Appendix B

How to Make an Oral Presentation

Five Surefire Strategies

In college, at work sometimes even in your everyday life you will need
to make oral presentations. Most people rate public speaking as one of lifes
most stressful experiences. A number of practical strategies, however, can
help you cope with the anxiety that may be caused by this task. Knowing
how to prepare for an oral presentation will help you feel confident and in
control of the situation.
You have probably witnessed an embarrassing oral presentation, a situation in which the speaker fell apart and the audience felt as uncomfortable
as the speaker. The following is an example of such an occurrence.
SITUATION: Jean is in the middle of reviewing her presentation notes
when she hears herself being introduced. Startled, she gathers her materials
into a messy stack of notes and papers, apologizes for not being ready, and
walks quickly to the front of the room.
Obviously flustered, she tries to reorganize her notes, shuffling papers,
frowning, and sighing loudly. She begins reading her presentation with her
head down, speaking quickly and softly. Several people call out, I cant hear
you or Speak up.
Jean clears her throat and starts from the beginning. Shes so rattled that
her voice quivers and then breaks. She looks up, red in the face, and says,
Sorry. Im really nervous.
She continues but moves too quickly from one point to the next because
she doesnt want to bore people. She forgets to introduce or summarize any
of her points, so the audience finds it difficult to follow her speech. People
start to tune out.
Aware that shes not doing very well, Jean nervously fiddles with her hair
while speaking. She reads quickly and with no emphasis, thinking that the
sooner she gets through this, the sooner she can sit down. The words that
looked so good when she wrote them sound stupid and awkward when she
says them aloud.
As Jean turns to the second page, she realizes that her papers are out of
order. There is an awkward silence as she searches desperately for the right
page. She finally finds it and begins again. Soon she comes to a word that
she cant read, and she has to stop again to figure it out. Still fiddling with
her hair, she now looks as if shes about to pull it out.

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Jean skips the word and continues. Her only goal now is to finish. But
shes run out of time because of her fumbling and because her presentation
was too long to begin with. The warning signal goes off, indicating that one
minute remains.
This is the last straw for Jean. She looks up, bright red and nearly in
tears, and says, I guess Ive run out of time. I only got through one of my
points. I dont have time for what I really wanted to say. She grabs her
papers and returns to her seat.
Jean sits in total misery, sure that everyone is looking at her. She cant
listen to anyone elses presentation. All she can do is stare at the floor and
wait impatiently for the moment she can escape from the room.
ANALYSIS: Jeans presentation was not successful because of some common pitfalls she could easily have avoided. She wasnt adequately prepared,
she was obviously very nervous, she hadnt structured her presentation to
make her points clear to her audience, she hadnt practiced reading her
presentation aloud, and she fled at the end. If she had practiced five simple
strategies for making an oral presentation, her experience would have been
much less painful, and her presentation would have been much better.

Strategy 1. Be Prepared
Jeans first mistake was not being well prepared. She wasnt psychologically
ready to speak, and she hadnt organized the materials for her presentation
properly. Because she was busy reviewing her notes at the last minute, she
was caught off guard. Her papers got messed up, she was startled, and she
was off to a bad start.

Organize Your Notes.

Before you go into the room where you are giving your presentation, make
sure all of your notes are in order. Number all pages or note cards so you
can quickly reorganize them if they get mixed up, and carry all of your
materials in a folder.
If you want to review your key points while waiting to make your presentation, try to run through them in your head. Leave the folder closed. If
you need to refresh your memory on a particular point, open the folder and
carefully go through your notes until you find the answer.

Use Your Energy.

Be aware of when your turn is coming, and focus on being calm. Tell yourself that youre prepared and you know what youre doing. Breathe deeply.
Dont worry if your heart is beating hard and fast; thats normal. Nervous
energy before a performance of any sort is natural and can make you a
more engaging speaker. You just need to learn to channel that energy and
make it work for you. Use that adrenaline to fuel your enthusiasm for your
topic.

APPENDIX B

Five Surefire Strategies

Build Yourself Up.

Keep breathing normally. However silly it may seem, remind yourself of
your strengths and repeat them in your head as your turn to speak approaches: I know what Im talking about. I look good today. I have a
good voice. Remember that your audience isnt waiting for you to fail.
Most people understand the stress of oral presentations and are sympathetic.Your audience wants you to do well.
Carry Yourself Like Royalty.
When its your turn, take a deep breath, calmly pick up your folder, and walk
to the front of the room. Walk slowly, stand straight, and focus on projecting a confident image. Remember that youre in control.

Strategy 2. Act with Confidence

Jeans second mistake was not acting with confidence and authority. She was
visibly upset as she tried to get her notes in order, and when she did start,
she spoke too softly to be heard. When her voice broke, she apologized to
the audience and announced her nervousness. Practicing several techniques
would have made her appear confident and in control.
Take Your Time.
After youve walked to the front of the room, take a few moments to calmly
arrange your notes and papers before you begin. Relax. The timing of your
presentation wont start until you begin speaking, so make sure your
materials are where you need them before beginning. Remember that even
professional speakers need a few moments to lay out their notes and compose themselves.
Take Command and Greet Your Audience.
When youre ready to begin, stand up straight and look up and out at the audience. Remember that you are in command of the room. Pause for a few seconds to let people know youre about to begin, and wait for them to give you
their attention. When you have their attention, take a deep breath and begin.
Smile and greet the audience, surveying the room as you do so. Your
greeting should be simple, like Good morning and thank you all for coming. If some people in the audience dont know you, be sure to introduce
yourself. Dont forget to smile: It will relax you as well as your audience.
Slow Down and Speak Up.
Make sure that you speak slowly, clearly, and loudly. If youre nervous, you
will tend to speak too quickly, so try to slow down your speech a bit. Try to
project your voice so that the people in the last row can hear you. It may feel

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How to Make an Oral Presentation

as if youre shouting, but you wont be. Dont be embarrassed to ask if

everyone can hear you. Experienced speakers often break the ice by encouraging an audience to tell them if they need to speak up.

Strategy 3. Structure Your Presentation

Jeans third mistake was not giving her presentation a clear structure, which
would have made it easy for her audience to follow her key points. Your
presentation should include lots of verbal cues that let people know when
youre making a point, what it is, and when youre moving to another point.
The structure of an oral presentation must be much more obvious than
the structure of a written paper so that people can understand as they are
listening.
Limit Your Topic.
Choose a manageable topic for the time allotted, and limit the number of
points you plan to make. Listening is hard work, and most people can absorb only a few key points from a speech. In any presentation, try to limit
yourself to three key points, and be sure to support each of them with concrete examples. When you give more complex presentations, you may need
to use visual aids such as transparencies or slides that will allow you to
illustrate and reinforce your points.
State Your Thesis and Preview Your Key Points.
Let your audience know what your topic is and the main point you are
going to make about it. State your thesis (your main point) slowly so that
people understand the purpose of your presentation. Tell them: My topic
today is
, and I will be arguing [or showing, or explaining]
.
Tell your audience about the structure of your presentation by giving
them a preview of your key points. You might say: There are three major
points Id like to make about
. First Ill present
.
Second Ill discuss
. And my third point will be
.
This presentation should take approximately ten minutes, and there will be
time for questions at the end.
Use Transitions to Move from Point to Point.
Use transitions to let your audience know when youre finished with one
point and are about to make another. In your preview, you told the audience
what your key points would be. As you speak, you should give clear
verbal cues when introducing and summarizing each point. Here is one
way to do so.
My first point is
Give examples/explanation.

APPENDIX B

Five Surefire Strategies

Repeat or summarize the first point (to remind the audience of what it
is and to let them know youre about to move to another point).
My second point is
.
Give examples/explanation.
Repeat or summarize the second point.
My third and final point is
.
Give examples/explanation.
Repeat or summarize the third point.
Conclude by Reviewing Your Key Points.
Let people know when youre coming to the end of your presentation by
using a verbal cue such as in conclusion, to summarize, or to review. Then review your key points. Conclude with a simple, strong sentence that restates
the overall purpose of your presentation the main point you want to make.

Strategy 4. Practice Your Presentation

Like many people, Jean made the mistake of not adequately practicing her
presentation. The right kind of practice would have helped her avoid the
following problems: fidgeting with her hair, writing a presentation that
sounded awkward when presented orally, losing her place in the middle of
her talk, puzzling over her notes, and running out of time.
Even professional speakers practice their speeches. You should allow
plenty of time to practice giving your oral presentation.
Practice Aloud.
Phrases and sentences that sound good in writing often sound awkward
when spoken. Read your presentation aloud several times to make sure
that it sounds right.Youll feel silly, but do it anyway. Stop and make changes
when a sentence sounds awkward. Be aware of any distracting habits you
may have, such as interrupting your speech with expressions like uh or
you know.
Practicing aloud will also help you remember your key points. Practice
your speech again and again until you feel comfortable with it. Be sure to
practice aloud a final time on the day of your presentation.
Practice in Front of a Mirror.
You need to see what you look like as you give your presentation, so try
practicing in front of a mirror. This may make you feel even sillier than just
saying the speech aloud, but it will also make you feel much more confident
when you actually give the presentation.
Stand straight and look up at the mirror frequently. Pretend you are
looking out at an audience.

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How to Make an Oral Presentation

Be aware of any distracting habits you have while speaking, such as

fidgeting with your hair, as Jean did. Some people shift their weight
from one leg to another, or sway back and forth, or stand with their
legs far apart in a military stance.
Practice keeping your hands still, except when you want to gesture or
point to something for emphasis.You can hold your notes at your side
or in front of you, or you can place them on a table or podium.
Practice keeping your feet slightly apart and your weight evenly distributed. Dont shift from side to side or rock.
If you know you will be seated when giving your presentation, you
should sit in a chair while practicing. Dont jiggle your feet or swing
your legs. Keep your feet flat on the floor.
Practice Working with Your Material.
Figure out in advance how you will handle your notes, papers, and material
such as PowerPoint slides. After youve said your presentation aloud a
couple of times to get the wording right, decide whether you will work with
the whole presentation written out, an outline, or notecards. Some people
prefer to work with just an outline and PowerPoint slides.
THE WHOLE PRESENTATION: If you think you need the whole presentation
written out word for word to read from, thats fine, but you still have to
practice. You have to be comfortable enough with the written version to be
able to deliver it naturally, not as if youre reading, and to look up at your
audience without fear of losing your place. If your eyes are glued to the page,
youll lose your audiences attention.
In addition to practicing, you should format your presentation so it will
be easy for you to find your place.
Highlight your key points in color or by underlining so youll be able
to find your place quickly if you get lost.
Double-space your presentation so you wont have trouble reading it.
Use a large type size. If you must handwrite your presentation, make
sure that you can read your handwriting.
Write the numbers of your key points in the margin (next to the paragraphs where you introduce those points), write conc. next to your
conclusion, and so on.
Make sure your pages are clearly numbered so they can easily be put
in order if you mix them up.
If you are using PowerPoint slides, make sure you know when and in
what order to show them. Print out a copy of your slides.
OUTLINE: Instead of writing out your entire presentation, word for word,
you may want to write your key points in outline form. An outline should
include all of the major points you want to make, with examples or explanations. It should also include the points to be made in the introduction and
conclusion.

APPENDIX B

Five Surefire Strategies

NOTECARDS: Some people prefer to work from 3"
5" notecards rather
than pieces of paper.They prepare a separate notecard for each major point,
listing the point and an example. If you use notecards, be sure to number
them in the top right corner so that you can easily reassemble them if they
get out of order.
MEDIA: If you are working with media of any kind, including PowerPoint, dont panic if the technology momentarily lets you down or you skip
over a slide and need to go back to find the right one.These kinds of glitches
happen to everyone. The key is to stay calm and correct the situation; then
carry on with confidence.
See if one of your classmates is willing and able to run your PowerPoint
slide show, taking cues from you about when to switch slides. That will give
you one less thing to worry about.

Time Yourself.
As you practice aloud, time yourself. You need to be sure that you can finish your presentation within the time limit youve been given.
If you find that you dont have enough time to make your major points,
dont just speak more quickly. Go back and revise your presentation. Keep
the points simple and the examples clear. If necessary, cut back on the number of points you are making, keeping only the strongest ones.
Be sure to time yourself at least twice after you have your presentation
in final form.

Strategy 5. Create a Good Final Impression

Jeans last mistake was that when she ran short on time, she panicked and
ended on a bad note. Practicing aloud and timing yourself will help you
avoid this problem, but if you do run short on time, dont panic.
Usually speakers are given a warning signal of some sort to let them
know that they need to finish. If you get a warning signal before youve said
all you wanted to, remember that its a warning.You have a little time left to
conclude your presentation.
You may have enough time to finish your speech as planned, but if you
know you cant cover all of it in the time remaining, you will need to condense it. Reduce the details about your points, and move to a very brief
conclusion.You may need to move to your final point and give it without an
example. Then say, Again, here are the major points, repeat them briefly,
and conclude.
When the time is over, look up, smile at your audience, thank them for
their attention, and ask if they have any questions. Give the audience time
to respond. It may take them a while to start asking questions. Wait calmly,
and look around the room. If there are no questions, thank the audience
again and return to your seat.

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