Delivering the Presentation
Once you have rehearsed the presentation well, here are some simple suggestions to consider in delivering the presentation effectively.
Dress Appropriately
Dress appropriately for the presentation, based on the context, disciplinary protocols, formality of the occasion and the type of audience (faculty, students, clients, etc.). Do not wear inappropriate clothing, jewelry, hats or footwear that distract.
Arrive Early
Arrive early for the presentation, and do not arrive just in time or late.
Meet the Moderator
If there is a presentation moderator who will introduce you, meet that person well in advance of the presentation so they know you are in the room on time and that you will be ready.
Decide How to Handle Audience Questions
Decide how you will handle questions during the presentation, and either request the audience to wait until you are finished with your presentation or make sure you will have time to answer the question in the middle of your presentation.
Have a Plan if the Technology Fails
Similarly, decide how you will continue your presentation if the presentation technology fails or freezes in the middle of your presentation.
Smoothly Handling Difficulty with Technology
This video clip is an example of a presenter encountering difficulty with technology but handling it smoothly with a backup plan.
Poorly Handling Difficulty with Technology
This video clip is an example of a presenter encountering difficulty with technology but handling it poorly without a backup plan.
Greet the Audience
If you have some free time before the presentation starts, walk up to some members of the audience, introduce yourself and thank them for being there. This may put you at ease during the presentation.
Load Your Visuals Before Your Allotted Presentation Time
If you plan to use presentation tools, load your presentation or connect your presentation device to the projector before you are asked to present so you do not use up your presentation time to load your files and make the audience wait.
Smile
Be pleasant and smile when you stand in front of an audience so it makes the audience feel comfortable listening to you.
Don't Eat or Chew Gum
Do not chew gum or eat during your presentation. You may drink water or other allowed beverages during the presentation.
Take a Deep Breath
Before you begin to speak, take a few deep breaths and calm yourself.
Speak Clearly
Speak slowly and clearly, and do not rush through sentences, as some do when they get nervous.
Speak at an Even Pace
Pay attention to the pace in which you speak, to avoid your pace of delivery being either too fast or too slow for the audience to follow.
Appropriate Pace
This video clip is an example of the presenter's pace of delivery being appropriate for the audience to follow.
Change the Inflection of Your Voice to Gain Audience Attention or to Emphasize Content
If you are trying to make a point about a particular idea, enunciate or pronounce the words clearly and distinctly. At this point, you can slow down and raise the volume of your voice to clearly express what you have to say. Speak with authority, confidence and enthusiasm.
Effective Voice Quality and Emphasis
This video clip is an example of a presenter demonstrating effective voice quality and emphasis on significant words.
Ineffective Voice Quality and Emphasis
This video clip is an example of a presenter demonstrating ineffective voice quality and emphasis on significant words.
Use Appropriate Gestures
Use appropriate gestures to emphasize appropriate points, and do not make wild gestures or pace back and forth in front of the screen in a distracting manner.
Effective Gestures
This video clip is an example of a presenter demonstrating effective hand gestures and body language.
Ineffective Gestures
This video clip is an example of a presenter demonstrating ineffective hand gestures and body language.
Make Proper Eye Contact
Make proper eye contact: that is, look at the audience from one side of the room to the other side, and from the front row to the last row. Do not look down the whole time, and do not focus on just one side of the room or just the front row of the audience.
Effective Eye Contact
This video clip is an example of a presenter demonstrating effective eye contact.
Ineffective Eye Contact
This video clip is an example of a presenter demonstrating ineffective eye contact.
Stand Beside the Screen
If you plan to use projected visuals on a screen, stand to one side of the screen. Ideally, you should be facing your audience at all times and just glance at the screen to look at cues from the slides.
Effective Position Near Screen
This video clip is an example of a presenter standing by the side of the screen during a PowerPoint presentation so the audience view of the screen is unobstructed, and glances at the screen only occasionally.
Ineffective Position Near Screen
This video clip is an example of a presenter standing in front of the screen during PowerPoint presentation, obstructing the audience view of the screen.
Do Not Talk to the Screen or Board
Do not talk to the screen or the presentation device; look at the audience and talk. It is alright to look at the screen occasionally and point to something important on the screen as you present.
Looking at Screen
This video clip is an example of a presenter looking mostly at the screen (instead of the audience).
Writing on the Board
This video clip is an example of a presenter writing on the board while talking and the writing is difficult to read.
Do Not Read Line-by-Line
Do not read presentation materials line-by-line unless there is someone in the audience who is visually-impaired and cannot see the slide, or if it is a quote that you have to read verbatim to emphasize.
Reading Each Word
This video clip is an example of a presenter reading word by word from an overly dense slide that is difficult to read.
Talking from a Slide
This video clip is an example of a presenter talking from a slide with easily readable bullet points, using them as cues.
If You Get Stuck, Look at Your Notes
If you get stuck on a point and do not know what to say, feel free to look at your notes to continue.
Use the Microphone Effectively
If you are presenting in a large room where a handheld microphone is needed, hold the microphone near your mouth and speak directly into it.
Using Microphone Effectively
This video clip is an example of a presenter using the microphone effectively.
Using Microphone Ineffectively
This video clip is an example of a presenter using the microphone ineffectively.
Do Not Curse or Use Inappropriate Language
Do not curse or use inappropriate language if you forget a point during the presentation or if the presentation technology fails.
Be Considerate of Your Team
If you are part of a team and giving a group presentation, be considerate to other team members by not using up their time or dominating the presentation. Smoothly transition from one presenter to another.
Smooth Transitions
This video clip is an example of transitioning from one presenter to another in a polished manner.
Awkward Transitions
This video clip is an example of awkward or unpolished transitions from one presenter to another.
Do Not Conclude Abruptly
Do not conclude the presentation abruptly by saying "This is it" or "I'm done." Conclude properly by summarizing the topic and thanking the audience for listening.
Effective Conclusion
This video clip is an example of the presenter concluding a presentation properly by summarizing the important points and thanking the audience.
Abrupt Conclusion
This video clip is an example of the presenter abruptly concluding a presentation.
Be Considerate of the Next Presenter
After your presentation and the question and answer part are over, remove your presentation materials from the desk or the podium, and close any open presentation software so the next presenter can get ready quickly.
Thank Your Moderator
Remember to thank your moderator (if there is one) and the audience, and if you were part of a panel presentation, make sure to thank the panel members.
Participate in the Audience
If there are other presentations scheduled after yours, do not leave the room, but stay and listen to their presentations.
The Effective Presentation Skills Tutorial is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.