Presentation Skills

Effective professional presentations require both well-designed slides and strong delivery — whether in-person or online. Poor slides and poor delivery both undermine the presenter’s credibility regardless of content quality.

How It Appears Per Course

ADMN 233

Covered in Communication for Business III (Ametros simulation). Knowledge check-in assessed sound quality (most important online factor) and lighting positioning. Both tested in the simulation debrief.

Slide Design

flowchart LR
    T[Focused Topic] --> A[Central Argument]
    A --> S[Sections / Parts]
    S --> SL[Slides]
    SL --> D[Consistent Design]
    SL --> V[Visuals over Text]
    SL --> P[Practice + Proofread]

Core Principles

Principle	Guidance
Topic size	Choose a narrow, focused topic — presentations give a taste, not an encyclopedia
Central argument	All slides should be tied together by one overarching argument or point
Structure	Break argument into 2–3 sections; ~6 slides per 10 minutes
Text	Point form only — no full sentences; if a slide looks crowded, split it
Consistency	Same template, font type and size throughout; titles on every slide
Bookends	First slide = agenda; last slide = summary/signal that it’s ending
Visuals	Replace text-heavy or data-heavy content with images or graphs

Checklist

• Topic is focused enough for the time available
• Central argument is clear
• Slides follow consistent template and fonts
• No full sentences — point form only
• Data presented as visuals where possible
• Agenda slide at start; summary slide at end
• Practised 2–3 times; wordy/unclear parts revised
• Proofread + spellchecked

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Online Presentation Technology

Priority Order

1. Sound — most important; if people can’t hear you, they will tune out
2. Lighting — prevents shadows and makes facial expressions visible
3. Video — important but secondary to sound and lighting

Sound

• Use an external microphone (USB) positioned close to your mouth
• Built-in laptop microphones capture too little — voice sounds quiet and thin
• Present in a quiet room away from background noise

Lighting

• Light source must be in front of you — facing toward your face
• Face a window or use a desk lamp/ring light
• Never sit with your back to a window — creates silhouette and face shadows
• Light from the side also creates shadows — front-facing is the standard

Delivery

• Do not read a script — speak to the slides, then fill in naturally
• Use the text on slides as reminders; expand with your own words
• Record yourself practicing — review for delivery refinement
• Screencasting software (Zoom, dedicated tools) records screen + voice for playback

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Key Points for Exam/Study

• ~6 slides per 10 minutes; one overarching argument; point form only
• Most important online element: sound quality (external mic, quiet room)
• Lighting: source must be in front of you (face window/lamp)
• Never sit back-to-window
• Don’t read from slides — speak naturally, filling out the point-form notes
• Agenda slide first; summary slide last; consistent design throughout

Cross-Course Connections

WritingProcess — presentation design follows the same Organizing step logic (outline → structure → clear goal)
AudienceAnalysis — audience determines depth of content, tone, and formality of slides
Wordiness — conciseness principle applies equally to slides: cut anything that can be cut