Under the collaboration of the English Language Centre and the Higher Studies and International Affairs Dept, University of the West of England, Bristol organised a workshop for Hin Hua High school students on how to make a great presentation on 28th February 2022, Monday at 2.00p.m - 3.00p.m via Zoom. The speaker, Mr Thom Howell, is an English Language consultant and holds a Cambridge DELTA qualification. There were approximately seventy students who participated in this workshop which aimed to introduce some speaking strategies as well as non-verbal communication cues that all good presenters should possess when giving a presentation.
Mr Howell began the session by checking the students' perception on “What makes a good Public speaker” and was later impressed by the excellent ideas provided by the students. He then provided key contents, including a short self-introduction to grab the audience’s attention and giving an overview on what one will be presenting. Mr Howell highlighted that a presenter could start the presentation with an anecdote which helps people to relate to his/her story. Besides, a little sense of humour would grab the audience's attention and emphasising key words was a great way for making the presentation interesting.
The focus was then brought to “What factors do you need to consider when designing a presentation?” According to Mr Howell, the presentation slides should not be overcrowded; key points or pictures could be used for the audience to have a general understanding of the presentation. He also went over the seven main considerations that a presenter should make: using bullet points, not using different fonts within a slide, using phrases and keywords instead of sentences, using as many illustrations as possible, contrasting the font with the background, not using capital letters for all the text and using three to five points for each slide.
Mr Howell went on with how to create a favourable impact on the audience as a presenter such as being punctual, dressing well, being prepared and anticipating questions. Furthermore, he emphasised nonverbal communication when presenting such as eye contact, gestures, and moving around the stage rather than standing stationary. Additionally, he also highlighted how silence can be used to emphasise a point and give the audience time to comprehend the information provided. He added that it is important for the presenter to keep the audience engaged by asking questions or having them to do an activity.
Mr. Howell emphasised what a presenter should avoid doing when using the slides. He stressed not to read the slides and turn one’s back to the audience. The presenter needs to also know the content topic before presenting it to the audience. He also provided instances of how a group presentation should be conducted. When presenting in a group, he demonstrated how to make signalling transitions to ensure cohesiveness. He stressed that in a group presentation, the crucial items to address in a transition to the other speaker are: a quick conclusion of your part, the name and position of the next speaker, and a brief statement about what the next speaker will cover.
Mr Howell concluded the session with some recap questions. Students efficiently responded to all of his questions, and he was impressed by their clarity in understanding what he had imparted. The participants of the workshop were actively engaged and responsive towards the speaker’s questions and the UWE Bristol organiser was impressed with students' active participation in the workshop. For workshop participants, UWE Bristol has organised a Presentation Skills Competition in which students must record a presentation using a phone, camera, or zoom self-recording. In the presentation, the participants must appear as a speaker or presenter.
The UWE organisers were indeed grateful for having the opportunity to present a workshop and host a meaningful competition with Hin Hua High School students. The top 3 winners of the competition are as follows:
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