How to Prepare for a Presentation

I have been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to speak at the North Carolina State Middle School Conference on the 14th of March.  The conference is working as paperless as possible so I am going to use  this space to paste the presentation notes and slides over the next couple of days.  This is good because it will give me a chance to fill in any gaps and to repost some of the best resources as well as adding new ideas from the conference itself.

How to present

View more presentations from historyman8

After you finish your research, the first step in presenting in Mr. Freeman's class is to plan out what you’re going to present and how you’re going to do it. There are many ways to present. You could use PowerPoint, ActivInspire, Prezi, Google Presentation, or other media. Don't wait until the night before it’s due.

Rule number one is 1 idea equals 1 slide. If you put too many ideas on the same page or slide the audience, that’s everyone watching you present, will get confused and stop paying attention.

Before you sit down at the computer and try to make your presentation plan it out. Use sticky notes to write or draw your ideas. Remember 1 idea 1 note. If the ideas too big to fit on the sticky note in marker it’s too big for your slide.

Time and space are important. Ask Mr. Freeman how much time you will have and how many slides you’re allowed to use before you start. You can explain anything in ten slides. It shouldn't take more than twenty minutes, and if you use small font the people in the back can't read the information.

Never copy and paste information. If you do it is plagiarism and that will never be tolerated in Mr. Freeman's class. Your audience wants to know what you know.

Bright colors are offensive to the eye. Don't use them like this.

The human brain reads images faster than words. When you're presenting let the picture be the backdrop for your story, but use the whole screen.

If you have more than 75 words on a page it is a document which should be printed and handed out. People learn faster through images to show them exactly what you mean. If you still need them to read give them the document separately.

Practice at home or with friends before you present. Don't be afraid to get your audience involved. They will learn more about what you're trying to teach them if they are engaged in the action. Ask them questions; just make sure you know the answers. Ask simple questions first and space them throughout your presentation.

You should know all of the information that you're presenting. Face your audience as much as possible. If you turn around the audience will think that you don't know and then they won't care.