How to Prepare an Oral Presentation
Identify the core point you want to make., Research everything you can about your topic., Use a simple, deliberate structure for your speech, repeating your key point in the beginning, middle, and end., Pepper your speech with specific facts and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify the core point you want to make.
What is the crucial bit of information you want to get across to the audience? Think of this as the thesis or theme of your presentation.
People can only process a limited amount of information in one sitting, so don't try and hit them with 10-15 different ideas and points.
Instead, find one good idea and expand on it fully.
The best points are unexpected, exciting, or controversial
-- the sort of idea that piques people's interest and give you lots of room to elaborate, so think of a unique take on your topic.Is your presentation trying to be persuasive? If so, ask yourself "what do I want the audience to do/believe when they leave?" Is your presentation informative? If so, ask yourself "what does the audience need to know when they leave?" Is your presentation a sales pitch or business related? Your presentation needs to make someone pull out their wallet at the end, so the product and it's uses must come first. -
Step 2: Research everything you can about your topic.
In order to prepare a successful oral presentation you need to be the most knowledgeable person in the room about your topic.
You can never do enough research.
More likely than not you won't use all of the research you uncover in your presentation.
However, the more context, facts, and figures you find the easier it will be to field questions and structure your talk.As you research, write down crucial facts or figures on note cards.
As you prepare the presentation you can move them around and order them, helping you see your argument visually.Even oral presentations about personal topics and issues can benefit from research.
Find the background data for your story, pepper in a few facts about yourself or the larger issues, and ground the personal problems in issues the audience is familiar with. , Many speechwriters and presenters use the same structure for all of their talks.
Though it is a bit cliche, it works:
Tell then what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you have told them.
You want to use repetition to help your audience follow along.
For example, if you are trying to convince a new mall to buy your sandwich shop:
Intro:
Tell Them What You're Going to Telling Them.
This is where you state what problem or issue your presentation is going to address.
Tell them why your shop is a good fit for the mall and keep it simple. "A sandwich shop is a perfect fit for your new mall because it is affordable, popular with shoppers, and provides incentive for people to stay in the mall during lunch instead of leaving." Argument:
Tell Them.
This is where you fill up your argument with relevant facts, figures, and details.
Again, use the repeating structure to keep things simple.
For the example, you could break the argument down into 3 mini-arguments: 1) The affordability of a sandwich shop. 2) The popularity of the restaurant with shoppers. 3) The benefits to the other shops in the mall.
All three of these points feed to the idea that "you should buy my sandwich shop." Conclusion:
Tell Them what You Told Them.
To wrap everything up, briefly highlight the points you've made before, then finish by returning to your key point: "Thanks to extensive market research, cost analysis, and prior examples of success, it is clear that this sandwich shop is the perfect answer to the new mall's "where will people eat?" question., A great oral presentation is specific and actionable.
Specific means that you back up your arguments and points with credible details and facts.
If you're talking about the sandwich shop, you could point to market research about shoppers and eating habits, the projected costs/profits, etc. , On each note card, write down the idea or fact you need to deliver.
The amount of information you put on the card is up to you, but you should try and keep them concise.
Your note cards should not be your script or you'll spend the whole time staring at the paper and not engaging the crowd.
This makes you look unprepared, and it is hard to quickly find your place again in a sea of words if you get lost.
Note cards should be your occasional lifeline, helping out if you get stuck.
If you need them to deliver the entire presentation then you have not practiced the speech enough ahead of time.
Presentation software, like Powerpoint or Keynote, has a note function as well.
This puts up a small window on your screen with note that does not show up on the audience's screen or projector., Too many people give PowerPoint presentations a bad name.
Audiences complain that they spend more time reading slides than listening to the talk, and some presenters end up just reading right off the slide.
As obvious as it seems, a good visual aid needs to remain visual.
Keep the words to an absolute minimum, focusing instead on letting the images complement your speech.
Skip the fancy transitions and effects
-- they will only distract the audience.
This is you visual aid.
Use it to help guide your presentation instead of expecting it to carry the whole speech.
When putting text on slides, stick to a maximum 6 bullets, each with no more than 6 words., Phrasing is not what you say, but how you say it.
A good oral presentation is clear and concise.
It gets the points across without over-explaining, and everything leads back to your core concept or idea.
Think of teaching high schoolers first-- you want to be clear, avoid wordy phrases or huge vocab, and get right to the point.
There are generally two ways to practice phrasing:
Written speeches.
If you are uncomfortable improvising, you should consider writing out your speech in advance.
This is best for long, complicated presentations.
But writing your ideas down can be a great way to find your wording for any presentation, however long.
Improvising off of note cards.
Think of your note cards as your road map, telling you what points to hit and in what order.
This allows you to improvise, feeling out the crowd a bit, without forgetting to say anything.
However, you should practice 4-5 times in advance to find a couple of good phrases ahead of time., Research and planning are only half the battle.
You need to know your presentation backwards and forwards if you want to deliver a great speech.
You should practice exactly how you plan to give the speech
-- standing, using your visual aids, and looking up at the imagined "audience." Use these practice presentations to memorize your note cards and structure.
You want the words to become second nature so that you can focus more on eye contact, inflection, and your phrasing when giving the actual presentation.
Practice in front of the mirror or record yourself.
Watch it back and note any areas you can improve on.
You might work on removing the words "like" or "um," speaking more clearly, or slowing down on a difficult point.
Ask a professor, friend, or family member to watch your practice presentation.
When you're done, see if they have any questions or pointers.
What did they think the main point was? Did they follow the argument? Where there parts where they got confused? -
Step 3: Use a simple
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Step 4: deliberate structure for your speech
-
Step 5: repeating your key point in the beginning
-
Step 6: middle
-
Step 7: and end.
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Step 8: Pepper your speech with specific facts and details to sound knowledgeable and authoritative.
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Step 9: Write out note cards for each major point of your presentation.
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Step 10: Keep visual aids simple
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Step 11: unobtrusive
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Step 12: and visual.
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Step 13: Find clear
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Step 14: authoritative phrasing
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Step 15: aiming to talk at a roughly high-school level.
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Step 16: Practice
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Step 17: practice
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Step 18: practice.
Detailed Guide
What is the crucial bit of information you want to get across to the audience? Think of this as the thesis or theme of your presentation.
People can only process a limited amount of information in one sitting, so don't try and hit them with 10-15 different ideas and points.
Instead, find one good idea and expand on it fully.
The best points are unexpected, exciting, or controversial
-- the sort of idea that piques people's interest and give you lots of room to elaborate, so think of a unique take on your topic.Is your presentation trying to be persuasive? If so, ask yourself "what do I want the audience to do/believe when they leave?" Is your presentation informative? If so, ask yourself "what does the audience need to know when they leave?" Is your presentation a sales pitch or business related? Your presentation needs to make someone pull out their wallet at the end, so the product and it's uses must come first.
In order to prepare a successful oral presentation you need to be the most knowledgeable person in the room about your topic.
You can never do enough research.
More likely than not you won't use all of the research you uncover in your presentation.
However, the more context, facts, and figures you find the easier it will be to field questions and structure your talk.As you research, write down crucial facts or figures on note cards.
As you prepare the presentation you can move them around and order them, helping you see your argument visually.Even oral presentations about personal topics and issues can benefit from research.
Find the background data for your story, pepper in a few facts about yourself or the larger issues, and ground the personal problems in issues the audience is familiar with. , Many speechwriters and presenters use the same structure for all of their talks.
Though it is a bit cliche, it works:
Tell then what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you have told them.
You want to use repetition to help your audience follow along.
For example, if you are trying to convince a new mall to buy your sandwich shop:
Intro:
Tell Them What You're Going to Telling Them.
This is where you state what problem or issue your presentation is going to address.
Tell them why your shop is a good fit for the mall and keep it simple. "A sandwich shop is a perfect fit for your new mall because it is affordable, popular with shoppers, and provides incentive for people to stay in the mall during lunch instead of leaving." Argument:
Tell Them.
This is where you fill up your argument with relevant facts, figures, and details.
Again, use the repeating structure to keep things simple.
For the example, you could break the argument down into 3 mini-arguments: 1) The affordability of a sandwich shop. 2) The popularity of the restaurant with shoppers. 3) The benefits to the other shops in the mall.
All three of these points feed to the idea that "you should buy my sandwich shop." Conclusion:
Tell Them what You Told Them.
To wrap everything up, briefly highlight the points you've made before, then finish by returning to your key point: "Thanks to extensive market research, cost analysis, and prior examples of success, it is clear that this sandwich shop is the perfect answer to the new mall's "where will people eat?" question., A great oral presentation is specific and actionable.
Specific means that you back up your arguments and points with credible details and facts.
If you're talking about the sandwich shop, you could point to market research about shoppers and eating habits, the projected costs/profits, etc. , On each note card, write down the idea or fact you need to deliver.
The amount of information you put on the card is up to you, but you should try and keep them concise.
Your note cards should not be your script or you'll spend the whole time staring at the paper and not engaging the crowd.
This makes you look unprepared, and it is hard to quickly find your place again in a sea of words if you get lost.
Note cards should be your occasional lifeline, helping out if you get stuck.
If you need them to deliver the entire presentation then you have not practiced the speech enough ahead of time.
Presentation software, like Powerpoint or Keynote, has a note function as well.
This puts up a small window on your screen with note that does not show up on the audience's screen or projector., Too many people give PowerPoint presentations a bad name.
Audiences complain that they spend more time reading slides than listening to the talk, and some presenters end up just reading right off the slide.
As obvious as it seems, a good visual aid needs to remain visual.
Keep the words to an absolute minimum, focusing instead on letting the images complement your speech.
Skip the fancy transitions and effects
-- they will only distract the audience.
This is you visual aid.
Use it to help guide your presentation instead of expecting it to carry the whole speech.
When putting text on slides, stick to a maximum 6 bullets, each with no more than 6 words., Phrasing is not what you say, but how you say it.
A good oral presentation is clear and concise.
It gets the points across without over-explaining, and everything leads back to your core concept or idea.
Think of teaching high schoolers first-- you want to be clear, avoid wordy phrases or huge vocab, and get right to the point.
There are generally two ways to practice phrasing:
Written speeches.
If you are uncomfortable improvising, you should consider writing out your speech in advance.
This is best for long, complicated presentations.
But writing your ideas down can be a great way to find your wording for any presentation, however long.
Improvising off of note cards.
Think of your note cards as your road map, telling you what points to hit and in what order.
This allows you to improvise, feeling out the crowd a bit, without forgetting to say anything.
However, you should practice 4-5 times in advance to find a couple of good phrases ahead of time., Research and planning are only half the battle.
You need to know your presentation backwards and forwards if you want to deliver a great speech.
You should practice exactly how you plan to give the speech
-- standing, using your visual aids, and looking up at the imagined "audience." Use these practice presentations to memorize your note cards and structure.
You want the words to become second nature so that you can focus more on eye contact, inflection, and your phrasing when giving the actual presentation.
Practice in front of the mirror or record yourself.
Watch it back and note any areas you can improve on.
You might work on removing the words "like" or "um," speaking more clearly, or slowing down on a difficult point.
Ask a professor, friend, or family member to watch your practice presentation.
When you're done, see if they have any questions or pointers.
What did they think the main point was? Did they follow the argument? Where there parts where they got confused?
About the Author
Elizabeth Graham
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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