We have all sat through class presentations that have been less than stellar. You don't want to be that student. Good presentation skills take practice and require you to improve public speaking skills, to grow in confidence, and to pay attention to visual details. This page gives some hints and recomendations for you to be the best possible presenter that you can be. Keep in mind these 10 hints:
1. Be prepared
Practice your presentation several times, preferably in front of someone.
2. The focus is always on content
Flashy power point skills can be distracting, and if the content isn’t there they won’t matter anyway.
3. Less is more
Don’t cram slides full of info. Keep it to one concept per slide. Avoid unnecessary clipart/graphics.
4. Keep it simple
Font should be readable (don’t use anything less than 28 pt., plain fonts are best).
Can the people in the back of the room read your slides? Limit the use of color.
Contrast colors for the background and text. Light colors are hard to read.
5. Slides are for your audience
Don’t read directly from your slides. They are a guide. Title your slides and use them as a reference point.
6. Use meaningful images
Pertinent images can tell a story/intrigue the audience. Specific charts and graphs should be used to convey data.
7. Your presentation is not a paper
You can’t cover everything.
8. Make eye contact
Engage the audience. Your enthusiasm for the topic will be transmitted to the people in the room.
9. Watch your body language
It’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it.
10. Spellcheck
Take a moment to look over your text. Is everything in order?
