6 steps to a successful presentation

Understand the brief and your audience

Before you start researching or designing slides, make sure you know exactly what's expected.

If your presentation is assessed, read the assignment brief and marking criteria carefully. Pay particular attention to the:

• assessment criteria
• presentation format
• referencing requirements
• required content
• time allowed for questions
• time limit.

Explore our time management tips for students.

Before planning your content, it helps to understand what makes a presentation effective. According to Jerone Turlunch, academic success coach at the University of Bedfordshire, successful presentations have three things in common a:

• clear purpose
• logical structure
• strong understanding of the audience.

The marking criteria will show you what you need to demonstrate. Depending on the task, this could include subject knowledge, critical thinking, use of evidence, structure or presentation skills.

Consider your audience

A successful presentation isn't just about what you say. It's also about how well you tailor your content to the people listening.

Ask yourself:

• How much does your audience already know about the topic?
• Should your tone be formal or informal?
• What do you want them to learn?
• What information will they need from you?
• What should they remember afterwards?

As Jerone explains, 'with peers, you may be able to use more accessible language or spend more time introducing concepts that are less familiar to them. With an academic audience, you may need to demonstrate greater depth, use appropriate terminology and engage more explicitly with evidence and sources.'

Structure your content clearly

A clear structure helps your audience follow your ideas and makes it easier for you to stay focused while presenting. 'Give yourself time to understand the topic, plan your structure, create your slides and practise your delivery,' advises Jerone.

Organise your content into three sections:

• Introduction - introduce the topic, explain why it matters and outline what you'll cover.
• Main section - present your key points in a logical order, supported by evidence, examples or visuals.
• Conclusion - summarise your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway.

Focus on your key message

One of the biggest challenges is deciding what to leave out. As Jerone explains, 'students can feel that they need to demonstrate everything they know, but a successful presentation is about communicating the most important points clearly.'

Rather than treating your presentation like an essay, Jerone also advises you should focus on the evidence and arguments that best support your main message. 'Start by identifying the key message you want your audience to take away, then build your presentation around it. Practising out loud will also help you identify where you are trying to say too much,' he adds.

Start with a strong opening

The opening moments set the tone for the rest of your presentation and help capture your audience's attention. 'Practice your opening, as getting started can be the hardest part,' Jerone advises.

You could start by:

• asking a relevant question
• explaining why the topic matters
• outlining what you'll cover
• presenting a surprising fact or statistic
• sharing a brief example or story.

Link your ideas together

Signposting helps your audience follow your argument and understand how each point connects.

Some phrases you could use include:

• 'In contrast, the evidence suggests…'
• 'Now that we've considered X, let's look at Y.'
• 'The final point to consider is…'
• 'This leads to the next issue.'

End with a clear conclusion

Your conclusion should reinforce your main message rather than simply signal that you've reached the end.

You could:

• answer the question raised at the start
• highlight the wider significance of the topic
• make a recommendation
• suggest a practical next step.

If you're expected to answer questions, finish your conclusion before opening the discussion.

Design clear and accessible visuals

Your slides should support what you're saying, not distract from it.

When creating slides:

• choose a simple, consistent design
• focus on one key idea per slide
• include only relevant visuals
• keep animations and transitions to a minimum
• keep text concise
• use a clear, readable font
• use straightforward charts and diagrams.

Avoid filling slides with large blocks of text. If your audience is reading, they're less likely to be listening.

Make your presentation accessible

Make sure everyone in your audience can engage with your content.

You should:

• add alternative text to meaningful images
• allow enough time for slides to be read
• avoid relying on colour alone to communicate information
• caption videos
• explain key information shown in charts and diagrams
• use sufficient contrast between text and background
• use plain language where possible.

Many presentation tools include accessibility checkers that can help identify issues before you present.

Create useful notes

Speaking notes can help you remember your key points without encouraging you to read every word from a script.

Jerone recommends focusing on prompts rather than memorising your presentation. ‘Use brief prompts to remind you of your key points. Practising the ideas in your own words will help you sound more natural and make it easier to recover if you lose your place,’ he says.

Your prompt cards or presenter notes could include:

• evidence
• examples
• keywords
• statistics.

Keep your notes brief and easy to scan. Use headings, bullet points or highlighted keywords so you can find the information you need without losing contact with your audience.

You could also add reminders to:

• check your timing
• explain a chart or visual
• introduce the next section
• invite questions at the end
• pause after an important point.

Avoid writing out complete paragraphs, as this can make it tempting to read directly from your notes. Practise using them beforehand to make sure they provide enough guidance without distracting you from your delivery.

For academic presentations, include brief source details where needed and check that your references follow the style required by your university.

Practise your delivery

Even the strongest content can be undermined if you don't rehearse it properly.

Practising out loud helps you identify sections that need refining and gives you a more realistic understanding of timing than reading through your presentation silently.

You could practise:

• by recording yourself and watching it back
• in front of a mirror
• in the presentation room
• on the online platform you'll be using
• with a friend or course mate.

Pay particular attention to your:

• Body language - stand or sit confidently, avoid fidgeting and use natural hand gestures to emphasise key points. Open, relaxed body language can help you appear more confident, even if you're feeling nervous.
• Eye contact - try to look at different people across the room rather than focusing on your slides, notes or just one person. Regular eye contact helps keep your audience engaged and shows that you're speaking to them, not reading from a script.
• Pronunciation - make sure you can confidently pronounce any specialist terminology, names or technical concepts before presenting. Clear pronunciation makes your presentation easier to understand and helps you sound more credible.

Keep track of your timing

Always rehearse with a timer. If you're running over the time limit, look for opportunities to simplify, shorten or remove less important material.

Speak slowly enough for your audience to follow your ideas, especially when explaining complex information. Varying your pace and volume can help maintain interest and draw attention to important points. If you tend to speak quickly when nervous, make a conscious effort to pause between sections.

If you're finishing too early, check whether you've:

• addressed every part of the brief
• explained your evidence clearly
• allocated enough time to each section
• included suitable examples.

Remember to leave time for your conclusion and any questions.

Prepare your environment

If you can, familiarise yourself with the room before presenting. Consider:

• how you'll use the screen
• where you'll stand
• whether moving around will support or distract from your delivery.

For remote presentations:

• check your internet connection
• choose a quiet location
• join early enough to resolve any technical issues
• mute notifications
• practise sharing your screen
• test your camera and microphone.

The more familiar you are with your surroundings, the easier it will be to focus on delivering your presentation.

Prepare for questions and unexpected problems

Questions are often less about catching you out and more about testing your understanding of the subject.

Rather than trying to predict every possible question, focus on understanding your argument and evidence thoroughly. As Jerone explains, 'think about the strengths and limitations of your argument, the evidence you have used, and what someone might reasonably challenge or ask you to explain further.'

Questions are often based on:

• areas that need clarification
• limitations in your evidence
• practical applications of your findings
• specialist terminology
• topics you didn't have time to explore in detail.

If you don't understand a question, you could say:

• 'Could you repeat the question, please?'
• 'Could you clarify what you mean by…?'
• 'Have I understood correctly that you're asking…?'

'You can also practise with a friend or classmate and ask them to come up with questions you hadn't considered. If you don't know the answer to a question on the day, it's fine to say so and explain how you would approach finding the answer,' Jerone adds.

Don't panic if you make a mistake

Even experienced presenters occasionally lose their place, forget a point or make a small error.

If this happens:

• briefly correct any significant mistakes before moving on
• check your notes
• pause and take a breath
• return to your last key point.

Remember that most audiences are focused on your ideas, not on spotting minor errors.

Have a backup plan

Technical problems can happen, so it's worth planning ahead. You should:

• arrive early enough to check the equipment
• bring notes if permitted
• keep backup copies of your presentation
• test slides, videos and links beforehand.

If your slides stop working, focus on explaining your ideas clearly rather than trying to deliver a flawless slideshow. Your knowledge of the topic matters more than your technology.

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Remember that a successful presentation isn't about being perfect. It's about communicating your ideas clearly, demonstrating your understanding of the topic and helping your audience learn something new.

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