Presentation Suggestions

The following are suggestions for making an effective presentation:

• The key to an effective oral presentation is conciseness. Remember that you are speaking to a knowledgeable audience with the same background as yours. Do not become bogged down with unimportant details.
• Do not crowd, clutter, or put too much material on your transparencies. They should be as simple as possible while still getting your message across.
• Make sure that all of the material on an overhead is large enough to see. This is a common error among many presenters.

• All the writing, figures, tables, numbers, etc. should be clearly and boldly presented on the transparencies.  Do not clutter too much information on one slide.  Make the screen visible to the audience; do not just stand in front of the screen blocking half the room’s view.  Speak to the audience and not to the screen.  Use a pointer to indicate details on the slide.

• Do not stand at the projector. This blocks the view for part of the audience. Stand close to and do your pointing at the screen. Be sure that you, personally, control your audience’s attention
• Avoid the use of the whiteboard or blackboard. It is very time consuming and not particularly effective.
• Always have your presentation prepared beforehand - do not write ancillary equations on the whiteboard before or during your presentation.
• It is always a good idea to anticipate questions concerning your material and have the appropriate slides available if these questions arise.
• You should give several private, timed presentations to some colleagues before the actual presentation. Usually, the first time you give a presentation, you have too much material and it needs to be reorganized or reduced to be effective.

• Practicing the presentation beforehand will: (1) help you avoid distractions, (2) answer the questions more confidently and clearly, and (3) make it easier to think well in front of an audience.  Don’t be shy about practicing in front of a mirror. But please, do rehearse your talk!  It will make a tremendous difference.

• It is customary to dress at least “one step” more formal than your audience when giving a presentation.  You do not need to wear a business suit (unless you desire to), however please try to follow the “one step” guideline.  Appropriate dress shows respect for your audience and tends to give you more credibility.

Adapted from: Auburn University and Oklahoma State University