Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill if you want to spread your idea/message, especially in academia. For some people this comes naturally, for others it is a major challenge. However, with a little work and practice, it is possible to improve your presentation skills. The aim of this group is to help you improve your presentation skills. 

Before the presentation

  • Content and structure
    • Think about how you are going to present your material (structure, level of detail, text vs pictures, chronological/logical description).
      • Game: make a 1-minute advertisement for a spoon, a pencil, a sponge, glass.
      • Game: explain a complex term/process that a 7-10 year old child can understand, e.g. thunder, refrigerator, cryptocurrency, etc.
    • Content should be audience-specific, e.g. domain experts or outside experts.
    • During the motivation/introduction you may attract or lose attention (make it interesting!)
    • Check spelling and grammar
  • Design
    • Use the same style on all slides
    • Use simple, uncluttered pictures
    • Use an eye-friendly colour scheme
  • Preparation for your presentation
    • Review some of the most-watched TED talks. Try to understand why they are popular? Can you use the same techniques in your presentation?
    • Rehearse your presentation in front of friends and family and ask for feedback.
    • Try not to use filler words such as 'you know', 'mh', 'aah', etc.
      • Game: Try speaking for 30 seconds without any filler words.
    • People tend to pay more attention to people who speak with enthusiasm.
      • Game: talk enthusiastically about simple things like a spoon, a pencil, a sponge for 1 minute.
During the presentation

  • Be confident
  • Speak loud (do not shout)
  • Don't speak too fast or too slow
  • Don't read your slides word for word! Explain them in other words
  • Smile, but don't overdo it (it can be scary)
  • Look at the audience
  • You may use some gestures (but do not play the sign language interpreter)
  • Do not exceed the time limit

After the presentation

  • Don't get upset if you can't answer all the questions
  • You can improve your presentation depending on the questions. Analyse them!
You can find some templates and examples of professional presentations here.

Last modified: Thursday, June 23, 2022, 5:40 AM