13 Killer Presentations

Tips for Students Who

Want to Stand out
 You Have a Personality, Show it

Are you goofy? Are you good at

impressions? Do you have over the top
energy or do you have a soft tone that
can calm a crowd? Whatever you got,
use it and be you!
 Don’t Read

PowerPoint was created to show bullets and

short text. The purpose of your written words
are to act as a trigger; they get you talking
about each point. The rest should come from
you. Spend the time choosing your keywords
and not writing descriptions.
 Improvise

Smooth and rehearsed

presentations don’t make history.
So don’t be scared, pull out the
unexpected!
Take a Pause, Prevent ‘Ummmm…’

This is one of my favorite tricks, if you

get stuck or nervous in the middle of
your presentation, saying “um” or “Ah”
feels good because it fills the silent
room. There are 2 quick fixes: Talk
slower and add pauses for emphasis.
 Vocal Variety

Do you want to ride a rollercoaster

or stare at a still river?
 Look em’ in the Eyes!

Don’t talk at people, talk to them. Look at the

students in the front row, in the middle aisle and at
the back.
Let Images Take Over Your Screen
 Make ’em Laugh

Being professional and informative

does not mean you can’t be fun! We
all know humor makes everything
lighter and better! And there is almost
always a way to fit in into any
presentation.
 Tell a Story

We listen to people when we connect to

them and we connect to them
through telling stories. Why? Because telling
stories builds trust. You are sharing a part of
you that you may not necessarily share
with everyone. A personal story is the
fastest way to build trust, show you are
human and stir emotion.
Aristotle’s Golden Rule of Three

Aristotle stated it simply in his book

‘Rhetoric’: After learning something
new, people tend to remember three
things. That means that your audience
members will take away three
important points from your 10 or 15-
minute presentation. So don’t stress on
the finer details.
Arrive Early with Technical Backup

The best way to avoid a bad situation is to take preventative

measures.
Preparation Equals Confidence

KNOWING YOUR CONTENT is the best pre-game confidence booster!

Own it, Pride and Apologies

If an audience member or professor point out a mistake or ask a

question you are unsure of – own it! Apologize if you are incorrect and
praise the questioner! You can say, “wow, you make a good point,
Thank you, I just learned something new” or “ Great question, I’m not
sure of the answer I’ll look it up later and get back to you the results.”
Confidence and humility taste better than peanut butter and jelly
(well, it’s pretty close).