Introduction
Delivering presentations tops the list of the most nerve-wracking assessments you will do while studying. For a typical student without experience in public speaking, this is a daunting task. Within business and management studies, you can’t avoid having to do a few before you graduate. This is the same for several other fields. To perform well, you want to answer the question; what is the best way to do my presentation? This article will talk you through what you can do at the different stages to deliver a successful presentation. Below are some tried-and-tested presentation ammunitions to stash in your assessment arsenal.
Plan Your Presentation
Not planning for a presentation is like jumping into a deep pool without learning how to swim. You will drown. These are some tips on what to do during planning.
Know the Topic
The first step is to learn the specific topic-areas that will apply to your presentation. For some presentation assessments, you will have these clearly mentioned. Others may be broadly set around one or more topic areas. In this case, you need to determine the specific areas to focus on. Besides the assignment question, the lecturer can be helpful with this. Once you know the specifics, do your research. Identify and make notes of the main points to focus on.
Know the audience
Not knowing the audience is a major reason many presentations go wrong. Like the topic, you must research the audience. For assessments, this is straightforward. It’s a lecturer (or a few) and other students. You must know the expectations of the lecturer you are presenting to. This is easy to know. Check the assignment requirements and ask. Knowing the expectations will help you tailor your presentation to the audience. If the presentation is not an assessment, find the interests of the audience when you research them.
set smart objectives
The main objective will answer the question; what do you want to achieve with the presentation? This is not the grade you want. It is what you have to do to achieve the grade. Another way to determine the objective is by asking what should remain with the audience after the presentation. For clarity, using the SMART technique will help with this. That is, the objective should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. University of Cambridge provides a quick guide of the SMART technique here.
Use a Method
Besides the overall structure below, you need a clear method for your presentation. The method can be done in several ways. A popular method is telling a story. This is commonly used in Ted Talks. A similar method is using an analogy. A part of the presentation is told as a story, or an analogy and the important elements of the topic are embedded. This helps in two ways. Your delivery is better organised, and you cover the main points. You create or tweak the story during the planning stage. Other methods are visual aids and videos. The images or pictures are used as reminders for the different points. They are also used to get the audience engaged.
Rehearse Your Presentation
You have to deliver the presentation several times before the main delivery. Present to yourself using a mirror. Present to your friends or family members. This will help you regulate your timing. You will be able to adjust your tone, body language and pacing before the main presentation. Also, the contents that you either forget or are not comfortable with will become obvious. You can work on them or change them. It may be wording or sentence structures. Rehearsing will get you more confident and comfortable which helps to calm your nerves.
Structure Your Presentation
The structure you use can make or mar your presentation Not having a structure is a no-no. Use a structure that will enable you to deliver the presentation in the best way possible. Your structure should consider important factors such as the assessment requirements and the audience. Below are some tried-and-tested ways to effectively structure your presentation:
Attention-grabbing Opener
Start your delivery with surprising information that captures the attention of your audience. This is another reason it’s important to know your audience. The attention-grabbing opener can be a surprising story, quote, fact, statistic, or rhetorical question that the audience will think about. The length of the presentation, audience, and topic will determine which one is suitable.
Introduction and Main Points
After grabbing the attention of the audience, introduce your topic and main points. This will help your audience know what your presentation is about and what to expect. Be clear on the main points of your presentation. Name and number them. The aim is to get the audience to follow each main point at a time. Your structure will also be obvious to them as a result. In some cases, each point can be broken down further. Ensure that you link your main points to what’s relevant to the audience when possible. These will be the assignment requirements for the lecturer in presentation assessments.
Visuals, Examples and Evidence
Visual aids are the foundation and reinforcement of your delivery. Use them to enhance your delivery. Ensure that the core information is in the visuals. You can add flesh to this when delivering. Your entire audience won’t pay 100% attention to you during the entire presentation. However, your entire audience can pick up the core information from the visual aids.
Examples of common visual aids are slides, diagrams, charts, and videos. Ensure that your visual aids are easy to follow, read and understand. Examples and evidence, especially those known to your audience, should be used to reinforce your main points. They will convince your audience more. Evidence can be statistics and other data for presentation assessment.
Summary and Conclusion
Conclude with a summary of your main points. Ensure to include the key takeaways that you want your audience to remember after. A strong conclusion stays longer with the audience. Like the introduction, an impactful story or quote that captures your presentation works well.
Delivering Your Presentation
Students believe delivering a presentation is the hardest part. It doesn’t have to be. The more research, planning and preparation the easier the delivery. Expect to be nervous during delivery and plan for this. Planning what to do when nervous and practising this gives you more control of your nerves. In addition to rehearsing, these are some ways to effectively deliver your presentation:
Perform it to Make it
See the presentation as a performance. Act confident even if you don’t feel confident. Be as authentic as you can. Maintain eye contact as much as you can. If the audience scares you, pick someone in the middle and present to her/him. Occasionally look at someone on your left and another on your right. Use gestures and body language to emphasise your point. This will keep the audience engaged. Remember, you are performing. Avoid speaking fast and pause at intervals, especially after an important point. This will allow your audience to take it in. You can also pause to get the audience to re-focus at the start of an important point. Also, facilitate interaction when possible. This can be done by asking questions and asking for feedback.
Presentation Tools
There are many tools that you can use for your presentation. If you are a student that doesn’t know how to use these tools don’t worry. Learn on YouTube. There are many videos on how to use each of these presentation tools on YouTube. The most popular presentation tool is Microsoft PowerPoint. If you have a university or college Office 365 email address, it comes with Microsoft PowerPoint. Ensure to choose the tool that is more suitable for your presentation. Other tools are Google Slides, Microsoft Sway, Prezi, Powtoon, and Canva.
Skills Developed from Presentation
Presentation assessments are important because they enable you to develop very important skills. These skills will be useful in your professional career when you graduate. For example, verbal and non-verbal communication skills from delivering the presentation. Research and time management skills from finding the sources, planning, and prioritising their usage. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills from analysing and evaluating the information found, as well as, dealing with a nerve-wracking situation.
Conclusion
The thought of having to stand in front of the entire class to present can be fearful. It won’t be unwise to avoid it considering the fear. However, when faced with a presentation assessment you normally have only one option. That is to do it, there is no other way out. Presentation assessments are not to be taken lightly when it comes to preparation. This is because presentations can go wrong really quickly. This happens when there’s no preparation.
In essence, the most sensible thing to do when you have presentations is to plan and prepare. Planning and preparation help to prevent fear and nerves from affecting the delivery. This contributes to the effectiveness of the presentation, which impacts the grade. The extent to which your presentation is effective is determined by the amount of planning and preparation put in. An effective fifteen-minute presentation assessment would require hours of preparation.
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