At various times in your student career you may be called upon to give presentations - of your ideas, your work, your views. These may be to your peers, to academics, to the wider public. They may take any form, from that of a prepared lecture to an unscripted and unpremeditated contribution in the course of a discussion. Whatever the case, you will achieve best results if you make your point clearly and persuasively. Presentation, like publicity, is the art of persuasion, and the most effective presenters are those who rise to the challenge with a defence of themselves and their contribution. A presentation, like an essay, should have the structure of an argument accompanied by an assured and rhetorically impressive display. That said it should aim not to be ostentatious, should take account of its audience and their reaction, and should most of all succeed in communicating clearly and efficiently with them.
It's worth taking advantage of opportunities to practice presentational skills - particularly if this is an area of interest to you once you have finished your degree. Many universities offer debating societies or political groups; many will expose you to a range of lecturers - some good presenters, some bad; and most if not all will require some level of competence when you present your academic work to your tutors and examiners. There are a number of steps you can take to improve your presentational style. These include...
o Know your material well. One of the worst things to watch is a presenter scrabbling among his or her notes for facts or reasons to back up statements which he or she has made. Use your research and preparation to focus the presentation and any subsequent debate; control the agenda and you should be fine.
o Don't be afraid to take your time before making a presentation. If called upon to summarise a piece of work, for instance, take a moment to think through what you are going to say, and try to say it as succinctly as possible. Many presenters make the mistake of repeating themselves or re-treading old ground to fill in awkward pauses. To avoid this, pause beforehand, so that when you are speaking what you say is thought through and assured.
o Target your audience and your subject throughout - refer all the points which you make back to the topic of the presentation (as when constructing an essay), and make clear the relevance of what you are saying to those who hear you.
o Try not to worry; engage with your subject and with your audience; don't lose your cool and be open to new ideas and suggestions. In presenting you are making a case, but it need not necessarily be complete, and you should always welcome input and constructive criticism - it's part of the learning process.
Some people are natural-born presenters and some find it a challenging undertaking. Play to your strengths, and try not to worry too much about how you come across. Focus on the subject, your enthusiasm for it, and your ability to speak clearly and authoritatively. As with everything, the more you do it, the easier it will become.
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