Preparation and practice
In ensuring that you give a successful presentation, it is essential that your prepare and practise beforehand.
Follow these general guidelines to help you.
Organise your notes
- Never read your presentation like a speech - this limits eye contact with your audience and is also somewhat boring for the audience to watch.
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Have a paper with the main headings and points on it, or use palm cards which you can use to talk from.
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Using notes with 'cues' will help you achieve a more natural style.
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Never read exactly what is on your powerpoint slides, try to paraphrase or 'talk around' the content. It is generally boring for the audience to hear exactly the same as 'what they can read' on the powerpoints.
Time yourself
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Time yourself to see how long your presentation is. Ensure it is 'on time' and neither too short, nor too long.
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Take care with your voice - speaking too quickly means the audience may not understand you properly. You need to speak clearly, loud enough and with good intonation.
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Speaking at a leisurely pace gives you time to pronounce words clearly and for the audience to take them in.
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Also, allocate the time appropriately between the introduction, body and conclusion of your talk, and allow time for the discussion phase at the end.
Practise well
The secret to successful presentations is to practise sufficiently.
- Practise before a good friend (or even a mirror!), or with other presentation team members.
- Videoing yourself practising the presentation can be really useful aid. You can then easily evaluate your voice quality, body language and posture; as well as your confidence levels.
- Give yourself constructive feedback about your body language, speaking style, presentation contents and timing. Then seek to make improvements where necessary.
Don’t let nerves get to you
Nerves can often affect most of us when we have to speak in public. It is useful to remember:
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Take a deep breath and ensure that you try to take deep natural breaths to calm yourself down.
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Try to speak a bit slower and also try to smile as you talk (both of these tips help disguise nerves).
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Know that most people are also nervous when they get up and talk -it is OK and perfectly natural. Your audience will understand.
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Conceal your nerves by always facing the audience, smiling at them, making eye contact around the room (do not just look at your lecturer).
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Sometimes moving towards your audience instead of hiding behind the lectern can make you feel less intimidated. Don't be afraid to move around a bit during your presentation.
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If you are enthusiastic and properly prepared, it is most likely that your nerves will vanish by the time you have finished your introduction
Download: Presentation Checklist (PDF 152KB, 2 pages)