Lee Dong hyun/ Process Analysis Essay/ Tuesday 5,6

How to make a good presentation                When a freshman goes to college for the first time and sees his class schedule, he might be surprised to find out that many of his classes requires a presentation, whether it is done in a group or as an individual. A person who is not familiar with speaking in front of the class, may feel anxious and scared, which may be common for many high school students who have always sat on their own desks and studied their own materials. However, learning how to present one's ideas is required not only in college, but also in workplaces and it is important for people to have some knowledge on how to make an impressive presentation. The three basic presentation skills include outlining, practicing and delivering.              To begin with, outlining, before making the presentation is the first step in delivering a great presentation. Presentation, in the end, is a tool for conveying ideas and if the ideas are not persuasive, logical or unorganized, the presentation itself cannot be effective either. So before making a presentation, it is important for the speaker to carefully outline the ideas of his presentation and organize them in an order that would smoothen his speech. For example, just like an essay has a standardized structure, so does a presentation. A formal presentation contains certain factors such as an attention-getter, an index, topic ideas and so on. During his presentation, the speaker should organize his ideas according to such structure in order to create a formal presentation.              Once a speaker is done with his outlining and is satisfied with his organization, it is time to move on to the next step. Practice is, without doubt, the most important factor in making a good presentation. Once a speaker stands in front of the audience, he will be very nervous unless he is a professional speaker with years of speech experience. If not, anxiety will enclose him and he may lose track of his presentation which will leave both the audience and himself perplexed. In order to overcome such happening, the only way is through repetitive practice. As there is a saying, "practice makes perfect", practice truly does not only improve one's presentation, but also boost his confidence. For instance, during practice, it is important to stand alone in his room, pretend that the books on his shelf, the water bottle on his desk and the bag on the floor are the audience, time himself and make a rehearsal. By having a mock-presentation in front of the objects, at the actual presentation, the speaker will be less pressured and feel that he is making an another practice presentation in front of the audience.              Now that the speaker is ready and set, prepared his PowerPoint, cleared his throat, it is time to give a great presentation. The delivering method is the final component of an effective speech. No matter how good the PowerPoint may be, if the delivery of the presenter is not effective, the presentation cannot be considered as 'good'. So it is important to employ some of speaking techniques such as maintaining eye contact, varying intonations or stressing important ideas. Before the actual speech, it would be recommendable to start with a humor to create a friendly atmosphere both for the speaker and for the audience. After the presentation, it also one of the methods to invite questions and appreciating the audience for paying attention to the presentation.              Therefore, when trying to impress a large group of people through a presentation, it would be wise to follow the three most important factors: outlining, practicing and delivering. Making a presentation could be a burdensome work, especially for those who are afraid of speaking in front of others. However, such difficulties can be overcome with the above-mentioned characteristics. It will not be easy as a piece of cake, but is surely effective.