Guide to presentations

Look through the following drop down menu to understand how to prepare your presentation.

Think carefully about slide design 

Always remember the most important resource in the room is you as the presenter and not the slides or presentation itself. Don’t allow the slides to become a distraction from what you are saying, keep things concise, simple and clear, but the audience should rely on you to explain the slides they are seeing. If you prepare well enough you should be able to fill in the gaps in the slides for the audience.  

Click through the slides for some more things to consider when designing your own presentation slides.

WATCH: 5 Presentation tips for Students

The final step in preparing your presentation is to practise it!

Why practise your presentation? 

• It helps to improve confidence and reduce nerves by familiarising yourself with the material which will make it easier to deliver.
• You can perfect aspects of the presentation such as timing.
• Identifies problem or technical issues which you can sort out beforehand.
• Allowing sufficient time for practising your presentation will help you be well prepared and ready for the actual presentation. 

Click through the flashcards below to see some areas to focus on when you're practising a presentation.

Ways to practise 

There are a number of ways you can practise your presentation. Choose the one which you find most comfortable. For example: 
 

• Use flashcards with keywords/focus areas. Enough practice will help you remember the key aspects of the presentation. You may be able to eventually deliver your presentation without them.
• Use the ‘Meet now’ function on Teams. Record yourself delivering the presentation. You can upload a PowerPoint to use and practice with. Make sure you don’t just read off the PowerPoint - your talk should add to the material on the slides. You can then review the recording and reflect on how well the presentation went.
• Ask friends or peers to be the audience and deliver your presentation to them, getting their thoughts and feedback.  
• PowerPoint has an inbuilt ‘Coach’ function which allows you to practice your presentation and receive some feedback on the clarity and pace of your presentation.