Doing your presentation
This advice applies primarily to student presentations in class. But it is also more generally applicable: to seminar papers, to oral presentations at conferences, and to lectures.
1. Be prepared
- Plan what you are going to say. Research the topic thoroughly.
- Make an outline. (This might be the same as your handout.) Be structured!
- Say what you are going to say, say it, then say that you have said it.
- Do not speak from a fixed script. Make detailed notes, if necessary, but not a word-for-word script. Note differences between spoken and written English.
- Rehearse if necessary, to gain confidence.
- Prepare handouts, transparencies, tapes etc. in good time.
- Check beforehand that equipment is working and that you know how to operate it. Check microphones, if used.
2. Be audible
- Speak firmly and confidently. Do not mumble. Project your voice. Do not rush.
- Face the audience. Maintain eye contact. Get audience feedback.
- Use signposts:
- What I'm going to talk about is
- First,
- Secondly,
- Thirdly,
- To sum up,
- Think ahead. Do not make hesitation noises (um, er, uh).
- In an emergency, if you forget what comes next, repeat the last thing you said.
3. Be legible
- If you use a handout, make sure that it is properly laid out. Use a word processor. Get hold of any necessary special fonts (e.g. phonetic symbols). Photocopy enough handouts for your expected audience.
- Have a blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart and chalks/markers/pens available.
- If you use transparencies with an overhead projector, make sure they are legible (use 20-point type or larger). Rather than write them by hand, it is better to prepare them on a computer using a word processor or PowerPoint. Note that you need different kinds of transparency sheets for writing on by hand, for photocopying from an original, and for printing direct from a computer.
- If using PowerPoint, you can either print the slides out as transparencies, or display them direct with a laptop computer and data projector (if available). Use colour if you can. Add illustrations if you wish. Find suitable clipart on the web, or photocopy or scan from a textbook.
- If you use diagrams, graphs, or other graphics, ensure that they too are legible.
- Display each transparency/slide for long enough for the audience to study it.
- Dont overdo animation or special effects.
4. Be punctual
- Be ready to start at the agreed time.
- Finish at the agreed time. Tailor your material as you proceed, so that you reach your conclusion punctually. On average, you will probably speak at about 150 words per minute. This might correspond to about 100 words of written text (we use more words speaking than we do writing). So if you are allowed 15 minutes, the content might be equivalent to that of a 1500-word essay.
Observe other public speakers. Learn from what succeeds, avoid what fails.
Further advice on the web: