do's and dont's on oral presentations

[MESMERiZEDPiNAY]

do you guys know any? i only know like be prepared and have self confidence .. but is there anymore tips i can follow?

[merovingian]

If you don't want to make eye contact with people, stare right above their heads. Breath, don't be nervous and if you rehearse a lot, you'll be pretty confident when you get up there and you won't be nervous.

Rehearse in front of a mirror, to family, whatever...The more you practice it the more smoothly it will go.

[som3thingsp3cial]

eye contact <--- that's a biggie =)

also.. don't fidget (ie. move hand from pocket --> in out in out in out .. twiddle pencil, thumbs, anything distracting to a viewer)

practice makes perfect (uhh.. sometimes lol)

and remember.. EVERYONE is as nervous as you if not MORE!!!
so relax and be cool B)

[innocentxheart]

i make eye contacts . i like to look at people's reaction . hehe . if your not that type of person who makes eye contacts then start at the clock. just dont keep looking down . also dont read to fast . i know its hard to do that when your nervous . just do the best you can and smile

[cindy]

And if you don't like to make eye contact with people, and staring at the clock might look awkard (it depends on where it is in the room), then you can always stare at the back wall right above people's eyes so you won't look like you're staring at like the ceiling or whatever. Also, don't stand extremely still either. You'll look like you're really really nervous. Just take a couple of steps once in awhile. If you dont want to do that, just make sure you body's not really stiff. Good luck on your oral presentation whenever it is!

[krayziekid727]

Body language, eye contact, a smile, and a confident outlook are best. Make sure your body language is positive and calm. You just have to chill and pretend you're alone and when you make eye contact just pretend you're just looking yourself in the eye in the mirror. And practice practice practice.

[tigmarque]

Don't talk to fast. If you feel the need to takes notes with you, write them on palm sized cards and make the writing BIG. One or two points per card is OK so long as you don't have to hold them infront of your face to read them.

If you have presentation slides only put three or four points per page. Don't fill them with long descriptions - this is what you are there for.

Nerves are good. They help you charge up. The first 30 seconds of a presentation are always the worst, so just try and find your rhythm.

And good luck I was terrible the first time I had to do a presentation. Nerves all over the place. Now I can do a corporate presentation no problem ... so long as I prepare well that is. :lol:

Oh, and unless you have requested people to come and listen to you you don't have to say "Thank you for listening" at the end.

[xMiSS CH3LSiEx]

-note cards are always good
-again--practice does make perfect
-and if you have a poster or a display you can point to it or show parts of it or read directly from it if you don't want to make eye contact with the audience--> i use this the most
-speak slowly and clearly-->imagine talkin gto the person in the very back of the room
-if nervousness strikes, imagine you're back at your room and show them that you really know what you are talking about

i think thats the most helpful to me...so i hope they help you!!

[krayziekid727]

If you're good at making people laugh, add a little humor too it(just slightly) it will lighten the mood and help you relax. If you're horrible at humor then disregard this reply completely.

[archercaptain]

Keep your voice under control, especially if you're a nervous person. However, try not to lock yourself in a monotone and add some expression. If you're a fidgety person, then try to avoid notecards, because you'll only end up messing with them during the speech. The key thing is to practice, because you're rarely as good (or better) than you anticipate to be, and so practicing in front of others (try changing the audience each time) should help.