Sprint at a glance: Presentations perfected

Why focus on presentations?

The ability to give compelling presentations is crucial for instructors, staff members, and students alike. Developing public speaking and presentation skills can help you achieve your academic, research, and professional goals.

Opportunities and challenges

Attention

Given the prevalence of online platforms and social media, presentations must compete for audience attention. Since higher education lives, in part or in whole, in virtual/online spaces, incorporating elements of participation and connection from popular social media platforms can enhance learning experiences and engagement.

Length

Research-based recommendations on length vary depending on different factors (context, audience, and key takeaway points); however, all evidence indicates that the shorter the presentation, the greater the retention (Manashra et al., 2021).

Best practices

Keeping the following design principles in mind when developing a presentation structure will help foster participation and communication and enhance learning outcomes:

• Deliver information in manageable “chunks”

• Use relevant visuals

• Use text sparingly

• Reveal text as you speak it

• Create interactivity

Visuals and effective design principles

Effective presentations use visuals to complement spoken words rather than relying on text-heavy content. When creating multimedia, you can use minimalist design, appropriate image/video/audio selection, and consistency in font to create engaging presentations.

Technology and accessibility

Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Canva are three different software applications that can be used to create slide-based presentations, each with its own features and considerations. In addition, you can use various platforms for synchronous presentations (Zoom, etc.) or asynchronous presentations (Panopto, VoiceThread, etc.). Proper citation of multimedia content and accessibility considerations are important when sourcing images and presenting work online.

Interaction

You can use polls, games/simulations, breakout groups, visuals/props, storytelling and other strategies to enhance audience engagement, which is crucial for effective presentations.

Keeping your cool

Even though leading a presentation can be nerve-wracking, you can use different strategies to help calm nerves, present confidently, and engage the audience:

• Prepare thoroughly

• Practice delivery

• Incorporate breathing techniques and mindfulness practices

• Use notes effectively

• Address difficult questions by acknowledging the query and addressing the underlying need

Created on May 3, 2024