Academic Presentations are visual and oral expositions of scholarly research, findings or theoretical argument. They help students to distill complex topics into digestible slides, improving their articulation and synthesis skills.
Students might be required to create a presentation as part of an assignment or to defend their thesis. Regardless of the context, mastering this skill will increase their chances of academic success.
Presentation Skills
Academic presentations are very different from a TED talk or business presentation but they still need to be engaging, informative and entertaining. They are often an assessment task for university students which means you need to consider what you are saying, how you are saying it and who you are talking to.
The best way to keep your audience’s attention is by piqueing their curiosity through stories from your research, unique findings or interesting analogies. Academic presentations also require you to reference your sources. Having good writing skills will help you master your outline, keep your information clear and concise and remove the fluff that distracts audiences from the key outcomes of your research.
One of the biggest mistakes that academic presenters make is reading their slides out loud. This only confuses the audience and makes them lose interest. You can prevent this by having a slide at the end that summarises your main points.
Audience Interaction
Experienced presenters know that how you deliver your presentation is just as important as what you actually present. Eye contact, appropriate facial expressions and natural gestures help convey a sense of confidence and energize the audience.
It is also important to understand your audience’s learning style and knowledge level before giving a presentation as some may find it easier to learn at a more advanced pace than others. Including more detailed information for those who already have a good understanding of the topic can help prevent confusion and encourage audience participation.
Interactive tools such as polls, quizzes and Q&A sessions can help you interact with your audience while promoting two-way communication. You can even display the results of these activities on-screen in real-time. Asking your audience to share their mood through emojis is another fun way of interacting with them that lets them express themselves without being singled out.
Visual Aids
Visual aids can be handouts, models, charts and graphs, photographs, slide presentations or other types of visual material that help audiences understand the information being presented. Speakers need to carefully consider what type of visual aid is most appropriate for a particular speech and how that aid will be used during the presentation. Visual aids should support, clarify and amplify the information contained in a speech. They should not be used as crutches or to repeat verbally presented information.
A model of a solar system, for example, is an effective way to demonstrate the concepts being discussed. The use of visual aids can also be an opportunity for speakers to enliven their speeches by using props and other creative devices. For instance, a student giving a speech about firefighting could choose to dress in full uniform during the presentation to create a visual aid that is both informative and engaging. This type of active visual is more effective than simply displaying an endless list of statistics on a slide or poster.
Communication Skills
Academic presentations are a key part of many student assignments. They are used to demonstrate research skills, communication and presentation delivery. Students may be required to present individually, as a group or in pairs. They are often assessed by a tutor or academic colleague.
Whether a presentation is formal or informal it should always be clear and concise. Avoid using jargon that will confuse the audience or use excessive text on your slides.
A common mistake is to overestimate the level of knowledge that the audience will have about your subject area. Academic presentations should focus on information that is new and interesting. Consider using techniques that are effective in other presentation types like telling a story or structuring your presentation as a unique way to present your information such as as a timeline. This can help the audience stay engaged and awake.