Need tips for a good presentation

[mAdMaLuDaWg]

Hey Guys,
Well, its spring break, and I'm over burdened with homework, studying for exams, and to top that all off , I've got a presentation to give next week.
I'm really not that great on giving a presentation, I get nervous, and usually end up talking real fast, and then the worse part is that phlegm starts building up in my throat . But I decided that I'm gonna have to just keep on trying until I get it right so I volunteered to speak on a topic in front of about 80 people.
So I was hoping to get a couple of pointers from people who have done presentations to keep things cool.
Oh, and BTW the presentation will be done with powerpoint.
Thanks in advance.

[Creatures]

lol buddy i made one today for tomorrow french presentation, makes me mad, i still have to work out some parts of it well i made it with Power Point too (first one in my class who tries that )

well i'm nearly finished but i have no ideas what tips i could give you beacuse its also my first time with this kind of presentation

Creatures

[Creatures]

one tip: dont use effects, looks stupid!

Creatures

[Sweet]

Dear mAdMaLuDaWg,
Good Luck on your talk. Keep a bottle of water or soda close by to take a sip if you need it. (if a cough, try a lozenge if you can hide it) Use visual aids as much as possible. here's why they can help.... think about a room full of people and you are presenting a talk on gidgets. On the table are 5 examples, after the intro, you can go to #1, (have 2-3 points to cover each example), and so on. By the time you are finished with the last example, it will be time to end. If it is timed ask for help from a friend to signal you. Say up front in the intro if you will take questions throughout the talk or ask that they wait till the end to answer. Make eye contact with the audience and the teacher. Have 3x5 or 4x6 cards to follow, make sure you just have the main points on em, do not read from them. Take a deep breath before you start and don't worry too much about the jitters, they will ease once you start getting into the good parts of your talk. An appropriate joke or chuckle sometimes is a good way to begin. Be sure to speak loud enough for people to hear you, speak with confidence and you will shine.

...that's all I can think of for now......

[Mike]

Giving speeches is so important now a days, I learned a couple of important tips.
Stay confident! The people/professor you are giving a speech for will look for this. If you make a mistake and it's a minor flaw, just keep on going like it never happened! Personally when I make a mistake in a speech and try to fix it, I just ramble on and on and never seem to fix the mistake I was trying to fix.

[Gomer]

Practice.

Know your stuff.

Powerpoint is decoration, YOU are the presentation.

Full size images where applicable.

DO NOT JUST READ WHAT IS IN THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION!!!! Cardinal Sin! Powerpoint should be an outline, key facts, charts, tables, images... Not sentences.

[Knothead]

WOW! Well, everybody already covered the main points!
Well, let's recap:

#1: Yep, it's CONFIDENCE. People can smell fear, and you have nothing to fear (tell yourself this until you believe it! )
Look 'em in the eye, let THEM look away!

#2: Know your stuff. Really, the main worst thing you can do is get up there and have a brain fart. Drill it so you've got it backwards and forwards, to where you don't have to depend on a memorized speech...

#3: Be nice to yourself, put a glass of water up there, and take a sip when you feel like it. Your audience will wait. What else are they gonna do?

Somebody told me the other day that the number one most fearful thing people can do is to make a speech. I can certainly understand that, (i've certainly been there) and the best way to get over that is to have a firm belief that what you hasve to say is IMPORTANT, and that you have just as much right to be there as the next guy!

Knock 'em dead, buddy!

[Creatures]

Originally posted by Gomer

DO NOT JUST READ WHAT IS IN THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION!!!! Cardinal Sin! Powerpoint should be an outline, key facts, charts, tables, images... Not sentences.

yeah that's why i just put some difficult words (which i need for the presentation)

that's always a problem to speak free in a different language (i hate language )

Creatures

[xenon200]

Oddly enough as someone who suffers from Hyperpyrexia - I thoroughly enjoy giving speeches.

The biggest boost of confidence you can get will come from KNOWING what you're talking about. If you can stand in front of people and talk consistently and professionally about a certain topic and actually sound like you REALLY know your stuff - you'll feel really confident about doing the presentation.

~x2

[mAdMaLuDaWg]

Sweet,
Got some gr8 tips... tks guys.

Well, I'm speaking on Bill Gates and his impact on the computer industry, and since I know pretty much what I'm talking about, it should (I hope) will be fun. Like Xenon said, it shouldn't be that hard if you know your stuff. Thats one of the reasons why I took this chance. I hope I don't make an @$$ outta myself, coz I've done that before ...

I am still trying to get the 'confidence' that everyone is talking about and this is so important... I guess that just comes with experience.

Making eye contact is another thing, I could never pull that off, but I'm gonna hafta try... maybe I'll just look right through the people ...

So you guys are saying don't repeat whats already in the powerpoint slides, just let it be there so the people could see it?

Tks again.