presentation advice for students

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31 of the best class presentation tips for students

Katie September 20, 2022 communication , grades

By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.

Giving class presentations is just part of the school experience. Some students dread presenting to their classmates, and others prefer class presentations to written assessments. If you’re new to this, or if you’re just looking for some ideas, I share my best class presentation tips for students in the post below. 

Class presentations often involve a visual component, and an audio and delivery component. The tips in this post are for class presentations that involve SLIDES, such as Google Slides or PowerPoint. Therefore, I break down the class presentation tips for students into the following categories:

• text and content
• Audio and delivery class presentation tips
• Bonus class presentation tips to up-level your game

Class presentation tips for VISUALS

The following tips will enhance the visual component of your school presentation. The strategies are further categorized by format, text, and images.

Class presentation tips for slide FORMAT 

The visual format of your presentation must be clear and easy to read.

1. Use a slide deck.

This class presentation tip is obvious, but I can’t leave it off the list. If you’re presenting to your fellow students, you will need some kind of visual representation of the information you’re delivering. Very rarely will you present to your class without slides. Google Slides and PowerPoint are the two primary products to make slides. 

2. Use the right number of slides.

Class presentations in high school and college will likely be 5 minutes or less. Follow your teacher’s guidelines, of course, but generally, students will use 1-2 slides per minute. (That would be 5-10 slides for a 5-minute presentation.)

3. Use an appropriate slide template and theme.

PowerPoint and Google Slides come with default slide templates (themes). Most of the default templates are suitable for class presentations, and so you should be fine choosing one of those. You can also find templates on the free version of Canva. I like slidesgo.com for free templates (it’s not sketchy – I’ve personally used it. I also like SlidesCarnival.com but you have to import the templates into Canva first, and then export them from Canva into Google Slides or PowerPoint. 

4. Use clear fonts.

Pick your font based on clarity, not creativity. Your audience should be able to read your text effortlessly and from the back of the classroom. Here are some rules:

• Avoid cursive / script fonts
• Avoid writing in all capital letters
• Avoid fonts that are entirely in italics (slanted)

5. Use a maximum of two fonts.

Stick to two fonts: one for headings and titles, and one for body text. More than two fonts make your slides hard to read.

6. Use 3-4 colors.

Stick to a basic color palette of no more than four colors. It’s fine to use images that are outside your color scheme, but besides images, avoid too many colors. Most default templates stick to four colors or less, so you’re safe if you use a pre-made template. 

7. Use high-contrast text-on-background combinations.

Your text needs to stand out from the background color. Black font on a white background or white font on a black background provides the highest contrast and best readability. This website here provides excellent information and examples about color combinations.

Class presentation tips for slide TEXT and CONTENT

8. start with a simple title slide..

Your teacher will likely require a title slide in the syllabus. Even if it’s not required, make one anyway. A title slide should be simple: the name of the presentation, your name, and a simple graphic or image. 

9. Include a roadmap slide.

A roadmap slide (I made up that term, but it works) is like a table of contents. It tells your classmates what they will learn from your presentation. Even if your presentation is only 6 slides long, a roadmap slide can be helpful. Below is an example. 

10. Include enough white space.

White space is the blank space that doesn’t contain text or images. White space is very important for readability. In the image below, you can see the impact white space has on readability. 

11. Use bullet points.

Whenever possible, use bullet points instead of complete sentences. Most slides should include no more than 5-6 bullet points. If you need to say more, continue the bullet points on another slide.

12. Leave some text off the slides.

Your slides should include minimal to moderate text that you will elaborate on during your class presentation. In other words, don’t cram the slides full of everything you want to share on the topic. The only exception to this rule is if you are not verbally presenting to the class, but are instead just sharing the slides with your classmates to view on their own.

13. Include examples.

Examples make most things clearer. When possible, include an example for all your main points. 

14. Include statistics and other quantitative information.

Use numbers in place of text when you can. Numbers and statistics can be easier for your audience to process. Example below:

• Instead of saying this: There is one-third as many Giant Pandas living in 2020 as there were in 2014.
• Say this: Giant Panda population in 2140 = 1864 | Giant Panda population in 2020 = 600 [ source ]

15. Include a summary slide

Consider adding a final summary slide to your class presentation. This is an excellent strategy because it will increase your audience’s understanding of your main points. The text on this slide should be in bullet-point format. The information on this slide might align with the information on your roadmap slide.

Class presentation tips for slide IMAGES

16. include an image or graphical element on each slide..

Every slide should have some kind of graphical element to complement the text. Some slides might even have an image and no text. (You would explain the image in your verbal presentation to the class.) Note: be sure to cite all images.

17. Use images / graphics for illustration and emphasis, not decoration .

Avoid using images for decoration. Images and graphics should do one of the following:

• Add something valuable to the text
• Illustrate the idea on the slide
• Represent the idea on the slide
• Emphasize an element of the slide (such as underlines, stars, etc.)

18. Resize and reformat images.

Resize images and graphics to fit the scale of your slide. It should be big enough to see clearly, but still allow for plenty of white space (Class Presentation Tip #10). You can remove the background of an image using a mobile app, or something like the paid version of Canva or PicMonkey. Again, be sure to cite your images.

19. Use video when appropriate.

If your presentation calls for it, include short video clips. Only use video if it adds value. 

20. Use icons for emphasis.

Use icons like stars, 3D shapes, speech bubbles, and arrows to emphasize important text. Keep these icons within your color scheme. You can find free icons within Google Slides and PowerPoint, or you can use Google Images or Canva.

21. Use graphs and charts.

Too much text is confusing. Too many images is boring. Solve this problem by using pie charts, bar graphs and other graphical ways of representing data.

Class presentation tips for SPEAKING

You might have the best slides in the class, but your presentation is not complete until you deliver it to your classmates. The following tips are for improving your audio and delivery.

22. Never read directly from the slides.

Use the slides as a reference, but don’t read word-for-word. How do you do this? First change to the next slide. Then look at it for cues. Next, speak directly to your classmates, making eye contact as your speak. It’s okay to glance back at the slide if you need to.

23. Face your audience.

Your body should always face the audience. Stand or sit either straight on, or at a 45-degree angle. Never have your body square to the presentation screen.

24. Explain the images.

When you present each slide, you should spend some time on the text and some time on the images. If your images add value (which they should), then this should be simple to do.

25. Speak slowly and clearly.

Speak slower than you naturally speak. Practice difficult words until they are smooth.

26. Use verbal transitions between topics.

When you change topics, use transition expressions such as “Next, we are going to look at …” or “Now, let’s move on to …”

27. Practice more than you want to.

Practicing your class presentation over and over improves your delivery and increases your confidence. Practice in front of the mirror, in front of others, or in front of your camera (to be watched later, of course).

Bonus class presentation tips for students: How to up-level your game 

The following bonus tips are for students looking to take their class presentations to the next level. Keep in mind that some of the ideas below are best suited for college and university students.

28. Provide a printed note-catcher.

An engaged audience is the best audience. To increase your classmates’ active focus, provide each student a printed note-catcher they can use to follow along with your presentation. PowerPoint and Google Slides both have features that enable you to print out your presentation with the slides on the left and space to take notes on the right. 

29. Ask questions and survey your classmates.

Another way to engage your audience is by asking them questions. You can build these questions into the slides themselves, or you can pause your presentation to ask questions before moving to a slide with the answers.

30. Use the Speaker Notes section .

The text on your slides should vary from the words you speak to your classmates during your presentation. Either you practice your presentation so much that you memorize it, or you use the Speaker Notes section on PowerPoint or Google Slides.

31. Open with a question, and close with an answer . 

A great class presentation tip for students is to open with a question you pose to your classmates at the beginning, and then close with the answer. You could put the question on its own opening slide and then close with another slide that re-poses the question and features the answer. 

For example, if you are presenting on Susan B. Anthony, your question could be Who was Susan B. Anthony? and the answer – which is the point of your presentation – could be Susan B. Anthony was one of America’s greatest champions for freedom and equality of women and slaves. College-level presentations would have more complex question-and-answer pairings than this example, but you get the idea.

Class presentation tips for students – summary notes

It’s important to follow your teacher’s requirements when creating your class presentation. Use these tips and strategies to maximize your grade, impression on the class, and your content delivery – but always consult your syllabus first. 

And finally, the greatest tip of all is to PRACTICE. In Tip #27 I emphasize the importance of practicing more than you want to. Watch TED talks and other notable speakers to see how smooth they speak – these presenters have practiced the same presentation hundreds of times. Practice is the key.

More resources

• How to ask for help in school: 4 tips for self-advocacy
• What to do when you’re confused in class
• 5 life skills all students need to be functional adults

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Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Presentation Tips For Students – Show And Tell Like A Pro!

Updated: July 15, 2022

Published: May 4, 2020

Giving a presentation to fellow classmates can be a bit daunting, especially if you are new to oral and visual presenting. But with the right PowerPoint tips, public speaking skills, and plenty of practice, you can present like a pro at your upcoming presentation. Here, we’ve laid out the best college presentation tips for students. And once you have one successful presentation, you’ll get better each time!

The Best Presentation Tips for Students

1. arrive early and be technically prepared.

Get to the room early and make sure you leave plenty of time for technical set up and technical difficulties. Have several backup drives (including an online version if possible) so that you are prepared for anything!

2. Know More

Be educated on more than just what you are sharing. That way, you can add points, speak candidly and confidently, and be prepared to answer any audience or teacher questions.

3. Share Your Passion With Your Audience

Connect with your audience by showing that you are passionate about your topic. Do this with the right tone, eye contact, and enthusiasm in your speech.

Photo by  Austin Distel  on  Unsplash

4. pace yourself.

When student presenters are nervous, they tend to speed up their speech. This can be a problem, however, because your speed may be distracting, hard to understand, and you may run under your time.

5. Rehearse Thoroughly

Don’t just practice, rehearse your college presentation. Rehearse the entire delivery, including standing up, using gestures, and going through the slides.

6. Show Your Personality

You don’t need to be professional to the point of stiffness during your college presentation . Don’t be afraid to show your personality while presenting. It will make your presentation more interesting, and you will seem more approachable and confident.

7. Improvise

You can’t be 100% certain what will happen during your presentation. If things aren’t exactly as you expected, don’t be afraid to improvise and run off script.

8. Pump Yourself Up

Get yourself excited and full of energy before your college presentation! Your mood sets the tone for your presentation, and if you get excited right before, you will likely carry that throughout and you’ll make your audience excited about your topic as well.

9. Remember To Pause

Pausing not only only prevents filler words and helps you recollect your thoughts, it can also be a powerful indicator of importance within your presentation.

10. Create “Um” Alternatives

Try hard not to use filler words as they make you look unprofessional and uncertain. The best alternatives to “um” “like” and “so” are taking a breath or a silent pause to collect your thoughts.

11. Using Your Hands

Using your hands makes your college presentation more interesting and helps to get your points across. Point at the slide, use common hand gestures, or mimic a motion.

12. Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the most important presentation tips for students . Many students are nervous, so they look at their notes or their feet. It is important that you show your confidence and engage your audience by making eye contact. The more presentations you give, the more eye contact will feel natural.

13. The Right Tone

The best public speakers vary their tone and pitch throughout their presentation. Try to change it up, and choose the right tone for your message.

Preparing an Effective College Presentation

1. open strong.

Grab your fellow students’ attention by starting strong with a powerful quote, intriguing scenario, or prompt for internal dialogue.

2. Start With A Mind Map

Mind mapping is literally creating a map of the contents of your college presentation. It is a visual representation and flow of your topics and can help you see the big picture, along with smaller details.

Photo by  Teemu Paananen  on  Unsplash

3. edit yourself.

Some students make the mistake of including too much information in their college presentations. Instead of putting all of the information in there, choose the most important or relevant points, and elaborate on the spot if you feel it’s necessary.

4. Tell A Story

People love stories — they capture interest in ways that figures and facts cannot. Make your presentation relatable by including a story, or presenting in a story format.

5. The Power Of Humor

Using humor in your college presentation is one of the best presentation tips for students. Laughter will relax both you and the audience, and make your presentation more interesting

PowerPoint Tips for Students

1. use key phrases.

Choose a few key phrases that remain throughout your PowerPoint presentation. These should be phrases that really illustrate your point, and items that your audience will remember afterwards.

2. Limit Number Of Slides

Having too many slides will cause you to feel you need to rush through them to finish on time. Instead, include key points on a slide and take the time to talk about them. Try to think about including one slide per one minute of speech.

3. Plan Slide Layouts

Take some time to plan out how information will be displayed on your PowerPoint. Titles should be at the top, and bullets underneath. You may want to add title slides if you are changing to a new topic.

Photo by  NeONBRAND  on  Unsplash

4. the right fonts.

Choose an easy-to-read font that isn’t stylized. Sans serif fonts tend to be easier to read when they are large. Try to stick to only two different fonts as well to keep the presentation clean.

5. Choosing Colors And Images

When it comes to colors, use contrasting ones: light on dark or dark on light. Try to choose a few main colors to use throughout the presentation. Choose quality images, and make sure to provide the source for the images.

6. Use Beautiful Visual Aids

Keep your presentation interesting and your audience awake by adding visual aids to your PowerPoint. Add captivating photos, data representations, or infographics to illustrate your information.

7. Don’t Read Straight From Your Notes

When you read straight from your notes, your tone tends to remain monotonous, you don’t leave much room for eye contact. Try looking up often, or memorizing portions of your presentation.

8. Avoid Too Much Text

PowerPoint was made for images and bullets, not for your entire speech to be written in paragraph form. Too much text can lose your adiences’ interest and understanding.

9. Try A Theme

Choosing the right theme is one of those presentation tips for students that is often overlooked. When you find the right theme, you keep your college presentation looking interesting, professional, and relevant.

10. Be Careful With Transitions And Animations

Animations and transitions can add a lot to your presentation, but don’t add to many or it will end up being distracting.

Public Speaking Tips for Students

1. choose your topic wisely.

If you are able to pick your topic, try to pick something that interests you and something that you want to learn about. Your interest will come through your speech.

2. Visit The Room Beforehand

If your presentation is being held somewhere outside of class, try to visit the location beforehand to prep your mind and calm your nerves.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

Practice, practice, practice! The only way you will feel fully confident is by practicing many times, both on your own and in front of others.

Photo by  Product School  on  Unsplash

4. talk to someone about anxiety.

If you feel anxious about your college presentation, tell someone. It could be a friend, family member, your teacher, or a counselor. They will be able to help you with some strategies that will work best for you.

5. Remind Yourself Of Your Audience

Remember, you are presenting to your peers! They all likely have to make a presentation too at some point, and so have been or will be in the same boat. Remembering that your audience is on your side will help you stay cool and collected.

6. Observe Other Speakers

Look at famous leaders, or just other students who typically do well presenting. Notice what they are doing and how you can adapt your performance in those ways.

7. Remind Yourself Of Your Message

If you can come up with a central message, or goal, of your college presentation, you can remind yourself of it throughout your speech and let it guide you.

8. Don’t Apologize

If you make a mistake, don’t apologize. It is likely that no one even noticed! If you do feel you need to point out your own mistake, simply say it and keep moving on with your presentation. No need to be embarrassed, it happens even to the best presenters!

When you smile, you appear warm and inviting as a speaker. You will also relax yourself with your own smile.

The Bottom Line

It can be nerve racking presenting as a college student, but if you use our presentation tips for students, preparing and presenting your college presentation will be a breeze!

Related Articles

17 Killer Presentations Tips for Students Who Want to Stand out

The best presentation I ever heard was about soap.

The presenter was a big football jock and before he began speaking he pulled out a small, pink bar of soap, threw it in the air and said, “This is my favorite scent – lavender rose.” The whole room chuckled, and he proceeded, “Now I’m going to tell you how this bar of soap has destroyed society.” My jaw dropped.

As a former student who has been through many mind-numbing talks, I was shocked; this guy wasn’t boring, and he wasn’t nervous. He made presenting look like a breeze! But how did he take such a banal assignment and get the whole class glued to him like a beard on a hipster!?

What exactly made “Mr. Football Soap” stand out!? And what makes any good presenter stand out for that matter?

We remember presentations and speeches by Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton because, although they may have different personalities and delivery styles – they all share the same secrets when it comes to delivering presentations. So whether you are in middle school or graduating college (or anywhere in life), follow these 17 steps and your presentation will be received with a standing ovation.

1. You Have a Personality, Show it

Conan O’Brien is notorious for making fun of himself (here’s a clip where he accepts the title as Ginger Ninja ), while Jerry Seinfeld turns ordinary situations into incredible drama. Are you goofy? Are you good at impressions? Do you have over the top energy or do you have a soft tone that can calm a crowd? Whatever you got, use it and be you!

2. Surprise them, Talk to a Cartoon

This is a pretty amazing trick I’ve used in the past and it’s bound to shock any audience. You can create a short animated video, using animation software such as Powtoon , integrate it into your presentation, and interact with an animated character. It can be a cartoon, a celebrity, an evil corporate boss or even the smiling sun! Just prepare the character to pop in from the right or left- then stand on the opposite side and interact. That’s it! You’ve added a new dimension to your presentation. Extra kudos if you take a few more minutes to add in a speech bubble or voiceover!

3. Don’t Read

PowerPoint was created to show bullets and short text. The purpose of your written words are to act as a trigger; they get you talking about each point. The rest should come from you. Spend the time choosing your keywords and not writing descriptions.

4. Improvise

No one is 100% sure what they’ll say or how they’ll say it. Take former President Bill Clinton for example; When it comes to improvisation, Clinton gets the Oscar. During his very first State of the Union address, the wrong health-care speech showed up on the teleprompter, so he relied on his memory and common sense to wing it. Clinton ignored over 20% of the initial speech! Smooth and rehearsed presentations don’t make history. So don’t be scared, pull out the unexpected!

5. Use Your Hands

Italians do it, pick up artists do it, and successful politicians do it: Move your hands! Point to a picture on the slide, add gestures, mimic a motion, and use your hands to emphasize the expressions on your face.

6. Pump Yourself Up

Pre-gaming is all about preparing for the final game. In this case, you may want to loosen nerves by jumping up and down, screaming out the title of your presentation or practicing the entire thing, one more time, in front of the mirror… Your energy level sets the bar! Yes, that exclamation mark was put there to prove a point! When you are pumped up it’s easy to extend this energy to your audience. You are not lecturing to a college class, or reading off data to your peers, you are on stage! And you are excited. Be loud, be enthusiastic, and be happy.

7. Take a Pause, Prevent ‘Ummmm…’

This is one of my favorite tricks, if you get stuck or nervous in the middle of your presentation, saying “um” or “Ah” feels good because it fills the silent room. There are 2 quick fixes: Talk slower and add pauses for emphasis.

8. Vocal Variety

Do you want to ride a rollercoaster or stare at a still river? When it comes to speech the rollercoaster is the way to go! Amazing public speakers alternate their voice and tone between loud and low, excited and serious, soft and dramatic… this is called “vocal variety” and it keeps people tuned in to what you have to say.

9. Look em’ in the Eyes!

Don’t talk at people, talk to them. Look at the students in the front row, in the middle aisle and at the back. You don’t have to consciously remember this; just integrate eye contact into your presentation by moving around! Pacing a bit or changing sides will naturally move your eyes to different areas of the room . Stop in the middle of the presentation and ask a question, look around at those who answer or agree/ disagree.

FYI: focusing all your attention on the decision maker (i.e. professor, teacher, investor) is a big mistake – You’ll get an A if you delivered your message effectively, not by selling to the teacher.

10. Let Images Take Over Your Screen

Images are powerful. Instead of using bullets on each slide to emphasize your point, you can take up the whole screen with a strong or even controversial image. Are you making a presentation on foreign language, show a confused tourist in Paris! Are you speaking about technology in third world countries? This image by Sven Torfinn is breathtaking! Allow the picture to engage for you. Check out these 11 Free and Awesome Image Resources for your next Presentation if you’re looking for an image to wow your audience.

11. Make ’em Laugh

Being professional and informative does not mean you can’t be fun! We all know humor makes everything lighter and better! And there is almost always a way to fit in into any presentation. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4 on the huge projector screen (which looked like an exact duplicate of the iPhone 3) he joked, “Stop me if you’ve seen this before.” He knew the audience anticipated a grand new design so he beat them to the punch with a short quip.

12. Tell a Story

We listen to people when we connect to them and we connect to them through telling stories . Why? Because telling stories builds trust. You are sharing a part of you that you may not necessarily share with everyone. A personal story is the fastest way to build trust, show you are human and stir emotion. The emotion can be laughter, sadness or tears, it doesn’t matter, by conveying your message through a narration you have paved the way for any subject or topic. Just ask Jacob Barnett , the 14-year-old astrophysicist who was labeled as autistic. He shows you how society can be dead wrong as he takes you along his journey from outcast to prodigy.

13. How to Pick the Story You Tell

Pick a story your audience can relate to; If you are marketing a product or advertising a service this can be difficult, but luckily you are presenting to fellow students! So put your brain in their brain.

For instance, if you are presenting to college students, what do they like, what do they fear… I can list a few now: College is when you are on your own, when you fall in love, when you gain the ‘Freshman 15’ or join your first gym. You learn about what subjects make you passionate and how exams can steal your sleep. How does one of these experiences connect to your presentation topic?

14. Aristotle’s Golden Rule of Three

This trick is taught to college freshmen in Business 101. Aristotle stated it simply in his book ‘Rhetoric’: After learning something new, people tend to remember three things. That means that your audience members will take away only three important points from your 10 or 15-minute presentation. So don’t stress on the finer details. Of course, it is important to have the right data, but your goal is simple — educate the audience on a new idea, a solution or the main research of your topic, not the fine print. You should repeat the main ideas throughout your presentation and summarize them at the end so that the important points stick!

15. Arrive Early with Technical Backup

The best way to avoid a bad situation is to take preventative measures. Check your presentation software that morning, make a backup, upload it to Dropbox and bring an MP4. Then make ANOTHER BACKUP. When you arrive at the class check that all technical items, such as the computer and projector hook up and work efficiently. This step does wonders to relieve speaking anxiety!

16. Preparation Equals Confidence

You need to research and understand your topic… and actually find something about your topic that you can connect to; Unfortunately, PowerPoint and slideshows in general, make people believe that throwing a bunch of words onto a slide makes you an expert. But, If you don’t know the information that you’re presenting, the audience will pick up on it. KNOWING YOUR CONTENT is the best pre-game confidence booster!

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17. own it, pride and apologies.

You may not be the researcher who came up with the stats but you took a topic, organized it, and summarized the data… be proud. If an audience member or professor points out a mistake or asks a question you are unsure of – own it! Apologize if you are incorrect and praise the questioner! You can say, “wow, you make a good point, Thank you, I just learned something new” or “ Great question, I’m not sure of the answer I’ll look it up later and get back to you with the results.” Confidence and humility taste better than peanut butter and jelly (well, it’s pretty close).

There you have it, just follow these 17 killer presentation tips and you will surely be the student that stands out! (And by the way, the takeaway from the soap presentation was that too much cleanliness can actually make us sick… a message was presented so well, it has stuck with me ever since)!

What’s your favorite tip? Do have any additional presentation tricks that have worked for you!? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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• 10 Effective Class Presentation Tips for College Students

Giving a presentation to your classmates can be a bit challenging, especially if you are new to visual or oral presentations or fear public speaking. 

However, class presentations foster an excellent opportunity for students to enhance their public speaking skills while broadening their perception and understanding of a particular subject matter. 

Also, the presentation provides a platform for students to connect with peers, professionals, and potential employers. 

By showcasing their skills and knowledge, they can build relationships and establish themselves as a better performer in their field. 

While presentation helps students to expand their horizons of knowledge and skills, beginners may be slightly concerned about where to start and how to master it. 

Worry not! Here, we discuss the best presentation tips for students for a flawless delivery of the subject.

10 Handy Presentation Tips for College Students

Effective delivery of a presentation requires efficient presentation techniques and exceptional presentation abilities. 

The following tips for presenting in class help students strengthen their public speaking skills, empowering them to effectively communicate their message or information to the audience.

1. Overcome Presentation Anxiety

While it is quite common to feel anxious before the presentation, it won’t allow you to deliver a presentation confidently. 

There are several reasons why students fear public speaking, including, worrying about committing a mistake, lack of experience, losing control, or what if their audience dislikes their speech. 

Nevertheless, don’t worry, as you can overcome your presentation anxieties with the following techniques:

• Prepare and practice your topic thoroughly.
• Just focus on the message you want to convey to your audience.
• Be open to feedback and criticism from others.
• Have a mindset that you are going to make it.
• Practice deep breathing to keep your mind calm and composed.

2. Learn the Art of Public Speaking

Learning and getting used to public speaking can help students feel more confident and comfortable in delivering their message to the audience. 

Also, it helps them to structure their thoughts and use perfect language to convey their content crisp and clean while engaging their audience.

There are several ways for students to learn public speaking skills, including:

• Online platforms and courses
• Local resources (community clubs, associations, etc.)
• Public speaking workshops
• Watching experienced public speakers and observing their techniques

Also Read:   17 Best Advice for College Students from Experts .

3. Craft Compelling Content

A robust opening statement sets the tone for the entire student presentation, helping you grab your audience’s attention. 

Ensure to develop a clear, concise, and thoughtful opening statement that talks about what the presentation is about and how it helps everyone out there. 

Moving on, your body content is the heart of your presentation, and that is what is going to keep your audience in the loop while conveying your ideas and thoughts. 

So, it should be well-structured, engaging, and easy to follow. Here’s how you can devise engaging content:

• Create a strong opening and ending statement with a powerful quote, thought-provoking question, or intriguing scenario.
• Clearly and precisely define your topic and its significance.
• Conduct in-depth research that is backed with statistical data or real-time stories.
• Organize your content with slides and images.

4. Add Engaging Visuals

Rather than constantly scrolling the loads of information, it is better to use visuals to engage your audience while helping them comprehend and retain complex matters and building emotional connections with them.

Tips for slideshow presentations:

• Use simple yet high-quality images.
• Add contrast and pleasing colors to make your slides look good.
• Incorporate snippets to support your visuals.
• Keep your slides consistent in terms of layout and design.
• Choose easy-to-follow fonts and numbers.
• Add data, icons, and infographics for illustration.

5. Balance Information and Entertainment

Adding humor to a presentation is a way to engage and connect with your audience more personally. 

It can help relieve tension, break the silence/drowsy state of mind, and make complex or dry information more perceivable during class presentation. 

Also, it helps keep your presentation memorable for a long time. Here is how you can add humor to your presentation:

• Know your audience and tailor your humor accordingly.
• Use humorous analogies, cartoons, catchphrases, or your own experiences.
• Try not to hurt others while using humor.
• You can make fun of everyday situations or activities, so people can relate with them.

6. Time Management in Class Presentation

Time management is one of the best tips for presenting in class. Starting and finishing your presentation in a predefined time frame is important. 

It helps you to convey your message precisely and effectively without disrupting the flow of the presentation and making it difficult for the audience to follow along. 

To manage your class presentation time, here are some presentation tips for students:

• Practice beforehand to know the required time.
• If you are going beyond the allotted time, cut short your content, delivering the most important points.
• Use visuals to quickly deliver messages.
• Use a timer to know that you are nearing the end.

7. Real-Life Examples

Listening to successful presentations helps you learn new techniques and gain insights on how to give better presentations. You can take note of key elements used, gestures followed, and eye contact made. 

Also, you can study the agenda of the presentation, like how it is structured, what topics are discussed, how properly visuals and icons are used, etc. 

Besides, you can pay attention to the language and tonality of the speaker to see how they used humor, stories, and emotional phrases to connect with audiences. 

Considering these insights, you can prepare your topic and present it flawlessly.

8. Take Peer Review and Feedback

Feedback is a way to learn where you lag and how you can improve further to build your credibility, professional knowledge and image. 

By receiving feedback from peers, you can identify blind spots, fragile areas, and how your content is perceived by others, enabling you to refine your work, address weaknesses, and develop new skills. 

Moreover, this presentation tip can strengthen your relationships with your peers while helping you present better every time.

Also Read:   Tips for Building Professional Relationships in College .

9. Stay Elegant and Attractive with Your Attire

What you wear and how you wear it matters when it comes to presenting in front of the public. 

The clothes you wear can greatly impact how your audience perceives you and your message. So, ensure to present yourself properly and professionally to attract your audience.

Here is how to dress up for class presentations:

• Keep your outfits simple, comfortable, and elegant.
• Avoid flashy colors and designs.
• Choose outfits according to the environment and temperature.
• Get your outfits properly stitched with the right fit. 
• Choose the right and soothing footwear.

10. Post-Presentation Reflection

Reviewing your past presentations can help drag strengths and areas for growth, which can help you make informed decisions and optimize your performance. 

For example, by analyzing your performance, you can assess what works well and what doesn't. This involves identifying areas for improvement concerning the use of visuals, snippets, icons, infographics, etc. 

Knowing these can help you make targeted improvements to enhance your future presentations.

Wrapping Up

A successful class presentation in college is vital for students’ academic and professional journey. 

It helps students develop valuable skills that will serve them in their future careers and provides them with an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and ideas to a wider audience. 

By mastering the art of presentation, students can set themselves apart from their peers and position themselves for success in their chosen careers.

 So, use the above-mentioned presentation tips for students to speak more confidently, sharing your thoughts and ideas.  

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• Delivery Techniques →

16 Presentation Tips for Students to Impress Your Classmates

Do you get nervous when giving a presentation? Presenting in a classroom full of students can be quite overwhelming, especially if you are a freshman new to the concept.

However, do not fret over it because, with the tips below, you can easily impress your instructor and score an excellent grade.

Arrive on Time

As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. Always be punctual for your presentations.

Besides leaving a good first impression, it also gives you the time to sort out any issues, such as technical difficulties, so that the presentation goes smoothly.

Also, if your presentation is on screen, always come prepared with several backups, such as an extra USB or downloaded files.

Surprise Your Audience

Everyone in a classroom expects you to make a boring presentation.

Students might start dozing off halfway into the presentation. However, aim to surprise your said audience. Use different but interesting tactics to keep them attentive and engaged.

For instance, you can use memes and animations to present your idea and address all the questions and concerns.

Adding a new dimension to your presentation will surely make you stand out! So do not hesitate to tweak your boring slides and surprise your classroom.

You might also like: How to Engage a Bored Audience

Don't Just Read

Usually, students write everything they need to say on a PowerPoint slide and just read it out. Please do not make that mistake.

The slides are only meant to be used as pointers that will trigger and get you going with the flow of words. Moreover, work smartly and spend your time coming up with appropriate keywords instead of lengthy and dull descriptions.

Show Off Your Personality

Do you have a good sense of humor? Are you good at impressions and limericks?

Use these traits to make your presentation more entertaining . It will also make you look more confident and approachable. T

his is especially important if your topic of discussion is dull. Moreover, being real and lively is how you keep the audience interested for as long as possible.

Encourage Yourself

You are your biggest motivator. Thus, pump up yourself before the presentation so you can loosen up your nerves and give the best presentation of your life.

Jump up and down, or scream the title of your presentation to keep your energy levels high. Ensure to do it in a separate room where no one can see you.

When you are lively and pumped, it is easier to keep your audience energized. In addition, show off your excitement to take the stage; after all, you are not some dull old instructor lecturing his students.

Maintain Good Eye Contact

Always maintain good eye contact with your audience while presenting your speech. Look everywhere in the room. Do not just stick your eyes to the middle aisle. Look around and naturally move your eyes to every side of the room.

Oftentimes, students just keep their focus on the instructor. Keeping the instructor attentive does not guarantee you a good grade. What matters more is how effectively you have delivered your message to your overall audience.

Use Powerful Images

For an effective presentation , let interactive images take over your screen. You can use bullet points and keywords, but a colorful or controversial image will have a better impact on the audience.

However, make sure to use relevant and comprehendible images that befit the content of your presentation.

You might want to check out this software, Prezentar to help you with these images.

Use Anecdotes and Stories

We listen to someone when we connect with them, and what forms a better connection than a personal story ? Hence, incorporate stories and anecdotes in your presentation to have your audience listen to you more carefully.

Sharing a personal story with your audience can also help gain their trust. It is as if you are sharing a piece of yourself with them, thus stirring myriad emotions in them.

In short, when you convey a message through narration, the message is usually received and understood well.

Pick a Relevant Story

When picking a story for your presentation, always choose the one that is short, relevant, and interesting. Otherwise, this technique will only drive your audience away.

Luckily, as a student, you present to your peers whom you have already spoken to at least once. This makes it easier for you to understand them - their interests, activities, challenges, etc. With this information, you can easily pick a story to share with them.

You can also leverage on-campus events to convey your point better. A recent or even an old memorable event is likely to stay with them for a long time. Find it out and try to connect with your audience through it.

Always Come Prepared

It is a fact that when you have more knowledge about a subject, you can speak about it more confidently . Research and understand the given topic and be prepared to answer any questions thrown your way.

This means overloading your slides with points from Wikipedia does not cut it. You must have a thorough knowledge of what you put in there so that you don't become incoherent when asked about it.

Moreover, maintain a candid attitude and admit when you don't know something. 

Start With a Mind Map

Creating a mind map ensures efficient planning and execution. It helps you stay organized before, during, and after the presentation. Hence, you know when to share a story, change slides , ask questions or perform any activity.

It gives an outline of the entire act, ensuring better control throughout. Moreover, it helps to connect the points and maintain a smooth content flow. This will prevent you from jumping between topics and confusing your audience.

Mind maps also ensure that you do not miss out on any integral detail.

Try a Theme

Most of the time, students ignore the importance of choosing an appropriate theme for their presentation. The right theme can make you look more professional and prepared. It also helps you choose the right images to adjust with your content.

You can set up your own theme, find one online, or pick one from the default PowerPoint collection.

Practice a Lot

You will only feel prepared and confident by practicing well before the presentation .

Doing it in the presentation room multiple times beforehand would be a plus as you'll get used to the setting there. If not the same space, look for something similar.

Furthermore, since you will not be presenting to empty chairs, involve a few people in your practice. You can ask your friends or family members to become your mock audience.    

Apologize When You Need To

No man is perfect. Even the most successful speakers may make mistakes on stage sometimes. What makes you any better?

However, that does not mean you should not prepare. In fact, you should prepare very well so that if you make a mistake, you can own it confidently and do not have to cover it up with excuses.

Honestly, mistakes are not something to be ashamed of after working so hard on perfecting your presentation.    

Simply apologize if you are at fault, and if possible, appreciate the person who pointed it out. Humility always looks great with confidence, and everyone loves a humble person.

Wear Your Best Smile

Always wear your best smile. That way, you seem approachable and friendly. The audience will interact with you and might also engage in a discussion.

Hence, the presentation will seem much more lively and interesting.

Observe Other Speakers

If you are extremely nervous about the presentation, you can observe other famous speakers. Watch their videos on YouTube to see how they present in front of their audience.

Notice their body language and gestures. Look at the themes and colors they have incorporated in their presentation.

Bottom Line: Presentation Tips for Students

As a student, giving a presentation in a huge classroom is daunting. Especially if you have anxiety issues, a presentation can be quite nerve-wracking. However, do not worry because you will ace your presentation with these tips shared in the article.

Do not fret too much, and be relaxed before you start. Hopefully, the presentation will flow like a conversation when you are fully prepared.

Remember to stay calm, cool, and collected.

How to Do a Great Presentation – A Student’s 15+ Tips

In Career , General , University by Think Student Editor February 1, 2022 Leave a Comment

The aim of a presentation is primarily to inform, teach, and present an idea to an audience. Presentations typically last fewer than fifteen minutes, however, the work and effort that goes into creating them is what makes a presentation great. Working hard on your presentation will allow you to develop common, essential skills that you will require in your future career. 

Read on to understand how you can create and deliver your presentation not just as average or good, but as an extraordinary presentation by using just a few simple tips. Let’s jump into it! 

1. Make Your Resources Engaging

There are many ways in which you may decide to present your intended theme or topic. These may include a PowerPoint, a speech, a poster, or another entirely unique method. It is important that whichever way you chose to present you need to ensure you get the information across in an efficient way in order to engross your listeners. 

One suggestion to make your presentation more engaging is not including too much text in your PowerPoint.  Instead, you could use pictures or speak animatedly to explain the topic in a more interesting way.  The audience will much prefer this to a monotonous recital of the small-texted unnecessarily long block of paragraph.  

The process of creating an engaging presentation also includes thorough practice and preparation of what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. So, when the time comes for you to present, you can focus on making your presentation humorous and interactive rather than focusing on trying to remember the content. 

A keyway to ensure your presentation is engaging is to maintain a high level of creativity- in the way you present and improvise during the final presentation.

2. Use More Than One Method of Presenting

Don’t use just one single method of presentation (just a PowerPoint). Along with the PowerPoint prepare a speech plan so that you are not just reading off the slides.  

Make your presentation a way to deliver your research that involves you personally and not something that the class could just have read themselves. Perhaps in addition to the primary way of presenting you may create a 3D model and depiction, you may act out a certain part of a story, you may create a quiz at the end with prizes and so on.   

It is important to have a solid foundation which could come in the form of your presentation or poster, but in order to further engage and educate your listeners, consider the previously mentioned small additions. Try to be as creative as possible!

3. Make Your Presentation Unique

If everyone who was presenting a theme or idea were doing so in the same or a similar way, including the content taught by the presentation, it would be very dull.  

By creating your presentation to be unique and different to others presenting, you have a much higher chance of engaging the listeners. It will also make you more confident about your presentation and result in much higher final marks. 

You can make your presentation unique by thinking about out-of-the-box additions to your presentation that fit your given topic. For example, if your topic is a historical, time based one then perhaps include a timeline somewhere during the presentation .  

The main thing you want to do is try to include different ways of getting your content across that will make sense to the audience.

4. Body Language

Keep a checklist running through your mind whilst carrying out your presentation: Eye contact, appropriate tone of voice and facial expression, hand gestures, upright and powerful posture are all very important.

Body language is essential to engage the listeners, especially if you have included an interactive section in your presentation.  

During your presentation, building credibility is important to ensure your listeners are paying attention and strong, positive body language is an essential tool in doing so . Body language also allows you, as the presenter, to connect with your audience. It also helps your listeners focus more intently on you and what you’re presenting.  

Find out more about the importance of body language and how to use it on  this website .

5. Find a Suitable Topic

This may not apply completely if you have been given a topic and have no choice in the matter.  However, if you are not allowed to pick, explore one specific part of your given theme in detail that you find most intriguing.  The more interested and excited you are by your presentation topic and objective, the more your audience will be. 

If you can pick your topic, make sure it is one you enjoy and that it is not a typical theme. It would be slightly embarrassing and rather problematic if you found out someone else was doing their presentation on the same topic you had chosen. 

Make sure your topic is appropriate for the time allocated to your presentation.  It shouldn’t be too vague, as this will result in your presentation being unstructured and too complex due to the need to cram in too much information. This could result in the presentation being tedious and boring and the audience will not be engaged.  

If you choose a topic that is too specific, you may also be negatively impacted. This is because your presentation will turn out too short due to a lack of sufficient subtopics and content to present and teach. It will also be close to impossible to find enough information and data on this topic, which must be included. 

You must also make sure that you choose an easily understandable topic. If you pick a topic too complex and incomprehensible, the audience will not learn what you are presenting, and they will become bored and unengaged. However, if you pick a rather easy topic that has already been taught, your listeners will learn nothing new. 

6. Ensure You Rehearse Your Presentation

Practicing is a fool proof precaution against tripping up and making mistakes during your presentation.  It will also allow your presentation to flow much better meaning your audience will have a better chance of understanding your presentation and being interested. 

Rehearsing your presentation will help you to be more confident during your presentation and therefore make it more engaging as you can be more interactive. 

7. Do Thorough Research on Your Topic

Make sure you to ensure you fully understand your topic, so you are able to teach others about it. It is also important to have enough data to backup all the important points you wish to make in your presentation.  

In order to so this you can conduct thorough research to make well justified and understandable points. The solid understanding that background research will provide you with will do wonders during your presentation as it will allow you to feel much more relaxed and confident.

At the end, during question time, you may be able to impress you listeners with some additional information you have learnt.

8. Include References

In order to build credibility and make well justified points, try to find some data and statistics, from relating studies that have been conducted. This will help your audience to put the information in context and to better remember and understand your presentation. 

You can backup your points with fun-looking graphs and interesting statistics to make your presentation more interesting and engaging.   

Furthermore, a lot of information can be found on graphs, which you can talk about for an extended amount of time during your presentation. This means that in addition to strengthening your points and engaging the listeners, graphs can also be useful to fill time when you find your presentation to be too short.

9. Check Your Presentation Meets the Criteria That Has Been Set

Find out and study the important guidelines and rules set by your teacher or professor. Some of these compulsory elements may be crucial to the structure and content of your presentation. If you do not understand these guidelines before you begin creating and presenting, you may have to change a majority of your work leaving you devastated and unprepared.  

A common guideline that matters hugely is the maximum and minimum suggested time that your presentation should be.  

There may also be more specific sections that must be included such as a compulsory conclusion. It is important to know these to ensure you do not lose easy marks or lose your pride, in the case of it being an unmarked presentation.

10. Make Sure Your Presentation Has a Clear Structure

Organisation of your content is highly necessary to allow your audience to understand the content they are being taught.  By splitting your presentation into key parts, the objective of your presentation is made much clearer and you will have a more engaged audience.  It will also allow you to keep a steady pace and keep time, using each section, more clearly.

11. Make the Introduction as Intriguing as Possible

Make sure you have a strong start to immediately intrigue your audience.  If you start of your presentation with a long droning narration of data, your listeners will be immediately uninterested. 

A hard-hitting, possible comedic beginning with the purpose of briefing your audience with the objective of your presentation is a captivating idea. This will immediately build your credibility and excite your listeners for the rest of your presentation. You may consider including a strange fact or joke linking to your topic in your introduction.

12. Maintain a Steady Pace Throughout Your Presentation

When student presenters are nervous, they tend to speed up their speech. Try to maintain a steady pace because once you begin going through too fast, your presentation will become harder to understand and concentrate. This will in turn cause the audience to not be engaged. You may also end up running under your minimum time limit.

13. Create a Strong Conclusion 

Make sure you have a memorable conclusion to leave your audience feeling like they have learnt a lot and enjoyed doing it.  You may choose to do a quiz, an acting out of everything you have taught, or any other creative activities to leave your listeners amazed. Don’t forget to ask for questions at the end!

14. Connect With the Listeners

It is important to connect with the audience in order to keep them engaged and build credibility.  You can connect with your listeners through positive body language, a personal anecdote or perhaps even a humorous element – by including a joke or comedic tone of voice.  

However, there may also be a point when the presentation becomes ‘too’ humorous. This may be when the audience becomes slightly too excited, and the focus is no longer the information being taught.  So, as well as connecting with your listeners, it is still important to make sure you get all the important information across.

15. Equally Divide Up the Work When Presenting in a Group

There are many processes involved in doing a great presentation. The main tasks in involved are research, organisation of ideas, writing up of information, production of presentation, oral delivery of presentation.  When you are in a group, it is important to divide up these tasks by allowing everyone in the group to try to do a bit of each task in order to be efficient, involving, and cooperative. 

16. Arrive Early

When doing a presentation – early is on time, on time is late.  You will need time to set up, do a final rehearsal as well as work out any last-minute issues.  Giving yourself enough time to be prepared will also help reduce your stress levels and increase your confidence.

17. Enjoy Yourself

Do not be nervous.  If you follow the tips above and have enjoyed creating your presentation you have nothing left to worry about! With the correct preparations you will be able to stay calm and enjoy educating and interacting with your listeners using your unique and engaging presentation methods. 

Check out these articles below which may also help you with your presentation: 

• Head Boy & Head Girl Speeches: A Student’s Top 10 Tips
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16 Public Speaking Tips for Students

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Aron Janssen, MD is board certified in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and is the vice chair of child and adolescent psychiatry Northwestern University.

Public speaking tips for students aim to reduce anxiety that can interfere with giving presentations or speeches in class. These tips can also be helpful for those with social anxiety disorder (SAD)   who have difficulty speaking in front of a group or telling a story among friends.

Public Speaking Tips

If you have SAD and need to give a speech  in elementary school, high school, college, or university, it helps to be as prepared as possible . Beyond preparation, however, there are strategies that you can use to reduce anxiety and fight the urge to stay home with a fake illness.

Even great speakers practice their speeches beforehand. Practice out loud with a recording device or video camera and then watch yourself to see how you can improve. If you are feeling brave, practice in front of a friend or family member and ask for feedback.

• Talk about what you know : If possible, choose a topic for your speech or presentation that you know a lot about and love. Your passion for the topic will be felt by the audience, and you will feel less anxious knowing that you have a lot of experience to draw from when other students ask you questions.
• Concentrate on your message : When you focus on the task at hand, anxiety is less likely to get out of control. Concentrate on the main message of your speech or presentation and make it your goal to deliver that message to the other students in your class.
• Grab the audience's attention : Most of your fellow classmates will pay attention for at least the first 20 seconds; grab their attention during those early moments. Start with an interesting fact or a story that relates to your topic.
• Have one main message : Focus on one central theme and your classmates will learn more. Tie different parts of your talk to the main theme to support your overall message. Trying to cover too much ground can leave other students feeling overwhelmed.

Tell Stories

Stories catch the attention of other students and deliver a message in a more meaningful way than facts and figures. Whenever possible, use a story to illustrate a point in your talk.

Being prepared to speak in public can also be important if you have social anxiety disorder. Feeling confident and prepared to give your speech may help lessen your feelings of anxiety. Some of the things that you can do to prepare include:

• Visit the room : If you have access to the classroom where you will be speaking outside of class hours, take the time to visit in advance and get used to standing at the front of the room. Make arrangements for any audio-visual equipment and practice standing in the exact spot where you will deliver your speech.
• Rack up experience : Volunteer to speak in front of your class as often as possible. Be the first one to raise your hand when a question is asked. Your confidence will grow with every public speaking experience.
• Observe other speakers : Take the time to watch other speakers who are good at what they do. Practice imitating their style and confidence.
• Organize your talk : Every speech should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Structure your talk so that the other students know what to expect.

Manage Your Anxiety

Taking steps to deal with your feelings of anxiety can also make public speaking easier. Some of the things that you can do:

• Tell someone about your anxiety : If you are speaking in front of a high school or college class, meet with your teacher or professor and describe your public speaking fears . If you're in elementary or high school, share your fears with your parents, a teacher, or a guidance counselor. Sometimes sharing how you feel can make it easier to overcome stage fright.
• Visualize confidence : Visualize yourself confidently delivering your speech. Imagine feeling free of anxiety and engaging the students in your class. Although this may seem like a stretch for you now, visualization is a powerful tool for changing the way that you feel. Elite athletes use this strategy to improve performance in competitions.
• Find a friendly face : If you are feeling anxious, find one of your friends in class (or someone who seems friendly) and imagine that you are speaking only to that person.

Press Play for Advice on Finding Courage

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares a strategy to help you find courage when you need it the most.

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

Maintain Perspective

Remember that other students are on your side. Think about a time when you have been an audience member and the student delivering the speech or presentation was noticeably nervous. Did you think less of that student? More likely, you felt sympathetic and wanted to make that person more comfortable by smiling or nodding.

Remember—other students generally want you to succeed and feel comfortable. If for some reason the audience is not on your side or you experience bullying or social exclusion, be sure to discuss this with a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor.

Be Confident

Sometimes just knowing what makes a good speech can help you feel more confident. Focus on some of the following elements and practice them before you have to speak in public.

• Develop your own style : In addition to imitating good speakers, work on developing your own personal style as a public speaker. Integrate your own personality into your speaking style and you will feel more comfortable in front of the class. Telling personal stories that tie into your theme are a great way to let other students get to know you better.
• Avoid filler words : Words such as "basically", "well", and "um" don't add anything to your speech. Practice being silent when you feel the urge to use one of these words.
• Vary your tone, volume, and speed : Interesting speakers vary the pitch (high versus low), volume (loud versus soft), and speed (fast versus slow) of their words. Doing so keeps your classmates interested and engaged in what you say.
• Make the audience laugh : Laughter is a great way to relax both you and the other students in your class, and telling jokes can be a great icebreaker at the beginning of a speech. Practice the timing and delivery of your jokes beforehand and ask a friend for feedback. Be sure that they are appropriate for your class before you begin.
• Smile : If all else fails, smile. Your fellow classmates will perceive you like a warm speaker and be more receptive to what you have to say.

Don't Apologize

If you make a mistake, don't offer apologies. Chances are that your classmates didn't notice anyway. Unless you need to correct a fact or figure, there is no point dwelling on errors that probably only you noticed.

If you make a mistake because your hands or shaking, or something similar, try to make light of the situation by saying something like, "I wasn't this nervous when I woke up this morning!" This can help to break the tension of the moment.

A Word From Verywell

It's natural to feel frightened the first time you have to speak in front of your class. However, if you fear continues, interferes with your daily life and keeps you awake at night, it may be helpful to see someone about your anxiety.

Try talking to a parent, teacher, or counselor about how you have been feeling. If that doesn't get you anywhere, ask to make an appointment with your doctor. Severe public speaking anxiety is a true disorder that can improve with treatment .

Spence SH, Rapee RM. The etiology of social anxiety disorder: An evidence-based model . Behav Res Ther. 2016;86:50-67. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.06.007

By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

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9 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Students

Create classroom presentations worthy of an 'A'

• Brock University

Making effective classroom presentations takes practice. When you follow a few PowerPoint presentation tips for students, you'll be up to the challenge. These presentation tips refer to PowerPoint slides (all versions) and can be applied to any type of slide presentation.

Plan Your Slide Layout

Make your slides easy to follow. Put the title at the top where your audience expects to find it. Phrases should read left to right and top to bottom. Keep important information near the top of the slide. Often the bottom portions of slides cannot be seen from the back rows because heads are in the way.

Avoid Fancy Fonts

Choose a font that is simple and easy to read, such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana. You may have a really cool font on your computer, but save it for other uses. Often, fancy fonts aren't easy to read on a screen and distract more than anything.

Don't use more than two different fonts , one for headings and another for content. Keep all fonts large enough (at least 18 pt and preferably 24 pt) so that people at the back of the room can easily read the text.

Use Contrasting Colors for Text and Background

Dark text on a light background is best. This combination offers the most visibility. Sometimes, though, you may want a dark background for effect, to dazzle the crowd. In that case, make the text a light color for easy reading in a classroom presentation.

Text is often difficult to read on patterned or textured backgrounds. Keep the color scheme consistent throughout your classroom presentation.

Keep Slide Design Consistent With a Theme

When you use a design theme, choose one that won't detract from your classroom presentation. Also, keep the slide design consistent with that theme. Test it ahead of time to make sure that the text is readable and that the graphics don't get lost in the background.

Use Footnotes to Add Information

Adding footnotes to the slides in a PowerPoint presentation allows you to document the sources of information you used in your research, just as you would if you were turning in a research paper. Use footnotes to cite quotes and statistics or to add extra details related to the text on the slide.

Print Out Speaker Notes

Reading a PowerPoint presentation in front of a class can be nerve-wracking. Printing your slides with speaker notes allows you to have thumbnails, text, and written notes, if you wish, so you can read along with the slides and add pertinent information. You can also use the printed slides as handouts for the class. Alternatively, you might want to add a voiceover to the slideshow to avoid speaking in class altogether.

Run a Presentation Unattended

There might be times when you want the slideshow to run on its own in a continuous loop, such as part of a science fair presentation. Using the Browsed at Kiosk setting when setting up the presentation lets you show the presentation unattended.

Use Animations and Transition Effects Sparingly

Who doesn't love to apply animations, transitions , or GIFs to a presentation? Going overboard with these elements can be entertaining, but rarely will the audience be paying attention to the message of the presentation. The slideshow is a visual aid and not the objective of the classroom presentation.

Convert PowerPoint Shows to Google Slides

Schools often use the Google suite of productivity applications, such as Google Slides, in the classroom. If you have PowerPoint at home, you can use it to create a presentation and share it with your teacher or others using Google Slides.

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How can you make a good presentation even more effective?

This page draws on published advice from expert presenters around the world, which will help to take your presentations from merely ‘good’ to ‘great’.

By bringing together advice from a wide range of people, the aim is to cover a whole range of areas.

Whether you are an experienced presenter, or just starting out, there should be ideas here to help you to improve.

1. Show your Passion and Connect with your Audience

It’s hard to be relaxed and be yourself when you’re nervous.

But time and again, the great presenters say that the most important thing is to connect with your audience, and the best way to do that is to let your passion for the subject shine through.

Be honest with the audience about what is important to you and why it matters.

Be enthusiastic and honest, and the audience will respond.

2. Focus on your Audience’s Needs

Your presentation needs to be built around what your audience is going to get out of the presentation.

As you prepare the presentation, you always need to bear in mind what the audience needs and wants to know, not what you can tell them.

While you’re giving the presentation, you also need to remain focused on your audience’s response, and react to that.

You need to make it easy for your audience to understand and respond.

3. Keep it Simple: Concentrate on your Core Message

When planning your presentation, you should always keep in mind the question:

What is the key message (or three key points) for my audience to take away?

You should be able to communicate that key message very briefly.

Some experts recommend a 30-second ‘elevator summary’, others that you can write it on the back of a business card, or say it in no more than 15 words.

Whichever rule you choose, the important thing is to keep your core message focused and brief.

And if what you are planning to say doesn’t contribute to that core message, don’t say it.

4. Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience

This sounds very easy, but a surprisingly large number of presenters fail to do it.

If you smile and make eye contact, you are building rapport , which helps the audience to connect with you and your subject. It also helps you to feel less nervous, because you are talking to individuals, not to a great mass of unknown people.

To help you with this, make sure that you don’t turn down all the lights so that only the slide screen is visible. Your audience needs to see you as well as your slides.

5. Start Strongly

The beginning of your presentation is crucial. You need to grab your audience’s attention and hold it.

They will give you a few minutes’ grace in which to entertain them, before they start to switch off if you’re dull. So don’t waste that on explaining who you are. Start by entertaining them.

Try a story (see tip 7 below), or an attention-grabbing (but useful) image on a slide.

6. Remember the 10-20-30 Rule for Slideshows

This is a tip from Guy Kawasaki of Apple. He suggests that slideshows should:

• Contain no more than 10 slides;
• Last no more than 20 minutes; and
• Use a font size of no less than 30 point.

This last is particularly important as it stops you trying to put too much information on any one slide. This whole approach avoids the dreaded ‘Death by PowerPoint’.

As a general rule, slides should be the sideshow to you, the presenter. A good set of slides should be no use without the presenter, and they should definitely contain less, rather than more, information, expressed simply.

If you need to provide more information, create a bespoke handout and give it out after your presentation.

7. Tell Stories

Human beings are programmed to respond to stories.

Stories help us to pay attention, and also to remember things. If you can use stories in your presentation, your audience is more likely to engage and to remember your points afterwards. It is a good idea to start with a story, but there is a wider point too: you need your presentation to act like a story.

Think about what story you are trying to tell your audience, and create your presentation to tell it.

Finding The Story Behind Your Presentation

To effectively tell a story, focus on using at least one of the two most basic storytelling mechanics in your presentation:

Focusing On Characters – People have stories; things, data, and objects do not. So ask yourself “who” is directly involved in your topic that you can use as the focal point of your story.

For example, instead of talking about cars (your company’s products), you could focus on specific characters like:

• The drivers the car is intended for – people looking for speed and adventure
• The engineers who went out of their way to design the most cost-effective car imaginable

A Changing Dynamic – A story needs something to change along the way. So ask yourself “What is not as it should be?” and answer with what you are going to do about it (or what you did about it).

For example…

• Did hazardous road conditions inspire you to build a rugged, all-terrain jeep that any family could afford?
• Did a complicated and confusing food labelling system lead you to establish a colour-coded nutritional index so that anybody could easily understand it?

To see 15 more actionable storytelling tips, see Nuts & Bolts Speed Training’s post on Storytelling Tips .

8. Use your Voice Effectively

The spoken word is actually a pretty inefficient means of communication, because it uses only one of your audience’s five senses. That’s why presenters tend to use visual aids, too. But you can help to make the spoken word better by using your voice effectively.

Varying the speed at which you talk, and emphasising changes in pitch and tone all help to make your voice more interesting and hold your audience’s attention.

For more about this, see our page on Effective Speaking .

9. Use your Body Too

It has been estimated that more than three quarters of communication is non-verbal.

That means that as well as your tone of voice, your body language is crucial to getting your message across. Make sure that you are giving the right messages: body language to avoid includes crossed arms, hands held behind your back or in your pockets, and pacing the stage.

Make your gestures open and confident, and move naturally around the stage, and among the audience too, if possible.

10. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy

If you find presenting difficult, it can be hard to be calm and relaxed about doing it.

One option is to start by concentrating on your breathing. Slow it down, and make sure that you’re breathing fully. Make sure that you continue to pause for breath occasionally during your presentation too.

For more ideas, see our page on Coping with Presentation Nerves .

If you can bring yourself to relax, you will almost certainly present better. If you can actually start to enjoy yourself, your audience will respond to that, and engage better. Your presentations will improve exponentially, and so will your confidence. It’s well worth a try.

Improve your Presentation Skills

Follow our guide to boost your presentation skills learning about preparation, delivery, questions and all other aspects of giving effective presentations.

Start with: What is a Presentation?

Continue to: How to Give a Speech Self Presentation

See also: Five Ways You Can Do Visual Marketing on a Budget Can Presentation Science Improve Your Presentation? Typography – It’s All About the Message in Your Slides

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How a Simple Presentation Framework Helps Students Learn

Explaining concepts to their peers helps students shore up their content knowledge and improve their communication skills.

A few years ago, my colleague and I were awarded a Hawai‘i Innovation Fund Grant. The joy of being awarded the grant was met with dread and despair when we were informed that we would have to deliver a 15-minute presentation on our grant write-up to a room full of educational leaders. If that wasn’t intimidating enough, my colleague informed me that he was not going to be in Hawai‘i at the time of the presentation. I had “one shot,” just a 15-minute presentation to encapsulate all of the 17 pages of the grant I had cowritten, but how?

I worked hard to construct and deliver a presentation that was concise yet explicit. I was clear on the big picture of what the grant was composed of and provided a visual of it in practice. I made sure the audience understood the “why” behind the grant. I showed how it worked, the concrete elements of it, and how they made it successful. I finished with a scaffold that would help others know how to initiate it within their context, giving them the freedom to make it authentically their own.

I received good feedback from the presentation, and more important, what was shared positively impacted student learning in other classrooms across the state.

A Simple Framework for Presentations

That first presentation took me over a month to prepare, but afterward I noticed that my prep time for presentations shrank exponentially from a few months to a few (uninterrupted) days. Interestingly enough, as a by-product of creating the original presentation, I created an abstract framework that I have used for every professional learning presentation I have delivered since then. The “What, Why, How, and How-To” framework goes as follows:

• What? What can the audience easily connect to and know as a bridge to the unknown for the rest of the experience?
• Why? Why should they care to listen to (and learn from) the rest of the presentation? What’s in it for them to shift from passive listeners to actively engaged? The audience needs to know why you believe in this so much that you are compelled to share it.
• How? What are the key elements that make it unique? How is it effective in doing what it does? What are the intricacies of how it works?
• How-to? How could they start doing this on their own? How could this knowledge serve as a foundational springboard? Connect it to “why.”

Benefits for Students

One of the best parts of presentations is that they help the presenter to improve their communication skills. The presenter is learning how to give a presentation by doing it. To prepare a presentation, the presenter must know the intricate elements of what they are presenting and the rationale for their importance. In the presentation delivery, the presenter must be articulate and meticulous to ensure that everyone in the audience is able (and willing) to process the information provided.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that preparing and delivering presentations could provide a valuable learning opportunity for my students.

I recall teaching mathematical concepts whereby students would immediately apply knowledge learned to accomplish the task in silence and without any deeper questioning. Only after I asked them to provide presentations on these concepts did they regularly ask me, “Why is this important, again?” or “What makes this so special?” My students’ mathematical literacy grew through preparing presentations with the “What, Why, How, and How-To” framework, which supported them in their ability to demonstrate content knowledge through mathematical rigor (balancing conceptual understanding, skills and procedural fluency, and real-world application).

• The “what” served as the mathematical concept.
• The “why” demonstrated the real-world application of the concept.
• “The “how” demonstrated conceptual understanding of the concept.
• The “how-to” demonstrated skills and procedures of the concept. 

In addition to content knowledge, the sequential competencies of clarity, cohesiveness, and captivation ensured that the presenter could successfully share the information with their audience. When combined, these framed a rubric that supported students in optimizing their presentation deliveries. The competencies are as follows:

1. Content knowledge. The presenter must display a deep understanding of what they are delivering in order to share the “what, why, how, and how-to” of the topic.

2. Clarity. The presenter must be clear with precise, academic language. As the content they deliver may be new to the audience, any lack of clarity will alienate the audience. Providing multiple modes of representation greatly addresses a variety of processing needs of a diverse audience.

3. Cohesiveness. When making clear connections, the presenter bridges gaps between each discrete component in how they all work together as integral elements of the topic. Any gaps too large may make the elements look disjointed or, worse, the audience feel lost.

4. Captivation. The presenter must captivate the audience through any combination of audience engagement or storytelling . They make the presentation flow with the energy of a song , and in the end, they leave the audience with a delicate balance of feeling fulfilled and inspired to learn more.

Anyone can build an effective presentation with the “What, Why, How, and How-To” framework, along with competencies of content knowledge, clarity, cohesiveness, and captivation. The better we teach and coach others on how to create and deliver presentations, the more we learn from these individuals through their work.

In my class, one multilingual learner responded to the prompt “What are the non-math (life lessons) you have found valuable from this class?” with “I learn what is learning and teaching... I truly understood how teaching is actually learning when I had presentation. I found a bit of desire to being a teacher. I hope you also learned something from this class.” I always learn from my students when they present.

Our 10 Top Presentation Tips For Students | The Study Guide

14 Apr 2022

Katt Ekrami

Table of Contents

The dreaded university presentation can be the most anxiety-inducing experience for students. Presentation stress is even more commonplace due to the pandemic. Most new students will never have had the opportunity to present in front of a room full of people before university!   

Even though nearly  60% of students  enjoy next to no restrictions at uni, over a fifth are apprehensive of having none. This anxiety could be related to the change we’ve all been through over the last two years and also the fact you’ve got to learn new skills…again. Just as you’ve mastered online learning, you’ve got to go back in person.   

Presenting over Zoom is one thing, but you won’t be able to switch your camera off and mute your mic to scream into the abyss in front of the lecture hall or a seminar room.   

Unfortunately, giving presentations will keep popping up after university. Most jobs will require you to give presentations to a team or client, and depending on the industry, this could be an everyday thing.   

However, before you click off sweaty and scared, we’re here to help you overcome any worries and nail that existing talent. Here are our top 10 tips to help you succeed in your presentations.

1. Start strong  

Audience engagement is key to a successful presentation, so crafting an exciting beginning is vital. There are so many ways you can achieve this; a few examples are:-    

• Opening with an anecdote or story.  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  has got this down to an art.   
• Stating a divisive or shocking statistic that is central to your theme.
• Set up the exciting problem or question you will be trying to answer in the presentation.   

If you start on the right foot, you’ll smash the rest of the presentation. From flow and delivery to engagement, your presentation will benefit.  Amy Cuddy  does an excellent intro getting the audience to do a task – the perfect way to engage and get the presentation off to a flying start.   

2. Be enthusiastic   

If you want people to pay attention to you, you have to give them a reason. You must show the audience that whatever topic you’re talking about is worthy of their enthusiasm and attention. The easiest way to do that is to be your enthusiastic self and show the audience how to do it.   

3. Get inspo from others  

Now please don’t report us for plagiarism here. We’re defo not advocating that you copy other students’ work! What we are suggesting is that you have a look at inspirational speakers to learn about different techniques for presenting. TED Talks like  Simon Sinek  and  Chris Anderson  are brilliant for this! Try to copy their delivery style, watch how they hold themselves on stage and practise developing your stage presence.   

4. Remember your body language   

So much of human interaction is non-verbal. We’re all constantly and subconsciously assessing other people for social cues. How you stand whilst presenting can considerably impact the audience. Try not to hide behind a podium or notes table. Remember to keep your body open to the audience, maintain eye contact, and stand straight. All of these things will give your presentation added authority beyond just what is being said.    

5. Keep it simple  

You will likely be expected to produce a PowerPoint with slides to assist your audience. The most simple slide is the best aid for the audience. Don’t fall into the common trap of using your slides in replacement of your notes. You should plan what you are going to say and how you will say it before you even consider working on your PowerPoint. Your PowerPoint should have the highlights, and the key points and be very visual.   

6. Project   

Delivery is almost as important as the content itself. Your audience must be able to hear you, so practise projecting that amazing voice. There’s obvs a line between good projection and just shouting; it’s something you should work out before stepping up to deliver. Another good tip is to keep any notes away from your face, as this will only block your voice further.   

7. Keep it slow   

When we’re nervous, there’s a tendency to try and rush through the presentation as quickly as possible to get it over and done with.   

This is a big no-no!   

Make sure you speak slower than you usually would help the audience understand and absorb what you’re saying. This will calm you down and stop any stumbling over those long, complicated words you will inevitably want to include because… well… you’re a genius…  

8. Prep the tech  

There are so many options for presentation tech. A lot of the time, there’s a tendency to over-focus on the visual technology side of your presentation. It’s super important to make the tech enhance your presentation, not detract.   

People don’t want to watch you read out your presentation from the big screen in front of them. Think, does this video or clip or slide make my point clearer or bring the topic to life? If not, then maybe you could do the presentation without it.   

9. Embrace the nerves  

Nerves are the worst bit about presentations. All of the tension, the sweating and the heart palpitations are enough to make us vow never to stand up and present anything ever again.   

You have to find ways to embrace the nerves and stop them from becoming an obstacle to your presentation. The audience expects you to be nervous, and you could even go as far as publicly addressing your nerves at the start. This is a good way to ease a speaker into their rhythm and get the audience on the side.   

10. Practice practice practice    

The best way to help a good presentation become an amazing one is to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. The best public speakers plan their speeches and presentations months to really iron out the issues by running through practice sessions.  

If you can ,  practice in front of a test audience, but choose your faux audience wisely. You want to avoid those friends who can’t keep their “constructive” criticism to themselves. The last thing your confidence needs when trying to hone your presentation is a host of unfocused advice.  

University is a time of change and excitement, but it’s also a time where we are challenged and pushed outside of our comfort zone. This is where personal growth happens, so don’t be intimidated by your upcoming presentation; harness our tips and thrive. Got some  online exams  you need to prep for? Well, here’s how to utterly smash them and a few tricks on how to get  motivated to revise .

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• Presentation Hacks

7 Presentation Tips for Students

• By: Kelly Allison

Delivering a presentation as a student brings a special kind of anxiety. More than likely, you’re not yet a seasoned presenter so you haven’t had the opportunity to find your footing and confidence when speaking to large groups. This can be immensely intimidating. But rest assured that you’re not alone. Nearly everyone, no matter what they tell you, has some anxiety before presenting—especially students who are brand new to the game.

Fortunately, there are a ton of tricks you can use to diminish your fears around presenting while maximizing your delivery. Not only will the following techniques make you a better presenter, but they’ll also make you feel a whole lot more confident when you stop in front of a group of people. These presentation tips are geared to help students succeed.

1) Make a Mind Map

Mind mapping is a process whereby you’ll literally map out the content you’re planning to present using a visual outline. This simple step elevates your presentation by allowing you to more easily structure your information into a thoughtful and compelling flow. There are endless resources and mind mapping software you can find on online. A  2002 study found mind mapping to improve long-term retention of information by 10%. It’s definitely a step you don’t want to miss if you’re concerned about remembering what to say.

2) Create Beautiful Visual Aids

Just as you don’t want to sit through a long presentation that solely consists of one person talking at you, your audience doesn’t either. Save them (and yourself) from boredom by including beautiful visual aids. Use presentation tips for creating infographics , charts and videos for your deck. Your presentation will be more entertaining for the audience. Visual aids can serve as visual cues to help keep you on track.

3) Edit Your Content to the Most Important Points

A lot of student presenters make the mistake of saying too much about their topic. Overloading your slides with content results in a convoluted presentation. All of our presentation tips involve simplifying . Edit down your content to the main points that support your topic. Less is more in the presentation world. Let the visuals do more of the taking than the text.

4) Know More Than What You’re Sharing

You need to be the expert in the subject you are speaking on. Write out long speaking script notes to remind you of the details. This will prepare you for any questions you might get from the audience. If you receive a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t panic! Simply say you’ll look into it and follow-up after the presentation.

5) Make Sure to Pace Yourself

One of the biggest traps newbie presenters fall into is speaking too fast. Nerves can make it difficult to take your time. Our presentation tips suggest using breathing exercises to keep you calm. Rushing through the slides may give off the wrong impression. Effectively using pauses and silence will add impact to your speech. Take time to rehearse your pace to exude a ton of confidence and command over your topic.

6) Don’t be Afraid to Show Your Personality

Students may fall into a formal and stiff style of speech during a presentation. This will result in a boring presentation. Make sure to show your personality. Conversation speech will make you appear relatable and professional. Study your audience’s demographics to understand the most effective communications methods.

7) Don’t Just Practice; Rehearse

It’s not enough to know what you’re going to say. You  have to know how you’re going to say it. Set aside some time to rehearse your delivery . It’s best to do this in front of your peers and ask for feedback. Remember to practice body movement , use vocal inflections and ask for questions.

Want to get to know more about who you are as presenter? Take our Badge Assessment to discover your unique presentation persona. For more presentation tips, check out these blogs:

Kelly Allison

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• ACADEMIC ADVICE

Best Presentation Tips for Students

• October 19, 2022

Table of Contents

Prepare an outline, create a strong beginning and end, know more than you need, practice, practice, practice, work on your anxiety, create helpful visual aids, arrive early and set up, be prepared to improvise, show your passion, find alternatives or avoid filler words, watch your gestures and make eye contact.

Being a student and giving a presentation might cause anxiety, especially if you have not had a chance to practice speaking in front of large crowds and gain confidence. Fortunately, there are many techniques you can use to minimize your presentation-related anxieties while improving your delivery. 

This article will not just help improve your presentation skills; it will also give you far more confidence to stand in front of a crowd, which for some can be frightening. So do not click off sweaty and afraid just yet. Here are our best tips for improving your presentation skills.

Presentations are frequently required of college students, and it’s only one of the many causes of stress during that period. While the presentation’s objectives and outside factors will impact the presentation’s style, content, and structure, each requires certain skills to achieve a successful delivery.

Unfortunately, even after college, doing presentations will still be necessary. Most professions demand you to present to a group or client, depending on the sector, so the earlier you start practicing, the better. We are here to share presentation tips to help you overcome your fears and perfect your presentation skills.

So, how do you start a presentation as a student? Here is what you need to know. When creating a presentation, the most challenging part can be organizing everything you know about the topic in a logical order. To ensure that the outline does not jeopardize your presentation, you can use the mind-map strategy.

Mind mapping is a visual representation of the information in your presentation. It can assist you in seeing both the big picture and the little details because it gives your topics a visual representation and flow. It gives you a clear idea of what needs to come first and after that. 

You may discover countless tools and mind-mapping software online. If you are worried about remembering what to say, this is a stage you do not want to skip.

Conceptualizing and framing your topic is the most crucial part of preparing. One of the most important decisions you make is where to start and where to end. To choose where to start, consider what the audience already knows and how engaged they are in your topic. 

That does not imply that your presentation can succeed or fail based on the introduction. The finest speakers immediately introduce their topic, describe their enthusiasm for it, and inspire the audience to share their enthusiasm. 

Additionally, your presentation will stand out if the ending is strong. It may include a call to action, a memorable quote, a story describing why this subject is so significant to you personally, or a summary of essential lessons learned.

You will research the topic you intend to cover before creating a presentation to understand it thoroughly. And because you know the subject, you may feel as if you need to pour all of it on your audience, and this is where you are wrong. 

Know more than what you share; however, it is preferable to keep your presentation subject to what can be discussed and supported by examples during the specified time. By doing so, you will be able to elaborate, talk openly and confidently, and be ready to respond to any queries from the audience. 

The most effective public speakers prepare their speeches and presentations months in advance so they may run through practice sessions to fully iron out any kinks. Yes, perfectionism is a learned trait. Your body language will improve when you are well-prepared before giving a presentation, and you will feel more at ease and confident. Hence, practicing your presentation multiple times would be preferable. 

Practice your presentation in front of a friend, coworker, or family member so they can provide feedback. Alternatively, you can try recording it and listening to it later to identify which areas need improvement. Giving oneself plenty of preparation time is the best approach to making a good presentation unforgettable. 

The main focus of pre-gaming is getting ready for the big game. If this is the case, you might want to calm your anxieties by yelling out the title of your presentation, hopping around, or practicing the entire thing in front of a mirror.

Before your presentation, get pumped up and energetic! Your attitude sets the tone of the presentation, so if you are excited just before, you’ll probably maintain it throughout and spark the interest of your audience.

Your audience does not want to sit through a protracted presentation where all you hear is one person talking at you, just as you would not want to. Avoid boredom for them (and yourself) by incorporating lovely visual aids. The audience will find your presentation more entertaining. Visual aids might act as cues to help you stay on course.

Use contrasting colors whenever possible, such as light on dark or dark on light. To use throughout the presentation, stick with a few primary colors. Select high-quality photographs, and be sure to cite the image’s source.

Our attention span is relatively short because of the information overload and continual scrolling. As a result, incorporating graphics that can captivate an audience helps them understand complex concepts, create emotional connections, and help with knowledge retention.

Nowadays, the presenting technology options are countless. The visual technology portion of your presentation tends to get a lot of attention but can also make or break your presentation if the equipment decides not to function properly. 

As a result, perhaps the most important thing to remember while giving a speech is to arrive early. Preventive action is the greatest approach to staying out of trouble and having everything fall apart last minute. 

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The day before, back up your presentation software, upload it to Dropbox, and bring an MP4. Verify that all technical equipment, including the computer and projector, are hooked up and operating properly before the class begins. After double-checking everything, you are ready to present.

Even careful planning can never predict when something will go wrong. Yes, the mistakes you will probably make during a presentation won’t result in anyone being beheaded. However, knowing what to do if an unexpected power loss destroys your expertly created PowerPoint presentation is still useful.

Preparing a script and practicing your speech is essential for an effective presentation. However, as things start to diverge from your goals, it can cause you to fall behind. Remain calm and confident, even if things do not turn out the way you expected them to. 

Take advantage of whatever occurred, then nudge the presentation back in your desired direction. Make jokes to keep the audience’s attention or gracefully respond to nasty comments.

You could lapse into an overly professional and rigid speaking style during a presentation. This will make for a dull presentation. Do not forget to express your personality. Speaking casually will help you come out as credible and professional. 

Analyze the demographics of your target audience to determine the most efficient communication strategies. Once you figure that out, you will be able to show your passion for the subject and have the audience understand why the topic is important to you and why they should care about the matter. 

How do you speak in a presentation? Do you stutter or speak too quickly? You are not alone. When anxious, you often strive to get through the presentation as quickly as you can to finish it. An absolute no-no! Make sure to talk more slowly than you usually would to help the audience comprehend and assimilate what you are saying. 

As a result, you’ll be less anxious and less likely to stumble over the words you will unavoidably want to employ, such as filler words. Avoid them as much as possible because they lend you a shaky, unprofessional appearance. The finest substitutes for “uh,” “like,” and “so” are exhaling or pausing silently to gather your thoughts.

One of the most crucial pieces of advice for students is to make eye contact when presenting. Because they are so anxious, many turn to look at their notes or feet. Make eye contact with your audience to transmit confidence and keep them interested. You will find eye contact becomes more natural the more presentations you deliver.

Simply moving around will help you include eye contact in your presentation! If you pace a little or switch sides, your eyes will automatically shift to different room sections. 

Using your hands is another excellent method to interact with your audience and aid in their understanding of your ideas. Pinch your fingers when discussing a small matter. When referring to numbers less than five, raise the appropriate number of fingers. It makes it simpler to remember the number. It is a method for drawing attention to—in a nonverbal way—the word that listeners need to retain.

Being on stage as a college student can be intimidating, but with our presentation tips for students, it will be easy for you to prepare and deliver your presentation. And after giving one effective presentation, you will never want to get off the stage! However, to be successful in college requires more than having your presentation skills down. To learn more about this, read our article on the habits of successful students .

Bay Atlantic University

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Stay connected, 20 powerpoint presentation tips for students.

Do you need to give a PowerPoint presentation for your class? Whether it’s your first time or done before, these tips will help ensure your presentation goes smoothly.

I know students who struggle with public speaking, and they always seem to dread giving presentations.

I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be a scary experience! With these tips, you’ll be able to present like a pro and wow your classmates or teachers.

Let’s get started.

Best PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Students

Here are the best tips for creating successful PowerPoint presentations as a student:

1. Plan your slides carefully

I know it can be tempting to start your presentation right away, but stop and plan out how you want your slides to look first so that you have a solid structure.

If you don’t, there’s a chance that you might jump around or present information in the wrong order.

Plus, if you can show an outline of your slides to your teacher or classmates, they’ll better understand what you’re trying to say.

Planning your slides will also make it easier for you to make your presentation look professional.

2. Use a high-quality design template

PowerPoint has a ton of great-looking design templates you can use for free.

But if you don’t want to spend time looking through them or creating your own, search online for PowerPoint presentation designs and choose one that matches the style you need.

It is a straightforward way to make your presentation look more professional, even if you’re a beginner.

3. Keep your slides simple

Your audience is likelier to pay attention to your presentation if you keep your slides simple.

Too much text or too many images can be overwhelming and distracting. Stick to a maximum of five or six bullets per slide, and use images or graphs sparingly.

Simplicity will also help you make sure your presentation is easy to follow.

4. Use images of people sparingly

Don’t use too many pictures of yourself or others on your slides, especially if it’s a PowerPoint for school.

It might seem like an excellent way to put a face to the information you’re presenting and keep your audience interested, but having too many images can be distracting.

If you need to use people’s images, ensure they apply to your topic.

5. Stick to a consistent font style and size

Use a font that’s easy to read and keep the same font throughout your presentation.

You might also want to choose a font that matches the one you’re using in your presentation outline.

Being consistent with the font and size helps make your presentation look professional and organized.

6. Use text boxes if you need to explain anything

If you include a lot of information on one slide, like a list of steps, it might be helpful to have some additional information in a text box so that people know what each step means.

This step adds a little extra information without overcrowding your slide.

Text boxes also come in handy if you include a lot of screenshots in your presentation and want to explain what’s happening in each one.

7. Use high-quality images

It’s all about visual interest.

Using high-quality images is another way to make your presentation look more professional and polished.

When choosing an image, be sure it applies to what you’re talking about and that it’s not too distracting or confusing for the audience.

Many stock photo websites let you find images for free, and there’s a good chance that your teacher or local librarian will also know of some.

8. Limit the number of slides in your presentation

As a student, you probably have little time to spend on your presentation.

That’s why it’s essential to limit the number of slides in your presentation so that you can focus on delivering your information effectively.

Aim for between 15 and 20 slides, max. Any more than that, your audience might fidget or even forget what you’re saying.

9. Use bulleted lists when appropriate

Using bulleted lists can help break up text and make your presentation easier to follow.

They also make it look more professional and less like a school assignment.

So the next time you need to include bullet points on a slide, try to use a list instead of just typing out the issues one after the other.

10. Too much text is a No-No

Text-heavy slides are hard to read and can be boring for your audience.

Instead, use images or graphs to supplement your text and make your presentation more attractive.

Less text in your slides also means you’ll have more time to discuss each point, which is an excellent way to keep your audience engaged.

11. Take advantage of charts and graphs

I know it’s a bit old school, but graphs and charts can be a great way to make your presentation more attractive.

And this is especially true if you’re talking about math or science.

Most times, it’s way easier for an audience to understand information when presented in a graph or chart.

12. Use the right tone and language

Using more formal language can make your presentation sound more professional and less like a school assignment.

That doesn’t mean that you have to talk with many big, fancy words

use the tone and vocabulary appropriate for a professional setting instead of writing the way you talk.

13. Skip the filler words

Using filler words like “um” and “like” distracts the audience, so it’s probably best to cut them out.

Instead of using these words, pause for a few seconds to gather your thoughts before continuing with your presentation.

You can record yourself speaking and notice your filler words.

14. Tell a story

Telling a story effectively keeps your audience engaged and ensures they understand what you’re saying.

When you tell a story, try starting with a question about the topic to help guide your audience through the rest of your presentation.

I took a history class in high school where the teacher had us do this in every presentation.

15. Don’t be afraid to improvise

If you want your presentation to go smoothly, you must prepare by creating notes and an outline for the information you will cover.

However, you need to improvise and recover quickly if something goes wrong.

16. Get feedback from your teacher or classmates

If you don’t feel comfortable with your presentation right before giving it, try asking a friend or family member if they can sit in and watch to tell you what could be improved.

You could also ask your teacher if they have any advice or tips to help you before your presentation.

17. Avoid flashy transitions

Many students always want to use flashy transitions between slides to make their presentations more attractive.

However, in most cases, these transitions can distract and take away from your message.

If you want to use a transition, try something simple to help move smoothly from one slide to the next.

18. Use your hands

Talking with your hands can be a great way to help emphasize what you’re saying and keep your audience’s attention focused on you.

Just ensure you don’t gesture or move around too much, or else you’ll distract people from what you’re saying.

Using your hands has been shown to help with the retention of information.

19. Maintain eye contact all the time

During your presentation, it’s essential to maintain eye contact with your audience.

This tip will help show that you’re confident in what you’re saying and ensure everyone is paying attention.

If you get lost in your notes or look down at your slides too often, try practicing your presentation a few times beforehand so that you’ll be more comfortable when you’re giving it.

20. Don’t rush through your presentation

It’s important to remember that your audience will only understand and keep the information you present if you speak slowly and clearly.

If you try to rush through your presentation, the chances are that people will either lose focus or become confused, which will make it harder for them to follow your message.

Remember that practicing is the best way to ensure a smooth presentation!

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Presentation tips for high school students presentation, free google slides theme and powerpoint template.

Encourage young minds to conquer public speaking with our high school presentation tips template. This educational asset, suitable for Google Slides and PowerPoint, sports colorful geometric frames that keep the content vibrant and engaging. The slide deck is fully editable and facilitates the inclusion of personal tips, advice, and specifics. Download this resource as a fun way to instill presentation mastery, empowering students to deliver effective speeches with clarity and confidence.

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How to Create Slides That Suit Your Superiors: 11 Tips

When you’re pitching ideas or budgets to execs in your organization, you need to deliver slides that fit those particular people just right. This checklist identifies the key considerations.

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I recently interviewed 20 of my customers, all in senior roles at Fortune 100 companies, and asked them their biggest pain point in presenting to higher-ups and even colleagues. What I heard consistently was that it can feel like Goldilocks bouncing from one option to the next, testing to figure out what’s “just right.” Does the audience want deep reports? Sparse slides? Something in between? Like … what?

Teams often come to presentation meetings with vast amounts of backup content just in case an exec wants to take a deep dive on any given point. There’s often a struggle to anticipate every direction attendees might want to go. It’s frustrating, and it’s not efficient.

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There are many ways to build slides. I’m not just talking about crafting them well versus poorly. I’m talking about all of the important decisions regarding how to organize them, how much text to use, when to lean into a chart, the best ways to use bullets and color, and whether to include an appendix with additional information. Before you make your next proposal or request of the executive team, use this list of 11 tips for your next set of slides as a guide.

Four Things You Must Have in Every Exec’s Slides

Before we drill down into the harder aspects, the ones where your executives’ tastes may vary widely, let’s quickly cover four aspects that you can consider the building blocks — the basics you should never proceed without.

Start with an executive summary. Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure. First, start with stating the current realities. Second, clearly state the problem or opportunity your idea addresses and its potential impact. Third, explain how your recommendation solves the problem or exploits the opportunity and the next steps you’re proposing.

Have a logical organization. The arc of the deck — the package from beginning to end — should make sense. If your audience reads only the headline of every slide, the order should be coherent and make most of the case for you. The content below each slide’s headline must support the statement made in the title. Remove everything that doesn’t support your point; as writers will tell you, you sometimes need to “kill your darlings” when you’re editing.

Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure.

Make it skimmable. Help your audience to quickly grasp the point without getting bogged down in details. Create a clear visual hierarchy. Guide the reader’s eye through the content: Use bold headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to break down information into digestible pieces. Highlight key takeaways or conclusions in a different color or font size to draw attention to these critical points.

Focus on concise insights. Succinct statements with clear insights are everyone’s jam. Every slide should serve a purpose and contribute directly to the decision-making process. Distill complex information. Don’t use 100 words when 20 words will nail it. If you’re having difficulty trimming, consider using company-approved AI tools to help you take out the fluff.

Five Preferences to Confirm With the Person You Want to Reach

Now we’ll delve into what your particular audience does and does not want. If you haven’t yet, start by asking the person you’re presenting to what they generally prefer. They probably know themselves well but have not been asked to articulate how they like to receive information.

Ask how dense is too dense. Some executives prefer detailed slides with comprehensive data. Others favor a more high-level approach. You’re weighing how to balance informative content with readability, ensuring that slides are not overloaded yet are sufficiently detailed to support decision-making.

Confirm the delivery format and timing. Some execs like information presented to them. Others prefer a pre-read of the material followed by a discussion. I always recommend our tool Slidedocs (I’ve written a free e-book on them), which are visual documents using both words and images. The templates help presenters organize their thoughts into a document for a pre-read or a read-along. They are designed to be skimmable and able to travel through your organization without the help of a presenter.

I’m a huge fan of pre-reads and prefer to use my time in meetings to ask questions and build alignment. If your audience didn’t review your material in advance, ask at the top of the meeting whether they would like you to present it or would prefer to read through it and then discuss it.

Find out how much data visualization they prefer. Charts, graphs, photos, and illustrations often communicate complex data more clearly than words alone. When execs can see what you’re saying, they often can better understand the impact of your idea. Does the exec want to understand exact numbers? Bar charts allow them to move their eyes across a series of specifics. Does the exec want to know the shape of a trend over time? Line charts can show the pattern. (See “Classic Charts Communicate Data Quickly.”) Some prefer charts with annotations that draw attention to what you think is the most important point. Others want to make their own conclusions from the data.

One of my clients, the CEO of a massive commercial real estate company, doesn’t want anything visualized. He prefers numbers, only in a table, and only in two colors — black and red. You might think this is archaic. But the fact that he’s clear to his teams about what he wants takes all the mystery out of how to communicate with him.

When the stakes are high, have a conceptual thinker help with diagrams and concepts. If you don’t have one on your team, and when it’s high stakes, find an internal designer to help you or hire one. You can’t afford to have the baby (your idea) thrown out with the bathwater (terrible slides).

Identify which details need spelling out. How well do the people you’re presenting to know the landscape and function of the company and products you’re talking about? For example, if your engineering team threw a slide into a deck about an issue that requires executive approval, do the execs all speak geek? Or do you need to explain the technology so that they will really understand the ask? Either eliminate internal jargon and acronyms or unpack those bits, especially if your proposal deeply involves expertise outside of the executives’ domain.

Ask whether appendices will be useful. When you’re organizing a presentation, you often troll data, read through complicated reports, and even hire external experts to figure out what’s best for the company. Do your execs want access to that supporting data? You can add a document to the end of the presentation as an appendix to show all of the data and source material. This allows the main content of the slides to remain focused and accessible while still providing comprehensive background information for those who want more.

Two Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Getting materials in place is the biggest step. They will be your best tools for selling your ideas. But there are two extra areas to pay attention to as a presenter: how you handle questions and how you use every experience to improve.

Anticipate questions, and practice your answers. Before you have your meeting, gather a small team to challenge every point you make. Invite colleagues you trust to role-play as “a rapidly inquisitive exec” or “the doubting naysayer exec” so you are prepared to present your idea well. They’re gonna grill you, and practicing will help you remain unruffled when it happens.

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Ask for feedback after the presentation. Establish a feedback loop with those you presented to. Ask what worked well and how you can improve. If attendees don’t have the time, find people who have had their ideas funded and talk to them about what they did that worked. Advice and some perspective will help you nail your performance even better next time.

Empathetically understanding your audience members and how they process information, whether it’s executives or peers, sets up your ideas for success. Clarity creates efficiency. When a presentation fits just right, you’ve given your great thinking the best chance of moving through your organization and having maximum impact.

About the Author

Nancy Duarte is CEO of Duarte Inc. , a communication company in the Silicon Valley. She’s the author of six books, including DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story (Ideapress Publishing, 2019).

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Outstanding Student and PhD-candidate Presentation (OSPP) top tips from previous winners and judges!

Every year at the General Assembly hundreds of students present their research with a lot of time and effort going into preparing these presentations. With the aim to further improve the overall quality of poster presentations and more importantly, to encourage Early Career Scientists to present their work in the form of a poster, the OSP Awards (as they were formerly known), were born. Since the 2016 General Assembly, PICO presentations have been included in the awards, which have been renamed to Outstanding Student and PhD-candidate Presentation (OSPP) Awards .

“There are a thousand posters in a hall, and they are all competing for attention,” highlights Niels Hovius of GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences and a former OSPP Judge for the Geomorphology Division, “so, you need to stand out a little bit.”

But, how can you make sure your poster or PICO is a great presentation which achieves that?

This year we asked two OSPP winners for their tips to give a great OSPP presentation! Here is their advice:

Tullia Calogiuri , PhD Candidate, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands

Prepare your talk in advance. Practice a lot. Speak clearly, not too slow, not too fast. This is especially relevant if you are a non-native speaker. Prepare your speech if needed. Make a test presentation in front of your supervisor or colleagues many days before to improve your talk and slides. Try to keep eye contact with the audience and avoid reading. And don’t forget that this is a learning experience. In addition, upload your presentation many days in advance and check to avoid surprises. Lastly don’t forget to dress appropriately. Yes, this is also an important point to pay attention to. Your outfit matters. Although there is no official dress code at the EGU, don’t forget that presenting at the EGU is a unique opportunity as a student, and you are there to do your best. It is like a formal appointment, so dress well. As a guide, adopt a business casual dress code.”

Steve Kwatcho Kengdo , PhD Candidate, University of Bayreuth, Germany

At the 2015 General Assembly we spoke to some of the judges and past winners of the award and asked them to share their thoughts on what makes a top poster presentation.  We put their top tips together in this short video, which gives you a good idea of the key elements you ought to be thinking about when preparing your poster or PICO presentation.

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If you are participating in OSPP, don’t forget to attach the OSPP label ( blue PNG , yellow PNG ) to your poster board. Alternatively, you might include the label in the poster itself. If you participate with a PICO, you are kindly asked to add the OSPP label to your PICO presentation header.

The OSPP awards are presented at the level of the EGU Programme Groups , a post from the blog archives also has full details of how the presentations are evaluated  and you can also find  detailed information about the award  on the EGU website.

The EGU General Assembly is taking place in Vienna, Austria from 23 to 28 April. Check out the full session programme on the General Assembly website and follow the Assembly’s online conversation on  Twitter (#EGU23 is the official conference hashtag).

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Ask a Psychologist

Helping students thrive now.

Angela Duckworth and other behavioral-science experts offer advice to teachers based on scientific research. To submit questions, use this form or #helpstudentsthrive. Read more from this blog.

Tests Often Stress Students. These Tips Can Calm Their Nerves

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What can students do to help with stress before a test?

Rituals are a common choice to help calm the nerves. Here’s something I wrote about the topic for Character Lab as a Tip of the Week:

A professor at Harvard Business School I’ve known for many years always does the exact same thing before class. Because the school uses the case method, an open-ended discussion that can go in any direction at any time, class can be very unpredictable—and stressful. This professor paces back and forth in his office 30 minutes before class starts, running the discussion plan through his mind. He then writes down that plan on a pad of paper (that must be yellow) in a black-leather binder his father gave him 25 years ago, which he’s used every single day he’s taught at the school.

This person, of course, is me. What was I up to in my pacing and scribbling?

In times of stress and uncertainty, people often turn to rituals. And these rituals can be helpful in how we end up viewing our performance. In one study , researchers asked people to complete this ritual every day for a week:

Bring your fists together at your chest, slowly raise them above your head, and as you do, draw in a large inhale through your nose. Return your fists to your chest while drawing out an exhale through your mouth. Repeat this three times.

People then had to complete a series of difficult tasks that they were bound to make mistakes on. The researchers measured a pattern of brain activity that tracks the feelings that emerge in response to how well we did versus how well we thought we would do—basically, an “uh-oh” reaction to errors. They found that rituals decreased people’s negative response to their mistakes, suggesting that rituals help us move past our inevitable mistakes whenever we perform.

Here are two steps to help you explore the potential of performance rituals. First, take an audit of your existing ones. The next time you’re gearing up for a presentation, notice the little things you do to get yourself “ready to go.” Second, consider honing your existing rituals and even trying new ones in moments where you haven’t before. The stuff you need is already around you. Pacing, yellow paper, and black binders do it for me, and you know best what might resonate for you.

Don’t be embarrassed if you use rituals to try to calm your nerves.

Do experiment with using rituals to prepare yourself before performing, whether it’s taking a test or competing in a sport, and help young people do the same. Even small acts can provide comfort if and when you make a mistake so you feel ready to face what’s to come.

The opinions expressed in Ask a Psychologist: Helping Students Thrive Now are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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SLU ASBMB Hosts High School Research Symposium

The SLU American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Chapter organized its second High School Research Symposium Outreach Event on Saturday, April 6. This event attempts to merge research and presentation experience to help provide high school students in the St. Louis area with exposure to the scientific experimentation process.

Fifteen students from four different high schools in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area were selected and constructed either a literature review or a compilation of lab work with which they are currently involved. At the conclusion of their project, each student created an abstract, a scientific poster, and a slide presentation. 

From left are Layton Pfeuffer (Saint Louis University High School), Sophie Burgoon (Visitation Academy), Lauren Cleary (Visitation Academy), Mary Stein (Visitation Academy), Allison Kowalczyk (Visitation Academy), Hannah Houseworth (Visitation Academy), Josephine Janisch (Visitation Academy), Lillian Carlin (Visitation Academy), Amisha Poojari (MICDS), Abhinav Katyal (MICDS), Arjun Puri (MICDS), Sanjana Gandhi (MICDS), Emma Carcamo (Marquette High School), Charlie Dougherty (Saint Louis University High School), and Vincent Ly (Saint Louis University High School). Submitted photo. 

On the day of the symposium, each student presented their scientific research for seven to eight minutes, followed by a question session by SLU faculty, other students, and high school faculty members.

There was a panel of judges evaluating the presentations on scientific content and data analysis, similar to a collegiate-level presentation. The faculty judges consisted of SLU Medical Sciences professors Uthayashanker Ezekiel, Ph.D., and Rita Heuertz, Ph.D., and student judges were ASBMB E-board members Vaishnavi Srirama, Ether Dharmesh, Jessica Michael, Ashwin Pillai, Angela Lee, and Leah Keswani.

Cash prizes and SLU merchandise were given to the top three presenters and honorary mention students.

The following students received awards:

• First place: Amisha Poojari (MICDS)
• Second place: Arjun Puri (MICDS)
• Third place: Abhinav Katyal (MICDS)
• Honorable Mention: Charles Dougherty (Saint Louis University High School) and Hannah Houseworth (Visitation Academy)

The presentation session was followed by a tour of south campus, including the Doisy Research Center, Allied Health Building laboratory spaces, and cancer research and microbiology labs of Ezekiel and Heuertz.

The SLU ASBMB High School Research Symposium was first started in the spring of 2023 by the current chapter president, Vaishnavi Srirama. As a high school student, Srirama completed a similar program, which she attributes as life-changing to her interests and career goal as a physician-scientist. She wanted to start a similar event through ASBMB to impact the science community and provide mentorship to students through the lens of scientific outreach.

Since the first symposium in 2023, Srirama, Jessica Michael, and Ashwin Pillai have written and received an outreach grant of $500 from ASBMB in support of the event. At the recent 2024 Discover BMB national conference, the SLU Chapter of ASBMB was awarded an Honorary Mention for being the best ASBMB chapter in the country, and Srirama presented a poster about the 2023 outreach event outcomes and impact.

Furthermore, the ASBMB High School Research Symposium has created a large local impact as well. One of the faculty members at Visitation Academy, Laurie Blanner, started a new research course and pathway in her school’s curriculum. She also networked with another faculty from Saint Louis University High School, Tim O’Keefe, whom she met at the 2023 SLU ASBMB Research Symposium, to create a Neuroscience competition between their two high schools. 

Organizers for the event were: 

• ASBMB Executive Board President: Vaishnavi Srirama
• Vice President: Jessica Michael
• Vice President of Event: Ether Dharmesh
• Secretary: Matthew Dovalovsky
• Treasurer: Leah Keswani
• Public Relations: Angela Lee
• Historian: Ashwin Pillai
• Faculty Advisor: Uthayashanker Ezekiel, Ph.D.

• Faculty and Staff

ORE Seminar: Science Communication - Demonstration from ORE Graduate Students

This seminar provides a platform for students to share their work or interests, and to further hone their science and engineering communication skills. ORE graduate students will give “lightning talk” presentations on technical topics with various audiences in mind. The students attended a workshop, hosted by SOEST Communications and Outreach Specialist Marcie Grabowski, on effective science and engineering communication. In this session, they learned how to communicate with broad audiences about a specialized project or field of study. They were guided through the process of considering the perspective and priorities of a target audience, which is key to successful communication. After learning various tools and guidelines meant to help distill complex or technical information into a succinct and impactful message, the students are now putting those lessons to work. Jonas Behnen, Griffin Bourjeaurd, Clara Encke, Matthew Feeley, Brady Halvorson, Prajna Jandial, Jomphol Lamoonkit, Meysam Rajabi, William Robert, Merritt Shepherd, Charlotte White Graduate Students, Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Location Information **This seminar will be held both in person (Bilger Hall 150) and over Zoom** https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/95081858686 Meeting ID: 950 8185 8686 Passcode: OREseminar

Event Sponsor Ocean and Resources Engineering, Mānoa Campus

More Information (808) 956-7572, https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/ore/event/seminar_240417/

Ongoing Events

• OLLI-UHM Spring 2024 Courses for 50+
• Himeyuri and Hawaiʻi
• Spring 2024 Toiletries Drive
• Bookstore Monthly Sale - April
• Call for Entries: 2024 HI Pride T-shirt Contest
• HIPAA Certification Workshop