Making Effective Presentations

Preparation

Competency 1- Time and Topic

• Time Constraints
• Specific, Narrow topic
• Appropriate to audience
• Something that interests you

Competency 2- Thesis

• Clear, easily identifiable
• Differs from attention getter
• Communicates purpose
• A good thesis is a road map for the speech

Competency 3- Supporting Material

• Visual Aids and Research
• Relevant to audience and topic

Visual Aids

Simple
Adds not Distracts
For the audience

Research

• Focus on high quality sources that build credibilty
• Cite all sources verbally and in the outline
• Always give credit where credit is due

Sources to Use

• Academic books
• Peer Reviewed Journals
• Periodicals
• Some websites okay

Sources to Avoid

• Wiki- anything
• Message boards
• Personal websites/ blogs
• Search engines

Competency 4- Organizational Pattern

All speeches have a Beginning, Middle, and End

Follow the Format

Intro
(Attention Getter, Relevance, Credibility,
Thesis, Preview)

Body
(Main Points, Transitions)

Conclusion
(Summary, Thesis, Audience Response, Wow Statement)

Delivery

Competency 5- Language

• Should be appropriate
• Use Vivid Words
• Avoid Jargon
• Define Acronyms

Competency 6- Vocalics

• Rate
• Pitch
• Intensity
• Projection

Competency 7- Fillers and Breaks

• Avoid "uh, um, so, like"
• Purposeful Pauses
• Articulation and Grammer
• Breathe!

Competency 8- Physical Behaviors

• Appearance Matters
• Purposeful Movements
• Limited Note Use
• Gestures
• Eye Contact
• Facial Expressions and Posture

Communication Center

Columbine 312
719.255.4770
cec@uccs.edu
Mon, Tues, Thurs: 9am-6pm
Wednesday: 9am-8pm
Friday 9am-2pm