Oral Presentation Tips

An oral presentation is more than just reading a paper or set of slides to an audience. How you deliver your presentation is at least as important in
effectively communicating your message as what you say. Use these guidelines to learn simple tools that help you prepare and present an effective
presentation, and design PowerPoint slides that support and enhance your talk.
Preparing an Effective Presentation
An effective presentation is more than just standing up and giving information. A presenter must consider how best to communicate the information to
the audience. Use these tips to create a presentation that is both informative and interesting:
 Organize your thoughts. Start with an outline and develop good transitions between sections. Emphasize the real-world
significance of your research.
 Have a strong opening. Why should the audience listen to you? One good way to get their attention is to start with a question,
whether or not you expect an answer.
 Define terms early. If you are using terms that may be new to the audience, introduce them early in your presentation. Once an
audience gets lost in unfamiliar terminology, it is extremely difficult to get them back on track.
 Finish with a bang. Find one or two sentences that sum up the importance of your research. How is the world better off as a
result of what you have done?
 Design PowerPoint slides to introduce important information. Consider doing a presentation without PowerPoint. Then consider
which points you cannot make without slides. Create only those slides that are necessary to improve your communication with the
audience.
 Time yourself. Do not wait until the last minute to time your presentation. You only have 15 minutes to speak, so you want to
know, as soon as possible, if you are close to that limit.
 Create effective notes for yourself. Have notes that you can read. Do not write out your entire talk; use an outline or other brief
reminders of what you want to say. Make sure the text is large enough that you can read it from a distance.
 Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your presentation, the more comfortable you will be in front of an audience.
Practice in front of a friend or two and ask for their feedback. Record yourself and listen to it critically. Make it better and do it again.
PowerPoint Tips
Microsoft PowerPoint is a tremendous tool for presentations. It is also a tool that is sometimes not used effectively. If you are using PowerPoint, use
these tips to enhance your presentation:
 Use a large font. As a general rule, avoid text smaller than 24 point.
 Use a clean typeface. Sans serif typefaces, such as Arial, are generally easier to read on a screen than serif typefaces, such as
Times New Roman.
 Use bullet points, not complete sentences. The text on your slide provides an outline to what you are saying. If the entire text of
your presentation is on your slides, there is no reason for the audience to listen to you. A common standard is the 6/7 rule: no more than six
bulleted items per slide and no more than seven words per item.
 Use contrasting colors. Use a dark text on a light background or a light text on a dark background. Avoid combinations of colors
that look similar. Avoid red/green combinations, as this is the most common form of color blindness.
 Use special effects sparingly. Using animations, cool transition effects, sounds and other special effects is an effective way to
make sure the audience notices your slides. Unfortunately, that means that they are not listening to what you are saying. Use special effects
only when they are necessary to make a poin

 Using multimedia

 Technology can be used to support students while they are developing their presentations, and it can
be especially useful as part of the presentations themselves. For example, students can combine their oral
presentations with audio, images, diagrams, photographs, animation, and/or video. They can create and
organize their presentations using PowerPoint slides, online outlines, and maps.

An oral report also has the same three basic parts as a written report.

 The introduction should "hook" your audience. Catch their interest with a question, a dramatic tale or a personal
experience that relates to your topic.The body is the main part of your report, and will use most of your time. Make an outline
of the body so that you can share information in an organized way.

The conclusion is the time to summarize and get across your most important point. What do you want the audience to
remember?

It's important to really know your subject and be well organized. If you know your material well, you will be confident and able to answer
questions. If your report is well organized, the audience will find it informative and easy to follow.
Think about your audience. If you were listening to a report on your subject, what would you want to know? Too much information can
seem overwhelming, and too little can be confusing. Organize your outline around your key points, and focus on getting them across.

Remember—enthusiasm is contagious! If you're interested in your subject, the audience will be interested, too.Rehearse!

Practicing your report is a key to success. At first, some people find it helpful to go through the report alone. You might practice in front of
a mirror or in front of your stuffed animals. Then, try out your report in front of a practice audience-friends or family. Ask your practice
audience: