Public Speaking and Presenting
Risk-Free Presentation
One of the most important things you can do to ensure a good presentation is to be comfortably familiar with your topic. The better you know your subject, the easier it is to make a good presentation. (Keep this in mind as we move forward!) As a way of honing your presentation skills, this first presentation will be a no-risk ice-breaker presentation about literally anything that interests you. This virtually guarantees that you will be comfortable and knowledgeable about your topic so that you can focus on how you present without being overly concerned about the topic itself. You will not be graded on this presentation, so no matter how bad you think it came across, it will be ONLY a learning experience and nothing else. I will provide constructive criticisms peppered with soothing platitudes. Use this opportunity to try to exhibit the elements of a good presentation discussed earlier. Demonstrate a true passion for the material. Be excited to share your knowledge. Have fun with your topic. Everyone in the room is in the same predicament – you have nothing to fear!
Suggestions for topics:
- Your favorite band
- The meaning behind your favorite song
- Your hobby
- A sport, sports team or player
- An animal (wild or domesticated)
- A vegetable
- How stalagmites are formed
- How to boil an egg
- How to cut down a tree or change the oil in your car
- How to make a great presentation
- A famous person
- Literally anything!
Final suggestions:
While it’s important to allow your passion and interest in a subject to fuel your presentation, always remember that people might not share your passion. If that may be the case for you, be sure to try to make it relevant or interesting to your audience. If at all possible, give them the reasons it’s important to them, or at least make it fun.
For example, if I wanted to do a presentation about beavers, I might sneak in a little known fact that Ben & Jerry’s raspberry-flavored products contain a “natural flavoring” called castorium. This substance is milked from the anal glands of beavers and is sometimes referred to as “brown slime.” It has notes of vanilla and berries. (Who sniffed a beaver’s butt and immediately thought of food?) The FDA considers it “reasonably safe” to consume as natural flavoring in foods. Not only will this get the audience’s attention, but they’re likely to keep listening to other boring beaver facts hoping more interesting ones will come up.