About the Ohio State Bar Foundation

Helpful Hints for Presenters Prior to presentation Confirm time, date, location of presentation. Confirm length and topic of presentation, as well as format (interview format, speech with follow up question/answer period, etc.). Confirm likely composition of audience (senior citizens, members of an association, etc.) and event program. Communicate with the event liaison (the one making your arrangements, who will meet you, etc.). Decide if you want to use existing aids such as videotapes on advance directives (contact Ohio Bar Association Public Relations department) or printed materials from other sources (see our RESOURCE LIST). However, don’t use too many aids, as they can become distracting. Request audiovisual equipment (podium, overhead projector, Power Point projector, etc.) and other preferred set up. Prepare biographical and handout materials and, if necessary, submit those to event liaison (see Frequently Asked Questions and other resources in this package). Find out whether you can attend portions of the event prior to your presentation, to familiarize yourself with environment, acoustics and audience. Double check materials needed for presentation beforehand - notes, handouts, Power Point slides, etc. When creating your presentation, keep your remarks brief, focused on the topic, and full of attention-grabbing statistics, anecdotes or other information (see relevant portions of this package). Don’t get bogged down in too much detail! During the presentation If a microphone is provided: Adjust the microphone before beginning the presentation (7-10 inches from your mouth is best). Talk normally and avoid rustling papers or making other sounds that will amplify. Speak slowly and clearly, repeating points you want to emphasize. Stay on topic. Deliver information following an imaginary outline, using a bullet point approach, rather than paragraph form, otherwise it will sound too rehearsed and unnatural. On subjective topics, make it clear that you are speaking ONLY for yourself or based on statistics (for example, when discussing whether you would prefer extreme life-sustaining treatment if you were the patient or when discussing how doctors feel about advance directives). If there is a question/answer period, repeat each question before answering it, to make sure everyone understands your response. Unless you’ve agreed to a debate format, don’t get into an argument, particularly with audience members. Raise counter points and “agree to disagree” or suggest sources that an opponent (and other audience members) can use to find more information. Don’t interrupt audience members asking questions. If they interrupt your answer, wait until they’re finished and proceed. If they don’t let you finish, go on to the next question. If someone asks a question about something you covered in your presentation, take that as a sign that you didn’t sufficiently emphasize or clarify the point - don’t point out that they weren’t listening. If a question is asked that makes you uncomfortable, you have several options: restate the question in a way that you feel comfortable answering, refer the person to another source, or state that you aren’t comfortable answering the question. Remember that audiences usually sympathize with a speaker, especially one put in an awkward position by a question - unless the speaker becomes rude or loses his or her temper.