Guide to presenting: how to improve your presentation skills

Do you have a presentation coming up at university or work? Or do you just want to brush up on your presentation skills for when the day comes? Either way, we’ve got you.

We know that so many people experience anxiety about presentations. However, you can’t avoid presenting forever – no matter how much you want to. Fortunately, it becomes less scary if you break down what presenting involves. Once you’ve read our presentation tips, we’re hopeful you’ll feel more confident when you next get in front of people – whether it’s for a job interview, uni project or a society show and tell.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to do a presentation by taking it one step at a time. We’ll cover:

• Preparation
• Content
• Delivery
• Presentation aids
• Presenting online

Skip to the part you’re stuck on or get yourself comfy and take it all. We’ve got plenty of public presentation tips and tricks to help you.

Want to know how to get rid of nerves before a presentation? Preparation is key. It’s a great confidence booster. Think about it, which would you prefer to give a spontaneous presentation on: a randomly assigned topic or your favourite niche interest? If you know what you’re talking about, it’s easier to speak with confidence. That’s where preparation comes in.

Even if you don’t know anything about the topic, preparation will mean you’ll be ready by presentation day. You’ll also be more competent at answering questions, so fewer things will throw you. So, whatever you’re talking about, brush up on the area in advance.

When preparing a presentation, ask yourself:

• Who am I talking to?
• What’s the time limit?
• What can I do to make sure the listeners feel that they’ve benefitted from the presentation?

When you’re scared of presenting, it’s tempting to procrastinate your preparation. However, there’s nothing more stressful than winging it and making it up as you go! The earlier you research and rehearse, the earlier you can relax. Take the time to plot out what you’ll say and in what order and practise it – repeatedly until you’re happy. Even if talking to yourself in the mirror makes you feel uneasy now, you’ll thank yourself later.

The content of any presentation is obviously important. When you’re putting your presentation together, think about why you’re speaking. What do your listeners want to know? How can you clearly share the information?

It won’t be possible to talk about everything, so focus your presentation on a few key messages. If you’re asked to present why you’d be good for the role in a job interview, focus on the three biggest reasons. You won’t have time to mention every skill and experience – and that’s alright.

Need some more guidance here? Here are some tips for putting together content for your presentation:

Structure is important for delivering a clear presentation. By planning your speech, you’ll map out a structure. It’s also useful to explain your presentation’s structure to your audience. Think of it like contents in a book or a magazine. Signposting each section as you go along will also help the audience follow what you’re saying (and keep you on track too).

Although you’ll plan a structure, you still need to remain flexible. If you’re interrupted with a question that relates to a different part of your presentation, defer it to later or answer it but don’t repeat it when it comes up again. Knowing your content well will make it easier to swap things around.

While you’ll need to tell your audience about practicalities early on in your presentation (ie. what topics you’ll cover, how to ask questions, how long you’ll be speaking for), you want to capture their attention first. Part of creating a well-structured presentation involves crafting a strong opening. When it comes to your first lines, make sure you engage your audience. You could do this with a quote or a story.

You can also engage your listeners by spelling out how the presentation will benefit them. What will they learn? Why is it relevant to them? If you’re making a persuasive presentation (ie. asking for society funding), it’s particularly powerful to play on your listeners’ fears (eg. risks, potential liabilities) and wants (eg. money, success, enhanced reputation) to draw them in.

What you say during the main body of a presentation depends on what the subject is. Sharing your end-of-term learnings is very different to explaining why you’re a strong candidate. However, whatever you’re speaking about, you need to maintain your audience’s interest throughout the presentation with an engaging main body.

If you’re talking about yourself or pitching an idea, is it worth sprinkling in real-life examples to bring what you’re saying to life? Sharing experiences reinforces your credibility, which will appeal to your listeners.

However, you must engage with the content as well as your audience. Don’t forget that. After all, if you don’t engage with the content, how can you expect your audience to? So, if it’s a presentation about 18th-century literature, enthuse about (or critique) Jane Austen and Jonathan Swift – not your favourite contemporary writers. When it comes to academia, don’t sway too far away from the focus even if it isn’t something you’re interested in.

Part of getting your presentation content right is knowing how to match it with your audience. So, think about who you’ll be speaking to and what they’ll want to hear before you write a speech based entirely on what you want to say. Sometimes, there’ll be a difference between the two. It’s your job to get that balance right.

Assess the extent to which your listeners will understand your topic. If they’re new to the subject, adjust the language and level of detail accordingly. If the content goes over people’s heads, they’ll stop listening. It’s safer to start with the basics, perhaps commenting to say “Sorry if some of you already know this”, than jump straight into tricky areas.

Avoid acronyms unless you explain them first. For example, say “Business to business, or B2B” not just “B2B”. Try to cater to everyone, despite there being differing levels of ability in the room.

Of course, if you’re giving an academic presentation, you want to show what you know. In these instances, don’t play your knowledge down. However, you still need to be clear. You want to wow your assessor, but you can only do that if they understand what you’re saying. Being able to explain complex concepts with simple language is a valuable public speaking skill.

You’ve done your research and worked out what you’re going to say. Great! Now it’s time to deliver it to your audience.

We know that this is where the nerves will kick in for some of you. It’s OK. Presenting can be daunting, and everyone in your audience will understand that. Take a deep breath and follow our presentation delivery tips so that you’ll speak with confidence.

Speaking in a loud, clear voice and at a reasonable pace will make you easier to understand. When we’re nervous, we tend to speak quicker than usual. Consciously slowing down will help you keep your points clear. You want your audience to get what you’re saying, so speak up and go (reasonably) slow.

Keeping to the scheduled amount of time for your presentation shows respect for your audience. Plus, it demonstrates your planning skills – important if anyone is assessing you on your presentation skills (ie. academically or as part of a job interview).

To get your timing right, practise your presentation in advance with a timer. You’ll see which areas you’re running over and if there are parts you’re skimming over too quickly. You want to get a good flow throughout the presentation so that you don't rush your final points.

Typically, confidence makes you more engaging to your audience. That can be tough to hear when you’re already worried about presenting. However, sometimes you’ve got to fake it until you make it. Dressing appropriately, introducing yourself to your audience and having positive body language (ie. good posture) all project confidence – even if your palms are sweaty.

Try not to worry about being worried though. So many of us get anxious about public speaking and your audience will understand that. So, don’t fret about fluffing a line or taking a nervous gulp of air. You won’t be judged for it. Showing you’re making an effort (even when that’s scary) will always impress.

With regards to eye contact, look at people for a second to increase engagement. Also, be democratic – make sure you look at everyone in your audience at some point.

Of course, if you’re speaking to a large crowd, you can’t look at every individual, but you should still look in different directions. So, if you’re at the front of a lecture hall, look to your left and right, down towards the front and lift your head to talk to the back row. That will make everyone feel included.

It’s OK to feel nervous. While public speaking gets easier with practice, plenty of experienced people still feel uneasy sometimes. Even professional performers can get stage fright! But unlike actors playing a character, you don’t have to put on a brave face all the time. Your audience isn’t going to judge you if you’re anxious. Instead, they’ll be willing you to do well. Remember that some presentation nerves are normal and it’s sometimes better to admit that than try and bury them all.

So, for example, if you get a dry mouth when stressed then have water close by. It will stop you from worrying about what will happen if you lose your voice. Plus, taking a moment to have a drink is a useful tool for pausing to collect your thoughts.

If you’re in charge of arranging the presentation, pick a place where you’ll be comfortable and with minimal distractions (ie. less external noise). Maybe you’d prefer to sit than stand, or vice versa. You won’t always be able to dictate every element of your environment, so you need to be prepared to adapt. However, if you can make changes, take advantage of any available adjustments. Don’t make things more difficult than they need to be.

Plus, if you ever do lose your train of thought, remember that it’s OK to say “Where was I?” and check your notes if needed. Your audience won’t mind. It’s better to get quickly back into your flow than go off on an endless tangent.

With practice, you’ll know your presentation so well that you might think you don’t need presentation aids. However, having support (like notes) with you will calm your nerves. Sometimes, just knowing that they’re there is enough to put you at ease.

Even if you don’t need presentation aids, your audience will still benefit from them. Using slides with diagrams, photos and headings helps your audience visualise things while reminding you what points to say and when. If you do use slides, make sure you don’t put too many words on them. It’s fine to have key points as triggers but you don’t want to read out everything that’s on the screen. Equally, you don’t want your audience to be so focused on reading what’s behind you that they don’t listen to what you’re saying.

If you think about giving a presentation, you’re probably picturing yourself in front of an audience in a classroom, meeting room or lecture hall. But what about an online presentation? Generally, the same advice applies: prepare and practise, perfect your content, deliver clearly and use aids when appropriate. However, there are some specific things to keep in mind when online. For instance, in a remote presentation, you can’t use physical handouts. Instead, you’ll need to share digital files.

Some of our top tips for presenting online are:

• Get to know your tech. Don’t let your laptop let you down. As part of your interview prep, test out the video calling software and any equipment you’ll use (ie. your webcam, microphone). You want your audience to hear and see you, so do a practice run to check your set-up is up to speed.
• Find an appropriate space for your presentation. You need your audience to focus on what you’ve got to say, not what’s behind you. Find somewhere you can join a video call with a clean background, good lighting and minimal distractions. Most video apps will give you the option of blurring what’s behind you too. Take advantage of any tools to get the best result. Just don’t put on a novelty filter for a serious presentation…
• Use slides to create engaging visuals. Even if you’re not in front of a physical board, you can still use similar visuals. Simply create slides and share your screen to show them.
• Look towards your camera. Make sure your set-up means you’re looking in the direction of the camera so that your audience feels as if you’re looking at them. If you’re using multiple screens, it’s sometimes tricky. Using an external webcam, rather than your laptop’s built-in one, or using your phone’s camera can help here. Ideally, you want an angle where you can look at what you’re presenting and who you’re presenting to while keeping your audience engaged with a front-on profile.

Although most online presentations will still be live with an audience, sometimes you’ll pre-record a video instead. If you’re asked to submit a filmed presentation, you still need to rehearse. Record an early version and ask for feedback from a friend or family member. Go back and give it another go, taking their tips on board. You can also use this method to perfect your in-person presentations or a speech you’ll deliver on a video call. Although you can’t predict some things in a live presentation (ie. what questions the audience members will ask), you can still get familiar with what you’ll say and when.

Figuring out how to present and what makes a good presentation can be tricky. However, as with any skill, public presentations will get easier with practice. While you might find the idea of delivering a speech to an audience scary right now, we know you can do it if you take on our presentation tips.

Once you’ve nailed the core presentation skills of preparation, content creation and delivery, you’ll soon be able to confidently talk about anything – no matter who’s listening. If you follow our advice on using presentation aids and how to adjust when presenting online, you’ll be ready to take on any type of presentation.