Presenting important presentations

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Tomorrow I have the first important presentation of my life. It is a group presentation in front of a Manchester based advertising agency and in front of university lecturers. So it is important for both the grade I get for my degree and a potential future employer.

Does anyone have any tips on how to relax the nerves for a big presentation?

Does anyone have any stories about presentations or even public speaking that the have done?


I think our group is fairly well prepared. We have rehearsed it a few times and we are all clear one what we have to do.

[Sonic]

Good luck buster!

How many people will you be talking too?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Good luck buster!

How many people will you be talking too?

It shouldn't be many more than 30, but some of them are very important people.

[Sonic]

Cool. well that's not so bad! (Although probably doesn't feel that way to you). You know your subject matter so there's nothing to worry about there - so just start talking and be natural. Its a thousand times better once you've actually started.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Cool. well that's not so bad! (Although probably doesn't feel that way to you). You know your subject matter so there's nothing to worry about there - so just start talking and be natural. Its a thousand times better once you've actually started.

My biggest worry is that when under pressure I sometimes have the talent to forget the entire English language.

[harsha]

probably you should spend more time on the presentation rather than looking for tips here :P:

[harvick#1]

Whiskey normally works in these situations :D

[Mark]

Don't write too much on your slides that way you avoid the temptation to simply read them out. A few graphs or pictures if appropriate would be good too.

You sound like you are sorted. I'm not great at presentations but must have sat through hundreds!

[Eki]

I think our group is fairly well prepared. We have rehearsed it a few times and we are all clear one what we have to do.
That's good. It will probably make you more confident on that you know what you're doing. Furthermore, presenting it to your group beforehand makes the step to presenting it to a bigger group of people smaller than if you only had rehearsed it on your own or not at all. Practise makes perfect.

[Tshbez]

Everyone's presentations are boring, so I don't think the actual audience will ever actually enjoy it. If the subject is boring, the presentation WILL be boring - there's nothing you can do to stop it. Just think about how bored the audience will be anyway, and that way you won't worry about doing a good job, because you simply can't. The worst presenters are people that are too confident. Their presentations are more boring because they don't make funny mistakes. It's good to make mistakes, it takes out the monotany for the audience.

[J4MIE]

Add some jokes in to try to keep people awake :) I've had a fair few presentations to sit through and no matter how interested I am in the subject I always find myself struggling to stay awake :s

Good luck with it, keep calm :up:

[Hazell B]

Jon, you've held my attention for all these years :up:

You'll be fine.

[leopard]

don't forget tissue in your pocket, your hand palm may be sweaty... :)

try practicing to talk to yourself for at least a week in front of mirror... :)

to keep the attendances awake, besides joke, they like gesture, don't forget to smile and don't put your hand in your pocket all times... :)

[leopard]

Whiskey normally works in these situations :D
:rotflmao:

[Mark]

I find the most engaging speakers are not those who stand and look at the slides, but just talk off the cuff and walk around a little rather than being rooted to the spot.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Well I think it went well. We had a hiccup as one of our presenters has come down with flu, so I took on his share of the presentation. So not ideal.

It takes a while to settle down but towards the end I wanted to say more things. I want to do some more presenting!

[Bezza]

Tomorrow I have the first important presentation of my life. It is a group presentation in front of a Manchester based advertising agency and in front of university lecturers. So it is important for both the grade I get for my degree and a potential future employer.

Does anyone have any tips on how to relax the nerves for a big presentation?

Does anyone have any stories about presentations or even public speaking that the have done?


I think our group is fairly well prepared. We have rehearsed it a few times and we are all clear one what we have to do.


I am quite good at presentations and got myself into my first job through a good one and through the various stages. All I can say is be yourself, rehearse, make yourself very small notes or "cues" to control the presentation.

Never have long notes because you end up reading and not making eye contact. And always have an introduction and conclusion - going over the key points. Structure is key.

Also, never do Death by Powerpoint. You should rely on your own character and a small amount of props at most :)

[Mark]

I actually remember now, one of the few presentations I gave was actually for getting this job, and I think it's the best one I've done!

[Bezza]

I actually remember now, one of the few presentations I gave was actually for getting this job, and I think it's the best one I've done!

What you mean Admin for Motorsportforums.com ??

I thought you ran this yourself and it was your creation?

[Mark]

What you mean Admin for Motorsportforums.com ??

I thought you ran this yourself and it was your creation?

heh :p . If only this was my real job.

[Schurke]

As mentioned in an earlier post, try to move around a little, helps the audience and yourself.
Try to speak slower, if you are nervous you probably won´t regconise it but´ll you be racing through the presentation !
Have as little text as possible on your slides (if you have any) talk the audience through it, don´t let them read it. (whatever it is you´re presenting)

all the best!