Giving a presentation comes naturally to some people. They just appear to be comfortable with it and it seems that they don’t even have to put any effort into keeping their students mesmerized and interested throughout their entire lecture. If you feel your presentations don’t come near enough to this level of mastery, here are five ideas to help you advance and keep your class impressed and inspired while you’re on that stage, getting your message across to them in full.

Improve Your Narrative

One thing that can make a presentation dull is bombing the listeners with a long list of facts, which is why this is something you should avoid. Instead, make sure your narrative flows naturally and that you shape all of those facts you need to share with them into a captivating story. That way, they’ll stay stimulated and focused on what you’re telling them, and they’ll have the context to put all of those facts into. This is an excellent method of presenting nearly anything, as it leads from one fact to another smoothly, allowing your students to memorize them with more ease. When telling the story, bear in mind which class you’re telling it to, what is their level of knowledge, so that you can bring it as close to their mindset as possible, making it even more enticing and enjoyable to them.  

Practice at length

Yes, there are those teachers who can improvise fantastically. However, not even they can be sure that all will go well each time. Relying on your instincts and picking up on the class’s reaction to what you’re saying may work to some extent. Still, the best way to gain more confidence and to organize your presentation correctly is to practice before you actually give it. That way, you’ll see how much time you need for each part of it, you’ll learn what you need to say by heart and you’ll feel much better prepared once you face your students. Map out your entire presentation before you actually use an app to create it, going through its points so that you know what follows what. If you get caught off guard due to forgetting something, you may become confused and look unprepared, throwing you completely off track. This could end up with you skipping a crucial part of your presentation, ruining its outline completely.

Rely on Visuals

Speaking without any visual aid might become dull or uninviting to your class, as young people today are used to multimedia content and want to be entertained while being informed. Adding a video or a photo to make a point or introduce information that will stick with them can make an amazing impact, more so than simply stating facts verbally. Although this may sound like a lot of work, it truly isn’t since some great online tools can help you. For instance, you can now find an excellent free slide maker on the internet and use it to make a fantastic presentation in mere minutes. You can utilize some of the numerous templates already there for you on the website, but also various stickers, animations, fonts and tunes to make your presentation more engaging and memorable. You can even make videos and customize any of the material you find to fit your lecture or presentation so that you improve your demonstration significantly. 

Be Witty

Opening a speech with a joke is nothing new. It’s been done many times, but the fact that it usually works speaks for itself. It can help you relax and hook your class’s attention to what you’re serving them with. What’s more, a good joke can make any lecture more exciting, and it can even be used to associate the data you’re presenting with something your students find amusing. You just need to be sure that your joke doesn’t come out sounding disrespectful since you want your attendants to perceive you as a cool, self-confident teacher, not offensive or rude. If you have an interesting personal anecdote, perhaps you can tell that – something you were actually a part of may be easier to tell. Of course, you shouldn’t make humour the centre of your speech because some of your more playful students might pick up on that vibe and steal the show, thus sabotaging your lecture.

Include the Students

If you want to shift the dynamics of your presentation to a different level and make it more engaging for the class, you should make it interactive by including them in it. This is a smart idea for several reasons. First, it can break the monotony of a speech, making the class more prone to pay attention. Second, asking the students a compelling question at the perfect moment and seeking their opinion on the topic will draw them further into what you’re communicating. It will make them think about it in more detail, in an effort to make a logical or an original contribution with their own point of view. Finally, if you encourage your students to provide you with their input and you make that a part of your presentation, you’ll make it more personal for them as well, since they’ll become active participants rather than passive observers. 

Making your presentation more appealing and awakening curiosity in your students about the lessons you want to convey is something you should aim for, as that’s probably the best approach to making it successful. Use these ideas to guide you towards giving the most outstanding presentation you’ve ever given or even witnessed. 

About the author:

Claire Adams is a personal and professional development expert who believes that a positive attitude is one of the keys to success. She enjoys life to the fullest in the healthiest way possible and loves to share her insights into lifestyle, parenting, education, and entrepreneurship. Feel free to reach her on Facebook and Twitter.