Presentation Tips

- I will cover a few other areas than body language and how they relate to making a great presentation

The Slideshow:

1. All material that will not be spoken should be excluded
— Extra information could confuse the audience.

2. Statements should be brief
-People shouldn’t feel that they have to focus more on the slideshow over your voice. Keep statements short and sweet.

3. Should have visuals and images that help portray what you are speaking about.
-A visual or graph is an easy way to display visual information that doesn’t divert attention away from what you are saying and can even establish emphasis.

> These tips on how to construct your slideshow help your body language be more potent. If the audience is less distracted by the slide you are referencing they will look to you for emphasis. Being in the spotlight opens the door for you to make your presentation great by making the correct bodily decisions.

The Body:

1. Rigidity is your enemy!
-As a fellow classmate stated in their blog, “It can be beneficial to move around while presenting so your audience doesn’t feel as if you are just standing in place reading off of slides. Although moving your body can be very helpful when delivering presentations, it can also be hurtful. People who sway, rock, or pace during presentations typically have worse presentations because their audience can get distracted by what they are doing instead of what they are saying.” Mizrahi, C. (2018, March 4). 4 Ways to Improve Presentation Skills. [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://medium.com /presentation-skills/4-ways-to-improve-presentation-skills-e6f23f513c6f Make sure that you use movement only for periodic emphasis, not a constant or it will detract from your message.

2. Eye contact is important
— Making eye contact makes you seem more confident in what you have to say. Confidence keeps the audience engaged. Furthermore, eye contact makes a connection between presenter and audience, making the presentation more meaningful.

3. Facial expression
— Have an enagaged, but otherwise neutral expression for the transitions between main points. If you do this when you make an excited or pleasant expression there is far more emphasis placed on it.

Practice:

1. If you are uncomfortable initially practicing in front of others I recommend videotaping your attempts in private so you can correct your mistakes on your own.

2. Later try practicing in front of friends and ask for their opinions.

3. If you are brave enough you can ask a professor or boss to review your presentation.

I hope these tips are helpful!