Presentation Skill

As a student, it is a usual thing to share our knowledge in a class by doing a presentation.

Presentation itself is a process of presenting an idea or topic to an audience. Not everyone can
deliver a quality presentation. To deliver a high quality presentation, you have to learn
presentation skills which include; preparation of the presentation, good communication skills,
and ability to attract attention from the audience.

Preparation of the Presentation

Pick a good topic that you want to deliver to the audience. The topic should be relevant to
the audience and recent issue so that the audience will be interested on your topic. You can try to
ask yourself a few question such as; what is the aim? What is my title? Who am I speaking to?
What are the main points I want to make? What do I want the audience to do after listening to
my presentation? (Storz, et al., 2002).

After done picking a topic, never forget that you will also make a media for your
presentation. Lacking of media can make your audience bored and give their attention to
something else. To make a media for the presentation, first you have to organize your
presentation material by;

Use the title of the presentation as a guide

Look over the material and focus on important key points
Prioritize the content of your presentation
Organize your presentation to include time for question and answer

If you are planning to use a PowerPoint presentation you have to consider few things to
make your PowerPoint presentation will be effective, efficient, and engaging (Northern Illnois
University, n.d.).

Use color for emphasis

Use a clear and readable typeface such as Arial, Calibri, or Tahoma
Make sure that the typeface is large enough, so the audience can read it
Use relevant graphic to support the contents that are being projected
 Add motion, sound, or music only when necessary
Check for spelling and word usage

Good Communication Skill

Good communication skill is needed during the presentation. By having a good

communication skill, you can deliver your message effectively. Communication skill include
your choice of word, pronunciation, and the intonation. The structure of your presentation is also
important. There are three part to a presentation; introduction, body, and conclusion (Storz,
2002).

Introduction
In the introduction you have to gain the audience attention by giving the audience signal
such as Lets begin, Can we start?, Good, Shall we start?, and many more. Dont
forget that you have to greet the audience with Hello. Good morning, Ladies and
gentlemen, or other greeting. Then you have to introduce yourself and give the audience
brief explanation about the topic. You will also have to estimate the time you will take.
Body
In this part you have to master your topic so you can deliver your presentation smoothly.
The content of your presentation must support your purpose and dont forget to deliver
the important content.
Conclusion
The end of the presentation should include four parts: a brief reminder of what you tried
to show in your speech and how you tried to do so, a short conclusion, thanks to the
audience for listening, and an invitation to ask question, make comments or open a
discussion (Storz, 2002). When someone asked a question about the presentation, make
sure that you understand the question. You can check your understanding by repeating
the question in your own words to check that you have understood.

Attracting Audience

The audience will not pay attention to your presentation if your presentation is boring.
According to Smith (2014), you can attract the attention of the audience by doing the following;

Tell a captivating story

 Ask a rhetorical thought-provoking question
State a shocking statistic or headline
Use a powerful quote
Show gripping photo
Use a prop or creative visual aid
Play a short video

In conclusion, learning presentation skill is necessary because it will improve your

presentation quality. By having a quality presentation, you will deliver your message well and
the audience will also get your message well.

References

Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. (n.d.).
Preparing presentation media for teaching. Retrieved from
http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/technology/preparing_presentation_media.pd
f. At February 16th , 2016 16:37 WIB.

Smith, Jacquelyn. (2014). 7 Excellent ways to start a presentation and capture your audiences
attention. Published at July 7th, 2014 3:11 PM ET. Retrieved from
http://business.financialpost.com/business-insider/7-excellent-ways-to-start-a-
presentation-and-capture-your-audiences-attention at February 16th, 2016 17:02 WIB.

Storz, Carl et al. (2002). Oral presentation skills: A practical guide. Retrieved from www.
people.engr.ncsu.edu/txie/publications/oral_presentation_skills.pdfat February 16th ,
2016 16:32 WIB.

University of Washington. (n.d.). Presentation tips. Retrieved from

www.washington.edu/doit/sites/default/files/atoms/files/Presentation%20Tips.pdfat
February 16th, 2016 16:59 WIB