During some research with adult learners, I found that the part of the course that filled them with the most dread, after examinations, was the oral presentation. However, once a session had been arranged to discuss their fears and anxieties, and they had been given the opportunity to practise within a supportive environment, adults felt much more at ease about making a presentation.

The number, type and level of oral presentation that is required will depend upon your course. On many undergraduate courses you will be required to conduct a seminar in which the purpose is for you to present a topic and then encourage questions and opinions from other members of the seminar group. On other courses you may be required to make a group presentation on a piece of group work. Other students may be required to make an oral presentation on their research findings. This chapter provides advice and guidance suitable for all types of oral presentation required at college or university.

PRESENTING A SEMINAR

The secret to presenting a good seminar is preparation. Thorough preparation will help you to control your nerves and you will feel much more relaxed and confident about your ability. If you know your subject well and show an interest, you will also come across to others in the group as professional and knowledgeable. They will be happy to listen to what you have to say and will be willing to participate in the discussion.

You can begin your background preparation as soon as you start to attend seminars – these will show you what goes well and what goes badly within a seminar environment. Listen to the presenters and watch what they do – how do they speak? What does their body language say? Do they vary their pitch and tone? What hand and facial gestures do they use? How do they present their information? Is the information easy to understand or muddled and confused? Do they hold your attention? If not, why not? What visual aids do they use? Are they effective? Is there anything you think that the presenter could do better?

Through observing seminars in this way, you will begin to get a clearer idea of what works well and what you should avoid. You can then go on to prepare your own seminar. The following points will help in this preparation:

• Begin your preparation at least two weeks before the date of your seminar. This will give you a chance to read around the subject and follow up any points that need clarification.
• Make sure that you understand the topic you have to discuss. If in doubt, seek advice from your tutor.
• Think about what handouts you are going to give to the seminar group. It can be useful to hand out a copy of your seminar paper. This outlines all your ideas and arguments on the topic in a structured way, similar to an essay. Producing this type of seminar paper will help you to think logically about the topic and put your ideas onto paper in a coherent way. Some tutors will require you to produce a seminar paper which you must hand in as part of your assessed work.
• Think about what visual aids you are going to use. By now you should have some experience of what works well in a seminar setting – perhaps another student produced a PowerPoint presentation that worked well, or another used an overhead projector (OHP) effectively (see below). Keep in mind what visual aids you intend to use as you write your paper. This will help you to note key points or arguments that could be included on OHP transparencies or PowerPoint templates.
• Tackle your seminar paper as you would a written assignment:
• Produce your visual aids. When you present a seminar you should not read straight from your paper. This is an ineffective method of presentation that can be boring for other members of the seminar group. You need to produce visual aids that will help you to speak around the topic. They will serve to aid your memory and give others something to look at while you speak.
• Produce a list of questions that you can ask to stimulate discussion.
• Practise your talk. Time yourself to check that it lasts for roughly the right amount of time. You may find it useful to practice in front of a friend or to record yourself – this will help you to analyse your style of presentation.

Before the seminar takes place make sure that you have with you all your handouts, your visual aids and anything else you may require. Turn up early so that you can rearrange furniture if required and set up and test any equipment you will be using.

During the seminar speak clearly and confidently, slowing your speech and lowering your voice tone very slightly. This will help you to control any voice ‘wobbles’ caused by nervousness. The list of do’s and don’ts below will help you to think further about your presentation technique.

USING VISUAL AIDS

Your audience will find your presentation more interesting if you use visual aids. However, whichever visual aid you decide to use must be used with care – poor visual aids can detract from what you are saying and distract the attention of your audience.

You must check that all equipment is available and working for your seminar. It is advisable to have a contingency or back-up plan should anything not work on the day.

Overhead Projectors

You can photocopy key points onto transparencies that can be used with overhead projectors (OHPs). Only include a few lines of words or diagrams on each page and make sure that the font size is not too small, otherwise your audience will be unable to read what you have written. Keywords, diagrams or phrases should be used to aid your talk – you will find that one transparency should last for about three minutes of your presentation. If you intend to use an OHP, practise beforehand so that you know how to use it and which way up the transparencies should be presented. Check that the equipment is working properly before the presentation.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a useful presentation graphics program which enables you to create slides that can be shared live or online. You can enhance your presentation with animation, artwork and diagrams which make it more interesting for your audience. However, you should not rely on PC presentations and should always have some form of back-up, such as OHP transparencies in case of equipment failure on the day. Full details about PowerPoint can be found at www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint.

Handouts

It is useful to let your audience take away something from your presentation so that they can remember what you have said at a later date. However, be careful when you give out pieces of paper – people might read them straightaway instead of listening to what you have to say. For most presentations it is best to give handouts at the end of your speech. Always include your name, contact e-mail and the title of your paper on any handouts. If you are making a presentation to an outside organisation, also include your college or university.

White/Black Board or Flip Chart

You may prefer to write down key points as your presentation progresses, especially if you are inviting contributions from other members of the group. If you are intending to use this method, make sure that you have a suitable pen or chalk of your own because you cannot guarantee that there will be any available in the room. Be careful not to buy a permanent marker pen if you are using a wipe clean board. You will also need to check that there is enough paper available on a flip chart. If you intend to use this method, write as clearly as possible, stand to the side of the board or chart and make sure that you are confident in spelling any technical terms.

DO’S AND DON’TS OF MAKING A PRESENTATION

Do:

• Arrive early and make sure the room is set out in the way that you want. Make sure that all the equipment is available and that you know how to work it.
• Try to relax and breathe deeply. If it is your first presentation, acknowledge the fact and remember that people will tend to help you along.
• Produce aide memoirs, either on cards, paper, OHP transparencies or presentation software such as PowerPoint.
• Make it clear from the outset whether you are happy to be interrupted or whether questions should be left until the end. If you have invited questions, make sure that you make every effort to answer them.
• Look around the room while you are speaking – if it’s a small group, make eye contact with as many people as possible.
• Present interesting visual information such as graphs, charts and tables in a format which can be viewed by everyone.
• Alter the tone and pitch of your voice, length of sentence and facial/hand gestures to maintain the interest of your audience. Show that you are interested in your subject.
• Define carefully all technical terms.
• Produce a paper or handout which people can take away with them.
• Talk to people after your presentation and ask them how it went and whether there are any improvements that they might suggest for future presentations.

Don’t

• Rush in late, find that the overhead projector doesn’t work and that you have no pen for the whiteboard.
• Worry about showing your nerves. Everybody gets nervous when they first start giving presentations and your audience should know this.
• Read straight from a paper you have written.
• Bluff your way through and hope people won’t notice.
• Apologise, giggle, fiddle, scratch or sniff.
• Get cross if you are interrupted and have not mentioned that you don’t want this to happen.
• Invite questions and then not answer them or patronise the inquirer.
• Produce visual information which people can’t see, either due to its size or print quality.
• Present in a monotone voice with no facial/hand gestures.
• Make it clear that your subject bores the pants off you.
• Run over time unless everyone is happy to do so.
• Let the audience go home without any record of what you have said.
• Run away never to be seen again.

OVERCOMING NERVES

Remember that even the most experienced of presenters still get nervous when they make speeches. Often it is that extra amount of adrenalin produced that gets you through the presentation and makes it much more interesting and animated that it would be otherwise. Most of the other students in your group will need to make their own presentations and will be nervous. This helps you as they will be willing you to do well, just as you will be willing them to do well.

The following points will help you to control your nerves when making a presentation:

• Learn breathing techniques. When you breathe fully and deeply from your stomach you automatically slow your breath which helps to control nerves and tension.
• Talk about your concerns and worries with other students. Ask your tutor to discuss making presentations in class.
• Know your subject and practise your speech. It will help you to feel more confident.
• Speak to people as they arrive. It will help you to get used to the sound of your own voice.
• Ask a friend to sit in your line of vision. They will be able to offer encouragement from the audience.
• Have water available during your presentation. This will help if your mouth dries or your throat begins to tickle.

• Slow down your speech and pitch your voice at a lower level. You are less likely to squeak or cough if you do this.
• Don’t fear your audience – most, if not all, will be willing you to succeed.