No death by PowerPoint!

Is there anything worse? Some people think that putting a slide up on the screen is going to magically engage and inform their audience - they're wrong!! YOU are the presenter who brings the subject to life, who develops a rapport with the guys in front of you and gets them to really listen to what you have to say.

Steps to developing a good presentation: 

1 Be clear about the purpose of your presentation  

Your purpose in this case is to raise awareness of issues surrounding stress. What causes stress? How do you recognise stress in yourself and others? What impact can stress have on your working life? And most importantly, what should you do if you are stressed?

2 Consider your audience 

 Should you be formal or informal? What language should you use? What sort of tone will be appropriate? Though the message you are communicating is serious, can you lighten the tone with some humour? What about interaction? How will you encourage your audience to feel comfortable to ask questions?  

3 Structure, structure, structure..... 

A well structured communication always starts with an introduction where you set out what you are going to cover; a middle section where you describe the topics in a brief, concise but comprehensive way; and a conclusion where you sum up the main points.

4 Good PowerPoint design 

PowerPoint comes with a range of features to make your presentation 'sizzle' with good design. There are plenty of interesting design themes to choose from and features to animate text and graphics. Choose relevant graphics that inform and engage (again consider whether humour would be appropriate). Don't have masses of text on a slide - cut it down to the key points and talk to expand these. Consider using handouts if you want to provide more detail to your audience. Check your PowerPoint and handouts carefully for spelling or grammar mistakes - they are such a no-no...

5 Be yourself! 

Everyone worries about being nervous but often the anticipation is worse than the reality, once you get started you forget the dry mouth and knocking knees. Be relaxed in posture, don't stand stiff like a Queen's Guardsman - equally try not to fidget or pace about wildly gesturing. Finally, remember to breathe :)

6 Practice before the event
Arrange to meet with your group to make sure everyone knows who's going present what (and in what order), practice in your group and provide each other with constructive criticism. There's a small room at the back of the library that you can practice in - just ask the Library staff to book this.