Presentation time!
This week I had another chance to improve my public speaking skills and put into practice what I have been researching for my Skills Hacking Project. In my Political Economy class we needed to give a short presentation about crypto-currencies and their impact on the economy, and I decided to begin preparing early in order to ensure a solid presentation.
One of the first things I did to prepare was review my notes on what makes a successful presentation successful. Especially in a topic that is in depth as political economy, the first thing I had to do was become an expert on the subject. This gives me not just the ability to explain in a simple and condensed fashion complex material, but being knowledgeable and prepared works wonders for your confidence.
The second major thing I did prior to my presentation was practice! I set aside about 30 minutes every day to go through my entire presentation, paying close attention to parts I seemed to stumble through and practicing those parts extra hard. However, care must be taken to not over practice. Small amounts of practicing every day has been proven to be a much more efficient way of learning material as opposed to sitting down for hours at a time. Hopefully, after a week or two of practice, you should have your presentation more or less memorized so you don’t need to awkwardly reference notes and distract your audience.
Now comes the most important part, actually delivering your presentation! In my case, as someone who dreads any kind of public speaking, this is often the hardest part. However, because I practiced so extensively and was incredibly familiar with the material, I felt more confident than I would have otherwise. I was also able to practice my movements and eye contact during this presentation, both very important facets of a successful presentation. Moving when you want to emphasize a point can work wonders for your audience, as can maintaining eye contact with people throughout. This can engage the audience, and everyone knows an engaged audience truly makes a difference in the success of a presentation.
Luckily for me, my audience remained engaged, and I was able to successfully deliver the content I needed to with few stumbles. Improving public speaking is certainly an ongoing activity, but I feel like I have improved just in the last few weeks as a result of the research I’ve done. I look forward to my next presentation and putting my skills to the test again!
