Important Tips

Tips from fellow students

Following are some useful tips:

1.Keep it simple - The simple the content of your message, the easier it is for the audience to grasp. Don't use complex words, graphs, etc if you don't have to. This applies to your presentation slides too! Your presentation slides should be simple enough for someone to understand them without having heard your presentation.

2. Smile - This is very helpful! I wonder why people don't use this often. Smiling at certain points of your presentation creates a connection. The audience will react better. (Smile if the occasion permits).

3. Use logical flow - Don't jump from one point to the other. Use transition statements such as " .. now that we have seen .... lets think ..."

4. Make use of repetition - Repeat important steps (for example, the main points). Of course, you don't want to repeat the whole presentation. For example, if your talk had an introduction, a body with 5 points, and a conclusion, repeat the 5 steps wherever you think is necessary. Repeating all the steps in your conclusion helps the audience remember the content of your presentation.

5. Don't chew gum/candies - Big mistake! You might as well bring lunch -- makes sense, doesn't it? You are distracting the audience.

6. Survey the room - Before you start your presentation, look at everyone (in the eye if possible). Scan from left to right. Connection thing again.

7. Slow down - Don't rush through the talk. This is just like food. Give them time to digest. Someone might be looking at the graph and trying to connect what you said to what he sees. Also, slowing down creates a relaxing environment, both, for you and the audience.

8. Ask Questions - Ask a question on something you already described while presenting. Don't expect anyone to answer, and don't wait long for someone to answer. Use gesture and smile while asking. Your aim is to have the audience remember the answer. Asking question breaks the flow and lets them think (active listening).

9. Use Humor - This can be done at the beginning (with survey questions or putting up a cartoon on the slide). Make sure your jokes are neutral to the audience. Seeing your audience smile or laugh has a calming effect on you. Make sure you smile back.

10. Use Reminders - Refer to something you already described before. For example, you could say "... you can see this goes blank ... remember we discussed about 'something' in the introduction? ..."

11. Don't be monotonous in your speech - This can be annoying to the audience. Try to change the volume of your voice. Try to sound excited (unless you are doing a eulogy).

12. Provide references or links - The end of your presentation should not be the end of the content you presented. Guide your audience to more information.

13. Be Prepared - Anything can happen during the presentation. What would you do if the computer stopped working in the middle of your presentation? What if someone entered the room and started making noise? What will you do if you trip on the cable? There is no one way of handling this. The best way of getting out of embarrassment is to turn it into humor. The audience will love it!

14. Arrive Early - If possible try and get to the room where you are presenting early. Arriving early will allow you to survey the area where you will be presenting. Getting there early will also give you a chance to test out any slides or electronic devices you may be using. This way if anything doesn't work you can try and make alternate arrangements.

Links

The following pages link to this page

Oral Presentations