Giving Seminar Presentations: Do’s And Don’ts

Giving a presentation or a speech in front of a large audience can make anyone get cold feet! But with enough practice you can master the art of public speaking and even develop quite a knack for it, which is why practice is of key importance especially when it comes to seminars!

A seminar is akin to giving a speech but revolves around a speaker presenting information on some subject of importance. The key tone of a seminar revolves around the speaker presenting informational content about some specific topic so as to teach the audience about that subject.

Seminars were usually oral speeches but since the inception of Microsoft PowerPoint, different slides and presentations have been used for seminars as well. A PowerPoint presentation used for seminars adds a visual element to an otherwise oral speech and helps getting the point across in a more efficient way. Numerous studies also point out that a visual element helps speed up the learning process. So here are some do’s and don’ts for giving seminar presentations.

DO’s

• A Visual Aid: The first step for creating a successful presentation for a seminar is to use Microsoft PowerPoint as a visual aid. That means showing slides to your audience only when it is necessary and not to use it as your speech but just as an aid to your actual speech to get your point across efficiently.

• Creative Images: The best way, when you have to explain something difficult to your audience is by using images. Say, if you want to explain the recent trends of some company, it is best to use charts or graphs to show those trends. You can even add a bit of humor by using some funny images! But this should be kept to a bare minimum as the goal of a seminar is to spread information.

• Important Points: It’s best to highlight important points of your seminar with PowerPoint slides. Highlighting important points helps in not only getting the most crucial points across but also acts as a summary of sorts for your speech.

DON’Ts

• Overkill: As mentioned above, don’t use PowerPoint as a means for presenting your seminar. It should only be used an accessory, a medium to stress on the important points.

• Say no to Sound Effects: Since a seminar is a sort of professional event where the chief aim is learning, don’t use any sound effects in your PowerPoint presentation like a cue for applause!

So these were some important do’s and don’ts to be kept in mind while using Microsoft PowerPoint for giving a seminar. Apart from being just a visual aid, it can reflect upon your creativity to enthrall your audience with an amazing presentation.