Features of Effective and Ineffective Presentations

These are compiled from the class activity on September 6, where students recalled particularly effective and ineffective presentations from their own personal experience and identified features that made them so. The number following each feature is the number of times it was mentioned.

What made the presentations effective:

  1. Use of humor (15)
  2. Enthusiasm, energy, passion for topic (14)
  3. Establishing a personal relationship with the audience (10)
  4. Clarity and projection of speaking voice (10)
  5. Personal stories related to the topic (9)
  6. Honesty, confidence, belief in own message (7)
  7. Appropriate physical objects or other audio-visual supports (7)
  8. Self-evident knowledge of topic and audience (5)
  9. Audience participation during talk (5)
  10. Comfortable, fluid, and appropriate movements or gestures (4)
  11. Emotional connection with audience (3)
  12. Confident, stylish dress and manner (2)
  13. Eye contact with audience (2)
  14. Relaxed attitude (2)
  15. Real-time feedback at the end of the presentation
  16. Effective reactions to distraction during talk
  17. Excellent transitions between points
  18. Positive outlook
  19. Walking out into the audience
  20. Surprise ending
  21. Multiple speakers

What made the presentations ineffective:

  1. Monotone delivery, dry style, no emotion (17)
  2. No effort to relate material to audience interests, background (7)
  3. Lack of or poor selection of audio-visual aids (6)
  4. Quiet voice, hard to follow (5)
  5. Not enough movement, rigid posture (5)
  6. Lack of preparation, conveying disrespect to audience (5)
  7. Showing that you are afraid or nervous, lack of confidence (5)
  8. Memorized or rote delivery of lines (5)
  9. General lack of energy (4)
  10. Many filler words (uh, eh, ...) or noises (3)
  11. Lack of or poor selection of examples (3)
  12. Lack of facial expression or eye contact when speaking (3)
  13. Mismanaging time so that things get rushed (2)
  14. Insufficient material (2)
  15. Lack of, or poor attempts at humor or jokes (3)
  16. Showing lack of knowledge, losing credibility (2)
  17. Too much movement, walking around too fast (2)
  18. No breaks for audience feedback or interaction (2)
  19. Repetitive, lots of redundant points (2)
  20. Speaking with an accent that is hard to follow
  21. Videotaped remarks, not in-person
  22. Uncomfortable or overcrowded room