Tips for Conducting an Oral Presentation
Preparation and practice will improve the quality and success of your oral presentation. This list
of guidelines is intended to help you create and deliver an effective oral presentation.
Remember that if you are nervous, you are not alone. Previous URC students describe their
experience in the following ways: “I was incredibly nervous about it but then getting up there & realizing I
am very knowledgeable increased my confidence level.”
“The most memorable part was finishing my presentation and feeling as though I had accomplished something
very challenging. It made me proud and gave me more academic confidence.”
“Giving a 10-minute presentation on my year-long research really aided me in being able to take a complex topic
and explain it fairly simply. I was forced to choose the best evidence possible to make my point understood and
credible.”
When preparing your oral presentation, please consider the following critical elements and key
questions.
PLANNING
Be Clear about Your Purpose: It is critical to be clear about your purpose in the communication.
Are you informing or persuading?
Focus on getting one to three key points across;
Repeat key points: Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you told
them;
What do you want the audience to know, feel, or believe afterwards? What is the “take home
message”
Think about Your Audience: Tailor your message to the audience.
Who are they?
What are their interests, knowledge levels, and attitudes toward your topic?
The audience needs the answers to questions such as:
Why should I care about this issue?
I agree with the significance of the topic, but how are you justifying your ideas?
Use an Effective Introduction:
Orient the audience, explain why it is important, and set the tone;
Establish a relationship between the speaker and the audience and establish credibility;
Avoid weak introductions such as apologies, jokes, and rhetorical questions.
Keep it Simple: It is important that you organize your presentation clearly and simply.
Prioritize topics and allocate time accordingly;
Stick to a few main points;
Have a distinct pattern (e.g., cause and effect, chronological, problem/solution);
Use transitions to move smoothly from one point to the next;
Use examples, anecdotes, graphics, images, and statistics to illustrate main points and to
maintain your audience’s interest;