Presentations

This section is designed to help you master the skills needed for effective face-to-face and online presentations. You will also learn how to create poster presentations and infographics. Let's get started!

Oral presentation

Most students will need to give an oral presentation at some stage of their study. For some, presentations can be a scary experience, while others prefer them to written assignments. Whichever group you belong to, preparation is the key to a successful presentation.

In fact, the best way to cope with nerves is to know your material really well and practise, practise, practise until you can say it easily.

To deliver a strong presentation, you need to combine two elements: delivery and content. On this page, we will suggest some ways that you can plan your content.

The first steps

Understand the task

Your first step for any assignment should be to read and understand the assignment instructions. There, you will find useful information such as:

• the required length of the presentation.
• whether the presentation should be delivered individually or in a group.
• if visuals are required.
• if there are any special considerations for the assignment. For example, some assignments require presenters to answers a specific number of questions after their presentation.
• requirement around referencing and citation, such as the required number of references and the referencing style you should use.

Understand your audience

The people who make up your audience will shape what you include in your presentation and how you present it. Some presentations will be for your teacher and your classmates. Others may be delivered to industry professionals. And sometimes you will be given a specific scenario, such as presenting information to the board members of a company.

Whatever the situation, think about what your audience already knows and what they may not know. For example, for professional audiences, you can assume that they will already be familiar with certain concepts, but for general audiences, more explanation may be required.

Researching

Carefully plan and organise your information. Use the following steps to develop a clear plan for your talk:

• Brainstorm your topic to clarify what you know
• Organise your information logically, e.g. chronologically, spatially (diagrams and maps), sequentially (first, second)
• Develop a plan. For more detailed information go to the Mind mapping page.

Write and edit

Write your talk in full or write detailed notes. Think about:

• Content: Make sure the ideas are logical and clear. Use examples and facts to illustrate your points.
• Language: Use language appropriate to the audience and purpose, generally a formal but conversational tone is best (no slang or colloquial language).
• Structure: Summarise your talk into meaningful chunks (e.g. numbered or bullet points). Consisting of main points and supporting details (similar to an essay plan). Use these brief notes to guide you through your talk.