Oral Presentations
May be used with or without PowerPoint Presentation Handout
Preparing
 Getting Started
o Be enthusiastic!
 Convey your information in an engaging manner
o Identify expectations
 How long? Intent?
o Analyze audience
 What do they know? Expect?
 Are they interested? Biased?
 Parts
o Research – this is the heart of your presentation
o Presentation
 Introduction & Premise
 Supporting information
 Background for setting context
 Materials & Methods (where appropriate, such as science)
 Be brief here – tell only as much as is necessary for the audience
to understand what you did
 Results
 Briefly overview major findings
 Data presentation section – pictures, graphs, charts, tables as
relevant – but not TOO much
 Conclusions
 Come back to the “big picture” – what does your study
contribute?
 Include “hookers” which help the audience understand the
importance/relevance of your study
 ‘Questions?’ slide (on PPT), with pretty picture – thank audience for
attending
 Lets audience know you are finished
 Puts an ending polish on presentation
 Multipurpose Introductions
o Hook audience
o Preview content
o Establish common ground
o Build credibility
 Rhetorical Signposts & Memory Aids/Meta-commentary
o Give audience cues to help them follow ideas
 Numbers
 Old-to-new transitions
 Parallel sentence structure
 Repeat key words/ideas
 Restate thesis as transition to new idea
 Group set of ideas together under single heading
 Give short internal summary
 Explain why telling them specific information
o Strategies to Highlight Important Points
 Repeating/reiterating
 Key words/vocab
 Flagging
 “If you remember just one thing…”, “The take-home point is…”
 Doing the unexpected
 Humor, anecdote, changing tone/volume, attention-grabbing
visual, getting audience involved
Presenting
 Delivery DOs
o Breathe
o Appear confident, knowledgeable and enthusiastic
o Speak slowly & clearly
o Maintain good eye contact – regularly “sweep” the audience with your gaze and
stop to make eye contact briefly
o Occupy the space – don’t hide behind a podium
o Stand up straight
o Use natural hand motions for emphasis
o Be prepared for Q&A
o Relax and TRY TO HAVE FUN!
 Delivery DON’Ts
o Let nervousness distract audience
o Speak too quickly
o Read directly from script
 Using PPT slides guide you, so change up the way you say the same thing
o Pace, rock, slouch, tap your hands or feet, twirl your hair, or adjust clothes
o Constantly use distracting hand gestures
o Chew gum, eat, drink
o Repeat stalling words (Um, er, uh, basically, you know, like)
o Speak with rising inflection (as if asking a question)
 Notecards
o Format notes with bullet points & important words highlighted (to reference
easily)
o If you have a script, convert it to notes to resist the temptation to read it.


o To keep track of presentation length, remember that a typed, double-spaced
page will take about 2 minutes to read
Practice, Practice, Practice
o Do a test run in a mirror
o Demonstrate presentation for a friend
o Videotape it
o Use notecards & time it
Overcoming Nervousness
o Being well prepared is the best way to overcome nervousness
o Practice, practice, practice
o Browse books on public speaking to help with nerves and delivery
o “A survey of more than 2,500 Americans revealed that people feared public
speaking before a group more than death. Amazing as it may seem, many
Americans appear to consider public speaking a fate worse than death.”
 Stephen E. Lucas, The Art of Public Speaking
o DON’T be one of these!