Write down keywords or main ideas. If you need to consult your index cards, you’re only going to want to scan the index card for information, not read every last word. Most of the time, the act of putting information down on your index cards will help you remember the information. So, while you might not strictly need the note cards, it’s a nice security blanket to have if you happen to forget what you were going to say. You don’t want to be reading straight off your notecards during your presentation.
Practice in front of your family or friends, or in front of the mirror, when you rehearse your presentation. It’s probably better to do it in front of friends who you may not know well, as this will help you replicate the feeling of being in front of the class. Ask your friends for feedback after you finish your presentation. Was the presentation long enough? How was your eye contact? Did you stammer at all? Were all the points clearly made? Make a critique of your practice performance. Challenge yourself to work on all the things that you believe you can improve during the real presentation. When it comes time to deliver the real deal, you’ll feel confident knowing that you’ve worked extra hard on what was toughest for you.
Get quotes from reliable sources. Good quotes make a good presentation great. Taking what smart people have said and putting it into your presentation not only makes you look smart, it shows the teacher that you spent time thinking about what other people said. Make sure your sources are trustworthy. There’s nothing that can quite break your confidence like a fact that turns out to not be a fact. Don’t always trust the information you get off the Internet.
Studies have shown that smiles are infectious; that means that once you smile, it’s hard for everyone else not to smile. So if you want your presentation to go off without a hitch, force yourself to smile. That’ll make everyone smile; and maybe those smiles will make you actually smile.
Think about your intention before you talk to your audience. Do you want to educate, enlighten, or entertain this audience? What is the effect that you want to have on the listener? Visualize success before, during, and after your presentation. Be humble about what you do — no need for cockiness — but imagine a successful presentation at all times. Don’t let the thought of failure creep into your mind. In many ways, your confidence is just as important as the information you’re delivering. You don’t want to spread misinformation, or skimp on doing your research, but a lot of what you’ll be graded on — and what the other students come away with — is going to be your level of confidence. Also if you are confident, you will have a better time exchanging ideas with the class. If you need a confidence boost, think big picture. After 10 or 15 minutes, your presentation will be over. What will your presentation matter in the long run? Probably not very much. Try to do the best you can, but if you’re getting nervous, remind yourself that there are much more important moments in your life to come.
Have the goal of looking at every person in the classroom at least once. That way, everyone will feel like you’ve engaged with them. Plus, you’ll look like you know what you’re talking about.
Inflection is the kind of movement that radio DJs put into their voice; it’s the ramped-up pitch in your voice when it gets excited. You don’t want to sound like you’ve just seen a lion, but you also don’t want to sound like you’ve just seen a squirrel, either. Vary it up to make the presentation more interesting.
Tell a story, maybe one with a personal note. Stories are great for history or English presentations. Maybe you can tie your presentation into a little anecdote about a famous historical person? Ask a provocative question. Ending with a question is a good way of getting your audience to think about your presentation in an interesting way. Is there a certain conclusion you want them to come to?
