Presentation Skills

With all of the previous steps accounted for, you are now ready to present:

• Ensure you have prepared all your materials and that you can access them easily.
• Be aware of your body language.
• Regulate your speaking pace.
• Leave room for questions at the end.

If you do receive questions after your presentation, do not rush to answer them. Take a moment to consider your response, how it aligns with the information you've already given your audience and then answer.

At this point, you can also include information that may have come up in the research process that did not end up in the presentation, if it is relevant.

It is very common to be nervous before giving a presentation, whether your audience is one person or a hundred people. Firstly, understand why you are nervous - it might be obvious but understanding what is causing your nerves is the only way to tackle your nerves. Some of the most common causes of anxiety around delivering presentations include:

• Being underprepared - The best way to counter this, along with presentation nerves in general, is to be prepared! If you know that you've done your research on the topic and practice in front of others, you will feel more confident about your presentation. 
• Fear of public speaking - Along with being prepared, make sure to take deep breaths before speaking. Usually, anxiety is at its peak at the start of a presentations and reduces as the presentation continues. 
• Comparison - It's easy to compare your work to others and worry your presentation might not be as good but remember, your presentations are unique and can offer a new perspective, even if your class are doing presentations on the same topic. Your presentation can offer something new! 

Check out some of our related guides for more information.