Presentation Skills Guide
Love them or loathe them, sooner or later, it will be your turn again to give a presentation. While in business, presentations are about driving growth, academic presentations have many purposes, all demanding excellence. This article delivers a step-by-step guide to presentation skills for academics, in five parts, namely research, preparation and writing, slide creation, delivery, and post-presentation follow-up. The presentation skills guide not only serves lecturers and academics but also professionals in all industries.
Comprehensive Guide to Presentation Skills for Academics and Higher Education Staff
If you are a higher education professional, you will have many occasions to deliver a presentation, be it to share research findings or present work practice innovations to fellow academics. Some may be tempted to believe that people are born to be great presenters, however, this doesn’t reflect the reality. Even some of the brightest brains shudder at the prospect of having to give a presentation. But anyone can master the art of delivering sharp, insightful, and engaging presentations. As such presentation skills are graspable for anyone willing to invest time and above all, ready to prepare, practice, and practice again.
When considering presentation skills for academics, five stages emerge: research, preparation/writing, slide creation, delivery, and post-presentation follow-up. These five steps apply to any presentation topic.
The following presentation skills guide and structures help higher education staff, not only come to grips with the task at hand but also ensure their presentation achieves the desired objectives, benefiting the audience while scaling their standing within academic circles.
An outstanding presentation ignites audience action, sparking fruitful conversations and winning collaborations.
Step 1: Research
As an academic and higher education professional, you may receive requests to do presentations at student events, tutorials, peer conferences and lectures, and to visitors to your institution. It is essential to remember that the presentation must propel both you and each audience member forward.
Possessing all the facts and figures is an obvious must, as is having a deep understanding of the topic. Consider as many aspects of your subject matter as possible bearing in mind the questions you wish to answer and the enquiries your audience may have. Identify knowledge gaps and bolster your expertise with background information, captivating applications, and gripping anecdotes.
Identify authority knowledge sources and references, study and analyse them, and prepare to combine them into a clear, and concise script. Applying your best analytical and critical thinking skills ensures you omit fluff while honing in on the topic’s essence.
Throughout the research process, focus on fully coming to grips with your topic, understanding your audience, their thinking and motivation, and conceptualising your presentation questions.
Step 2: Preparation, Structure, and Writing
Beyond gathering information and familiarising yourself with the audience, you must cogitate the audience’s special needs including learning difficulties and accessibility alongside their gender, beliefs, and expectations. Your content must be sensitive to all those points for the best audience experiences and outcomes.
Once you have gathered sufficient rich resources and pondered all audience needs, you can craft a basic presentation structure before writing your first draft.
Best practice suggests dividing your presentation into three basic sections, i.e. introduction, main body, and conclusion. Let’s examine each more closely.
Introduction
Your introduction is all about grabbing your audience’s attention and setting the stage. The best orators kick off with a hook, meaning they ask a thought-provoking question, tell a gripping tale, or mention a jaw-dropping fact.
Once all eyes are on you, introduce the topic, its relevance, and a summary of your thesis, thus giving the audience an insight of what is to come.
Main Body
It is now time to deliver the nuts and bolts of your subject. Logically break it down and address all aspects. Underpin each point you make with authority references, real-world examples, data, expert quotes, or research findings. Strong visuals will enhance the content and scale the clarity of your presentation.
Conclusion
Your conclusion is an opportunity to summarise and reiterate important points and drive home the purpose and significance of your presentation. You may also like to spark audience action, akin to a Call To Action in a business presentation or set the stage for a Q&A.
When writing the first draft, use a logical sequence and be ruthless when selecting the information to avoid boring and overwhelming your audience. You may also add timings for each section to stick to the planned presentation length.
Make sure to practice by performing your script out loud so that you can realistically gauge the duration and establish the best flow. Edit your script thoroughly, practice again, and re-edit until you are satisfied with its quality.
Step 3: Designing the Slides
Your slides are your and your audience’s roadmap through the presentation. Be succinct when designing them, ensuring that the text is clear, error-free, and legible. Only include essential information or use graphs or data charts to drum your point home.
Don’t try to shift your audience’s focus solely onto your slides. Instead, use them to highlight core points only and never ever use them like a script.
Step 4: Delivering the Presentation
A great script, captivating slides, and many rehearsals combine towards an excellent delivery. You will know from personal audience experience that the most outstanding orators go far beyond presenting clear facts and revealing new concepts.
They engage on a different level, meaning their delivery is vivid, absorbing, challenging, and inspiring. Addressing the audience while making eye contact or even pacing, adding humour and an occasional smile turns a dull presentation into a winning one. When you take the stage, own it, stand up straight and muster as much confidence as you can even if you don’t feel it.
Adjust your speaking pace, aiming for approximately 100 words per minute, and pronounce each syllable and word clearly and audibly at a pleasant pitch.
If possible, involve the audience and let your personality shine. During the Q&A, encourage audience participation, listen actively, and respond expertly.
Above all, be energetic!
Step 5: Post-Presentation Follow-Up
Presentations are invaluable networking and profile-building opportunities. If possible, speak to audience members, and send them a summary of your presentation. You may also need to follow up with additional information or data to keen attendees. If the opportunity for collaboration arises, grab it with both hands by exchanging contact information post-presentation.
For future presentation success, request peer feedback.
Presentation Skills Guide – The Long and Short of It
A great many people shy away from public speaking because they feel vulnerable and fear exposure and disaster. Throughout an academic career, they must set the dread aside, step up, and triumph nonetheless.
Oration is not rocket science, it’s a skill obtainable to all. With the right guidance, structure, and practice, giving presentations can become second nature to you. Gather your family and friends, beleaguer them if you must, until you too are a confident orator.