Oral Presentations

Partido, B.B.

Oral presentations can vary from a 5 minutes to multiple hours. However, most oral presentations for students range  from 5-15 minutes and involve the presentation of a specific research study. The general format involves the introduction, purpose statement/specific aims, methods, results, discussion and conclusion. As a recommendation, zooming in is the only effective method to put a presentation in perspective. The presentation must start with the description of an important general principle, then gradually focus in from there onto the experimental (or theoretical) model that the speaker wishes to describe.

• Know your audience– What is their current level of knowledge of the subject? how can you convey new information to them? 
• Practice, practice, practice– Don’t memorize but practice the talking points of your presentation.
• Stay positive– Positive self-talk can help boost your confidence and convey that confidence to your audience.
• Avoid reading– Don’t memorize but practice the talking points of your presentation.
• Use visual aids– Most people remember information using visual images. Use your visual aid as guide.
• Maintain eye contact– For large audiences, you may have to rely more on a lively presentation and on visual aids. For smaller audiences, you may want to involve them on a more personal level. If the standard call for questions at the end of the presentation falls flat, you may wish, depending on the exact situation, to pose one or two questions of your own to the audience to help them summarize or apply key points you’ve made.
• Don’t preach– Convince your audience rather than haranguing them. Be relaxed, conversational (unless the occasion is extremely formal), and succinct. Above all, be yourself.