Developing Oral Presentation Skills Pat Maier

Aims of the session Recognise good and poor talks Identify and resolve your concerns Techniques to avoid poor talks Dealing with your nerves Tips for group presentations

What makes a talk poor? Little/no eye contact –No engagement with the audience Mumbling –Often because not engaging with audience Reading from a paper –Too fast, monotone Little/no structure –Lack of clarity Too much information Bad visual aids

Dealing with nerves Be prepared –Plan and rehearse –See ‘dealing with nerves’ box –See handy check list Deep breathing! –May sound naff, but it works Engage with your audience –Makes you feel more relaxed –See ‘engage with your audience’ box

Presenting as part of a team Plan talk together Set responsibilities Structure talk –Intro – sections - conclusion –Ensure everyone will speak Smooth links between speakers –Someone to introduce talk and –Introduce next topic & speaker –Someone to conclude Your talk must HANG TOGEGTHER

Academic Skills Guides Guides available are: Learning styles Reading academically Writing effectively Referencing your work Getting the most from lectures Working in groups Giving a talk Preparing effectively for examinations Search strategy Writing your dissertation EndNote - software that helps you manage referencesEndNote - software that helps you manage references Approaching Mathematical Problems Systematically