by Maria (Student Blogger: MSc Management) 

Assignments and projects are a big part of studying towards your degree, and many of them end with an event that is dreaded by many students – presentations. It is understandable that presenting in front of your professors and peers can be intimidating, especially for freshers that aren’t used to doing it. If you are anything like me, public speaking isn’t something that comes naturally to you, however this doesn’t mean that you can’t learn how to ace a presentation.

Presentations became a big part of my life once I started my undergrad. Suddenly, I had to go from presenting a few times a year to 2-3 times per week! As someone who is a bit shy and introverted, you can imagine I wasn’t too excited about this, still it was something I had to do.

Here are my “key pieces of wisdom” I have gathered during the last five years:

Get to know the topic well
During a presentation, professors will try to challenge your arguments and ask questions about the topic. It can sometimes be seen as a bit “cruel”, but they check how well you know the topic by assessing how you react to unexpected questions. The more you know about the topic you are presenting, the more confident you feel about what you are saying. The confidence you have about the topic will make you feel more at ease when talking about it.

Change your mind-set on presenting
Presentations aren’t something that you will only use in the classroom and then forget about. It’s true what are teachers and professors have been saying our entire lives – you will have to present in the workplace. And trust me, it’s much easier and a lot less risky to present to a professor than to your boss or your clients. However, no program will have a separate module where they teach you how to present. The only way to master this skill is to utilize the opportunities you are given throughout your courses. Think of these presentation days as a free workshop you are getting on how to present. In the classroom, you can always ask for feedback from your professor or your peers on how to improve on your presentation skills. It’s a luxury that many do not have once they start working, so take advantage of it and try to get in as much practice as you can before you graduate.

Time Keeping & Rehearsing
Although it may seem obvious, time-keeping is especially important in these situations, and not only for grading purposes. It happens quite often that your presentation is taking a lot longer than you thought, and this can lead to a state of panic. Instead of just going through the key points, when we are running out of time, we all tend to rush to try to make all our points and showcase all the work we did. However, this never really works. Rushing leads to a lot of mistakes and frustration, and it also makes it harder for people to understand what you’re saying. Rehearsing makes it substantially easier to know how much time your presentation takes. It also makes it easier to improvise if you forget something.