Notes on Public Speaking and Presenting
Unpopular opinion: I love public speaking. Though I will say, it did not come easily to me. Once, while performing a Taylor Swift song in my school’s talent show back in 2010, I forgot the lyrics on stage. Thankfully, I was singing with two of my other friends who swooped in to save me, but it was still embarrassing to forget my lines. The same “stage fright” can apply to speaking in front of a large crowd as well. In this post, I will outline some tips on how to best prepare for a presentation.
You may not love to speak in front of others for any duration of time, but we all must do so at some point in our college careers. Building public speaking skills is essential, even if to survive the handful you must give. My biggest tip for giving a presentation is to have a general interest in your topic. Better yet, a passion for it. Even if you do not enjoy speaking in public, choosing a topic in which you have even a smidge of interest will aid in every step of the process. If you are assigned a topic you do not find compelling, dig around until an aspect catches your attention. When investigating your topic, explore every rabbit hole and wait until something excites you. This will not only ignite the research process, but will also aid in remembering and delivering the presentation at a later time.
First, begin researching your topic early, as I find this takes the longest. Learn everything you can. Mastery is key! This might seem annoying, especially if you just want to get the assignment over with, but I promise preparation cuts the nerves on presentation day because you feel like you are an expert on your topic. I also find the more familiar I am with my topic, the easier it is to present since I’ve read over the information multiple times.
Also, remember to consider your audience. For example, giving a presentation on a dense biology topic to your communications class will be different than giving the presentation to your microbiology class. Dissect the information so it suits your audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Building a strong visual aid will be key. These days, it will likely be by PowerPoint. Here are some simple suggestions to consider when building your visual aid:
Ensure there is a logical flow between your slides. Remember, you are telling a story so include a background, results, analysis and conclusion.
Include verbal transitions between your slides to connect the information
Cut the words and add more pictures. Most of the time, pictures convey more context to the audience and insight more interest.
Title your graphs and other visual aids as short synopses of the main take-away. This way, the reader gets an idea of what the visual is displaying before you break it down further.
Practice your presentation as much as possible to become very familiar with your topic. I do not recommend trying to know every word verbatim; blatant memorization never captures the rhythmic cadence of an effortless presentation. Simply practice until your presentation it feels conversational and relaxed with your audience. To imitate your audience, practice in front of others. This is key to emulating the actual experience of getting in front of others and sharing your voice.
There are a multitude of environments in which you can present, but I will give you one example. Recently, I gave an online presentation at the Western Society of Naturalists Conference on the sustainability of the California spiny lobster fishery. It was a five-minute, pre-recorded presentation. Great, so I didn’t necessarily need to “memorize” my talk. However, I did need to be very familiar with the topic so I could condense the most valuable information in five minutes. My goal was to articulate the most valuable information clearly so my audience would walk away having gleaned the most important points. To prepare, I made sure to be very familiar with the background of my topic. This included reading the Fishery Management Plan for California, being well versed in the primary literature for California spiny lobster, and having a strong understanding of our data and conclusions. Then, I selected the most valuable information by remembering my audience (experts in kelp forest ecology and fisheries management) and highlighting the significant results of the project that would be most interesting and vital for managing the fishery. Once I had the presentation drafted, complete with graphs, data interpretation, and pictures, I practiced until I felt a sense of flow and ease with my words and my points were clearly articulated. Because I prepared well beforehand, the presentation was seamless
You will know you are ready to present when the delivery feels natural. Next time you need to give a presentation, try inserting some of these tips into your process. And remember, everyone else is nervous to some degree, too. Be as prepared as possible to your personal standards and you will be just fine.
