Creating a presentation

Presentations are another form of assessment used on many courses. Getting up in front of people and presenting your ideas or views on a topic can be daunting, but preparing and practising in advance will help.

Preparation

Make sure you prepare your visuals carefully
Familiarise yourself with the equipment you are going to use
Practise with others, especially if someone else is going to change the slides for you
Decide which software you are going to use

A good visual can:

Help the audience remember what they see
Gives us a focus
Adds variety and interest

Be careful! Good visuals are not compensation for lack of speech content, and they can be excessive.

Software

Power Point is still the most common software for presentations, and has several advantages:

It doesn’t rely on internet connection
Is private
Can be shared easily and collaborated on

Other tools include Prezi and Canva, which allow for more creativity, or you could use Adobe Express or Microsoft Sway.

If it’s for an assessment, make sure you check with your tutor that you’re allowed to use a particular software.

What should your presentation include?

An introductory slide/section (names, title of presentation, date if necessary)
Outline (list of points, numbered or bulleted, which you follow the order of)
Main content
Summary/conclusion (or points you want your audience to take away)
References (just as you would in an essay)
Questions (providing a slide gives your audience a focus)

Structure your presentation

Use 1-2 slides or layout blocks (Sway/Express) per minute of your presentation (depending on how much content on each section)
Around 3-5 points per section is a good idea
Write in point form – use bullet points, keywords, and phrases
Explain one point at a time will help your audience concentrate on what you are saying
Don’t write complete sentences
Make sure there aren’t too many words on each slide, avoid paragraphs and full sentences
Do not just read from your slides, expand on each point
Ensure your text is easy to read from anywhere in the room, use appropriate fonts, colours, and visuals (making sure any diagrams are clear)
Proofread your presentation for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or repeated words.

Student advice

Presentation tips

Take a bottle of water with you – when you need time to think a drink could be the perfect opportunity
Don’t be scared of silence
Loosen up and take a relaxed stance when talking
Get a good night’s sleep and wear a outfit in which you feel confident
Listen to other people’s presentations with interest – this will encourage them to be more engaged when listening to you