Presentations

Presentations are the more nerve-racking cousin of the poster. I won’t lie to you and say that I’m the best presenter, however I think that I do a decent job. So, here are my top 3 tips for giving presentations.

Relax

Often times, there is a time limit and/or you are the sole presenter, which only add to the pressure that you may feel—but try to relax. If you don’t, you may find yourself rambling and losing track of where you just were. It’s likely that you are presenting on a topic that you have at least had some experience in or done some research on. So, think of yourself as the expert. Even if you aren’t one in the subject, you are the expert of your presentation and have authority over the situation.

Use Voice Modulations

Most of us dread presentations because of the lack of engagement between the audience and the presenter. Just changing the inflection of your voice throughout the presentation can be a way of engaging the audience without having to reach out with them and hope that they answer your question.

Practice

It’s important to practice what you’re going to say during your presentation because you won’t be reading off of your slide. Practicing your main points, specific phrases, and examples that you may want to go over will help reduce the chances of you getting off topic or talking in circles. It will also help you catch any mistakes in your slides and make you more confident in your words.

Although these are my 3 biggest tips for presenting, it is important to set up your slides to help you succeed. So:

1.     Make sure that you only have 5-7 lines on each side

2.     Use only key words or incomplete sentences

3.     Avoid the use flashy design animations (text warps, fly-ins, and etc.)

4.     Use calming colors and have strong contrast

Good luck!