Presentation skills

Planning and giving a speech, e.g., as part of a presentation or a seminar, should be thought of as a process involving different stages.

Speech presentation is a kind of process. The presentation may not be completed at once. Sometimes it is more appropriate to forget the plan for a while and return to it later. You can also request feedback from others even if you presentation is not complete. A well-prepared presentation also brings you confidence while presenting.

1. Preparing the presentation

The following questions help in preparing for a speech presentation in a process-like manner:

Are there goals set from the outside? For example, presentation of the seminar work, introduction of a topic in the discussion
What goals do I set for the presentation? Do I want to share information, surprise, entertain or make my audience think the topic over?
What is the core message of my presentation?

Illustrating with tools: slides, video, image, sound, drawing, equipment.
The purpose of the slideshow is to support the presentation. Don't put too much on the slides so that the audience will also focus on listening to your speech.
Linguistic demonstration: examples, parables, parallels, metaphors, opposites, repetitions, synonyms, descriptions, consistent structure, meta speech.
Non-verbal demonstration: pause, emphasis, speech rate, clear pronunciation, gestures and expressions, body language, use of space, use of time.

It was a relief to hear that stage fright is normal.

2. Giving the speech

How to cope with the physical symptoms of performance anxiety?
What kind of notes support my presentation? It is not recommended to write down the presentation word for word. Listing keywords usually works better. This way, you can talk about the topic in your own words and leave room for interaction with the audience.

How to interact with the audience?

You can think of the audience as a conversational partner who is interested in knowing about the topic.
Remember to at least make eye contact (or look at the camera), pause speech, and observe audience reactions.

3. After the presentation

What kind of feedback you received from your presentation? Pay attention to the audience's reactions, questions and comments.
Remember that you can ask for feedback on the things you particularly want to practice.
Reflect your own experience: What went well? What could you improve in the future?

Anxiety and uncertainty in communication situations

Feeling nervous in situations involving public speaking and group communication is quite common in university studies. Usually, this nervousness is not visible to others, although one might assume so based on internal feelings and thoughts. This is why it is not always apparent how common being nervous really is, which is why it might sometimes feel like you are the only one who is nervous.

You can find support for alleviating nervousness, for instance, from Movi. When addressing your own nervousness, it is crucial to accept yourself, including any feelings of unease.

Information and support for anxiety and uncertainty in communication situations

Further reading on the Academic study skills website

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