Do you have to present a group project or explain how you approached your assignment for extra credit? Here’s how to prepare for the big speech.
First, you’re going to be nervous and the last thing you want to do is lose track of what you’re saying. Also, you don’t want to bore your audience by reading your PowerPoint slides or notes.
Know what you’re saying and have it timed down to the second. To do this, you have to rehearse. Once you’re word perfect, you’ll feel more confident too.
Second, look the part. Wearing jeans and a T-shirt is great when you want to be comfortable but once you’re up there and every eye is on you, you’ll remember that you didn’t iron the sleeves.
Also, no matter how much your friends like you, you can’t get away from the fact that the more professional you look, the more seriously people will take your work. So, dress for the part.
Third, think about the room. If you’re in small room, you can set up your computer and talk.But if your group is meeting in a big lecture hall, you’ll have to work with a microphone and communicate in a large space.
The only way to familiarise yourself with these kind of conditions is to get up there and do it. A few days before your talk, go into an empty hall, get on stage and practise.
You’ll be up there alone which is not the same as working with a crowd using a microphone, so ask your teacher if you can have two minutes to try out the gear at the end of a class.
This article also available on print version @The Star Newspaper, Education Guide