Reading Activity Read the text on making effective presentation for getting information Power Point Presentation

Reading

Activity 1. Read the text on making effective presentation for getting information

Power Point Presentation
Successful presenters understand that what the audience sees in a presentation makes a stronger impact than the words they hear. We've been wired to take in information primarily through our eyes ever since cave dwellers began looking over their shoulders for approaching mastodons.

Many speakers underappreciate these components. Using them can help you improve your effectiveness at presenting by significant margins.

Make an Emotional Connection with the Audience. Consciously or not, the audience forms a bias for or against a presenter within seconds. We all make a tentative judgment about everyone we meet on scant evidence, though we may not admit it because we see ourselves as rational beings. More than anything else, it's the personal impression you make that determines whether or not the audience accepts your message. You must come across as likable and trustworthy.

The key to being likable is simple: Show you like the audience and they'll reciprocate. Once they like you they'll give you the benefit of the doubt on trustworthiness. You'll get a strong start toward likability if before you begin speaking you take a bit of time to look around the audience warmly, enthusiastically and with a big smile.

Show them your humanity. This is particularly important for speakers who have power over the audience. Tell them some stories that reveal your vulnerability and express the values you have in common with them. Everyone loves a story.

The audience has to know that you know your subject. Presenters whose expertise isn't recognized by the audience shouldn't try to establish it by describing their credentials. Let the person introducing you describe them and endorse you enthusiastically.

People like people who are similar to themselves. Be yourself, but also try to fit in with the members of the audience as much as possible. Speak to the audience's level of knowledge. Cite references they recognize and respect. Express the feelings you share with them. Dress just a little bit better than the people in the audience.

If there are other speakers, come early, sit in the audience to hear what they have to say and expand on their comments when you present your message. Sitting in the audience helps build a bond between you and the audience members. You also may want to get to the meeting room early and introduce yourself to the audience members as they arrive. This will help you make an emotional connection.

Present with Energy. Capture the audience's attention right away by telling a dramatic story and keep the energy level high all through your presentation. To get them excited about your idea you have to show them your own excitement about it.

Walk in strong, move confidently to where you'll present, stand tall, smile, survey the room and begin to speak, with conviction. Underscore important points with movement: your whole body, your arms, your hands, your head and your changing facial expressions. Vary your voice pitch and pace, using a dramatic pause when you get to something important. Use mostly short sentences, dynamic words, onomatopoeia ("bang!", "boo-hoo") and active verbs. The perfect verb or noun doesn't need a modifier. Move closer to the audience at key points. Wade into the audience if it's appropriate. Come to the presentation well rested so you can stay energetic.

Keep reading the audience. If you feel their interest flagging, do something unexpected: Pause abruptly, change your voice level or tempo, bring out a hidden prop, ask a question or involve the audience in an exercise.

Keep it short. The higher an audience's management level, the shorter its attention span. You'll earn points by taking less time than you were given and you'll maintain a high energy level all the way to the end of the presentation.

Spell Out the Payoff for the Audience. If you're presenting information, give lots of attention to describing its relevance and applicability rather than telling every little detail. If you want the audience to accept a change you're announcing, focus on the benefits for them. What's in it for me? every audience wants know. Appeal to the head, with evidence the audience will find credible, and the heart, with inspiring descriptions of the payoff.

The Metrics. What's the relative value of the three components of this approach to presenting? Mnemonic devices are always useful so let's create a formula. Clearly, making an emotional connection by being likable and trustworthy is the most important component, because if you lack it your argument won't be accepted. You might not even be listened to. Let's give it a 50% value.

The other two components--presenting with energy and spelling out the payoff--are equally important. Let's give them 25% each. We now have a 50%–25%–25% formula for the new approach to making a successful presentation.

What we have altogether are two different but complementary tools you can put to work. Combining them will help you deliver a knockout presentation.

Activity 2. Read the text for getting information
Body Language and Facial Expressions
Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. According to experts, these nonverbal signals make up a huge part of daily communication. From our facial expressions to our body movements, the things we don't say can still convey volumes of information.

It has been suggested that body language may account for between 50 percent to 70 percent of all communication. Understanding body language is important, but it is also essential to pay attention to other cues such as context. In many cases, you should look at signals as a group rather than focusing on a single action.

Here's what to look for when you're trying to interpret body language.

Facial Expressions

Think for a moment about how much a person is able to convey with just a facial expression. A smile can indicate approval or happiness. A frown can signal disapproval or unhappiness. In some cases, our facial expressions may reveal our true feelings about a particular situation. While you say that you are feeling fine, the look on your face may tell people otherwise.

Just a few examples of emotions that can be expressed via facial expressions include:

Happiness Sadness Anger Surprise Disgust Fear Confusion Excitement Desire Contempt

The expression on a person's face can even help determine if we trust or believe what the individual is saying. One study found that the most trustworthy facial expression involved a slight raise of the eyebrows and a slight smile. This expression, the researchers suggested, conveys both friendliness and confidence.

Facial expressions are also among the most universal forms of body language. The expressions used to convey fear, anger, sadness, and happiness are similar throughout the world.

The Eyes

The eyes are frequently referred to as the "windows to the soul" since they are capable of revealing a great deal about what a person is feeling or thinking. As you engage in conversation with another person, taking note of eye movements is a natural and important part of the communication process. Some common things you may notice include whether people are making direct eye contact or averting their gaze, how much they are blinking, or if their pupils are dilated.

The Mouth

Mouth expressions and movements can also be essential in reading body language. For example, chewing on the bottom lip may indicate that the individual is experiencing feelings of worry, fear, or insecurity.

Covering the mouth may be an effort to be polite if the person is yawning or coughing, but it may also be an attempt to cover up a frown of disapproval. Smiling is perhaps one of the greatest body language signals, but smiles can also be interpreted in many ways. A smile may be genuine, or it may be used to express false happiness, sarcasm, or even cynicism.

Gestures

Gestures can be some of the most direct and obvious body language signals. Waving, pointing, and using the fingers to indicate numerical amounts are all very common and easy to understand gestures. Some gestures may be cultural, however, so giving a thumbs-up or a peace sign in another country might have a completely different meaning than it does in the United States.

The Arms and Legs

The arms and legs can also be useful in conveying nonverbal information. Crossing the arms can indicate defensiveness. Crossing legs away from another person may indicate dislike or discomfort with that individual.

Other subtle signals such as expanding the arms widely may be an attempt to seem larger or more commanding while keeping the arms close to the body may be an effort to minimize oneself or withdraw from attention.

Posture

How we hold our bodies can also serve as an important part of body language. The term posture refers to how we hold our bodies as well as the overall physical form of an individual. Posture can convey a wealth of information about how a person is feeling as well as hints about personality characteristics, such as whether a person is confident, open, or submissive.

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  Open posture involves keeping the trunk of the body open and exposed. This type of posture indicates friendliness, openness, and willingness.
  
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  Closed posture involves hiding the trunk of the body often by hunching forward and keeping the arms and legs crossed. This type of posture can be an indicator of hostility, unfriendliness, and anxiety.
  

Personal Space

Have you ever heard someone refer to their need for personal space? Have you ever started to feel uncomfortable when someone stands just a little too close to you?

The term proxemics, coined by anthropolgist Edward T. Hall, refers to the distance between people as they interact. Just as body movements and facial expressions can communicate a great deal of nonverbal information, so can this physical space between individuals.

Hall described four levels of social distance that occur in different situations:

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  Intimate distance— 6 to 18 inches: This level of physical distance often indicates a closer relationship or greater comfort between individuals. It usually occurs during intimate contact such as hugging, whispering, or touching.
  
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  Personal distance— 1.5 to 4 feet: Physical distance at this level usually occurs between people who are family members or close friends. The closer the people can comfortably stand while interacting can be an indicator of the level of intimacy in their relationship.
  
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  Social distance— 4 to 12 feet: This level of physical distance is often used with individuals who are acquaintances. With someone you know fairly well, such as a co-worker you see several times a week, you might feel more comfortable interacting at a closer distance. In cases where you do not know the other person well, such as a postal delivery driver you only see once a month, a distance of 10 to 12 feet may feel more comfortable.
  
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  Public distance— 12 to 25 feet: Physical distance at this level is often used in public speaking situations. Talking in front of a class full of students or giving a presentation at work are good examples of such situations.
  

Activity 3. Match the following eye signals:

Eye gaze:	Pupil size can be a very subtle communication signal. While light levels in the environment control pupil dilation, sometimes emotions can also cause small changes in pupil size. For example, you may have heard the phrase "bedroom eyes" used to describe the look someone gives when they are attracted to another person. Highly dilated eyes, for example, can indicate that a person is interested or even aroused.
Blinking:	When a person looks directly into your eyes while having a conversation, it indicates that they are interested and paying attention. However, prolonged eye contact can feel threatening. On the other hand, breaking eye contact and frequently looking away might indicate that the person is distracted, uncomfortable, or trying to conceal his or her real feelings
Pupil size:	Blinking is natural, but you should also pay attention to whether a person is blinking too much or too little. People often blink more rapidly when they are feeling distressed or uncomfortable. Infrequent blinking may indicate that a person is intentionally trying to control his or her eye movements. For example, a poker player might blink less frequently because he is purposely trying to appear unexcited about the hand he was dealt.

Activity 4. Match to the following mouth and lip signals:

Pursed lips:	When people want to hide an emotional reaction, they might cover their mouths in order to avoid displaying smiles or smirks.
Lip biting:	Slight changes in the mouth can also be subtle indicators of what a person is feeling. When the mouth is slightly turned up, it might mean that the person is feeling happy or optimistic. On the other hand, a slightly down-turned mouth can be an indicator of sadness, disapproval, or even an outright grimace.
Covering the mouth:	Tightening the lips might be an indicator of distaste, disapproval, or distrust.
Turned up or down:	People sometimes bite their lips when they are worried, anxious, or stressed.

Activity 5. Match the possible signals that the arms and legs may convey

Crossed arms	can be an indication that a person is ready and in control, or it can also possibly be a sign of aggressiveness.
Rapidly tapping fingers or fidgeting	might indicate that a person feels defensive, self-protective, or closed-off.
Clasping the hands behind the back	can indicate that a person is feeling closed off or in need of privacy.
Standing with hands placed on the hips	might indicate that a person is feeling bored, anxious, or even angry.
Crossed legs	can be a sign that a person is bored, impatient, or frustrated.

Activity 6. Match the following examples of a few common gestures and their possible meanings:

A clenched fist	made by touching together the thumb and index finger in a circle while extending the other three fingers can be used to mean "okay" or "all right." In some parts of Europe, however, the same signal is used to imply you are nothing. In some South American countries, the symbol is actually a vulgar gesture
A thumbs up and thumbs down	can indicate anger in some situations or solidarity in others.
The "okay" gesture	created by lifting the index and middle finger and separating them to create a V-shape, means peace or victory in some countries. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the symbol takes on an offensive meaning when the back of the hand is facing outward.
The V sign	are often used as gestures of approval and disapproval.