Oral presentations: 5 tips

Students and professionals often give oral presentations on a regular basis, whether for classes, conferences, business meetings or research defences, so they always want to get the best result and achieve a successful presentation that is enjoyed by the audience and the presenter.

Delivering an oral presentation that captures the attention of the audience from start to finish is no easy task, especially when dealing with complex or tedious topics. If you want your presentation to be a success, here are 5 tips you can put into practice the next time you speak in front of an audience.

Make a content summary

You must be clear about the topic you are going to talk about or explain, and for this you must know what is the idea on which the sub-sections are going to be developed. The important thing is to present the main idea in the first few minutes, so that the listeners will know from the beginning what the main topic is.

The beginning of an oral presentation is crucial, as this determines whether or not the topic is important for the audience, whether they will be engaged and pay attention.  For this reason, it is recommended to make a summary of all the important things you want to communicate, so that nothing is overlooked and all important points are mentioned.

In addition, when the speaker summarises, he/she needs a lot of information to gather the most important points. Which makes it easier for him/her to learn a lot about the topic and to retain the information afterwards.

Define the key points to communicate

Many people sometimes speak in public without having a well-defined purpose, when they should really be planning a talk with a clear basis and objectives. For this reason, when gathering information based on the topic to be addressed, the key points to be communicated must be defined. I.e. the relevant aspects of social interest, in order to achieve the desired change in the audience, either in terms of thinking or acting.

The aim of oral presentations is that the audience changes their way of thinking at least minimally, that they gain new knowledge. And that they are educated or improve in topics of interest.

An example of this can be seen in a work meeting, the purpose of which is for the company or department to carry out work in a different way. If a concrete presentation is not made, with an objective and definition of the key points, it is most likely that the effort will not generate the expected effect.

For this, the best thing to do is to draw up a script with the main ideas and themes in an orderly fashion. This script is personal, and serves to remember what is considered difficult. As there is always one or another phrase that may escape or is difficult to remember.  It should be taken into account that reading should be avoided during the presentation, so the script should have key and specific points.

Time yourself

In an oral presentation, time is very important. As all the information needs to be given, but without going on too long, as the audience may get tired. Therefore, the idea is that the presentation is dynamic and that there is interaction with the people present.

In most cases oral presentations do not exceed 60 minutes. But it all depends on the topic to be presented. Because if it is a conference it is understood that it will be longer and the listeners know that the time will be more than one hour.

Practice several times

An excellent presentation depends on the effort that is put into it. So it is recommended that the speaker repeats the speech several times and out loud. As this is a good way to internalise it and reduce the risk of making mistakes. In addition, practising several times builds confidence.

Many people have the facility to improvise in their oral presentations. But most of us cannot and need to rehearse in order to get the speeches right. It is no secret that the best communicators practice a lot. To such an extent that they internalise the speech that while they are saying it they may be thinking about something else.

When a speech is not practised, it is noticeable in the speaker’s insecurity. As he or she may get confused, not vocalise phrases well and even be left wondering what to say. Generating a small margin of silence and discomfort. Practice is the best way to manage nerves and be sure of what you are going to say without hesitation.

Present with your colleagues

Before oral presentations, a pre-presentation with your colleagues is recommended. Because after you have practised the script and know the topic perfectly well, you need an external person or persons to give recommendations on what factors can be improved during the speech.

Even making the presentation in front of a small audience before facing a large audience helps to reduce nerves.