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Assessment Types

Presentations

Key Points

  • Practicing and knowing your content is essential to keeping on time and delivering confidently.  
  • Use a clear and logical structure.
  • Less is more in terms of slide design.
  • Referencing is essential.

What is a presentation?

Presentations can be done in many formats including oral presentation, webinar, group presentation and can be delivered live or recorded. They are usually accompanied by slides. Being able to deliver presentations is an essential skill for getting a job.   

What makes a good presentation?

  • A clear, logical structure. This requires good planning so that the information is easy for the audience to understand and remember.
  • Effective audio and visual aids, e.g. pictures, graphs, images, video clips. These aids support and enhance the spoken message and its impacts on the audience.
  • Good delivery techniques, which include:
    • clear, enthusiastic, not too fast or soft voice, 
    • eye contact with the audience,
    • natural, relaxed stance,
    • not reading word-for-word from your notes or report, and
    • interaction and engagement with the audience.

How do I plan it?1. Planning 	Make sure you understand the topic 	Identify who you will be presenting to  	Start researching your topic using keywords  	If you are in a group delegate who will do what 2. Structuring 	Include an introduction, body and conclusion 	Brainstorm what headings you will use for slides 	Check how long your presentation should be 3. Preparing 	Create your visuals avoiding too much text or too many slides and images 	Include referencing  	Time your self and practice.  4.Presenting 	Use effective body language 	Speak loud, clear and not too fast 	Use signaling words

 

What kind of language do I use?

Introducing the talk:

"I want to start by..."

"The topic I intend to discuss is..."

"I'd like to talk about..."

"My aim today is..."

Outlining your presentation:

"I've divided my presentation into ... parts, ..."

"I'm going to outline my presentation as..."

"The key sections of my presentation are..."

Introduction to the main point:

"The key point is..."

"The next point is crucial..."

"Fundamentally..."

Rephrasing the main point

"That is to say..."

"So now what we have is..."

"The point I am making is..."

"Let me put that another way..."

"In other words..."

"As I have been saying..."

Introducing an example:

"Let me illustrate this by referring to..."

"A case in point is..."

"Take the case of..."

"A good example of this is..."

 "I'd like to give an example to illustrate my point."

A deviation from the main topic:

"I might just mention..."

"Incidentally..."

"That reminds me of..."

Moving on to another main point:

"So that covers..., now let's move on to..."

"I'd like to move on to..."

 "Now let's have a look at..."

"The next aspect of the topic I wish to consider is..."

"Now that brings me to..."

Handing over to another speaker:"

I will now invite [NAME] to..."

"I will now hand over to [NAME] who will..."

"The next section relates to _______, and this will be presented by [NAME]."

Summing up main points:

"To sum up..."

"Therefore..."

"As a result..."

"If I can just sum up,..."

"In conclusion,..."

Inviting questions:

"I am / We are happy to take questions."

"Are there any questions?"

"Please feel free to ask questions."

"That concludes our presentation. However, I am / we are happy to answer any questions."

Tips for Presentations

  • Use the Rehearse with Coach option under the slide show menu in powerpoint to get live feedback.
  • If it is a group presentation make sure you schedule time to rehearse.
  •  Brainstorm some possible questions you may get asked and be prepared to answer.

Further Resources

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