Giving a presentation
You will probably have to give at least one presentation during your time at
University. It’s also a skill you might need in your chosen career, or you could
be asked to give a presentation at a future job interview. Many people find this
a daunting prospect, but there are some things you can do to make the
experience a little less painful. This guide will run through some tips to help
you do your best in presentations.
What do you have to do?
Make sure, before you start, that you have understood what you’re being
asked to do. Think about the following:
• How long does the presentation have to be? Even a five minute
presentation can feel awfully long if you are unprepared.
• Who is the audience for this presentation? Are you presenting to a
panel? To your class? Does this affect how you feel about presenting?
• What is the presentation about? What do you need to cover? Make
sure you understand the instructions, and if you’re not sure, check with
your tutor or module handbook.
• What other instructions have you been given? Have you been
asked to use visual aids or produce handouts?
• Is it an individual or group presentation? If you are asked to present
as a group, you will need to plan your presentation together so that it
flows coherently.
Planning the presentation
A presentation might take longer than you think to prepare. A few hastily
flung-together PowerPoint slides won’t be enough. You need to plan what you
are going to say, as if you were writing an essay. Don’t forget:
• Your introduction. Just like an essay, a presentation needs an
introduction so that the audience knows what the presentation will be
about.
• Structure the content. What are you going to include? What needs to
be explained first? Think about the structure of your presentation so
that it flows coherently and in a logical order.
• Your conclusion. Make sure to sum up your points and reach some
kind of conclusion, rather than just stopping.
• Academic references. You’ll still need to refer to academic theories,
studies and arguments. Make sure it’s clear what content has come
from which source.
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Using technology
You may have been asked to use visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides.
Visual aids are not a substitute for good presentation skills – they are not
there to do all the work for you. Rather, they should complement your
presentation without distracting from it. If you are using something like
PowerPoint, be aware of a few pointers:
• Have a title slide. This should include your name and the title of your
presentation.
• Don’t put too much information on each slide. Too much
information or text will distract the audience, and they might find it
difficult to concentrate on both the slide and your voice at the same
time. Your slides should only have the main points on them.
• Be careful of font size and colour. Make sure the text is big enough
for the audience to read, and that you haven’t used colours which clash.
• Don’t overdo the animation. Tinkling noises and words flying in from
all angles are actually quite distracting and difficult to watch. It’s fine to
use some animation or sound if it’s appropriate, but think about the
purpose of your presentation and whether this is suitable.
• Make sure images are clear. If you’re showing graphs, photos or
other images, make sure the audience can see and understand them.
• Do your slides match? Don’t use a mixture of backgrounds and styles.
If you’re presenting as a group, your slides should all have the same
general appearance so that they look like parts of the same
presentation rather than several small presentations stuck together.
• Know how to use the equipment. Practise using PowerPoint if you’re
not used to it, so that you don’t panic when trying to get your
presentation to work. It’s also a good idea to save it in more than one
place, in case of memory stick malfunction.
Handouts
You might have been told to provide handouts, but it is a good idea to provide
a handout even if you haven’t been told to do so, as it helps the panel or
examiners to remember your presentation. If you are presenting to your whole
class, you don’t need to print a handout out for everyone, but do provide one
for the tutor. There are some things to consider:
• What will you put on the handout? Will you print out your slides, or
use the handout to provide additional information (such as graphs or
your reference list)?
• When will you give the handout to the audience? Do you want them
to have it from the beginning, so that they can make notes on the
handout as they go along? Or would you prefer to provide it at the end
of the presentation, as a reminder?
• Make sure your handout is clear. Your handout needs to be useful
and suitable, so make sure it’s legible and easy to understand.
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The presentation itself
Many people get nervous about presenting in public, particularly when they
don’t have much experience of doing so. This is only natural – most students
will have very limited experience of giving presentations, and it’s difficult
getting used to standing up in front of a panel of examiners or classmates.
Your tutors and examiners do understand this, but there are a few things you
can do which will help you to feel better about presentations.
• Most importantly, you must know your topic. You need to practise
your presentation, and be confident that you know what points you are
going to make. Can you explain briefly to someone else what you’ll be
covering in the presentation? Being familiar with the material and
ensuring you know your stuff will be time well spent.
• Practise in front of someone else. Running through the presentation
in front of a friend or family member will be really useful, as you’ll be
able to tell how well you know the topic and what you need to work on.
You might also find it useful to attend a presentation practice session
with a Study Skills Tutor in Student Life, where you can practise in front
of a small group of other students (and the tutor) and receive
constructive feedback.
Taking notes with you
You’ll probably find it best to take some kind of notes in with you, to remind
you what you were going to say. Remember, if you are using slides, they
should only contain the main points. You will expand on these points in your
presentation. Whatever you do, don’t take a full script in with you. You’ll find
yourself reading from it, and if you get lost it can take a long time to find your
place as you have to plough through pages of information. It’s advisable to
only take something containing the main points in with you, so that you can’t
rely on reading them out and have to expand on them.
Most people find one of the two following options useful.
1. Print out your slides. If using slides, it’s often good to print them out
and make brief notes alongside them, reminding you what you want to
say.
2. Postcards. Using postcards (or paper) containing just the main points
is a good technique. A list of bullet points to remind you of the main
things you want to mention will jog your memory as you go along.
Presentation tips
As well as knowing your topic, you need to think about how you are
disseminating this information to your audience. Your presentation style is
important, and you need to look confident (even if you aren’t!). Think about:
• Your body language. Try not to fidget, and make sure you are facing
the audience and not turning round to read from the screen if using a
projector and slides.
• Make eye contact… or at least look as if you are doing so. If you can’t
face looking the audience in the eye, make sure to look in their general
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direction as much as possible. The audience want to feel that you are
engaging with them and speaking to them.
• Make sure the audience can see you. Don’t hide behind a lectern
and be careful not to stand in front of the screen if using slides.
• Don’t rush. Speak slowly. Make sure to time your presentation when
practising, to be sure it’s the right length.
• Take a deep breath and compose yourself. It’s fine to take a few
seconds to get your thoughts together, and if you do lose your way,
you can spend a moment finding your place.
• If presenting as a group, think about how you will share the workload
(what order will you present in, where will you all stand, and so on).
You need to think about these issues before the presentation, so that
you are not flustered and disorganised on the day.
Dealing with questions
There may be some time for questions after the presentation. This is just as
important as the presentation itself, and can be worth several marks. Think
about what you might be asked beforehand, so that you can have a few
planned responses ready. Questions are not there to catch you out, but rather
to give you the opportunity to expand on certain points raised in the
presentation.
If you don’t understand a question, it’s fine to ask for it to be repeated or
clarified. Similarly, you can ask for a few moments to compose your answer if
you need to. Remember, it’s best to be honest, so if you really don’t know the
answer, say so.
By following the advice given here, you should be able to prepare yourself for
your presentations and survive them unscathed.
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