Key tips

• Facilitating lip reading
  • Dangling earrings, zigzag patterned ties and loud graphic prints can make lip reading more difficult. Trim back moustaches, avoid glossy lipstick and try not to talk with your hands over your mouth.
• Practice your timing and include at least 20 per cent contingency time
  • Always time your delivery before the event, allowing extra time for explanations, questions and interpretation. It's not uncommon for a communications professional to ask a presenter to slow down or repeat something.
• Presenting speed
  • Aim to speak at your usual speed unless you have a strong accent or your normal pace is very fast. Speaking more slowly will help everyone, including people with a hearing impairment. Do not raise your voice considerably or over-enunciate, as this distorts the sound and affects your lip pattern, making it harder for people with a hearing impairment.
• Over-running
  • It is often critical not to over-run on timing. People may rely on medication, food or support needs at certain times, so meeting and events that over-run can cause distress. It's tempting to speed up when you are running out of time, instead try to simplify your message.
  • If extra time is needed, you or the chairperson should check with attendees whether it is acceptable to continue and if so, for how long.
• Have a clear structure
  • This also helps interpreters to know when the subject is changing. Colour coding your presentation and using clear headings may help to present complex information in a manageable way. Summarise at the end.
• Explain key terms at the start or when first mentioned
  • There are likely to be some policy or technical terms that the group may not have heard before. Explaining these quickly as they crop up will be helpful to some attendees.
• Maps, charts and plans
  • Don't assume everyone will readily understand maps, charts and plans - explain them, highlighting key areas. This helps everyone, including people with a visual impairment or learning disability.
• Describe any pictures or images
  • Try to do this as naturally as possible and only for images that form a key part of the presentation. For example, logos and graphics intended to brighten up a slide do not need to be described, but a chart would be explained in more detail.
• Alternative formats
  • Be ready to provide alternative forms for any handouts. You may receive requests for large print (printing one slide per page should suffice) or, rarely, Braille - you may need to allow a week or more to have this prepared.