Leeds University Library

Presentation skills


Presentation skills tutorial

The tutorial above will take you through the key stages of planning your presentation; it will take 40 minutes to complete. The sections below include advice and activities on all areas of this topic.

Person giving a presentation

Planning and writing your presentation

Before you start

You need to plan your presentation and think about how long it will take you to prepare.

You also need to think about who your audience is going to be - this will influence the tone and content of your presentation.

Make sure you fully understand what is expected of you, and how your presentation will be assessed.

Researching your topic

For detailed advice and information, see our dedicated pages:

Structure

Your presentation should have a clear structure. The following is a good rule of thumb:

  1. Tell them what you're going to tell them (introduction)
  2. Tell them (main body)
  3. Tell them what you told them (conclusion).

The points within the main body of your presentation should have a logical flow. Use signposting techniques to indicate the direction of your argument.

Preparing to present

If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail!

Rehearsal

No matter how much work you've put into the content, your presentation won't be a success unless you've practised it aloud. Ideally you should do this in front of an audience who will give you constructive feedback: your housemates, perhaps.

The venue

If possible visit your presentation venue in advance so you know what facilities are available - you might get a shock if you arrive on the day with a PowerPoint presentation to find that there is no projector!

If this isn't possible, for example if the presentation is at another institution, you should at least find out the following:

    1. Will there be a projector available? Will it have sound?
    2. How large is the room? Will everyone be able to see the screen?
    3. Will you need to rearrange the furniture in the room before your presentation?
    4. Is there a whiteboard/flip chart and pens?
    5. Where can you stand so that all of the audience can see you, and you don't block the screen?
      • Venue (activity)
        Consider the pros and cons of alternative room layouts for delivering a presentation.

      Visual aids

      Creating slides for your presentation

      Using slides can be an effective way of engaging your audience. However, a poorly constructed presentation with bad slides can be detrimental to your message, and will create a bad impression on your audience.

      It's very tempting when writing a presentation to open PowerPoint or Keynote straight away and start typing into your slides, but this often results in poorly constructed presentations. Before you start, ensure that you have a clear idea of the structure and content of your presentation.

      For technical help with presentation software, visit the relevant support pages:

      Learn from others

      Looking at great slides created by others will inspire ideas for your own presentations. The presentations below contain helpful ideas and examples of how to create slides with high impact:

      Alternatives to slides

      PowerPoint isn't the only visual aid you can use. Try some of these alternatives:

      • Prezi - The Zooming Presentation Editor
        Create visually engaging presentations by using a large canvas and zooming techniques, steering you away from the traditional linear slide presentations
      • Dipity
        Use an interactive timeline to visualise a linear story.

      Poster presentations

      Image copyright

      On the day