Reports and Presentations - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 255

6. Watch your body language : Body language and hand and arm gestures are
important. General advice on this topic and special advice about body lan-
guage in certain cultures can be found in many articles and topics that have
been written on this subject.
7. Manage time wisely : Presentations almost always have time limits. Besides,
human beings have a limited attention span. It is easy to become side-tracked
and lose track of time, sometimes because of an audience's questions and
comments. A good presenter sets “milestones,” for example, that when the
presenter reaches half-time, the presentation will have reached a certain point
or slide. Putting a watch or a small clock on the podium—preferably unseen
by the audience—may be a good idea (but should not be a distraction to the
speaker).
8. Have a backup plan : Some precautions should be taken in case something goes
wrong before or during the presentation. Items to have on hand include an
electrical extension cord, a signal cord, an electronic copy of the presentation
on a USB flash drive, an electrical adaptor, and a printout of the presentation.
Using a remote control to move through the slides is a must that gives the
speaker the freedom to move around the room. If the presenter is not using
a personal computer, he or she must make sure the necessary software (e.g.,
Microsoft PowerPoint) is installed on the computer that will be used. It is
important to test everything before the presentation.

In addition to the preceding points, there are many hints on how to improve a
PowerPoint presentation and/or handouts. Recently, Prezi software has been gaining
grounds as a competitor to MS PowerPoint. Such hints plus more hints on good
speaking and delivering good presentations can be found in specialized references.
The author recommends Toastmasters International 5

for those who would like to

improve their speaking skills and self-confidence.

THE POWER OF PRESENTATIONS
Current technology gives us powerful tools with which to create, manage, manipulate,
present, disseminate, and store data. When producing reports or presentations, we
typically have many options for organizing and displaying information. Any cost esti-
mating, scheduling, project management, or other software has tens if not hundreds of
standard reports. Users can also create and customize their own reports. Third-party
software packages can provide even more reporting templates. Each report has its own
settings, rules, and options. Many features in these reports can be adjusted or turned

5 Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1924 to train people to have
better communication and leadership skills. It has local clubs in almost every U.S. city and in many other
locations worldwide. For more information about this organization, visit http://www.toastmasters.org/.