Study Skills: Presentations … design considerations

For many students giving a presentation, whether it is for formal assessment or not, can be a nerve wracking experience. The Study Skills team can help you to develop both your presentation and your presentation technique. However, there are some straight forward things that you can do yourself that can make your presentation looks as good as it possibly can. Knowing that you have prepared your slides well can give you that bit extra confidence on the day.

Stick to 50

A common mistake is to hide behind too much onscreen text. This distracts your audience from your presentation as they are torn between listening to you and reading your slides – hence they do neither successfully. Therefore your message, and your audience attention, is lost. As a general rule around 50 words should be the maximum per slide

Go Natural

This depends upon your audience but it is generally best to avoid jargon and abbreviations. Write your script in natural language and you will have a better connection with the audience. Also there will be less chance of stumbling over your words.

The Plain English campaign have several guides for natural speech: Plain English Free Guides

Clashing Colours Are Not Just a Fashion Faux Pas

There are lots and lots of predesigned slide templates. Be careful which ones you use. Throughout your presentation your text and visuals should be easily read by the audience. If the colours clash or your text / images overlap the template background then the impact is lost and your presentation does not look professional and thought out.

For more information on presenting, including more presentation hints and tips, book a session with our Study Skills Advisers One to One Support