Presentation Skills

Prepare your presentation content using the following steps:

1. Brainstorm ideas.
2. See where you need to fill in information and research your topic.
3. Gather all your info and then organize it. Prepare an outline of how you want to present the information.
4. Transfer the information to cue cards or a single sheet of paper. You can use these to support you during your presentation.

Remember: You can’t read your presentation off of a script, so don’t write an essay. Instead, use bullet points to remind you of the next key point.

Be sure to know the expected length of time for the presentation and plan accordingly. Make sure you have enough to say.

Visual aids can take many forms, which means you can be creative! Other than Powerpoint you can use: Prezi, posters, charts, hands-on samples or demonstrations. Keep in mind that you should be comfortable using whatever you use to create your visual aid.

Check out these quick tips before exploring the rest of the module:

• If you are using slides, make them simple and uncluttered. Too much text or pictures per slide makes it hard for audience to digest all the information. This means you shouldn’t copy your entire speech onto your slides.
• Have 1-2 slides for every 1-2 minutes you are speaking.
• Slides should be large enough to be seen from the back of a room. Use a font size of at least 32.
• Use colour and contrast (but in moderation!).