News Release

CHAPEL HILL -- Some people equate the fear of public speaking with the fear of snakes, heights and even death – yet in many business fields, it’s almost impossible to ascend the corporate ladder without polished presentation skills.

These observations are from "Effective Business Presentations," a new book by Dr. Judy Jones Tisdale, a management communication professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Tisdale’s book is a practitioners’ guide focusing on both the coaching and assessment aspects of presentations. Published by Prentice Hall, the book is part of the NetEffect Series on skills development for the workplace.

A 1998 National Communication Association survey found that only 20 percent of Americans polled felt they had received formal training to prepare them to create and deliver strong presentations.

"So much of what we do revolves around effectively communicating our work. Knowing how to do that well can help you manage your anxiety," said Tisdale, who teaches effective presentation skills for Kenan-Flagler undergraduate and master of business administration students and other UNC graduate students.

"Recruiters tell us it’s one of the top skills that students need. Taking the time to enhance and refine your skills can help you move ahead in your career," she added

Tisdale’s book can be used as a comprehensive plan for building a dynamic presentation, and it also offers solutions for trouble spots facing experienced presenters, such as dealing with PowerPoint or the audience question-and-answer session. The book is peppered with editorial cartoon-style illustrations by a former undergraduate student of Tisdale’s, David Watson, who graduated in 2002.

"Effective Business Presentations" also features checklists and exercises. Main topics address the following insights and more:

· Remember that a presentation is not a public speech: "Your audience is typically under a hundred people. In presentations, we expect people to engage with us as individuals. We want the presenter to have a conversation with us; we don’t want to experience a lecture," said Tisdale.

· Assessment is one of the keys to success: "One way people can improve their presentation skills pretty dramatically is by watching a video of themselves. Many people come across more confident and polished than they realize. My students view their presentation videos three times to adequately assess their strengths and weakness so that they can improve," said Tisdale.

· Use PowerPoint to illustrate and support the message, but it is not "the" message: "It’s a wonderful tool if used as a tool, but if you’re using text, it ought to be memorable. Many experts encourage a ‘six-by-six rule,’ where you use no more than six bullets per slide and no more than six words per bullet point. If presenters must use text, my recommendation is to take it even further and have no more than four bullet points per slide," said Tisdale.

· Conduct a thoughtful audience analysis: "Presenters need to understand as much as possible about their audience in order to effectively shape the presentation. Why is the audience there? What do they need to do with the information? How might this impact their jobs?" said Tisdale.

· You don’t have to be an extrovert to give an effective presentation: "People can have a calm or energetic style and both can be effective, but it’s important to realize how your style might come across to an audience. Thinking about how your audience might perceive you helps you to transform from a good to an exceptional presenter," said Tisdale.

"One of the great myths in our society about speaking in front of people is that some individuals are ‘born presenters’," said Tisdale. "It’s true that some people are more comfortable speaking to groups of people than others. However, presenters who aren’t as confident about their oral communication skills can benefit greatly by developing strategies for promoting their concepts effectively."

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Note: Contact Tisdale at (919) 962-4355 or judy_tisdale@unc.edu.

Kenan-Flagler contact: Kim Weaver Spurr, (919) 962-8951 or spurrk@unc.edu