Presentation Performance and Style

The style of your presentation should be governed by subject, intention, circumstances and audience.

For the most part, these potential variables will, in fact, remain fairly constant during your University career. The subject will probably be of an academic nature; the intention will be to disseminate information and opinions; the circumstances will be a daytime classroom; the audience, of varying size, will be composed primarily of peers, with the aforementioned benevolent tutor lurking in a corner. Any alterations in these variables would, of course, necessitate an appropriate and commensurate alteration in the style of your presentation.

A style which might be appropriate to the 'typical' scenario described above would comprise a register and diction suitable to academic discourse, moderated and modified in accordance with the restrictions of aural reception. Occasional levity might be appropriate in order to keep the audience's attention, as might be occasional colloquialisms, although vulgarity should be avoided.

Do not overlook the power of rhetoric. The devices that you have learned to identify in texts that you have analyzed can be of great value in underlining the points that you wish to make.

Reading from an entirely pre-prepared script carries many dangers. The presenter will often speak far too fast and stare at the paper instead of engaging with his or her audience, a mode of performance which is highly detrimental to the act of communication.

You should therefore be sure that you have a very good idea of what you are going to say before the presentation begins. If you can use skeleton notes as a prompt when required, all the better, as you will tend then to extemporize in a manner more readily received by the ear. If you require the security of a full script, make sure that you know it well enough to allow you to glance down only occasionally. In both cases, the value of rehearsal beforehand is clear (preferably with spectators who can offer constructive feedback).

Action!

The moment of performance has arrived and, like an actor, you are about to take the stage. What to do?

• The first and most vital thing to do is to relax. Control your breathing and smile, lest your audience be confronted by a gasping and grimacing express-train.
• Speak slowly and clearly. There is a limit to how much people can understand aurally: do everything possible to help them!
• Pay attention to people's reactions, and be prepared to repeat or clarify certain points if you see that a number of people have failed to grasp your message. Remember: if the audience does not understand your message, the whole point of the presentation is destroyed.
• Be prepared to interact with your audience, for example by asking questions or giving them small tasks to perform. 'Keeping them on their toes' can only be to your advantage.
• Engage your audience through your body language:
• Take command of the space in the room, rather than cowering isolated in one place.
• Adopt a confident and solid posture.
• Avoid fidgeting at all costs - and if you have a tendency to perform a particular movement when nervous, pay special attention to eradicating it.
• Assume eye contact with people in your audience so that they feel that they are being addressed personally.
• Use open, welcoming gestures to underline your points.
• Smile, don't scowl!

The goal of communication is clear, and will be common to any presentation that you make. At University, you will have the chance to perfect this skill in front of friendly audiences, secure in the knowledge that you will reap the rewards of your efforts not just in the present, but also in the near future.

The first link below is a great one by a member of Toastmasters International and includes 16 other links at the bottom of the page.

http://www.aresearchguide.com/3tips.html

For a quick guide: 20 Tips on public speaking (pdf file)