Tips and techniques
Content
01 Introduction
02 I've got too little material for my presentation
03 I've got too much material for my presentation
04 How can I structure my presentation?
05 How do I cope with feeling nervous?
06 How do I hold the audience's attention?
07 What happens if I 'dry up'?
- 01 Introduction
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Whilst making oral presentations seems to come more naturally to some people than to others, presentation skills can be learnt by anyone. Like many skills, presentation skills improve with practice.
Do make use of the opportunities you have at university to develop your presentation skills. Here are some suggestions for coping with common presentation problems to help you.
[Back to top] - 02 I've got too little material for my presentation
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Brainstorming is a useful technique for generating ideas for what could be included in your presentation. Creating a mind-map enables you to get lots of ideas down on paper and to group related ideas into themes.
[Back to top] - 03 I've got too much material for my presentation
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Audiences have a limited attention span and a limited capacity to absorb information. Your presentation should focus on a small number of key messages or themes - four or five works well. If you have too much material, perhaps you need to reduce the number of key messages in your presentation.
Once you have arrived at an appropriate number of key messages, if you still have too much material, ask yourself: "What must stay in?" Is a piece of material crucial in getting across one or more of your key messages? If not, it can go!
[Back to top] - 04 How can I structure my presentation?
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A clear structure in a presentation is very valuable in keeping the audience with you. It provides a map, allowing your listeners to know where they've been in the presentation and where they're going next.
You should always start with an introduction and end with a conclusion. For the main body of the presentation, possible structures include:
Topic by topic. For example, "I am going to discuss air pollution caused by motor vehicles, air transport, electricity generation and finally other industrial processes."
Geographical. E.g. "I will speak initially about first-time voter behaviour in the UK and then go on to consider the situation in other Western European countries, the USA and Japan."
Chronological. "My presentation will focus on UK economic policy from 1850 -1930, 1930-1945, 1945-1975 and 1975 to the present day."
Problem and Solution. "I am going to look at 3 key questions: how can the University increase the number of applicants for courses, how can it increase the proportion of students accepting offers of places, and how can a greater proportion of those acceptances be turned into definite starters?"
[Back to top] - 05 How do I cope with feeling nervous?
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The better prepared you are, the less nervous you will feel. Practising your presentation in advance is particularly valuable. Theresa Crowley's advice will help you prepare effectively.
Personally, I have found that it is helpful to memorise the opening lines of a presentation. The first minute or so is the period in a presentation (as in any kind of performance) when you are most prone to nerves. After that you will be relaxed and might even start enjoying it! By memorising your opening lines, you can feel confident that nothing will go wrong at this crucial stage.
[Back to top] - 06 How do I hold the audience's attention?
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Think about your audience: why should they be interested in your presentation? There could be dozens of ways they might spend the next 20 minutes other than listening to you! Hook them during your introduction by giving them a reason for wanting to listen to you: tell them what's in it for them.
During the presentation, try to make regular eye contact with each member of the audience. Hold their gaze for a few seconds as you speak so that they feel that you are talking directly to them, then move on to the next person. This is sometimes referred to as the 'lighthouse technique'.
Vary the pitch and tone of your voice. It is difficult for an audience to remain focused and interested if the presenter speaks in a monotone. Theresa Crowley's advice has further details on use of voice and body language.
[Back to top] - 07 What happens if I 'dry up'?
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Drying up has two aspects. If you are nervous your mouth can literally go dry, causing your voice to falter. Having a glass of water available means that you can keep the important working parts lubricated!
Drying up can also mean losing track of what you are supposed to say next. Good preparation and appropriate notes should prevent you from drying up in this way. If you do lose track it is quite acceptable to stop, perhaps asking the audience to excuse you for a moment while you check your notes. Your glass of water is a useful aid here too. You can pause and take a sip or two of water - apparently to quench your thirst, but actually to buy you time to think what you are supposed to say next!
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If you have a piece of advice, or an effective presentation tip, strategy or technique that you would like to share, whether you are a member of staff or a student, please send an email to ryates; non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create full e-mail address.