During your academic career in healthcare, you may be required to give a class presentation in front of your peers. Often, people consider this an intimidating aspect of education, as public speaking typically isn't an ability that comes naturally to everyone. Whether it's your very first time presenting or you get nervous each time, these tips for an engaging presentation could be helpful for your success.
Do your research.
According to U.S. News and World Report, doing your homework may be the best strategy possible to effectively deliver a speech in front of your classmates.1 Putting in the time and effort to thoroughly research your assignment might make you more comfortable discussing it in front of your classmates. You may appear relaxed with the subject matter, seemingly talking off the cuff with anything that pops into your head. This sense of fluidity can show off how well versed you are, which may contribute to a higher grade from your instructor.
Use only a little media.
Sometimes, people rely too heavily on their visual displays during a presentation. If you want to deliver an effective speech, Inc Magazine suggested that you only use media to enhance your speech.2 The most important aspect of using media is making sure it doesn't replace you as the primary source of information to your audience. When picking videos or images for your presentation, you should consider whether or not it's necessary to your speech. Also, you should keep your slides to a minimum and try to stick mostly to bullet points so that you don’t read all of your information directly from the screen.
Practice with friends.
One of the most important steps may be practicing your presentation in front of friends, according to Inc Magazine.3 By conducting a run through before your actual class, you give yourself ample opportunity to tweak and fix any issues you might have with facts or delivery. If it runs on too long or you find places where you stumble, you might have the opportunity to improve your presentation.
Show your personality.
Whether you're taking courses to learn how to become a nurse or working towards a medical billing degree, giving an engaging presentation is all in the attitude. Quick Sprout explained that including your personality in the assignment may be a great way to interact with your audience.4 Putting some character behind the information might make it more relatable to your classmates and get them excited to hear more.
Engage the audience.
According to the Huffington Post, including your audience in the presentation can help make it particularly entertaining.5 It also might make everyone pay more attention to what you're talking about. You should engage your audience by asking questions and using them as examples. If you spark laughter and get your classmates to have fun during the presentation, your instructor might be impressed.
2http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/5-tips-for-giving-really-amazing-presentations.html
3http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/5-tips-for-giving-really-amazing-presentations.html
4http://www.quicksprout.com/2007/09/01/10-tips-for-a-killer-presentation/
5http://www.huffingtonpost.com/young-entrepreneur-council/13-tips-for-giving-a-kill_b_3728093.html