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A recent training program offered by Dr. Mohamed Evren Tok from HBKU’s College of Islamic Studies, titled “How to Make Effective Academic Presentations”,brought together 32 students from across various colleges of the university for the training.
Students at master’s or PhD level benefitted from the innovative pedagogies used during the sessions. In feedback, the benefit most often cited by the students was that the skills they attained were implementable and that the hands-on, unique approach was compelling.
A Unique Approach
Dr. Tok explained: “An action camerawasused in order to help the trainees see the audience from the eyes of the presenter. Normally,when we present, we often record ourselves by a camera that is located in front of us. Alternatively, we try to talk in front of a mirror.Doubtless, this helps in seeing ourselves from the perspective of the audience. As an instructor, I have witnessed many times during my courses, conferences and other events, that presenters “forget” the audience. They either focus entirely on their visual material, in a way, they expect their PowerPoint, or other visuals to be at the forefront, or they stick to their presentation text and almost deliver the presentation in a reading mode.
“Students often use PowerPoint slides to add a visual component to their presentations and equip their slides with textual material to be conveyed to the audience.However, we need to remember that thereare three pillars of making presentations: visuals, text and the presenter’s physical existence, in other words, the oration. If the third pillar, the presenter’s physical existence, is underdeveloped, the content may not be properly transmitted to the audience.”
Breaking “Comfort Zones”
Dr. Tok continued: “I see this choice as an urge to find a “comfort zone” during presentations.Sometimes we use PowerPoint or similar programs to divert the attention away from us or in other times we stick to our written text and use the text as our “comfort zones”.”
The innovative pedagogy introduced in the training module aimed to help participants avoid seeking comfort zones and reminded them constantly that there was an audience in the room.
Fixed on their foreheads, the students were given an action camera, which they fixed on their foreheadswhen making their sample presentations. The camera was connected to a cell phone via Bluetooth and was projected on a second screen in the room. This way, the audience was able to follow two screens, the presentation prepared by the presenter and the live view from the camera on the presenter’s forehead on the second screen. This enabled the audience to follow both screens and better observe the way presenters balance eye contact, visuals and text.
Having an action camera attached to their head helped each presenter stay cognizant of the audience. Although it was a source of discomfort, being aware of the camera made the presenters focus more on the audience and stick less to their notes or text.
LearningOutcomes: primacy-recency effect
In relevant studies, psychologists highlight “primacy-recency effect” as key to delivering effective and lasting presentations.“Primacy-recency effect” means that an audience’s attention span is higher at the beginning and at the end of presentations than the middle part.Presentations created and delivered in line with the “primacy-recency effect” are said to have the biggest and most lasting impact.
The 4-session training program was structured according to this logic. The first week’s training focused on how to kick-start good presentations. The task at hand was to make an effective 60-secondstart to a presentation. Dr. Leslie Pal, visiting professor at HBKU and Dr. Tok, made two sample 60-second starters to provide students with an introduction, tips and confidence to do their own. Examples of how to best utilize the first 60 seconds of a presentation includedusing an anecdote, a visual aid, a hands-on exercise or another non-conventional method that would attract ample attention and prepare the audience for the rest of the presentation.
Participants also took part in various online polls to decide on the most critical difficulties they face during presentations, the results of which were analyzed and discussed by participants in small groups. The groups were then tasked with coming up with possible solutions to overcome the difficulties faced. According to the results of the online polls, students agreed that anxiety, delivery, and design aspects stood out as the most critical challenges. The training program made the participants aware of the challenges and by the end of the training the students had reached a consensus that further training would help them excel in their presentation skills in classrooms as well as in conferences.