- Talk naturally to your audience – although it may be appropriate to read short passages avoid reading from a script for the majority of your presentation.
- Stand, rather than sit, and move around a little – but avoid pacing backwards and forwards like a trapped animal.
- Vary the tone, pitch and volume of your voice to add emphasis and maintain the audience’s interest. Aim to speak loudly and clearly while facing your audience. Avoid talking in a monotone voice or turning your back to the audience. See Effective Speaking for more information.
- Make eye contact with your audience. Do not stare at your feet, or the podium and avoid looking directly at any one person for more than a few seconds, gain eye contact with the individual members of the audience.
- Use visual aids where appropriate, graphs and charts, diagrams, pictures and video – but don’t overdo it. Visual aids should help to illustrate and strengthen your points not be a distraction from what you are saying.
- Rehearse your talk and check your timings. Always aim to finish you talk in time remembering to allow time for questions if appropriate.
- Prepare and structure your presentation carefully. Introduce the subject – tell the audience what your talk is about. Explain the points you wish to convey. End with a summary of your points.
- Stay focused throughout your presentation – avoid irrelevance and unnecessary detail.
- Learn to channel any nervous energy, relax but stay alert.
- Answer any questions as honestly and concisely as you can. If you don’t know the answer then say so and offer to provide further information at a later date.
Ten Quick Tips for Effective Presentations
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