Presentation Skills

Like with any form of academic writing, academic presentations should follow a logical structure with a clear introduction (session overview), main body (one point per slide) and conclusion (summary), and a reference list at the end. Remember to include clear citations throughout. Consider the following hints and tips:

Session overview:

• State your general topic, perhaps providing some background, key figures and statistics, if appropriate.
• Narrow to your specific focus or area of interest.
• State the problem/issues related to this.
• State your roadmap for the presentation.

 

Main body:

• One point per slide! This is important in ensuring slides are not too text heavy. With presentations, your slides should act as prompts for your and audience, which you, as the presenter, will expand upon during the presentation. Each slide's title could reflect the topic of the slide, just like the opening sentence of a main body paragraph would in an essay.
• Remember to back up or evidence your points with clear citations to show where you have sourced your information. Like with an academic essay, your marker should be able to use this citation to look up the full details of your source in your reference list at the end of the presentation.
• Arrange your points into a logical order with each slide linking to the next to create a natural flow.
• If you are going to use images or graphics in an academic presentation, ensure they are purposeful and add clear value to your content. You are unlikely to gain extra marks for including lots of decorative images and effects.

 

Summary:

• Concisely restate the most significant results or conclusions from your presentation.
• Highlight the broader impact or importance of your findings within the field.
• Suggest potential areas for further research or steps to take based on your conclusions.

 

If the thought of presenting to an audience fills you with dread, read on for some practical suggestions to help soothe your nerves.

Practise practise practise!

Taking the time to practise is vital to delivering a successful presentation. As well as helping you to memorise what you want to say and become familiar with the order of your slides, it will also help to ensure you can deliver your presentation in the time that is available to you. Try setting a timer to keep you on track.  You could also record yourself or ask a friend to observe you and provide some constructive feedback.

If you get nervous, use the notes section in PowerPoint or flashcards to jog your memory. Try and keep your notes brief to avoid losing eye-contact with your audience.

 

 

Make sure your voice can be heard

When practising your presentation, it is important to be aware of the following:

• Volume – can your audience hear you? You don’t need to shout but you do need to be heard.
• Pace – when nerves kick in, the temptation might be to get it over with as quickly as possible. Controlling and varying the pace of your presentation can be useful for helping to emphasise important points (slower pace) and communicating energy and enthusiasm for your subject (slightly quicker pace). If you feel you need to slow down, pause at the end of each point, take a breath, have a sip of water. It’s perfectly OK to give your audience time to digest your message and allow time for what you are saying to sink in. 
• Pitch – always try to vary your pitch to avoid delivering your presentation in a monotone and risk losing your audience. Think about how the pitch of your voice varies in everyday conversation and aim to match this.

 

 

 

Check your body language

Posture, presence and how you engage with your audience are all important factors when preparing for a presentation. Remember to:

• Stand up straight.
• Face your audience.
• Avoid placing obstacles between you and your audience, for example PC screens, tall filing cabinets.
• Avoid moving around and gesturing too much as this can be quite distracting.
• Make eye contact with different members of the audience.
• Most importantly, remember to smile!