Q&A for How to Give a Presentation

You can thank the audience for listening to your presentation, and inform them that you will be happy to answer any questions that they might have.

Prepare well. Make sure you understand the instructions for your assigned presentation and check multiple times once you've finished preparing to be sure you haven't left anything out. Rehearse in front of the mirror and before friends or family members to practice speaking in front of an audience.

You can just ignore the sleeping person, as they are the one missing out by not paying attention. If there is chatter, simply pause for a moment and smile, and then inform the audience that it is hard to hear the presentation if people are being loud.

Try entertaining them with a relevant play, then have a serious talk after.

I think so, yes. A presentation can be more interesting though if the speaker shows enthusiasm about the topic. Just be sure not to be over-act. If the gestures are distracting to the audience, then they'll hurt you more than they'll help you.

When giving a presentation it's easy to find yourself looking at only one person! Direct your eyes at a certain place in the audience for a few seconds, then force yourself to look in a different direction. It's okay to look at your notes or the screen, but just glance at it. Keep your focus on the audience.

Just breathe and relax. Focus partially on something that makes you feel safe and continue on with the presentation. If your vision gets blurry, blink a couple of times slowly until it clears.

You should wear something that's modest, not too formal, and professional. I would recommend a dress that ends around your knees, or a skirt along with a matching blazer.

Ask the other students to hold their questions until the end of the presentation and address them all at once.

Let your audience know why they should be listening to you and why what you're saying is important.

If you are a student in a school, treat it like a professional would: study your audience and purpose. Your audience is your peers (people your age) and your superiors (your teachers). Choose anecdotes from common knowledge. Decide whether your purpose is to persuade, inform or entertain (P.I.E.), and stick to that purpose. Research your topic well. Use reliable sources of information, such as government and/or non-profit organizations dedicated to your topic. Name the sources of your information. Communicate a strong, positive message about your topic and about you as a student.

This is totally based on practice. For this, you can assemble your family or your friends and rehearse in front of them.

Stand in a very confident way. Let the audience feel like you know exactly what you're talking about and have given presentations all your life!

Focusing on the presentation can help. You need to focus on why you are doing the presentation, and if you get way too nervous, pause at the end of a sentence, take a few deep breaths, and continue.

Always bear in mind that you may asked to end earlier than you intended and have key points to jump to that you can end on. Having this pre-planned will help stop you feeling flustered about being cut off early. Another trick is to end what you're currently saying, then state "I have more to add but we're time constrained, so I'll sum up for now but feel free to ask more in question time", then go to your conclusion or summary and finish off as best you can.

Review it. Check for typos and extend the text. Be direct and straight to the point.

The title and information are really the only ones required. However, adding headers and a conclusion is also very beneficial.