Do’s and Don’ts of Giving an Oral Presentation

Do… Don't…
Preparation - Consider the knowledge of your audience (e.g. What is your audience’s background knowledge
on your topic?)

- Tailor your presentation according to your audiences age, education, and knowledge level about
your subject

- Know your topic well beyond what you will cover in your presentation

- Observe the specified time limits

- Decide which aspects of your presentation require detailed explanations, and which aspects do not

- Rehearse your presentation many times *This is the key to using your time effectively and
efficiently

- Use a stopwatch while rehearsing and make revisions until your presentation is within the
specified time limit

- Rehearse as you were doing the actual presentation (e.g. Use an audience, speak in the same
volume you will use, use the same language you will use, etc.…)

- Use an audio and/or video recorder while rehearsing to critique yourself

- Visit the room the presentation will be in before the day of the presentation

- Arrive early the day of the presentation (e.g. at least 15 to 20 min. early) - Arrive late to your presentation
Personal - Dress professionally (e.g. business wear), your appearance affects your credibility! - Dress casually (e.g. business casual)
Appearance
- Maintain your professionalism throughout your presentation and thank people for their time and
attention

- Remember that the people in your audience may be your future colleagues!
Organization - Organize the presentation so that it flows from one section to another
of
Presentation - Provide clear transitions as you move from explaining one section of the presentation to the next
(e.g. “Now that I have explained our aims, I am going to explain our methods to solving the
problem.”)

2
 1. Introduction:
- State your full name and your qualifications to speak about your topic
- Provide some brief background information on your topic (as needed)
- State your thesis
- Transition to the body portion of your presentation by stating the main points of your presentation

2. Body
- Explain and support your thesis
- Cover all main points
- Use examples and/or visual aides for concepts that are more difficult for your audience to
understand
- Explain the terms your audience may not know - Avoid using technical jargon

3. Conclusion
- Provide a clear summary of your purpose, main points, and results
- Summarize your conclusion by explaining its contribution and significance to your field
- Provide implications for future research and recommendations
- Use a ending statement to conclude your presentation
- End your presentation on a positive note

4. Question/Answer Period
- Plan additional time for a question and answer period (5-10 minutes)
Slide Design - Minimize word count on slides (e.g. no more than 10 words on each slide)

- Use serif fonts like Times New Roman, Baskerville, Century Schoolbook, or Palatino. *These - Use san-serif fonts like Helvetica or
fonts promote readability and comprehension. Courier *These fonts are more difficult
to read and have ambiguous letters

- Select fonts and sizes that work well together and use them consistently throughout the - Vary the type sizes and/or type faces
presentation excessively throughout the presentation

- Use larger fonts for headings (e.g. 40-50 pt.) and fonts no smaller than 26 pt. font for body text

- Include no more than five (preferably three) points per slide

- Use colors to convey additional meaning - Use unwarranted colors that can attract
attention, but detract from your message
- Use colors sparingly

- Have high contrast between the background and text (e.g. lighter background with darker text) -Use red and green colors, as some
readers may be colorblind
3
Visual Aides - Use visual aides to increase the interest of your presentation and facilitate the audiences’ - Use irrelevant visuals that are distracting
comprehension of the material you are presenting and not related to the topic you are
discussing
- Use charts and graphs to display your findings
Presentation - Be poised and show enthusiasm for your work
Delivery
- Have good posture and face your audience - Slouch or face the display screen behind
you

- Hide behind the computer monitor

- Stand in a position where you block the

screen

- Use hand gestures to illustrate and reinforce concepts and relationships - Avoid distracting mannerisms (e.g.
hands on hips, tapping foot/hand)

- Pace back and forth, this may be

distracting to your audience.

- Maintain eye contact with your audience - Read directly from your slides or note
cards
- Use professional language that is appropriate to the audience and your topic

- Use correct grammar and word choices throughout the presentation

- Speak with a loud enough volume so your audience can hear what you say - Speak too soft, too fast, or mumble
(This reduces your intelligibility to your
- Be articulate and slow your rate of speech so your audience can understand what you say audience)

- Use your voice to emphasize important points (e.g. using a longer pause or stressing points by - Use rising intonation at the end of a
increasing your loudness level) statement (This makes your statement
sound like a question, and makes you
sound unsure of what you are saying)
- Stay on topic!
- Roar off on a tangent
- Use a timer to pace your presentation and keep you on track

- Check your audience’s understanding of more complex concepts presented in your poster by
paying attention to non-verbal cues or by asking: “Were any parts of my explanation hard to
follow?” or “Does anyone have any questions before I move on?”
4
 References

Haik. Y. (1998). Oral Presentation Dos and Donts. Retrieved from: http://www.eng.fsu.edu/~haik/ime.dir/notes.dir/pres/node6.html.

Hemphill. B. (2009). Oral Presentations. Retrieved from: http://www.etsu.edu/scitech/langskil/oral.htm#methods.

Jerz. D. G. (2011) Oral Presentations: Tips on How to Deliver a Speech for School or Word. Retrieved from:

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/technical-writing/oral-presentations-tips/.

Newcastle University (2009). Communication skills: Making oral presentations. Retrieved from:

http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/comms.htm.