Allegheny College

Joshua Searle-White, Ph.D.
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PRINCIPLES FOR MAKING GOOD ORAL PRESENTATIONS

(At least, as I see it)

Increasingly in your college career, and probably in your life, you are going to find yourself having to give oral presentations of one sort or another.  Although oral presentations are of many different kinds (formal or informal, to specialists or general audiences, long or short), I think that there are some general principles which hold true for almost any setting.  This document spells out some of those principles.

First, remember that any speaking situation involves a specific audience, occasion, and purpose.  You need to tailor the presentation according to each of these.  For example:

  • Do the people in the audience share your background knowledge of the subject, or not?  Do they potentially hold power over you, or not?  Do they like you? Are they likely to believe what you say?
  • Is the occasion formal or informal?   Are you the main speaker, or are you one part of a longer program?
  • Are you trying to show that you know about a subject, or trying to convince the audience of something?  Do you want the audience to take some action when you leave?
    •  Second, remember that like a paper, an oral presentation needs to have a structure -- a beginning, a middle, and an end.   In the introduction, you want to make sure that you give some kind of indication of what you will be saying.  In the body of the speech, you will make your point.   And in the end, you will bring the speech together in a way that lets helps the audience know what they have learned.  And just like when you write a paper, when you prepare a presentation, you need to think about your audience -- what questions will they have?  What information will they need to understand my point?  What will get them interested in the topic?

    Third, however, unlike a paper, an oral presentation uses different language than written communication.  You have to present your ideas more concisely and briefly than in a paper, since the audience only has one chance to understand each sentence.  In general, the sentences should be shorter, and the words simpler, than in a paper.

    That means that whenever possible, you should not read your presentation.  It is very difficult to read a presentation and still keep it understandable and accessible.  I would prefer that you use note cards or an outline, rather than reading.

    Fourth (and I consider this one of the cardinal rules of oral presentations, though others might not agree with me), respect the time limit.  There is nothing like a presentation that goes significantly beyond the time allotted for it; the impact of your presentation may (and probably will be) significantly reduced if you break this rule.  On the other hand, you can gain audience appreciation if you stick to the limit.  This doesn’t mean giving very short presentations -- there are times when that would be very inappropriate too.  If you are expected to speak 5 minutes, then speak 4 or 5 minutes.  If you are expected to speak for two hours, speak for about two hours.  Remember -- if you don’t have time to make all of the great points you want to make, the audience can always ask you questions after the presentation is over.

    And how can you be sure to stay within the time limit?  Only one way -- practice.  It may sound crazy for a bunch of time-short students in our time-crazy society, but if you want your presentation to go well, practicing can be very worth the effort.  Practicing helps to reduce jitters, it helps you to hear any points at which the logic or the argument falter, and helps you know whether or not you will hit the time limit only having given the introduction to your paper, which is very embarrassing.

    Fifth, during the actual presentation, be relaxed if you can.  If you can’t be relaxed, fake it.  Your looking relaxed puts the audience at ease.  Remember -- in most circumstances, you will know much more  about the subject than the audience does, so you can be confident in what you say.

    And sixth, pay attention to how you appear to and interact with the audience.  Your presence is very important, and if you exude energy and confidence, the audience will probably hear you better.  Keep eye contact with the whole group; try not to deliver your presentation all to one person (such as the professor) because it makes that one person uncomfortable, and the other audience members may feel left out.  Make sure that you look at different people at different times; it also doesn’t go over that well if you direct your presentation to the wall or the ceiling or the floor.  Keep an eye on the status of your audience.  If they are all falling asleep, then you might want to change your presentation some way to get them involved and active.  One way to do that is to vary the way you are speaking -- how loud, how fast.  If you tend to get nervous and speak too quickly, for example, one tactic is to have someone in the audience signal you with some pre-arranged sign to slow down.  Another really good way to keep yourself in hand is to pause -- it can be quite dramatic!

    Remember, you probably know more about this topic than anybody in the room.  Prepare thoroughly, practice, and when you get to your presentation, relax.  Following these principles should increase your chances of doing well.