How to Give a Short Class Presentation Competently

How to Give a Short Class Presentation Competently
by Kendra Harrell
Speaking/Presenting
 Speak loudly but do not yell.
 Speak slowly and clearly.
 Smile, maintain good posture, and make eye contact with audience.
 Be succinct: keep your presentation simple but make your words count.
 Be engaging. How can your audience be interested in your presentation if you aren’t?
 Vary your tone, don’t “read” your script; even if you are actually reading it, it doesn’t
have to sound that way.
 If you mention a foreign word, put it on a slide – some people will not really understand
a new word without seeing it too.
 Likewise, if you come across a word you are unfamiliar with, look up the pronunciation
or ask a professor/teacher/sage before you make a fool of yourself. Another solution
would be to replace the difficult word with a synonym. (Example: change “prevalent” to
“common,” etc.)
 Do not turn your back on your audience; it is extremely rude. ESPECIALLY do not go to
the computer where your slides are loaded, stay there, and read from the computer
without ever looking at your audience.
 Dress professionally when giving your presentation – like you would for a job interview.
(Examples of what not to wear include shorts, flip-flops, a black bra under a white shirt,
etc.)
PowerPoint
 DO NOT put your entire script in the slides.
 DO NOT read your slides as you present.
 Use slides for what they are: visual aids. Include pictures, make them aesthetic. Use
them to highlight ideas, words, or concepts.
 Don’t use fancy transitions and effects, they will only make your slideshow look cheesy
and will draw away from your presentation.
 Spell-check your slides, but have someone else look them over, too. “Route” and “root”
are both spelled correctly, but they are not interchangeable in context.
 Store your presentation on a flash drive in “PowerPoint Show” format so you can click &
go; this will keep you from having to navigate to “Slideshow” and click “Begin from
current slide.”
 Save your PowerPoint in legacy (compatible with older versions) format – you can’t be
sure what version your presenting computer will have.

---

 Email yourself a copy of the presentation if possible, in case there is a problem with your
flash drive, the USB port, or other technical difficulties.
 Use standard fonts. Your computer might have Zappywigserif44, but your presenting
machine likely won’t.
 If technical difficulties are irresolvable, be prepared to give your presentation sans
slideshow. Your slides are not your presentation, just a background to it.
Content
 Don’t inject too much opinion into your presentation unless the project directs you to
specifically do so. You are a reporter; be impartial.
 In conjunction with the above, do not fear-monger or seek to sensationalize simply to
get attention. Stay in the realm of mainstream sanity. You must maintain credibility in
the eyes of your audience.
 Conclude your presentation so that your audience knows it’s over, don’t just trail off or
get to the last slide and say “that’s it.”
Rehearsal
 If you have a verbal tic (“um,” “like,” “so, yeah,” “uh,” etc.) practice is especially
important.
 Try to pace your breathing in rehearsal so that you do not speed up, run out of breath,
panic, and get flustered.
 Rehearsal is not optional prep – and you must do it in front of real people. Get your
parents on Skype, call friends over for a movie night and surprise them with a
presentation on Surrealism during the intermission, whatever it takes. Rehearse twice
minimum.
 Use observations from rehearsal to eliminate awkward phrasing, awkward pauses, and
to mark your script exactly where you need to change slides.
 Make sure to time your rehearsals so that you will stay within/meet your time limit.
As an audience member
 Do not heckle, comment, or raise your hand during the presentation. Questions should
come at the end.
 Stay in your seat. The middle of someone else’s presentation is not the right time for a
bathroom break.
 If you are late to class, wait outside or in the doorway until the presenter is done, then
enter.

---