ATC - Blog4

During the previous ATC class, (last week and today), each of the student had an opportunity to do a presentation. Most of the DPhil candidates presented a brief overview of something in relation to their current research while the Masters candidates presented topics they’re interested to work on in the future. The 2 presentation sessions were very informative and interesting. From my observation of my classmates’ presentation, I could pick up a few good and bad presentation skills, thanks to the session that we had discussed in the previous ATC class.


Good :

• Use of proper PowerPoint slides that aren’t distracting to the audience. Instead, only important information is presented with mostly contrast colours between the background and foreground.
• Most presenters manage to finish the presentation on time. Always keep up with the time given!
• It’s good that almost everyone introduce themselves sufficiently before they begin with the talk.
• Questions were mostly answered pretty well with examples given along the explanations.
• The use of props such as leaflets makes the presentation interesting.
• Demonstration that involves auditory and tactile focus also interests the audience.

Bad :

• Good posture is important during a presentation; this affects those ‘visual’ audiences. Leaning on the wall or having hands in the pockets are a few examples that should be avoided.
• Reading slides isn’t at all defined as a presentation! Never read slides while showing ur back to the audience!
• Slideshows are not the presentation, the presenter is. Therefore, keep the presentation concise and include only relevant information. Don’t overload textual information on a single slide, do keep to 3-4 points with appropriate text size.
• Sometimes, presenters are not aware that they mumble during the talk. Staying alert about the things you say out might help to overcome this.
  

I think I’ve used most of the tips shown by others during the presentation session, except the use of props. I intend to employ this method in future presentation. Apart from that, I should learn to answer questions by giving examples or analogy to make it easier for the audience to comprehend the intended message. Finally, practising a presentation improves your skill and boosts your confidence!