Hands clamming. Throat closing. Knees weakening. Let the presentation begin! Most students have similar sensations when we are forced in front of the class or professors. In my public relations class we are studying what makes a great presentation and oddly enough for my advertising class I will be presenting to a client in two weeks! Presentations for students, I feel, can be overwhelming. Do I have what it takes? Do I understand the material enough? Is my PowerPoint boring? Do I talk loud enough? Too much? There is a lot to think about in the little time you are in front of an audience.
Attaining the skills to becoming a qualified presenter are at hand. I found that making your presentation as simple as possible helps, tremendously. Power Point presentations, the more concise the better. Charts and graphs, simple and easy to read the better. Bullets, less are so much more.
I have spoken at several events, performances and pitches and I don’t have a fear of public speaking, but many students do. I recommend, even though it sounds awful, video taping yourself. Students often enough, don’t know what they sound like or look like when presenting. Discover your strengths and presentation flaws and that is the first step to great speaking. On top of that get someone to watch you present. Get some good constructive criticism and address it early.
I get nervous like everyone else, but I found that no matter how well you understand the material, critically ask yourself questions about what you are presenting. Doing this helps you prepare for the worst questions you can image. I also found that note cards can be a distraction. Work with team members, friends and professors about ways to memorize material and not rely on notes.
Here are some great tips on presenting skills from the University of Washington and a few tips on making an effective PowerPoint presentation from a blog called Presentation Zen. Additionally, use resources on campus and talk to your adviser about other organizations at your college that can help like the debate team. Good luck and have fun!
