Presentation Skills (Best Tips & Structural Parts)

 Presentation Skills

Written By: Rana Asif Shahzad Ali

Public speaking / Presentation —giving an oral presentation before a class or another group of people—is a special form of interaction common in education. You will likely be asked to give a presentation in one of your classes at some point, and your future career may also involve public speaking. It’s important to develop skills for this form of communication.

Public speaking is like participating in class—sharing your thoughts, ideas, and questions with others in the group. In other ways, however, public speaking is very different. You stand in front of the class to speak, rather than from your usual seat—and for most students, that changes the psychology of the situation. You also have time outside of class to prepare your presentation, allowing you to plan it carefully—and, for many, giving more time to worry about it and experience even more anxiety!

 Overcoming Anxiety

Although a few people seem to be natural public speakers, most of us feel some stage fright or anxiety about having to speak to a group, at least at first. This is completely normal. We feel like everyone is staring at us and seeing our every flaw, and we’re sure we’ll forget what we want to say or mess up. The following are proven strategies for overcoming anxiety when speaking in public:

• ·       Understand anxiety. 
• ·         Understand that your audience actually wants you to succeed. 
• ·         Reduce anxiety by preparing and practicing. 
• ·         Focus on what you’re saying, not how you’re saying it. 
• ·         Develop self-confidence. 

Giving a presentation to fellow classmates can be a bit daunting, especially if you are new to oral and visual presenting. But with the right PowerPoint tips, public speaking skills, and plenty of practice, you can present like a pro at your upcoming presentation. Here, we’ve laid out the best college presentation tips for students. And once you have one successful presentation, you’ll get better each time!

The Best Presentation Tips for Students

1. Arrive Early and Be Technically Prepared: Get to the room early and make sure you leave plenty of time for technical set up and technical difficulties. Have several backup drives (including an online version if possible) so that you are prepared for anything!

2. Know More: Be educated on more than just what you are sharing. That way, you can add points, speak candidly and confidently, and be prepared to answer any audience or teacher questions.

3. Share Your Passion with Your Audience: Connect with your audience by showing that you are passionate about your topic. Do this with the right tone, eye contact, and enthusiasm in your speech.

4. Pace Yourself: When student presenters are nervous, they tend to speed up their speech. This can be a problem, however, because your speed may be distracting, hard to understand, and you may run under your time.

5. Rehearse Thoroughly: Don’t just practice, rehearse your college presentation. Rehearse the entire delivery, including standing up, using gestures, and going through the slides.

6. Show Your Personality: You don’t need to be professional to the point of stiffness during your college presentation. Don’t be afraid to show your personality while presenting. It will make your presentation more interesting, and you will seem more approachable and confident.

7. Improvise: You can’t be 100% certain what will happen during your presentation. If things aren’t exactly as you expected, don’t be afraid to improvise and run off script.

8. Pump Yourself Up: Get yourself excited and full of energy before your college presentation! Your mood sets the tone for your presentation, and if you get excited right before, you will likely carry that throughout and you’ll make your audience excited about your topic as well.

9. Remember to Pause: Pausing not only prevents filler words and helps you recollect your thoughts, it can also be a powerful indicator of importance within your presentation.

10. Create “Um” Alternatives: Try hard not to use filler words as they make you look unprofessional and uncertain. The best alternatives to “um” “like” and “so” are taking a breath or a silent pause to collect your thoughts.

11. Using Your Hands: Using your hands makes your college presentation more interesting and helps to get your points across. Point at the slide, use common hand gestures, or mimic a motion.

12. Eye Contact: Eye contact is one of the most important presentation tips for students. Many students are nervous, so they look at their notes or their feet. It is important that you show your confidence and engage your audience by making eye contact. The more presentations you give, the more eye contact will feel natural.

13. The Right Tone: The best public speakers vary their tone and pitch throughout their presentation. Try to change it up, and choose the right tone for your message.

STRUCTURAL PARTS OF ORAL PRESENTATION

The purpose of the information briefing is to inform the listener. This briefing deals primarily with facts, not conclusions or recommendations. Use it to present high priority information requiring immediate attention; complex information involving complicated plans, systems, statistics, or charts; and controversial information requiring elaboration and explanation. Situation briefings that cover the tactical situation over a period of time usually fall into this category. The following format works well for an information briefing or topic presentation.

1. INTRODUCTION
1. Greeting. Use military courtesy, address the person(s) receiving the briefing, and identify yourself.
2. Purpose. Explain the purpose and scope.
3. Procedure. Indicate procedure if briefing involves demonstration, display, or tour.
2. BODY
1. Arrange main ideas in logical sequence.
2. Use visual aids correctly.
3. Plan effective transitions.
4. Prepare to answer questions at any time.
3. CLOSE
1. Ask for questions.
2. Give closing statement & summarize the topic presented.
3. Announce the next briefer, if applicable.