It’s now common for PhD or master’s students to make a presentation of their dissertation or thesis to present at their defense. And academics now routinely give presentations along with their conference papers. Professors and teaching assistants give presentations as a normal part of class lectures. But this does not mean most academics know how to give effective presentations. I would argue most do not. I learned this after enduring many dull presentations during my years of academic study. I’m sure you have too. But in the process of teaching academic writing and speaking, I’ve learned the tricks of giving effective presentations.
Here are some general rules to follow:
- Introduce your main topic and sub-topics in the introduction, much like you would do in an expository essay.
- Signpost your main transitions from one topic to the next.
- Present in everyday language
(even to your dissertation committee).
Don’t memorize or read from a script, but speak from phrases and short notes, not sentences.- Don’t put too much data on your slides.
- Don’t read from slides.
- Make eye contact with every person in your audience.
I can help you do this. After working with the composition and language of your slides and the overall presentation, we can work together on Skype or Zoom to practice giving the presentation so that it is the best it can be.