No doubt about it, no matter who you are or how much experience you have with presenting–sometimes it’s just plain terrifying. And that goes for whether you’re a teacher, or student.

When it comes to teaching presentation skills, it’s all about encouraging your students to be comfortable, to relax, to stand tall, to breathe, and to speak with authority. But sometimes, being a fearless presenter goes beyond that.

Visme conducted a research study on tips for presenting, and these are the top five, all of which are extremely beneficial for teaching students (middle and high school) how to overcome their fears and stand up with confidence.

So read these, be encouraged, and instill your pupils with confidence this year.

Tip #1: Tell stories.

“Really charismatic people can talk and talk without slides and people are transfixed.”

Visme’s first tip centers on the idea of visual presentation–making your presentation interesting enough so that you are the focus, as opposed to your slides. They talk about limiting bullet points (no one wants to read a block of text!) and instead letting yourself tell a story with the slides as a guide as opposed to a crutch.

Tip #2: Limit text.

“The audience can read much faster than you can speak, so if you’re reading stuff out to them, chances are they’ve already read it, understood it, and are now glowering at you, waiting for you to finish.”

This ties right into the last point, but limiting texts allows for your listeners to be riveted on you, not what’s written behind you.

Tip #3: Practice.

“You need to present the slides. Out loud. Criiiinge. But seriously, it’s the only way to do it. You’ll find you get so familiar with the stories you’re telling, and the visuals that accompany them, that when you come to present you’ll talk naturally because you know the content so well – like your dinnertime story.”

This goes without explanation, but sometimes we overlook the simple fact that to be good at something, you actually have to practice it.

Tip #4: Add a personal touch.

“Don’t be afraid to be yourself.”

Perhaps the simplest, but most powerful piece of advice is to be yourself. To not be afraid to add your own spin to a presentation, or to add something quirky to engage your audience.

And finally…

Tip #5: Hook your audience.

Be sure to start with something that grabs attention right from the start.

Visme links to storytelling techinques used in TED talks that have proved to be engaging. An interesting intro is what grabs your audience, and bringing them in from the start can help their overall engagement.

If you’re looking to build fearless presenters, these are some easy and great ways to start–best thing, they can relate to all of us, even as teachers! Happy presenting!

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Visme