Talks and presentations are a part of everyday student life. Here are a couple of tips for successful public speaking:

Prepare

  • The more often you say something out loud, the easier it is to remember, as you form a kind of muscle memory from saying the same thing over.

  • Imagine you are an actor preparing for a performance. The closer you get to the premiere, the more your “rehearsals” should be like the real thing.

Have a clear structure

  • Open the topic, possibly with a brief introduction of how your presentation is organized

  • What is the goal? Why is this subject interesting? What is the specific topic I have developed on this subject?

  •  Arguments (pro and con, for example)

  • Back up your core statements; offer evidence

  • Summary, decision, final assessment, closing remarks, opinion
  • Possible transition to a discussion (where you then act as the moderator)
  • Don’t forget to prepare for the transition to the next speaker from your group if it is a group presentation.

Engage the audience

  • A successful start: You can get the audience interested in your subject by using interesting or striking terms, offering interesting insights, asking rhetorical questions, presenting surprising comparisons, telling personal anecdotes, or introducing little-known facts or news.

  • Give examples and make comparisons: These elements introduce variety. They are entertaining and help to hold the audience’s interest and engage their attention.

Speak clearly

  • Speaking pace: Make sure you don’t speak too fast. If you do find yourself talking too quickly, take a breath, steady yourself, and continue at a slower pace. People often talk very quickly, especially at the start of a presentation, so it is a good idea to take a few deep breaths before starting any presentation, look around at the audience, and then start to speak. If you have a sense that you are speaking very slowly, that is generally just the right pace.

  • Simple expressions: Keep your sentences short, with more main clauses than usual. Minimize long, complicated phrasings. Stay away from foreign terms you cannot explain or that seem unnatural. Describe the information using your own vocabulary.

Stay true to yourself

  • Don’t try to imitate a particular speaker or to make yourself the star of the show if you are not comfortable in this role. An authentically delivered talk or presentation that leaves the audience with a sense of what is important to you and why you think this topic is relevant is the most effective kind.
  • Ask the audience questions
  • Don’t let yourself be knocked off track; rephrase
  • Use synonyms
  • Try to remember through visual cues: It was written here ...
  • Try to remember through audio cues: It sounds like ...

You can also see the Self-care section for tips and tricks for dealing with stress and exam anxiety

  • Keine Stichwörter