The Practical Guide: Giving a Presentation (Part One)

Introduction to Public Speaking

Presentations and communicating from behind a podium are something of a rarity. Unless you’re a political figure or have made a breakthrough in your field of study, it is entirely possible for you to spend you entire life dodging that terrifying thing known as giving a presentation.

One of the courses that I had very little choice to take in order to get my degree is Oral Communication. I was reluctant to take it because presenting was not my strong suit, nor was it something I really enjoyed. But it fit nicely into my schedule and I adore the professor teaching the course, so I signed up.

Two months later, I love standing up in front of an audience to perform and say my piece. My presentation skills have improved dramatically and my comfort level with speaking to a group of people has increased substantially.

Over the next few articles, we’re going to examine the art of presenting and giving a presentation. It is a fundamental skill that everyone really should be able to do, but few people are capable of carrying out with ease. I hope to demonstrate that the art of public speaking is a talent that anyone can develop and even master with time, patience, and perseverance.

Lots of practice and a solid effort can make all the difference! This is all information that I have learned from my fantastic Oral Communication class at the University of Winnipeg.

The agenda for this little how-to series is as follows:

Part One: Introduction to Public Speaking

Part Two: Preparing and Researching the Speech

Part Three: Speech Design

Part Four: Speech Delivery

Part Five: Rhetorical Appeals

Throughout, I’ll give examples of public oratory as well. Let me know if there are any other topics you’d be interested in exploring and we’ll see if we can incorporate them into our Giving a Presentation sessions!