Today, presentation skills are required in almost every career, and so most of us will be required to present occasionally. However, while some people take presentations in their stride, others can find it much more challenging.
At university, students will be expected to present both as a group and individually. Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in getting your message across. This sprint will explore presentations and how increase your chances of success…
Lots of research presentations involve presenting a scientific poster. At university you may complete assignments using poster presentations.
Watch: MMU Scientific Posters
Click on the image to the right to listen to Dr Gladys Pearson explaining how to create an effective scientific poster.
What should I use visually to support my presentation? How do I go about making effective and impactful slide? Find out below?
Watch: MMU Visual Aids
Watch the video on the left and take notes on how to create effective and impactful slides.
Presentation
What did you take note of when watching the videos above? Here are some useful tips for creating a successful presentation.
Communication
Good oracy, and the ability to condense a lot of information is needed for effective presentation.
- Breathe – the foundation to a successful presentation.
- Purposeful pauses – giving you and the audience time to think.
- Articulation – try not to mumble.
- Volume – if you speak too softly you might come across as meek, but if you speak too loudly, you may come across as abrasive. You need to find the perfect balance between these two.
- Slow down– people compensate for their nervousness by speaking quickly. Intentionally slowing down can help.
- Intonation – variation in the pitch of the voice
- Posture – before starting your presentation take time to relax and focus on the task. As you prepare to start, believe in yourself and adopt a presenter stance.
- Record yourself – it can help to use a phone recording or a video to help you see where you can improve.
Visual Aids
The design of your presentation slides is key to a presentation’s success
- One message – try not to cover more that one message per slide.
- Font selection – to increase accessibility consdier using 18pt or greater and sans serif fonts.
- Consistency – try to use a consistent format throughout, for example: (i) fonts should not change unless you are intentionally highlighting something; (ii) headings should be the same size and at the same height for each slide, (iii) use consistent punctuation rules.
- Backgrounds – avoid white; consider impact and contrast.
- Illustrations -clear and well labelled
- Accessibility – e.g. include text with all visuals; ensure colour is not the only means of conveying key information; sufficient contrast; give every slide a unique title; videos should be accessible.
Timing
If a time limit has been set for your presentation, it’s your responsibility to finish it within that time.
- Check – the “talking time” may be different to the total time given for your presentation [e.g. has time been allocated to questions?]
- Practice – is key to a successful presentation. Getting unbiased and honest feedback can help you improve your presentation skills.
- Assertions – waffling is one of the things that can cause a presentation to overrun. To counter this prepare an assertionas this forces you to think through exactly what you want to say and how to express it succinctly.
- Timing yourself – it can be hard to judge how long it will take to deliver something. Time yourself early on in your planning process.
- Presentation schedule – note down the time that each slide takes and then use that information to prepare a timed schedule for your presentation.
- On the day – have a timer to hand, and remember live presentations take longer than the rehearsal [for example: the presentation may start a couple of minutes late, you might take longer to make a point, and there may be other interruptions that delay you].
Apply Your Thinking:
Prepare a short 5 minute presentation on one of the topics below, using the presentation tips above. Present it to your friends, family or even the dog to see if you were able to use some of the verbal and non-verbal communication skills discussed in this sprint.
- The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign.
- The use of VAR in the Premiership
- Using GPS technology to prevent chronic injuries.
- Athlete activism.
