When I have assigned classroom presentations in the past, I have noticed several common problems that are likely to render a presentation dull or less useful than it could be. As you prepare for class presentations, I would like for you to be aware of these guidelines. Doing so will make your presentations more meaningful, to you and your audience. It will also increase the likelihood of you (or your group) receiving a good grade! Some people are natural orators, but for (many) others, it takes practice. I hope you will use these guidelines as suggestions for how to strengthen your verbal communication skills – you learn by doing!

1. Practice. Rehearse. This will help you become familiar with your material. This will also help you make sure that your presentation will fall within the specified time limitations. From experience, I can tell you that what you think is five minutes worth of material can easily turn into a 20 minute presentation.
2. A presentation is just that – a presentation. It’s not called a reading, so don’t read to your audience. If you simply stand in front of class and read from notecards, or slides, or whatever, you are making a boring presentation. It is difficult to be interesting when you are just reading. It also lends the appearance that you don’t completely know what you are talking about, so much as you are just reading cue cards. If you do this, you will receive a low grade. Notes are fine – but you shouldn’t read word-for-word from them.
3. I encourage the use of visual aids, such as PowerPoint (or where that is not available, overhead transparencies). However, you should never, ever, just read PowerPoint or overhead slides. If you use visual aids of this sort, they should just be used to outline your presentation. Your slides should only contain speaking points, or visual aids (such as charts or pictures) that you will use to illustrate points. It is your responsibility to fill in the details on a presentation – visual aids are, as their name suggests, merely aids to assist you in your presentation.
4. You should be familiar with your subject. This reiterates what I’ve mentioned in points #1 and #2 – preparation and knowledge of the material is essential. Your presentation should be flexible – there may be situations when you have a 20 minute presentation, but I instruct you (for whatever reason) that it needs to be cut to 15. You should know your material well enough that you can cut or modify your presentation on the fly. Or, your presentation may be interrupted with a question that causes you to change directions. Be flexible. And you can’t do that without being knowledgeable about your topic.
5. Be enthusiastic about your subject. If you look bored, your audience will probably be bored. Also, be creative in your project. Use attention getters, solicit audience participation, pose thought-provoking questions, use flashy graphics (but be aware that flashy graphics do not make a presentation unto themselves). Your main job is to convey information. However, that is much easier to do when your audience is interested than when your audience is bored. Getting back to point #4, if you see that you are losing your audience, don’t be afraid to switch directions and try to get them engaged.
6. Not all presentations are created equal. Style matters. Speak clearly. Speak loudly enough that people can hear you, but you probably don’t have to shout (unless you think people may be falling asleep). Speak to your audience, and not to a podium or projection screen. Don’t rush your speech, but don’t speak too slowly, either. The key thing is to make sure people understand what you’re saying. There probably is no one "right" way to make a speech – different people have different speech patterns, personalities, and styles – and many are valid, making for a nice presentation. The key is, take pride in what you’re doing and spend time in preparation. There are many ways to effectively communicate. Some people pace, some don’t. Some people use gestures, some don’t. Some people are more animated than others. Find the style that works for both you and your audience.
7. Stage fright – lots of people have it. I used to have it. The simple fact is that some people are more outgoing than others, and more comfortable in front of a room full of people than others. The long term solution is to enroll in a public speaking course or do something to gain experience in public speaking. The short term solutions are more difficult. I sympathize with those of you who don’t like to speak in front of groups. I was once among your ranks. But, I will not excuse you from class presentations on these grounds. One thing that will make you more comfortable, or at least less likely to be flustered, will be to thoroughly know and understand your material. Treat your presentations more as a conversation. Don’t memorize a speech verbatim (if you lose your place, you’re lost), and don’t just read from cards (that’s boring).   Do not give a speech under the influence - this is not a good way to cope with stage fright, and is certainly not likely to result in a good presentation.  And it never hurts to talk to your friends and peers who share stage fright, to share strategies for making it through effective presentations.
8. As a part of your class presentations, I will often require that you field questions. This is something of an art form. Generally speaking, questions posed to you or your group are not designed to be adversarial. Your questioners may want you to clarify a point, or they may challenge your argument (which you should be prepared to defend), or they may wish for you to demonstrate your critical thinking capacities, but they do not view you as "the enemy." Nor should you view your questioners as malevolent ill-wishing individuals. Here are some suggestions for how to field questions. If you know the answer right away, great. Give it. If it’s a question that requires some thought, fine – give it some thought. "Let me think about that for a second" is a valid response, so long as you don’t take too long. Also, realize that some questions do not have a right answer – you may have to speculate and apply what you do know to answer the question. For some questions, "I don’t know" may be a valid response. But this response is more valid when followed by a speculation (which essentially is you "thinking out loud") or by the statement, "but I’ll find out" (so long as you actually do find out and then report back). Do not dismiss a question as irrelevant or stupid. That’s rude. And make sure you listen carefully to the question – changing the subject or dismissing the query with a witticism are ploys that I do not want you to use. Doing so will leave the audience – and me – both unsatisfied and unamused. And, of course, you should not take questions personally. Try not to respond emotionally. Don’t get into fights, and realize that some people will not be satisfied with your answers (for ideological reasons) no matter how persuasive you are. Fielding questions is a skill you will develop with practice, and I hope you will have opportunity to practice in my classes.
9. In some presentations, I will ask you to prepare questions to ask the class. A good question will require your audience to critically think about and/or apply the concepts you have presented. As a general rule, "So, what do you think about [insert subject]" is not a good question. Simple recall questions don’t serve much purpose, either. Again, I will be looking for questions that can stimulate discussion. Ask the audience to express and justify their opinion on controversial issues. Even better, create hypotheticals, role play scenarios, debates, etc. I’m looking for you to either (a) create and debate controversy or (b) ask your audience to apply what you have discussed through policy construction, problem-solving exercises, and so on.
10. The first 9 guidelines have described how to be a good presenter. This one will discuss how to be a good audience member. First of all, your physical presence in an audience is not always better than you being absent. If you are asleep, or working on something for another class, or talking, or reading, you are rude. You will be counted absent if you do these things. I will also be likely to call on you to discuss the salient points of the presentation if you do these things. You should be attentive. You should ask questions if something is unclear or if you disagree with a statement. You should be engaged in the presentation – a significant purpose of these presentations is to educate the class about a particular topic.