Giving Presentations (New)

1. Academic Skills
Giving Presentations

2. Introduction
Many people are nervous about talking in
front of an audience, usually because they are
afraid of making a mess of it. Ironically, it is
uncontrolled nerves that are most likely to
lead to a poor performance - so building
confidence through preparation and practice
is really important.

3. Stages of a Presentation
•There three stages in a successful
presentation:
•1. Preparation
•2. Practice
•3. Giving your presentation

4. I. Preparing Your Presentation
There are eight stages to preparing a presentation.
1. Objectives
•Why are you giving this talk?
•Who will you be talking to?
•How much do they know about the subject
already?
•What effect do you want your presentation to
have?

5. 2. Limitations
•How long time have you got?
•Do you have to follow a certain format?
•Where will you be giving your presentation?
•Can you change the room around to suit your
preferences?

6. 3. Writing the presentation
*Beginning
•Briefly introduce yourself .
• Give an outline of the structure of the talk,
so the audience know where it is going.
•Let them know if you are going to take
questions as you proceed or invite
discussion at the end?

7. •You'll need to gain the audience's attention,
so think carefully how you will introduce your
topic - for example, you could start with an
anecdote, a question or some contradictory
statements

8. *Middle
•Decide on your main points: (three points in a
10-minute talk)
•Is there a logical connection between these
points?
•What evidence can you produce to support your
points ?
•Write key words, phrases and facts on index
cards. (large + sequence).

9. Where they are appropriate, you could plan to
use:
•examples, anecdotes and case histories
•charts and graphs
•handouts (will you issue them at the start? in
the middle? at the end?)
•slides
•video clips
•artifacts which people can pass

10. *End
Summarise what you have said: ‘In this
talk we have discussed...'
Make your conclusions: ‘It is clear that...'
Plan to leave the audience a parting shot to
stimulate their thoughts.

11. 4.Visuals
Prepare your visuals (PowerPoint slides,
Overhead Projector foils, etc).
Make sure they are clear, and that any text is
big enough (24 points or larger).

12. 5. And then...
When you have written your presentation, look it
over carefully, from the viewpoint of your
intended audience.
•Does it meet the objectives?
•Is the structure as logical as can be?
•Is the content right for the audience?
•Is it too long?
Then revise the presentation.

13. II. Practicing your presentation
Once you have prepared, you need to do two things
before you actually give your presentation.
*Practice
•Practice giving your talk on your own:
•Get used to the sound of your own voice, ideally in a
room of the size you will be using.
•Check how long your talk is.
•When you're happy with it, try the presentation out on
a friend.

14. *Visuals
Are your visuals effective? Practice
using your visuals:
•talking to the audience, not to the
screen
•combining giving your talk with
changing the slides

15. III. Giving your presentation
There are five things to remember during
your presentation:
*Space
•Arrive in good time.
•Get familiar with the room and any audio-
visual equipment .
•Allow yourself time to get comfortable in
the space

16. *Presence
As you get up to give your
presentation, make a conscious effort to
stand tall, take a deep breath and look
as if you're going to enjoy being there.

17. *Eye contact
Make eye contact with people in your
audience in a friendly way. People respond
much better when they think you are talking
to them.
In a small room, try to make eye contact with
each person in the audience; in a larger hall,
make eye contact with different groups in the
audience.

18. *Voice
•Speak slowly and clearly
•Speak loudly enough so everyone can hear
•Remember to breathe slowly and deeply

19. *Move
You are allowed to move as you give your
presentation, but avoid pacing up and down or
fiddling with your hands, spectacles or pen.
Keep your hands out of your pockets and away
from your face.
It can help add variety and interest to come to
the front of the podium to deliver a telling point.
Try to avoid hiding behind the lectern.