Student Stories: Presentation Skills

For some of us, even if we don’t like to admit it, presentations are a task that we dread. The pressure of the moment, the attention of others, for some people this is motivating, but for the others, it’s like having to walk through a spider’s web, or even worse, having to get out of bed on a Monday morning! End of term is usually marked with loads of assignments, frantic exam prep and definitely a couple of presentations here and there! So I thought it would be a good idea to share these presentation tips with you guys!

Here are 13 (+1) tips to a successful presentation:

10-20-30 Rule – This rule states that a PowerPoint slide should have no more than 10 slides, last no longer than 20 minutes and have no text less than 30 point font. The important thing is to get the message across, do not beat around the bush.
Be Entertaining – Speeches should be entertaining and informative. I’m not saying you should act like a dancing monkey when giving a serious presentation but just keep in mind that simply reciting dry facts without any passion or humor will make people less likely to pay attention.
Slow Down – It is common for people to be nervous during the presentation. Nervous and inexperienced speakers tend to talk way too fast, so it’s a good idea to consciously slow your speech down and add pauses for emphasis.
Eye Contact – Match eye contact with everyone in the room. This is a very important thing, as it not only makes you look more confident, but also holds the attention of your audience.
Don’t Read – This one is a no brainer, but somehow PowerPoint makes people think they can get away with it. You need to show the professor and the class that you know what you’re talking about. The only way you can get your point across is by actually understanding it yourself.
Speeches are About Stories – Not exactly relevant for your history or ethics presentation (unless you make it relevant), but otherwise, this is a really helpful tip. Stories create the bond between you and the rest of the people in the room which is necessary to hold their attention!
Project Your Voice – Projecting your voice doesn’t mean yelling, rather standing up straight and letting your voice resonate with confidence and assurity.
Don’t Plan Gestures – Any gestures you use need to be an extension of your message, planned gestures look false because they don’t match your other involuntary body cues. You are better off keeping your hands to your side.
“That’s a Good Question” – Been asked a question you can’t think an answer to right away? You can use statements like, “that’s a really good question,” or “I’m glad you asked me that,” to buy yourself a few moments to organize your response. Will the other people in the audience know you are using these filler sentences to reorder your thoughts? Probably not. And even if they do, it still makes the presentation smoother than um’s and ah’s littering your answer.
Avoid the presentation killers – Feeling the urge to use killers like ‘um,’ ‘ah,’ or ‘you know’? Replace those with a pause taking a short breath in. The pause may seem a bit awkward, but the audience will barely notice it.
Come Early– Don’t act like a technologically challenged person, fumbling with PowerPoint when people are waiting for you to speak. Come early, scope out the room, run through your slideshow and make sure there won’t be any glitches.
Get Practice – Practice makes perfect! Have your buddy’s listen to your presentations, again and again if possible. (sorry in advance to anyone who is going have to listen to a presentation, repeatedly) This will make you more competent and confident when you approach the podium.
Put Yourself in the Audience – When writing a speech, see it from the audiences perspective. What might they not understand? What might seem boring? Use WIIFM (What’s In It for Me) to guide you.
Have Fun – Sounds impossible? With a little practice you can inject your passion for a subject into your presentations. Enthusiasm is contagious.