Perfect your presentation skills

While you’re at uni you may be asked to deliver a presentation, either individually or in a group.  Presentations are often required in both professional or personal contexts, so being able to deliver them successfully is a very useful skill to have. We’ve put together some tips to help you create and deliver engaging presentations. 

Make a plan for the presentation  

The task sheet and marking criteria will guide your planning for the presentation. You’ll need to know who the intended audience is, how the presentation should be structured, the tone and language to use and the content you need to address in the allocated time.  

Create engaging visual aids 

You may be able to present with a visual aid, such as a PowerPoint or infographic. Effective visual aids:  

• contain only relevant information and images  

• have a limited amount of text  

• use consistent style throughout 

• have carefully chosen colours to ensure readability.  

Be familiar with the presentation setting 

For in-person presentations, find out what technology is available and how the room will be set up so you can plan how you will use the technology and presentation space. If your presentation is being delivered live online, make sure you test your microphone and webcam beforehand and test sharing any visual aids. Some presentations will require you to pre-record a video—learn how to record and edit video.  

Practise, practise, practise 

Before the presentation, practise delivering your content to an audience of friends and/or family. Make sure your presentation will run to the allocated time and that you are using non-verbal communication such as eye-contact and gestures to enhance your delivery.  

For more tips to improve your presentation skills check out Presentations – video, in person, online or contact the library.