Perfecting a Presentation

Preparation is key to assessment centre success and the more you prepare and practise, the more confident you’ll feel on the day. However, it’s easy to let your nerves get the better of you, especially when you’re delivering a presentation, right? Rest assured, as we’ve got you covered with our presentation top tips to help alleviate your nerves and make you stand out from the crowd.

Top tips for presentations

Carefully consider the content of your presentation
Make sure your presentation has a clear introduction, body of content, and conclusion. It should address the brief in an informative and entertaining manner, covering all essential points in a logical sequence. If using visual aids, they should benefit your delivery without being too distracting. For example, don't fill PowerPoint slides full of text - maintain a good balance between text and images.
TOP TIP: Don’t read word for word from your slides as this will make you appear unconfident and prevent you from engaging with the audience.

Keep it simple and focus on your core message
Ask yourself - what is the core message I want to deliver to my audience? Ensure every point you make is relevant to this message and adds strength to your argument. Use your time wisely. Stick to the time limit given whilst addressing the presentation brief in full and covering the most important points.
TOP TIP: You’ll be marked down if your presentation is either too short or too long. Take into account that you are likely to talk faster when nervous so factor this in when practising your presentation to get a sense of the timing.

Engage with your audience
Make eye contact with your audience and smile! Smiling is infectious, right? The assessor will naturally smile back which will help put you at ease. Consider your tone of voice - do you sound enthusiastic about your topic?
TOP TIP: If you don’t vary the pitch and tone of your voice you risk coming across as unenthusiastic which will be noted by the assessor.

Always invite questions from the audience
At the end of your presentation let your audience know you're willing to address any questions they may have.
TOP TIP: Consider what questions you may be asked and prepare a response, so you are able to respond in a calm and professional manner. If you're asked a question you weren’t expecting, take time to formulate your response. If you're unsure of the answer, explain how you would go about finding the answer.

Practise, practise, practise!
The more your practise your presentation skills, the more confident you will be in your delivery.
TOP TIP: Consider recording yourself while delivering a presentation to see how you will come across to an audience. Play it back and make any changes you feel appropriate that would enhance your delivery.

So, there you are, our presentation top tips that will ensure a successful delivery and help you stand out.