Preperation
Preperation is key to any presentation, knowing the subject matter in depth, inside and out helps in enteracting with my students. Pulling them into the lecture with information, and hands on seems to carry the most weight.
Mark,
you are right on with this. Preparation obviously gives us credibility & helps us accomplish our goals & also gives us more confidence.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Being prepared also gains the students respect. Being unprepared and unorganized is unprofessional and generally conveys the importance of the class or subject matter.
Being adequately prepared also means rehearsing your presentation so as to not "read" but "present" the subject matter. Rehearsing will enable you to add personal experiences to engage the students in your presentation.
Being prepared by adding visuals or a demonstration of a lab activity the students will complete after the presentation; gains their attention and is a valuable delivery method of information.
I agree regarding the need to prepare, if not via rehearsal itself, most certainly in terms of what your overall goal and/or objective is in terms of the presentation. Visualization-as in "imagining" how you want to convey the material and present-has, for me at least, dramatically improved my public-speaking skills.
How do you handle a presentation that is given to you with little to no notice and you have to step up??? This is never the best way to address and audience but how do you handle these types of presentations with some type of credibility and confidence? I am all for preparation but often find my self with limited time.
Patricia ,
good question. I would say by practicing the principles of an effective speaker/presenter in the times when you can prepare, you will increase your confidence & ability for these impromptu situations.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I would agree as this is usually how it works. I thought maybe there would be some secret to making more time. :) Thanks.
Yes, my co-workers and myself practice presentations in front of each other and it helps a lot to have the information fresh in your mind.
Barbara,
the peer review & feedback is a great way to improve our presentation methods.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
