"How am I going to do this?" - Every student at some point when asked to do a presentation.
Presentations are daunting for everyone, especially if it is something you don't have to do regularly. Below are some pointers for delivering presentations.
A great talk:
- begins with a statement;
- concentrates on the key points;
- is concise, with an even balance of material;
- links the discussion to the presentation and main argument;
- is clearly communicated and has confident body language (e.g. eye contact is made with the audience).
When practicing your delivery, think about:
- Who the audience are and how big the audience is. The way you chose to deliver your presentation to a small group of children should be different to how you would deliver to a lecture hall of postgraduate students.
- Have you stayed on topic?
- How long do you have?
- If you're speaking as part of a group, do you cover different content?
Dealing with Questions
When delivering a presentation you may have to answer questions at the end. Here are a few pointers to help with dealing with questions:
- Address the entire audience and not just the asker;
- Clarify the meaning if you don't understand;
- Don't be afraid of saying 'I don't know', as you are not expected to know everything and it may be noticed if you are improvising;
- Sometimes repeating questions may give you time to formulate your answer and allows for anyone who hasn't heard the question to understand what you're answering;
- Try not to say 'Has that answered your question?' or 'Is that OK?' at the end of your answer;
- Your presentation has been well researched, you probably know more than you think;
- Get others to create mock questions beforehand.
- Try to take a breath before answering questions and consider your response, there is no pressure on you to reply immediately.
- Ensure that you link your answer back to the question.
