For most, presentations are a requirement of the course you are studying so there is absolutely no way of avoiding them. I used to find the idea of getting up in front of a group of peers and delivering a short talk extremely daunting, and despite the presentations on my course being pass or fail, I would still get extremely nervous.
I have three tips that should lead to success in whatever presentation you do in the future, whether it be as a group or individually.
- Be prepared
It goes without saying really, if you fail to prepare then it will definitely show to those you are presenting to. Plus, you might get asked questions after you have presented so always prepare for these – and make notes to refer to if necessary!
- Keep it short
Now by short I do not mean cram everything into one slide, but it is important to be as concise as possible. It always looks good from an audience’s point of view when you don’t read from the presentation like a script. Instead you could try using bullet points, which provides the audience with enough information, but allows you to elaborate on your points.
- Follow the criteria
The basis of your presentation should always be the title or the marking criteria provided, and following it will prevent you from going off on a tangent and wasting valuable time. With marking criteria, it is sometimes wise to dedicate a slide to each section to ensure that you have fully covered all aspects that the markers are looking for.
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