By: Crystal Stanley
So, the time has come: you have to give a presentation. Maybe you’ve been dreading this day for a while; you work hard, but when your teacher sets aside that time for everyone to come up and talk, your confidence goes right out the window. Public speaking in general can be scary, but it’s an important skill to have. As someone who has faced this monster and won many times, I can honestly say it gets much easier when you stay calm and keep these tips in mind.
Nobody wants to watch a presentation where the speaker is dryly reading from a piece of paper the entire time. It can come off as unprepared, and your teacher may even take points off your presentation if you don’t make enough eye contact with your audience. If you have issues with reading and talking, try to write a general script for yourself ahead of time, highlighting any concepts, statistics, or quotes that you’ll need to say, then slap that on a series of numbered (this is important!) index cards or a single sheet of paper. Don’t try to write a whole speech down word-for-word, but make your notes clear enough to keep yourself on track. It’s less noticeable to spare short glances at your notes than to rely on reciting a pre-written essay, and it will make you appear more professional.
You’ve probably been told to “imagine the audience in their underwear” to distract yourself from stage fright, but that advice doesn’t work for everyone. A more effective alternative is to focus on a few faces at either end of the room and let your eyes hop between them, instead of processing the audience as a whole. Don’t let your nerves get in the way of your success. Remain calm: take long, deep breaths before presenting, keeping your posture relaxed and your hands out of your pockets. Nervous fidgeting and worrying too much beforehand will only make you more tense. If you want, you can also try to leave time to reward yourself afterwards so you have something to look forward to!
A good PowerPoint or cardboard display will give your audience something to focus on that isn’t you. The biggest mistake people make, though, is just copy-and-pasting an essay onto each slide. “Visual aids” are called that for a reason: they support what you’re saying, not acting as your speech transcript. Try to stick to relevant pictures, diagrams, and quotes instead of walls of text, and always use a font type, color, and spacing that’s legible from a distance. Getting creative with your visual aids can help make a presentation that much more fun!
This is the most important of them all! Taking just 10-15 minutes a day leading up to the presentation to practice, especially in front of a loved one or someone you feel comfortable presenting to, will get everything downloaded into your memory. Practice is also a great way to find what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes what sounds good on paper will be difficult to explain, so be ready to take notes on any feedback you get! If you’ll be under a strict time limit, have a friend time you while keeping the clock hidden to ensure you won’t be cut off or rush to finish when it truly matters. Keep practicing, and you’ll be able to give that presentation in your sleep!
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