Good presentations come down to two things—material and delivery.
How to ace presentations in college
When I was in high school, one of my teachers told us that good presentations are not memorized speeches. If you’re planning to give a presentation, you should know the topic of your presentation so well that you could freely talk about it off-the-cuff whenever prompted. Do this, and you’ll ace every presentation you give.
Pretty intimidating, right?
Maybe even a bit extra.
But here’s the reality: That teacher isn’t wrong. What I’ve come to learn over the past few years of giving presentations in class, on discussion panels, in front of employers, and for student organizations is that if I have a wide conceptual framework of a topic, then I can pretty much nail its presentation.
Good presentations can be broken down into two parts:
Material | Delivery |
This is the content you are presenting. It includes the way in which you have chosen to break down and display your presentation for the audience. | This is the way in which you give the presentation. It includes projecting confidence, maintaining eye contact, and being a good orator. |
These two parts come together to create impact.
How to organize great material
Develop a decently-sized conceptual framework about your presentation topic
Structure your topic info and takeaways in a teachable manner
Don’t fret, both of these things can be learned and developed.
Develop a conceptual framework
This is kind of like the note-taking phase of putting together a great presentation. You’re collecting information and saving it for later. It’s not enough to just memorize random facts, though. You have to commit to truly understanding those facts within the context of an overall lesson so that talking about that information becomes second nature.
I know this sounds like “a lot of work,” but I promise it isn’t as daunting as it seems.
When you gather info, you’re actively learning that information. Sure, you might not be able to recall every detail about what you learned, but you do begin to see how everything you learn fits together seamlessly into a large conceptual network of facts and insights.
That bigger picture is what you need to focus on. Capture it, and the individual facts will fall into place on their own within your memory palace for easy reference when you need to whip them out in your presentation.
Structure your info in a teachable manner
Right, so now that you have all the information you need and feel confident enough to talk about it for hours, it's important to remember that how you organize your presentation is just as crucial as the content itself.
Take this for example: You’re presenting on critical race theory to your class. You open your presentation by launching into current political debates surrounding critical race theory. This leaves your audience confused, because you failed to first explain what critical race theory even is.
When you go to prepare your slides or write down what you want to say, think about the key points you want your audience to take away from your presentation and the things they need to know to help them arrive at those key points.
How to ensure great delivery
Pay attention to verbal artistry
Include the WOW factor: authenticity
For many people, this is probably the hardest part of giving a presentation. You might lack confidence or get stage fright. I don’t totally have answers to those problems… it really just takes practice and, dare I say it, perhaps a small sense of passion for whatever you’re presenting to get over those bumps in the road. But even the greatest presenters still get nervous sometimes!
Regardless, here are some specifics to focus on for nailing the delivery of your presentation.
Pay attention to verbal artistry
I’m not sure if “verbal artistry” is the right terminology for this, but let me explain.
To put it simply—your tone, your volume, your facial expression, your cadence, and the spots where you place emphasis on words matters.
Are you aiming to sound more professional? Like how a Dean would give a speech to a bunch of top-tier donors?
Are you aiming to sound more conversational? Like how a stand-up comedian would perform in front of a crowd?
These are the things you should be thinking about when you go to deliver a presentation, and the way in which you sound and piece words together will definitely influence the way your presentation is received by an audience.
Be authentic
This might be a cheesy piece of advice, but there’s a reason it’s stated so often. Bringing authenticity into a presentation helps the presentation better reflect the personality of the speaker. When you speak genuinely, it makes your message more relatable and engaging.
People listen to presentations to hear a human speak about a subject, so make sure that your presentation is, first and foremost, a human one.
The key here is to make sure that the way you channel your authenticity is appropriate for the setting in which you’re giving a presentation. Maybe you crack a joke at the beginning, explain a complex topic in a colloquial or casual way, make your voice a little more animated than usual, or expose your personal quirks in the presentation—whatever it is, just make sure you stay true to who you are and allow your personal thoughts and insights to shine through.
Doing so is going to help calm your nerves, allow you to express yourself, and add a sense of charm to your presentation.
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