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Presentation - ATK

 
For further information, these external links may be useful:
Planning and Structuring your Essay (University of Reading) 
Planning and writing (Oxford) 
Planning and writing assignments (Nottingham)

1:1 bookable appointments can be made with your Academic Skills Advisers for your subject area.

Students from Ipswich can book two appointments per week (if you are a student from the Learning Network, please contact your library) - 

  • up to 1 hour with an Academic Skills Advisor

Appointments are scheduled in 30 minute slots.  

Schedule an Appointment

Presentation Delivery

This section deals solely with presentation delivery regarding issues including the physical space, information technology and preparation. 

Have a look at our Presentation Delivery Prezi

PDprezi

Delivery Preparation

Your familiarity with the equipment in the room you are presenting in will positively effect your delivery.  It never looks good if you have to ask someone what you need to do to get the presentation started.

  • Make sure you are familiar with both the computer and digital projector
  • Get to the room early if you are unsure about the equipment
  • Have everything ready beforehand so that you can easily start the presentation at the right moment
  • Make sure you have internet access if you have incorporated hyperlinks to web pages or embedded videos into your slides
  • Determine if you can deliver your presentation with the room lights on: turning off the lights may induce sleep and puts the audience focus on the screen- they should be looking at you!
  • Be prepared for the equipment to fail- have a back-up plan!

Starting your presentation

This is the shortest phase of your presentation but for most people the hardest!  In order to signify that you are about to begin your presentation, you will need to give your audience an indication.  Just relax and trust that the presentation will run smoothly if you have prepared yourself and feel confident about your topic.

  • Close the door (if it is not already closed)
    • This sounds intuitive, but closing the door creates the physical space you are sharing with your audience and separates them from distraction outside of the classroom or venue.
  • Get their attention
    Use phrases such as:
    • If I could have everyones attention.
    • Perhaps we should begin?
    • Let's get started.
  • Welcome them
    • Welcome to University of Suffolk.
    • Thank you for coming today.
    • Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
  • Introduce yourself
    • My name is John Smith.  I'm a researcher.
    • For those of you who don't know me, my name's Jane Adams.
    • I'm the new intern.
  • State the purpose of your presentation
    • This morning, I'd like to present...
    • Today I'd like to discuss...
    • What I want to do this morning is show you...

Using your Powerpoint slides

  • Work from the laptop/computer screen rather than the projection screen.
    • Working from the projection screen encourages you to turn away from your audience, reducing eye contact and making it difficult for them to hear.
  • Use the keyboard to control the show (in the absence of a remote control) rather than the mouse.
    • Use F5 to start the show, and to provide a pause during the show, use B to black the screen in a dark room, and W to white the screen in a well lit room.

Plan B.

Consider employing the following options for delivering your presentation in case the equipment in the classroom or venue fails to work.

  • Showing your slides as transparencies with an overhead projector
  • Printed copies of your slides that can be distributed as 6-per-page handouts.
  • Bring a back-up copy of your presentation on a USB flash drive or ensure access through cloud storage, an e-mail attachment, etc.

Remember to breathe

Prior to the delivery take long, slow, deep breaths. This will slow your heart rate and reduce feelings of stress and nerves.