How to give a good presentation?

What sort? Powerpoint?

Be prepared. Having a structured plan will very often help one excel in nervous situations. Repeat your presentation to yourself at home so you understand both what you intend to talk about and the intricacies of the matter, know what your key points will be for each slide (assuming slides are being used) and generally be confident. Take deep breaths, concentrate on the matter at hand and perhaps even make a joke or two to lighten the mood. Try to see it as a meeting with friends but without pushing that thought to dangerous lengths (trust me, nuggying your boss does not go down well). Basically just be cooooooooool man.

I’m aware this is all advice that’s easier said than done and in every 99c “you could be James Bond in 14 minutes” confidence guide under the sun but they’ve become clichés with good reason.

Good luck :)

Practice until you could do it in your sleep.

It depends on the context. Is it for work or school? Pretty much all you can do is prepare and relax. I have done tons of public speaking and it freaks me out until I start. It isn’t going to kill you if you fuck it up.

I had to give a speech in a high school English class. It had to be from a outline on 3X5 cards. I started the night before my speech in class. I did the outline and went through it once.

I was terrified when I was going to go in front of the class. But I did it and I got a 95% on it. The teacher even called me “mister subliminal” since I was mumbling stuff like “this is bullshit” and “religion is the stupidist shit ever” under my breathe.

The speech was on satanism.

So relax and prepare. If it is for school I guarantee someone will suck worse.

Garr Reynolds has excellent tips on presenting, especially the slide tips section. Start out by stating exactly why what you’re saying is important to your audience. As in, “Every year the company spends approximately $2 million dollars in postage on returned mail. I am here today to explain why that happens, and what can be done to reduce that amount about by 75% through standardization of mailing practices.”

Talk slower than feels normal. Pause frequently. What you say comes out of your mouth goes in their ears, and needs time to process. It’s easier to concentrate if speakers are more deliberative.

Don’t overload your slides. Use your images and slide content as speaking prompts. Prepare a single page takeaway that summarizes what you’ve said.

Be prepared. Have everything to hand. Practice, and most of all BE CONFIDENT. Good luck

Focus, focus, focus.

Body language. Frequent eye contact with individuals from the audience. Tell a story.