Presentation skills
Presentations follow the same rules as any talk, plus slides and questions. These five habits cover most of it.
Five habits for better presentations
Presentation skills cover articulation, audience engagement, body language and confidence (AmberWillo). These five habits train all four.
Know who is in the room
Your audience decides your topic, detail and examples (Stand Up, Speak Out).
Open with something real
A startling statement, a short story or a quotation beats "Today I'm going to talk about X" (Stand Up, Speak Out).
Use slides sparingly
Presentation aids should support your speech, not the other way around. Use them to improve understanding or to help people remember (Stand Up, Speak Out).
Keep a comfortable pace
One recommended band is 120 to 170 words per minute (100th Monkey).
Watch for feedback and adapt
Read faces and adjust. A canned talk loses even friendly listeners.
Related guides
- How to structure a speechIntroduction, body and conclusion.
- Eye contact in public speakingWhere to look while you present.
- How to slow downWhen you talk too fast.
Rehearse with feedback
Run your opening out loud in Confidently and see where you rushed, said um or trailed off.
Practise out loud for freeFree on iPhone and Android
Sources
- Why Conduct an Audience Analysis?, Stand Up, Speak Out (Saylor Academy open textbook)
- The Attention-Getter: The First Step of an Introduction, Stand Up, Speak Out (Saylor Academy open textbook)
- Functions of Presentation Aids, Stand Up, Speak Out (Saylor Academy open textbook)
- Words per minute: how to speak slower when public speaking, 100th Monkey
- Presentation Skills and Public Speaking: A Complete Guide to Improvement, AmberWillo