How to Give an Excellent Presentation (College Students)

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz

Last Updated: January 19, 2023 Approved

College seminars are conducted to test the presentation skills of a student or a group and also allow the student to convey their knowledge to the audience. When students don't come prepared, the presentation may become disorganized, unclear, and dull. It would make them confused during the presentation and lead to vague answers during the questionnaires.

Steps

1
Connect with your audience. "Preparation" is the most important task one has to do when it comes to "presentation." Being prepared and having good knowledge about the topic that is to be presented will create interest among the audience and will not let them sleep all throughout your presentation. Capture the attention of your audience. Create soft humor which will add a boost to your interaction with them.^{[1]
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- Think of your main topic and break it down into 3 specific ideas. This will help you to focus your discussion and remain clear. Keep the 3 ideas simple and have them in your mind. Write out your main points, then picture what you're talking about so you can visualize what you're going to talk about.
- To help you create the "soft humor," don't take yourself too seriously. Second, identify the fears and insecurities around the topic so you can address these in a way that shows we all have these fears, insecurities and taboos and that our feelings are normal. This helps keep you in the moment and present with the audience and allows you to recognize the reality of the effect of your topic on yourself and the audience.
- Tell the audience you're excited about what you're talking about. This can make your excited mood infectious and lead them to be willing to come on this journey with you.
2
Be studious. Presentations usually involve PowerPoint slides. It is important to select the right font, font size, and theme of the slides. Keep it formal!^{[2]
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3
Be interactive. Involve the audience. Ask them few questions related to your topic. Keep it short though because overdoing it would like debate rather than presentation. However, it is a great way to connect and keep the audience awake.
- You could try doing something fun, like bringing with you a relevant object, doing a magic trick or a dance move to take things out of the ordinary and add some life to your talk.
- Another fun approach is to try a meditation and ask the audience to relax - feel your toes relax, your feet, etc.
- If you want the audience to move around, don't hesitate to ask. Ask them to stand up and stretch, to shake hands with the person next to them, or to do a twirl on the spot.
- You could try asking the audience to say a bunch of affirmations out loud with you, to get them caught up in the mood you're creating and help them to see its relevance to them too.
4
Look at the audience when you are talking about the topic. If you are distracted by someone, look at another side of the audience. Don't just read out the key points from the slides because the audience isn't blind.^{[3]
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- You can ask the audience to imagine something along with you, asking them to close their eyes and think about something with you, then resume with eye contact following this.
5
Manage your time. The presentation should last for the time given to you. Don't extend the presentation, since there are others waiting for their chance too. Practice your presentation a handful of times to ensure your content and talking speed is under time.^{[4]
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6
Encourage your peers. Helping your friends if they find it hard to give the presentation will boost your skills since you get to know the difference in a good and a bad presentation.
7
Answer and don't question. When you are done with the presentation, it is time for a round of questions. When questioned, don't give vague answers, make sure your answer is simple and clearing everything which is asked and never question the person who is questioning you. It will be an insult to them.^{[5]
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8
Ask for feedback from the audience. This helps you know what went wrong or if you have given a good presentation.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I avoid being nervous during my presentation?

Community Answer

Personally, I would recommend thinking of something that makes you happy, or something that makes you laugh. If that doesn't work, try to speak encouraging words to yourself for motivation. There are also some articles on wikiHow that can help you manage your nerves, like How to Avoid Being Nervous and How to Deal with Being Nervous.
Question

Are project presentations mandatory in college?

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Community Answer

Presentations may not be mandatory in every class, but it's almost a guarantee that during at least one of your classes in college, you'll have to give a presentation.
Question

How can I make the audience eager to listen to my topic?

Community Answer

Unfortunately, you can't make anyone listen to your topic, but you can do things that might help keep them engaged. Try to be enthusiastic, memorize your speech, and maintain eye contact. Also, try to make the sound/tune of your voice sound more enthusiastic than the topic really is.