Presentation Skills
Once you've decided on your presentation structure or outline, your next step is to write a script.
A presentation script include details about your key talking points, cues for visual aids such as slides or props, and a structured outline to guide your session.
In this section, we'll explore how you can script and practice your presentation to help you organize your ideas, create a logical flow in your argument, and avoid unnecessary details.
Learn how your favourite professors structure their course content and use these tips to create an engaging presentation!
After creating your outline, write out how you would explain your information to a person sitting right in front of you. Resist the urge to rewrite at this step! You can edit later.
Make sure your pacing is consistent so you're not lingering on a single slide for too long. Be concise! Consider how your bullet points might be broken up into slides, and try to keep the same number of sentences or paragraphs per slide.
One of the most challenging parts of writing a script is sounding natural—we can sometimes become too formal with our language, which can make us sound flat and inauthentic. Make sure to add some of your personality to your script, and use language that sounds more like you.
Add some cues to your script to help you remember how you want to deliver certain parts of your presentation. For example, you might write out certain words in italics to remind yourself to emphasize certain words.
Click on the boxes below to learn some quick tips you can consider when writing your next presentation script:
Start with an attention-grabbing introduction, followed by the main points you want to share, and conclude with a strong summary or a call to action.
For example:
Your introduction should be a welcome, personal connection to your topic.
Your main points are the key parts of your message or argument. You'll use facts, figures, stories, examples, etc. to illustrate your main points and build a compelling presentation.
Transitions are the phrases and sentences you'll use to help your audience know when you're moving between your different main points. You might use phrases like, "Now, let's move on to…" or "Next, we'll discuss…".
In your conclusion, you'll recap your key points and share a call to action for your audience (i.e., what do you want your audience to do with the information you've shared with them).
Crafting a strong opening is crucial to capturing your audience's attention and setting the tone for your presentation.
Here are some key elements to consider when you're crafting your opening statement:
A good hook introduces your subject matter and engages your audience while also setting the tone of your session. Hooks are sharp and quick to grab attention—they could be a surprising statistic, a thought-provoking question, and even a short personal story. This is your chance to get creative!
Communicate the relevance and importance of your topic to your audience. Highlight how it relates to their lives, challenges, or goals.
Appeal to your audience's emotions and allow them to resonate or empathize with your ideas. For example, you could share a personal story about you or someone you know who's personally affected by your topic before sharing facts and statistics about the topic.
When you're developing the key points in your presentation script, it's essential to provide supporting information, examples, or evidence that reinforces your message.
A few ways you could expand on each main point include:
Incorporating visual aids strategically in your presentation can significantly enhance your audience's understanding, engagement, and retention of information.
Including clear transitions and signposts helps your audience with following your ideas and message.
You could use concise and engaging language to introduce the upcoming content.
You could also use questions to transition between sections or engage the audience's attention.
Take the time to recap your main points to reinforce your message concisely. Try to summarize each of your key points in a single bullet point in a list.
You could also end your presentation with a memorable story or quote that leaves a lasting impression with your audience, or a clear call to action for your audience (e.g., asking your audience to visit your portfolio website, your new product's website, to learn more about an organization you worked with to plan your presentation, etc.)
Practice your presentation with a trusted colleague, friend, or family member to get constructive feedback. It's helpful to present your content to someone who has no knowledge of the topic so they can point out any areas where you might need to give more context.
You could also book a free tutoring session at Sheridan's Tutoring Centre to get feedback on your script and slides. You can book an appointment through the TutorOcean portal.
Once you've made your edits and revisions based on this feedback, practice your presentation again. You could do this on your own to make sure you feel comfortable and confident with the material.
Bonus points—you could try recording yourself while you're presenting and watch it back to help identify any other changes you want to make!
We've covered what you want to include in your presentation script—but how should you write out that script?
Watch the video below as an example of a short presentation you might see in your class.
Below the video, you'll find three examples of scripts the creator might use to organize their ideas:
