6 Presentation Tips for Postgrad Students

As part of postgraduate training and study, you will have to deliver lots of presentations. These may be small (just to a handful of people or even just one) or big (scary lecture theatre). Here are some tips I’ve learned from my own postgrad study to deal with these presentations.

Yes, that’s right, be nervous.

Unless you’re supremely confident and adept at public speaking (and if you are, I sort of hate you a little) you’re probably nervous about the prospect of presenting in front of lots of people. Especially when those people are very clever, shrewd, and incisive.

So, you’re going to be nervous. And that’s fine, because everybody else is going to be nervous, too. What’s important is not letting that show. Don’t feel bad for being on-edge, just find a way to process it and put it to one side for now.

It’s not easy (I know!) but put on your confident mask now and soon enough you won’t even realise you’re wearing it.

Why is every single presentation at university given using PowerPoint? You’ve probably seen the same slide over and over again. Title at the top. Bullet point list. Oh, a picture, how creative. There’s something about that generic PowerPoint slide that elicits a kind of unconscious response that instantly send me to sleep.

And that’s not to say PowerPoint is bad – it’s not. It’s a decent tool to use for giving presentations, and you will probably be asked to use it. Just don’t feel you have to create your presentation the same way as everybody else. The first step should always be to go straight to the blank slide layout.

Also, don’t use the presentations slides as a crutch. The focus of the presentation should be you and what you have to say. This is daunting but embracing this will really help your presentation style. See how much of your presentation you can give without any slides. Ideally, you want to be able to convey as much as possible using just your words and body, and only refer to the slides for specific information or visual aids.

And avoid bullet points where possible. Sometimes it’s necessary to use them, but make sure you’re using them effectively and not just because PowerPoint told you to.

This is my own personal demon. I’ve tried to pack too much information into a 15-minute presentation. I’m worried I won’t get to the end, and that I can’t properly explain something in the time-limit, and that I need to show off how clever I am. Oh, and I’m shaking with nerves.

The result is a sweaty, stuttering, mumbling talk that, despite being stuffed with information, doesn’t really explain anything and everyone is left none the wiser. If you don’t have time for a break during your talk then you’ve put too much in it. If you talk slowly, and clearly, and with deliberation, you will explain more than if you talk non-stop.

One of the most effective presentation techniques I’ve seen is the ability to pause. The speaker stops. Takes a drink of water. Glances around the lecture theatre. And then continues onto the next point.

Never underestimate the power of the pause.

And if you are giving a particularly long presentation, then you must have breaks every 15-20 minutes. Take a short rest from talking to demonstrate something, or use a prop, or ask your audience to do something. Or even just give the audience a rest (listening to a lecture can be hard work, too!).

Giving a good presentation is more art than science (even if you’re presenting science!). It’s about telling a story. And as such, the rules of storytelling apply.

It must have a beginning, middle and end. Think about how to introduce your story, and how to end it. A good start and good end leave a lasting impression and may end up being the most memorable parts of the talk.

Show, don’t tell. If there’s an opportunity to show or demonstrate something, rather than describing it – do it. This is so much more interesting than a sentence on a slide. I still remember my old high school science teacher demonstrating the Doppler effect by running around the classroom pretending to be an ambulance siren – silly, but I still remember it when I would have forgotten otherwise.

It should have purpose, and emotion and character(s). Why is your research important? What’s the emotional core? Who is your story about? Forget about most of the technical and specialist stuff that you spend all day worrying about and find what someone else will find interesting.

It’s easy to think of them as the enemy. Nasty vultures ready to pick up on any mistake you make and rip you to shreds when it’s time for questions.

But, they’re on your side. Your audience wants to experience a good presentation as much as you do. And this little change of perspective can go a long way. Don’t present to a wall of seats and faces – engage with the people listening. After all, they’re as much an integral part of the presentation as anything you do.

Oh, and questions at the end are not really for catching you out. It’s a chance to expand upon anything you didn’t have time to talk about or explain something to someone who is interested. And being honest about what you do and don’t know shows more confidence than someone desperately trying to cover up a gap in knowledge.

This one should be obvious, but it’s worth stating. You need to practise your presentation. How you do it depends on your presenting or memorising style, but there’s no worse feeling than standing in front of a lecture theatre forgetting what you’re supposed to say.

Practise your lines in front of a mirror or film it and re-watch – it gets you familiar with the sound of your own voice, and you can see you what you look like and if anything needs adjusting.

Funny story time – I once had to give a presentation that required me to say a technical word several times, and in practice I struggled to get the pronunciation right. I filmed myself presenting to prepare and realised that whenever I said this word, in an effort to pronounce it correctly, I did an odd half-eyes-closed-head-wiggle thing – really weird and distracting. I’m glad I saw this and stopped it before I presented to an audience!

Don’t shy away from opportunities to present. It’s easy to find excuses to avoid giving a talk, but each presentation makes you better at it.

Also, this point wasn’t titled ‘practice makes perfect’ because – let’s face it - there’s always going to be mistakes and always things you can improve upon. And that’s perfectly fine.

I’ll let you in on a little secret – I’m rubbish at presentations. I don’t really enjoy giving them and I get very nervous.

But, I’m getting better at them now than I used to be. And I think that’s the point I want to get across the most.

I used to think how good you are at presenting was down to your personality, confidence and charisma. And, lacking all of this, I was doomed to be bad at presenting forever.

Presentation is a learned skill. You can (and will!) improve with time, and by using some techniques and tips along the way, such as the six here.

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