In the professional world, at least once in our lives, we are expected to know how to create and deliver a presentation for any number of reasons. Whether it is an academic setting or another professional setting, it is very important to know how to create and deliver a good presentation. A good presentation, among other things, should not only engage your audience but also increase your confidence in the subject. Here are some important tips that can help you make a ‘top class’ and ‘unforgettable’ presentation.

Get familiar with your subject and audience

There are three main aspects you need to be familiar with. Firstly, you will have to familiarise yourself with the subject matter, and this can be through extensive research to gather as many facts as possible.

It is important that you start creating your presentation as early as possible so that you have enough time to go through it and familiarise yourself with every aspect.

Lastly, it is important to know your audience. For example, there is no point preparing a postgraduate presentation for a group of 12-year-old students.

Pick a style(s)

The style of your presentation should follow the context and it should be uniform throughout. Some examples include:

Informative (Revealing)
Educational (Teaching)
Advocacy (Causing audience to take action)

Tip: Your presentation style depends on the audience, so before starting your presentation, get to know your target audience and the purpose of the presentation. This will help you pick a suitable style.

Chose a design and slide layout carefully

One big secret to creating a long-lasting impression when conveying ideas is to use an engaging design template.

Humans are visual beings and using appealing visuals will keep your audience glued to the presentation.

Your slides should have enough information but this should not distract or overburden the audience with too much detail. People can only concentrate on one thing a time. Ideally 6-8 lines per slide in ‘Comic Sans MS’ or ‘Arial’ font.

Tip: Microsoft PowerPoint has many interesting templates online available for free download.

Be very time conscious

Be conscious of time allotted to the talk and questions. Create time allowances for technical faults or other delays. Keep the talk concise and short. Rushing over salient aspects or missing slides is embarrassing, demoralising and such a waste of effort and other resources.

Take enough time to prepare

Good old fashion rehearsal to oneself and/or a local audience again, again and again, cannot be overemphasised.

Rehearse delivering your talk within the allotted time. A well-practised talk is usually void of phrases like; “um”, “you know”, and “right” which can damage a speaker’s credibility. Make sure resources are available. Also, read our article on how to make a breathtaking presentation.

Tip: If you have enough time before your presentation, upload your slides and go through them in the software or device that will be eventually used for the session.

THE TALK

When it comes to the moment of delivering your presentation, attitude and poise are of utmost importance. Being nervous before a presentation can ruin your presentation. However, there are many ways to overcome pre-presentation jitters.

Use the first opening minutes/moments to let the audience know why they are there, then introduce your self. Be confident and articulate in speech. Your audience should interact with you, not your slides.

So what now?

“Three” is traditionally regarded as the optimum number.  When points are presented coherently and in a logical sequence of 3, it forms a pattern that is easy to remember.

Add flesh to the backbone of the talk. Using few words and short sentences, pass a clear message. The purpose of the presentation should drive the sequence of the talk. For example, moving from background to precise points of detail and then to results/outcomes.

As stated before, humans are visual beings so reinforce your presentation with illustrations, images, videos etc.

Relate the end back to the beginning, an overview of the purpose of the talk in a manner that makes a lasting impact.

Tip: A beautiful summary crowns your presentation in grand style. Take enough time to practice making a good summary.

You can get more tips on topics like this by following CRENC on all social media platforms. Go out there and win your audience over.

Also read: How to effectively plan a scientific event.

Bibliography 

1. https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/study-guides-pdfs/presentation-skills-pdfs/structuring-presentation-v1%200.pdf
2. https://www.presentationmagazine.com/how-to-structure-a-presentation-7535.htm
3. https://buffalo7.co.uk/how-to-structure-a-powerpoint-presentation/
4. https://www.ethos3.com/2016/05/how-to-structure-your-presentation-content-an-easy-formula/
5. https://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/500906/Preparing-a-presentation.pdf

By Dr Njume Epie and Dr Linonge Christie