WEBVTT

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[Whoosh]

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[Helicopter rotor]

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Hi. My name is Annika Thomas, and I'm here
with the AeroAstro Communication Lab at

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MIT, and today we're going to be talking
about giving effective presentations.

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By the end of this lesson,
you should be able to understand

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how voice, pacing, and physical presence
affect presentation quality.

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You'll be able to identify habits

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that interfere
with effective presentations

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and you'll be able to practice strategies

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for speaking clearly,
confidently, and audibly.

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Effective presentations
include some criteria for success,

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such as they should be clear the audience
can easily follow your message.

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Your presentations should be audible,
your voice carries without strain.

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They should be controlled,
so your pacing supports understanding

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of the audience and the message
that you're getting across.

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They should be intentional, with emphasis
and pauses that help guide meaning.

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And they should be physically open,

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your posture and gestures
should support engagement.

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Now we'll start with talking a little bit

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about voice basics
and how sound is produced.

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So your voice changes
based on airflow and muscle use.

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Most people speak primarily in a lower,
or chest dominant, range

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and a comfortable mix
during your presentations

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supports volume, clarity, and stamina.

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We're going to start
with an activity on voice awareness.

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It should take about three minutes,
so find the activity in the supplementary

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materials called “Voice Awareness”
and follow the instructions.

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You're going to say one sentence
aloud at a normal pitch

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and then repeat it at a higher pitch
and then slightly lower.

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Notice where your voice feels
most comfortable and clear.

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[Alien spaceship beeps]

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Now we'll talk a

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little bit about nerves and stress.

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Some nervousness
when giving a presentation,

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called eustress, is actually normal
and helpful, but too much stress

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can begin to interfere with your breathing
and your voice control.

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In your presentations, physical tension

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often shows up before we notice it
mentally.

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Now, while giving presentations,
there are some ways

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in which you can help breath support
and projection.

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Projection comes from breath support,
not from yelling.

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Your posture and your breathing
will affect your volume and tone,

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and speaking louder doesn't

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always mean speaking more clearly.

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Now we'll talk a little bit about pacing.

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Speaking too fast, which is easy to do
when you get nervous while

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giving a presentation, actually hurts
the clarity of your presentation.

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It's one of the most common issues that
people have while giving presentations,

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and it can be caused by nerves,
over familiarity with the material,

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or a lack of practice.

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Faster speech

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actually reduces comprehension more
so than quiet speech does.

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Some strategies that you can use
to slow down while giving presentations

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include practicing
more at the right cadence,

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actively breathing in between sentences
in order to force pauses,

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making checkpoints,
so getting to a section

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early in
your presentation is not a good thing,

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and actively think about consonants
at the end of sentences.

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Now we're going to do another activity
about pacing checks.

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This should take about five minutes
to complete.

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You'll read the paragraph on the activity
sheet out loud,

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speaking at your natural pace,
followed by, on your second read,

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intentionally slow down
by pausing briefly at commas

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and taking a full breath at each sentence
break.

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[Alien spaceship

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beeps]

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Now we'll talk a little bit

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about clarity, emphasis, and filler words.

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Fillers are normal, but can be distracting
while giving a presentation.

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Emphasis and

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pauses while giving that presentation,

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actually change
the meaning of what you're saying.

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And silence is more effective
than fillers.

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Now, your physical presence

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and body language are very important
while giving presentations.

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You want to avoid closed off positions,

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you should appear open to the audience.

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Avoid cocking your head.

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Don't put your hands in your pockets
or behind your back.

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You should be facing the audience
while giving your presentation,

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making eye contact with at least one,
if not a few of the audience members.

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If this makes you nervous,
you can also look at the back of the room.

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Don't spend your presentation
facing towards the screen.

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You also,
while practicing your presentations,

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should practice holding a natural stance
so it feels the same

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when you're actually
giving the presentation.

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Now, by the end of this lesson,

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you should be able to practice
effective presentation skills,

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make small focused changes to the way
in which you present, and you should

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choose 1 or 2 skills that you can practice
consistently in your presentations.

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