Giving a presentation requires you to prepare your talk, present confidently, respond to questions, and use visual aids such as PowerPoint slides.
Preparing your talk
What is the purpose and content of your talk? How much detail can you cover in your allotted time?
You need to consider the following:
- What does your audience need to know about your topic?
- What do you want them to remember?
All presentations need an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
The Introduction:
Introduce yourself, your topic.
- Tell your audience what you will present.
The body:
The detail of your subject depends on the time available.
Conclusion:
- Finish with a message which you want your audiences remember.
Useful Links
This page from the British Council provides practice activities for for presenting academic talks
Responding to questions
When you are asked, do:
- Paraphrase the question to clarify it.
- If you don’t know the answer then simply say so, or ask suggestions from the audience.
Useful Links
This public speaking website is helpful for dealing with questions.
Using PowerPoint slides
Don’t use multiple fonts or colours.
Don’t use animated effects which may distract your audience.
This website from the University of Reading contains information on the presentation of tables, graphs, and figures
