8. Select a template that is
uncluttered and uses a dark
background with white and/or
yellow print. Do not use red or
green colored print because of
colour blindness.
9. Use an electronic pointer
carefully and turn it off when
not needed.
PRESENTATION DYNAMICS
Even the most well planned pres-
entation can be boring and hard
to understand if the presenter
lacks the ability to convey the
information in a dynamic fashion.
Presentation dynamics include
the skillful use of enthusiasm,
movement, gestures, voice and
eye contact.
Enthusiasm
A good presentation is dramatised
with energy and enjoyment of the
material. Enthusiasm is the high-
est correlating item to overall
teaching effectiveness in student
ratings of teachers. Characteris-
tics associated with enthusiasm
include the use of humour, energy
and passion. These behaviours
motivate learning, spark interest
in the topic and maintain interest
in the presentation.
Movement
Body movement can heighten
interest, emphasize key ideas,
communicate feelings and
connect you with the audience.
Stereotyped movement, such as
pacing, can be distracting.
Movement from one area of the
classroom to another can capture
interest and shift the focus of the
conversation to another part of
the room.
Gestures
Your hands and arms can help
make a powerful point and can
reinforce your interest in the
topic. The larger the audience,
the larger your gestures need to
be. Inappropriate movements can
distract from the presentation;
keep your hands away from pock-
ets, loose change or keys, micro-
phone cords or other distracting
objects.
Voice
Vocal variety and verbal pauses
can provide energy, boost interest
and provide drama to a presenta-
tion. Project your voice so it can
be easily heard at the back of the
room. If you have a naturally
quiet voice, increase the volume
of your voice beyond what you
normally feel comfortable with,
and use a microphone. You can
use pauses for emphasis at the
end of a series of ideas, as a
transition from one idea to the
next and after a rhetorical ques-
tion. If you want the audience to
respond to a question, wait at
least 3–5 seconds.
Eye Contact
Members of the audience want to
feel that you are talking to them
as individuals. Your gaze should
make contact with all members of
the audience. Consciously scan
the audience from side to side,
and up and down the rows of the
room. Find three friendly faces
scattered in the audience, one at
each side and one in the middle of
the audience, and move your gaze
between these friends.
NERVOUSNESS
Everyone, including the most
veteran presenters, gets nervous
before going ‘on stage.’ Some
anxiety is helpful, providing
motivation to practice and energy
for enthusiasm during the pres-
entation. If you feel nervous,
acknowledge it to yourself and
think of it as a friend rather than
an enemy. All of the same phy-
siological factors are at work when
you are enthusiastic as when you
are nervous – so just reframe
nervousness as enthusiasm.
The best counter-measure to
nervousness is good preparation,
a sense of control. Be a master of
your material and know your
audience. Practice your presenta-
tion multiple times, and visualise
positive mental images of a suc-
cessful presentation; in other
words rehearse for success.
Just before the presentation,
do something about your ner-
vousness. Arrive with sufficient
time to prepare. Take a brisk walk
to work off the tension, sit tall in
your chair so that you look and
feel confident, or try to relax
yourself physically. Bunch up the
muscles in your body and hold for
five seconds, then relax. Repeat
some positive self-statements
such as ‘I am well prepared for
this presentation,’ ‘I have mas-
tered this material,’ ‘I care about
this audience and this topic,’ ‘The
audience will love this presenta-
tion,’ or ‘I am going to enjoy this
presentation.’
The first 90 seconds of your
presentation will set the stage for
June 2004 | Volume 1 | No 1| www.theclinicalteacher.com THE CLINICAL TEACHER 7