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Nervous about your dissertation presentation? For many people, oral presentations (or public speaking in general) can be stressful experiences. Whether it鈥檚 formative or summative, it鈥檚 worth looking at your presentation as a chance to show your department what you鈥檙e made of, and to gain valuable feedback in the process. So, with that in mind, here are some tips to help you ace your presentation!

Tags: Dissertation Tips and Tricks

Who are you giving the presentation to? Your supervisor? Another member of staff? Perhaps there are some students listening. It鈥檚 important that you keep the audience in mind when creating your presentation. If it鈥檚 to your supervisor, you know that they鈥檒l already be aware of the context and content of your research.

However, if there are other students listening you can鈥檛 assume that they will understand everything that you鈥檙e talking about. Look over your notes and decide if anything needs clarification. It鈥檚 easy to lose an audience if you haven鈥檛 properly explained the circumstances of your research, but it can be a simple mistake to fix.

Another easy trap to fall into is choosing to focus on the wrong aspects of your work. If you鈥檙e only given ten minutes to present your dissertation, it鈥檚 probably not feasible to fit your entire structure into one PowerPoint. It鈥檚 therefore to your advantage to be clever in terms of which parts of your work you pick and choose to discuss.

If your presentation will be marked it鈥檚 a good idea to pick the areas of research and methodology that you are most confident with, since you will then be more prepared for questions afterwards.

However, if your presentation isn鈥檛 marked and is more like a staged opportunity to receive feedback, you might want to discuss one of the sections you are less sure about so that you can get helpful responses about whether or not you鈥檙e on the right lines.

Your department should have given you some advice about the length of your presentation. It鈥檚 really important that you stick to this. The time that鈥檚 been given to you has been set to make sure you don鈥檛 commit the biggest presentation crime of all time: waffling. Wandering off-topic or focusing on one point for too long can be extremely boring for your listeners, and they鈥檒l soon lose interest.

In the same vein, don鈥檛 rush to try and fit as much as possible into your allotted time. If you don鈥檛 speak clearly, you risk your audience missing something or not understanding. The same applies to your word choice; it鈥檚 tempting to overuse a thesaurus to make yourself seem more intelligent, but this has consequences on the clarity of your speech. The phrase to keep in mind is 鈥楺uality, not quantity鈥�, both in the content of your presentation, and in your choice of words.

We鈥檝e all fallen victim to a PowerPoint presentation that looks like a four-hundred-page novel has been copied and pasted onto each slide. This is again something to avoid in order to achieve a clear presentation. Instead of using words, select some images that relate to your work. For some, this might be art or material objects, for others it could be a graph or chart. A flow-diagram is a great way to illustrate structure and methodology as opposed to using a long-winded description that fills up an entire slide. After all, a picture tells a thousand words.

It鈥檚 a great idea to practise your presentation in a space that you feel comfortable in. Rehearse it in front of a mirror, or (even better) for trusted friends or family. Record yourself so you can listen back and make sure you鈥檙e speaking clearly and are within the time limit. Don鈥檛 forget to ask for feedback!

Finally, it鈥檚 important to remember that there are two sides to every presentation: talking, and listening. Once you鈥檝e finished, it鈥檚 easy to relax and then stumble when you鈥檙e asked questions. Listen carefully to what鈥檚 asked, making sure you understand. Ask for clarification if there鈥檚 something about the question that feels unclear. This can also give you more time to think of a good answer.

Feel free to ask beforehand for feedback on a specific area. For example, if you aren鈥檛 sure about your methodology, it鈥檚 helpful to ask for advice specific to this. Finally, don鈥檛 forget to take any feedback on the presentation itself in your stride, as it can be really helpful for the next time you need to give one.

If you鈥檙e still struggling with your presentation, why not check out the Library鈥檚 Online Course, Presenting and Visualising Information.

Good luck!