Presentation Hints:
· Don’t use a word you didn’t already know or that you don’t know well now. This means, don’t just read sentences you found on the Internet. Put your information in understandable terms that make sense to anybody listening. Ask yourself how you would want to be taught something. Follow this quote from Einstein: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
· Not sure what a word means? Find out and then simplify it. If you have to use a difficult word, define it for your audience – repeatedly.
· Speak slowly and incorporate key terms/phrases. Don’t mumble and trail off at the end of sentences.
· Incorporate your visual. Don’t just let it sit there beside you. Point out and explain the purpose of the images. If you don’t incorporate them into your speaking, then they aren’t visuals. Explain what they are – point things out, etc.
· Make sure that the visual is large enough to be seen from the back of the classroom. If I can’t see/read it from the counter, it isn’t actually a visual.
· Remember, you are the source of information, not your poster, etc.
· Make eye contact constantly; do not read off of cards, poster, etc.
· Avoid memorizing speeches verbatim. This makes you sound like a robot, which is boring at best and disturbing at worst. Make sure you know your topic well enough to just talk about it.
· In the end, if your topic doesn’t make clear sense to you, then it surely won’t make sense to your audience.
· Don’t forget to have a real (interesting & creative) introduction & conclusion.