While many students have learned the do’s and don'ts of giving presentations in class, things have changed drastically and now it’s time to perfect presentations through screens.
Students may have differing opinions on giving presentations in general. Personally, they make me very nervous given that I deal with anxiety. But this isn't the case for all students, as public speaking can come very naturally. Nonetheless, as we begin to use technology more in our academic lives it’s important that we also adjust how we give presentations. Here are some tips.
Get Your Technology Set Up
Before getting started, it is important that your equipment is set up properly. By this, I mean make sure that whatever it is you are presenting on is fully charged, to ensure you don't have a low battery or dying laptop in the middle of presenting. Also, test your wifi strength; the last thing you want while speaking is for you to cut off or glitch out. You may need to turn your wifi off and back on to restart it beforehand, but at least you will know that you will have a smooth presentation.
Create a Quiet Space
It is key to try to minimize as many interruptions as possible. Let your house members know you will be giving an important presentation at such and such time, and to please not interrupt during. Along with this, you should also turn off any alarms that you have set and mute notification sounds on any phones or computers near you.
Maintain Professionalism
I know since being at home, students prefer to be more comfortable and wear loungewear during classes since we are only seeing each other through screens. But if you are getting ready for a presentation, you should want to look professional even if your peers are only viewing from your shoulders up. Taking into consideration what your peers are seeing, check your camera level. If possible, line it so that your eyes are at the same level as the camera, making it so that your posture is straight up and people can view your whole face. Also make sure you are in a well-lit area so that your audience can really see you.
When presenting, it’s also important to actually look into your camera while speaking and not at different objects around you, so that you are interacting with the people listening to you and they can reciprocate.
Knowing Zoom Settings
A great option in Zoom for presentations is to spotlight your video. I believe you can do this if you are the host of the meeting, but essentially this would lock your video in place on everyone's screen, to reassure you that everyone is paying attention to your presentation. If you are the host, you can also mute everyone except yourself while presenting so that you will not be interrupted. And Zoom already has a built-in chat box, which is great for your audience to leave their questions, comments or feedback in after your presentation.
