In addition to being required in college courses, public speaking and presentation skills are often necessary for success outside of academia, as they create opportunities for networking and collaboration, foster the spread and development of ideas and build professional profiles. But if you’re like a lot of people, public speaking makes you queasy. 🤢
We’re here to help!  You can make an appointment with a tutor to practice your presentation aloud. We offer presentation tutorials at both our PLC and England Library locations, in spaces where you pull up your presentation on a large screen and give it a trial run. These appointments are designed to help you work through any public speaking anxieties and receive feedback on both the presentation’s content and its appearance before your presentation day.
When you make your appointment., just check the box in the appointment form that asks if you would like to “practice giving a slide presentation.”
Doing a group presentation? Bring the whole gang along!
Don’t need help giving your presentation, but just want us to go over your slides? We can do that, too, at all three of our locations, any time we are open.
What to Bring to Your Appointment
- Yourself and/or your presentation partners
- Your laptop or any device with access to your presentation
- Any materials associated with the presentation (rubrics, visual references, notes, etc.)
What to Expect at Your Appointment
Presenters will be able to give a mock presentation in preparation for their actual presentation. A tutor will listen to your presentation, taking note of your body language, speech, formatting, flow of information, visual appeal of the presentation and ability to engage with your audience. The tutor will hold their feedback until after the presentation, but you may ask for any immediate commentary, first impressions or clarification during the presentation.
Tips for Presenters
- Don’t be nervous! This is just a trial run to help you prepare for your presentation.
- Be active! Don’t be afraid to get involved with your presentation.
- Speak clearly! Make sure you keep your statements short, sweet, and to the point.
- Engage with your audience! Feel free to ask for commentary or clarification from your tutor.
More Resources
Check out these tip sheets to help you prepare for your presentation.
–Chase Davis ’24, Anne Gutherman ’24, Cara Santilli ’24