Presentation Tips

[SDSorority]

Hi all! It has been a number of years since having to stand in front of my peers and give an oral presentation.

Well... the time has come. I am applying to be an Admission Counselor in the office I already work in (I'm an Admin), and I KNOW that I will be competing (so to speak) against some already Admission Counselors. I need some oral presentation/power point tips! I'll take ANYTHING.

Two advantages I have:

I am an alumni of the college
I have worked in the Admission Office here for almost 3 years

That said, I need to give just as good of a presentation if not better than everybody else!!!

Any great public speakers out there???

I'm nervous about it now, but I know that the more I do it, the better and more relaxed I'll get.

 

[Explodo]

I do Presentation about three times a week...

My tips

1. When you make your slides, bullet out your points on a high level...enough to keep everyone on the same page. Don;t read directly from the slide...you speak the details and let the slide back up your assertations

2. Be passionate...but not pushy. If you are geniune, it comes through like a spotlight. Know what I mean...If you put things on a slide and don;t belive in it, you'll never be able to convince people your ideas are worthy

3. I present statisitcs on a regular basis...About as dry a topic as you can find...But somehow I can always get the crowd to laugh...or engage in some manner. Getting them involved with the presentation is a must.

4. Don't get to cute...Cute is fine in small amounts...maybe one cutesy thing in the entire presentation.

5. Remember your audience when you are putting together the slide show...If you are presenting to peers...put together a show that you would want to see from someone else...If students...If Deans...You know the drill

6. And above all else...Be Earnest...Don;t exagerate. Simple honesty works everytime.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I was a PR major in college and did lots of presentation in school and in my career. My best advice is to speak slowly. People tend to get nervous and talk so fast that no one can keep up with them. If you feel like you're speaking too slowly, the audience probably thinks it's just right. I used to give the same advice for piano recitals. Play slower than you think you should and it will all even out!

 

[Explodo]

Oh...And pretend you are Chuck Norris

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Best advice I ever got was if you feel like you are going to say the dreaded "um," close your mouth and breathe through your nose. I promie you, you won't say "um."

 

[dauser]

Here are some basic points that have worked for me:

1. The slides should capture the main points. Do not read directly from the slides, but ensure that you are able to support every bullet point with a specific example from your experience (this can get a little tricky depending on your time constraints...you don't need to go into detail about every bullet point, but in advance decide on those that are most important and be prepared to provide more details on any point if asked.)

2. Practice, and practice some more! The more that you practice, the more that it seems that you are speaking to your audience, and not reciting from a script. Also practice with your time constraints in mind. This will help you in deciding what points are most important to your audience.

3. Be honest! As noted above, you need to be able to provide details to support your slides. When preparing the presentation, do not include information that you cannot support by details of your own experience.

 

[nmmom95]

Lots of eye contact. Speak naturally. You want to make the audience feel like they are part of a conversation, not a lecture.

 

[FireDancer]

1. When you make your slides, bullet out your points on a high level...enough to keep everyone on the same page. Don;t read directly from the slide...you speak the details and let the slide back up your assertations

Very much this. Nothing puts a meeting to sleep faster then reading word for word off of a slide.

 

[ksumn1]

I just took a speech class and did very well. I'm a very nervous speaker so one piece of advice is remember to breathe. Pace your breathing. Often when we're nervous, we take more shallow, quick breaths. This makes you look like you're panicking to an audience, as well.

And my other advice is to really know your material and praactice, practice, practice. We had to tape and critique each speech. It really makes you aware of what you need to work on. Eye contact, breathing, fast speech, umm and even facial expressions are all dead giveaways if you're not comfortable. Practice, tape, critique, practice, tape, critique. Practice on your family or friends....I practiced one of my speeches to a group of sorority sisters as part of one of my speech assignement. Really uncomfortable but very helpful in getting honest, unbiased feedback.

Good Luck.

Oh and definatley stress your experience and familiarity with the department in your speech. It's definately a big plus in your favor.

 

[SDSorority]

Thank you everybody! These are great GREAT tips!!!!

I'm working on my presentation right now!!!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Practice in front of someone. A good friend, your mom. Anyone. If you have any nervous tics, they'll point them out to you. For example, I tend to fidget a lot when I'm presenting.

Don't put too much text on your slides, but don't leave out important information. Memorizing presentations is really difficult. Use notecards and write down the main points you want to deliver. [Just don't write your whole presentation down!]

 

[illuminationsfanatic]

I was a PR major in college and did lots of presentation in school and in my career. My best advice is to speak slowly. People tend to get nervous and talk so fast that no one can keep up with them. If you feel like you're speaking too slowly, the audience probably thinks it's just right. I used to give the same advice for piano recitals. Play slower than you think you should and it will all even out!

THIS!!

 

[foolishmortal]

just tell everyone to strip down to thier underwear before sitting down

 

[foolishmortal]

I was a PR major in college and did lots of presentation in school and in my career. My best advice is to speak slowly. People tend to get nervous and talk so fast that no one can keep up with them. If you feel like you're speaking too slowly, the audience probably thinks it's just right. I used to give the same advice for piano recitals. Play slower than you think you should and it will all even out!

I think I would end up sounding like Dory when speaking whale

 

[tink_lover]

Tell them what you are going to tell them.

Tell them.

Tell them what you just told them.

 

[ahutton]

Tell them what you are going to tell them.

Tell them.

Tell them what you just told them.

Absolutely! That is the first thing I teach when I teach speech.

Other tips:
When you are speaking to a large group where you can still see everyone, speak a complete sentence to an audience member. You will connect with your audience and you are very unlikely to look someone in the eye and say um.

If you are speaking to a larger group than that, when you practice, have someone listen and have them snap their fingers when you use non-words like um and ah. Eventually you will work them out of your speech.

Gesture naturally but in the size of the room. When people get nervous they do what I can penguin arms. Elbows are locked to their sides and the hands flap around.

Smile.

 

[kristilew]

When you first stand up to speak, before you actually start, take a breath and smile. A genuine smile that includes some warmth, like you are happy to be there.

This will relax you and make a great impression on them.