Presentation Skills Checklist
May 25, 2005 – 10:50 am
During the Instructor Development course, we discuss presentation skills that will make you a great instructor. However, I thought a reminder might be useful for the veteran instructors. The next time you do a presentation, have a coworker or friend observe you and ask him to watch for a few key trouble points.
1. Did you use excessive hand gesturing (or not enough animation)?
2. Did you use an encouraging tone of voice when answering questions?
3. Did you display positive facial expression when presenting and answering questions?
4. Were you pacing (or not enough movement)?
5. Did you make adequate eye contact with audience?
6. Were you talking too fast?
7. Did you use too many filler words (um, ah, you know)?
8. Did you hesitate before speaking?
9. Did you allow time for follow up questions?
10. Did you use proper vocal volume?
Just ask your observer to answer “yes” or “no” to each point. The responses can give you a heads-up on which skills you might need a little work.