Tell them what you’re going to tell them)- 3 minutes
(ii) Main Body (Tell them)- 15 minutes

(iii) Conclusion (Tell them what you have told them)- 2 minutes
(iv) Questions & Answers (Discussion session)- 10 minutes
A good guide for the breakdown of a presentation is the 10/80/10 rule—whereby the introduction
and conclusion are allotted 10% of the presentation time, with the main body comprising 80%.
For example, a 30 minute presentation would have a 3 minute introduction and conclusion and
main body lasting 24 minutes. This formula can be applied to any length of presentation—as it
reflects a good breakdown from the audience’s perspective.
It is usually best to plan your presentation to have a question and answer session at the end. This
will enable you to deliver your message and then end strongly with a clear and concise conclusion,
before entering the relatively unpredictable area of tackling questions from the floor.

2.4 Ten Steps to a Successful Presentation

There are ten basic steps which need to be kept in mind at the time of making a presentation.
How successful one is at the end of the delivery is contingent upon the amount of labour that has
gone into the seven preparatory stages.

44 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY