U501 workshop on presenting

This was one of the more useful workshops. One of the exercises involved groups putting together answers to:

1. What makes you nervous about giving presentations?
2. And how do you deal with your nerves?

The various groups came up with the following answers to the first question.
Things that make us nervous are:

• timing
• fear of failure
• argument
• blank mind
• sounding stupid
• stage fright
• embarrassment
• getting the words out, the volume right, stumbling, speed, ESOL
• being exposed as a fraud or charlatan or lazy and someone else knowing more
• fear of questions or of lack of questions
• personal appearance
• overwhelmed by too much stuff
• too little stuff and ten minutes left empty
• the person that you are quoting being in the audience
• terminology, concepts and theories that you are not aware of

Answers to the second question were fewer.
How do you deal with your nerves?

• admit ignorance
• stick to the story
• breath
• be well prepared, practise, have a script
  
• get to the venue early
  
• encourage your self
• google the experts who might be in the audience
• joke
• have alternative equipment
  
• prepare answers for awkward questions e.g. "yes, that's fascinating and I intend to look further at it"
• body language and posture
  

Categories from the above could be:

• Me
  
• My material
• Equipment
• audience & questions

Me
Problem	Advice
Fear of failure	Encourage your self
Blank mind. Getting the words out, the volume right, stumbling, speed, ESOL	Have a script. .
Sounding stupid. Embarrassment	Body language and posture
Stage fright	Breathe
Personal appearance	Dress appropriately

The material
Problem	Advice
Timing	Rehearse
Too little stuff and ten minutes left empty	Prepare & practise.
Overwhelmed by too much stuff	Be well prepared. Practise.

Equipment
Problem	Advice
I can’t use equipment, or it won’t work with my data	Take an alternative form. E.g. take transparencies as well as keeping them on a USB stick.
Unfamiliar equipment	Get to the venue early

Audience
Problem	Advice
Argumentative person in audience	Stick to the story
The person that you are quoting being in the audience	Google the experts who might be in the audience
Being exposed as a fraud or charlatan or lazy and someone else knowing more	Admit ignorance
Terminology, concepts and theories that you are not aware of. Fear of questions or of lack of questions	Prepare answers for awkward questions e.g. "Yes, that's fascinating and I intend to look further at it"