How to Prepare a Presentation

Successful oral communication is an important skill in the business and academic world. These easy steps are an introductory guide to use when preparing a talk. The principles should be applied whenever you are making a public presentation, whether it's a conference presentation, a job talk, or a seminar.

1. Have a strong opening sentence to capture your audience.
2. Hand out at least one piece of paper. Your audience will have an easier time listening to you, and it can make you less nervous since it's a good starting point.
3. Respect your audience.
4. Use humor, it helps.
5. Eye contact is very important
6. Speak to the audience, do not read.
7. Practice, it pays.
8. Speak slowly and leave gaps for questions

There are very few people with a natural talent for delivering outstanding presentations. Then again, foresight, hard work, and practice can carry most of the rest of us into a high level of presentation skills. The standards for public speaking in the scientific and academic spheres are relatively low, so a good presentation is often unforgettable.

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