How to Deliver Presentations Effectively
This Resource Page will help you:
- Learn how to deliver effective presentation in front of an audience.
What do we Mean by “Presentation Delivery”?
To deliver a presentation means to formally present information or ideas to an audience, usually by speaking and often using visual aids (like slides, handouts, or videos). It’s a more formal way of saying “give a presentation.”
It involves:
- Organizing content in a logical way (introduction, main points, conclusion)
- Speaking clearly and effectively
- Engaging the audience
- Possibly answering questions or leading discussion
How to Prepare a Script and How to Use it
Many experienced presenters plan their speeches using an outline, without necessarily writing down every word. This is helpful, because written language has a very different structure from spoken language. Written language tends to be information-dense and concise, since the reader can take as much time as they need to process the meaning. When speaking, we naturally present information more gradually, breaking it up into many small chunks.
If you feel more comfortable writing out your presentation in full, go ahead and do so, but consider not memorizing it and reciting it word for word. Instead, re-create it in spoken language once you have decided what you want to say.
It’s generally not a good idea to read your presentation from a script. When you read, you lose your two most important means of connecting with the audience: vocal intonation and facial expression.
In everyday conversation, you use the volume, rhythm, tone, and speed of your voice to help the listener follow your meaning (whether you realize it or not). Most of us stop doing this when we read: our voice becomes monotonous and we pause in inappropriate places. This is true whether we are speaking a language in which we feel comfortable or a second language.
In conversation, we also generally look towards the person we are speaking with. When you are looking at your notes, the audience can’t see your facial expression or the movement of your mouth as you speak. This also makes it hard to follow what you are saying. You don’t have to make direct eye contact with individual audience members if that is not comfortable for you, but it will help your listeners if you look towards the room.
If you are reading from your notes, the audience will stare at your notes! If you are using slides, try not to read text directly from the screen; your audience will likely join you in staring at the screen and will stop listening. Also, once you start reading, it’s hard to look away again without losing your train of thought.
How to Manage Nerves & Time
You will get the most out of your practice if you really practice, speaking out loud (not under your breath to yourself, or imagining it in your head).
Use a timer, and, if you have a strict time limit, aim to wrap up at least a minute before the time ends.
For a short, high-stakes presentation, most experts recommend practicing 10 times. For a longer, less formal presentation, that might not be feasible, but you should still talk through the entire presentation several times to get a sense of your timing. Practice is the single best way to combat nerves.
Even very experienced public speakers often feel nervous before a presentation. It’s important to remember that feeling nervous on the inside doesn’t necessarily mean that you look nervous on the outside. That shaky feeling will generally disappear once you get started.
If you really struggle with your nerves, reach out. Don’t hesitate to tell your professor that public speaking has always been hard for you; you can work together to find ways to make the situation less stressful. Also consider booking an individual appointment at the Student Success Centre. The advisors there can offer advice or feedback, or just serve as a friendly audience as you practice.
Your presentation is very familiar to you, but this is your audience’s first time hearing the information. They need time to process it, so take your time. If you are feeling nervous, your heart rate will probably increase, and this can make it hard to judge how quickly you’re really speaking. Consider deliberately speaking slightly slower than usual to compensate for this effect.
How to Use your Slides
The key tip to remember is that the content shown on your slides should match what you are saying during your presentation. This allows you to control the information that appears on screen and, therefore, the audience’s attention. For example:
- if you have a slide with four bullet points, these should appear one at a time, and only as you talk about each of them
- If you have a chart and want to include a graphic element to highlight a portion of that chart, it should appear only as you start talking about the relevant portion.
Watch the video below to see this strategy in practice.
Presentation Examples and Tips
Below you will find practical examples of different presentation delivery styles with our feedback. While some deliveries are better than others, they all have both pros and cons.
Rehearsed “spontaneous” presentation
In this style of presentation, the presenter has created an outline of what she wants to talk about and has practiced delivering the presentation many times, until she can do it smoothly. This gives the illusion that she is speaking spontaneously and naturally. In reality, the presentation has been rehearsed many times.
Watch the video below and click on the blue icons that appear on screen to check our feedback.
While we think this presentation delivery is overall very effective, there may be some drawbacks, depending on the presentation goals, setting and audience:
- For the presenter, this is a labour-intensive approach that takes a lot of practice time.
- Some listeners may not like to hear too many connectors, pauses, etc.
- Some listeners may associate a data-driven presentation with more formal language.
“Reading-from-a-script” presentation
In this style of presentation, the presenter has created a script and is reading it word by word on her screen during her delivery.
Watch the video below and click on the blue icons that appear on screen to check our feedback.
This presentation could benefit from some improvements, such as
- editing the script so that it is more suitable for an oral speech
- using voice and facial expressions more intentionally to convey meaning.
At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that for some settings and some listeners the formal and “academic” language of this presentation might be more appropriate. Also, for some presenters having a script to hold on to may reduce anxiety. For some speakers, having a script may make the difference between being able to give the presentation and not being able to.
“Reading-from-a-script” presentation 2
In this style of presentation, the presenter has created a script and is reading it word by word from her phone during her delivery. This presentation is similar to the video above, but with a few – yet important – differences.
Watch the video below and think about the differences between the two presentations, as well as what you would do or wouldn’t do if you were the presenter. Then check our feedback below the video.
This presentation features the same content and script as the one above, but the presenter looks less confident and doesn't seem as well prepared. This is noticeable from
- her facial expressions, which seem to communicate concern and anxiety at times
- her obvious and repeated glancing at her phone trying to recall the script, while going back to reading at awkward moments
- her hesitations and looking at the ceiling while trying to retrieve the speech she presumably learned by heart.
In sum, while it is OK to have a script and/or try to memorize parts of a speech, a presenter’s main goal should be to communicate their message effectively to their audience. To do so, you should focus on being present and engaging with your listeners—using your words, voice, and body language intentionally. Focus on what you are saying and how you are saying it —not just on the words you memorized!
“Repeating-the-slide-material” presentation
In this presentation everything the presenter says is represented on the slide, mostly word-for-word.
Watch the video below and click on the blue icons that appear on screen to check our feedback.
This presentation shows both pros and cons, as illustrated in the video. The main issue lies in the content (or lack of it). The presenter merely describes the results of their research, but doesn’t explain them, which would likely leave the audience wondering: “So, what does that mean?”.
Also, in an in-person presentation, it can be very easy for the presenter to get “trapped” reading from the screen, even when you already know what you want to say; it’s hard to tear your eyes away and look back at the audience again. Your focus should be on the audience—not on your slides or screen.