Being able to give a good and clear presentation to a public audience is a skill

that you and your future employer will value greatly in a wide range of situations.
Presentation skills, alongside writing and research skills, teamwork, and time
management, are key transferable skills, which will have relevance to your future
career in whatever field that may be.
During your time at university, you will probably be asked to give an oral
presentation to your peers, whether as part of an assessment for a module, as a group
presentation in a seminar, or during an interview. Presentations require as much
thought, planning and research as written essays, even though their purpose, style and
audience are often different. For many students, delivering a presentation can be a
nerve-wracking experience, but it does not have to be! Here are some tips to help you
develop your presentations and enjoy doing them.
First , Planning a Talk. Giving an effective talk is largely about thinking ahead
and thorough preparation start with five key questions to ask yourself like What are
your presentation’s objectives? Who is your audience? What content are you going to
include? How much time do you have? What visual aids will you use?. In each case,
your answer should reflect the needs of your audience, plus any assessment criteria.
Second , Writing a Presentation. Start with decide on a title for your talk. Then
research the topic, so that you know enough about its background to feel confident with
your particular angle on it. See the guide “Making the case” for more on this.
Remember, you will still need to reference any sources, facts, figures you use just as
you would in an essay. Next is refine and narrow the topic so that you have a few main
points or headings (usually between three and seven, depending on the length of the
talk a common structure is 3 x 3; 3 main points with 3 sub-points) on which you can
elaborate, together with supporting evidence for your argument or train of thought. And
then if you don’t know how to use ppt you can learn how to use PowerPoint® or a
similar presentation tool, but make sure your slides are suitable and helpful. For
example, make sure your font size is large enough to be readable. The next step is use
pictures and diagrams effectively! Keep your images simple. Avoid unnecessary clutter
or distracting transitions. Last , be aware of copyright for images and don’t forget to
make sure you have a back-up plan in case technology fails.
Third , Prepare The Presentation. You can write brief notes onto ‘prompt cards’
to help make sure that you cover the ground you intend to, and in the right order and
never rely on writing out the whole presentation and simply reading it. And then , look
carefully at the assessment criteria to be used by the tutor (particularly if your talk is to
be formally assessed). Don’t forget to check out the venue for the talk and making sure
that you know where you will want to stand or sit, where you will want your audience
to be, and what equipment you may want to use to enhance the talk. Next steps is decide
on the visual aids you will use, and prepare these. Last, practise giving your talk and
timing it – either to a friend, to a mirror or to a digital recorder (audio or video) then
editing your talk as appropriate. Try to re-read your prompt notes and any supporting
material, such as handouts you have prepared for the audience, to make sure that you
are feeling familiar with your topic and that they complement each other

Fourth , Delivering presentations. Speak in a lively and engaged way, so that

you avoid monotonous delivery. Speak loudly enough, and with a voice that has
appropriate variety of tone, and with a choice of language appropriate for that audience
in that context – not too slangy, but not too formal either. Do not speak too quickly,
but keep a steady pace and allow your material to ‘sink in’. Try to make frequent eye
contact with your fellow students also smile appropriately. If at all possible, stand up
while giving your presentation. If you prefer to sit down, try not to look down too
much. Choose a seat where you face your audience, rather than blend into it. Distribute
a prepared handout where appropriate. This handout should give a run down of your
presentation, preferably numbered or in bullet points, and it should have a title. It
should be structured, and easy to read and follow. To facilitate a subsequent discussion,
you can end your presentation with a number of conclusions, or a set of questions that
emerge from your research. Do not try to gloss over this, but use it instead as a way
into discussion with your audience.And it is worth dwelling for a moment on the
importance of the beginning and ending of your talk

Reference
Chivers, B. and Shoolbred, M. (2007) A student’s guide to presentations. London:
Sage.
University of Birmingham. Academic Skills Centre. (2016) Short guide to images in
your writing. Available at: https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/
libraryservices/library/skills/asc/documents/ public/pgtusingvisuals.pdf (Accessed:7
September 2019).
University of Birmingham. (2016) Presentation skills. Available at:
https://canvas.bham.ac.uk/enroll/L6TC4A (Accessed: 7 September 2019)
University of Leicester. Student Learning Development. (2016) Using PowerPoint®.
Available at: www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/ presentations/using-ppt (Accessed:
7 September 2019).