Thinkabara

🎤 Presentation Skills · Lesson 5 of 7

Delivery and nerves

Google Classroom

Voice, eye contact, pacing, notes and managing anxiety.

Voice and pace

Slow downNerves speed you up — aim for a calm, conversational pace
PauseAfter key points and before answering questions
ProjectSpeak to the back row
Fillers“Um”, “like” — replace them with a short pause

Body and eyes

Stand still with feet planted, use natural gestures, and face the audience, not the screen. Hold eye contact with one person for a sentence, then move to another part of the room.

Rehearse for real

  1. Rehearse out loud, standing up, with the slides — not just reading silently
  2. Time it with a timer; most first rehearsals run long
  3. Record yourself once on your phone and watch it
  4. Rehearse the transitions between slides, where people stumble
  5. Do a final run in the actual room if you can

Nerves

Nervousness is normal and usually invisible to the audience. Breathe slowly (in 4, out 6) before you start, have your first sentences memorized, and reframe the racing heart as energy: “I’m excited” works better than “calm down”. Focus on helping the audience, not on how you look.

Tip

💡 Bring water, arrive early, and test the projector, clicker and any video before you start.

✏️ Practice: your turn

  1. Rehearse out loud with a timer three times
  2. Record one rehearsal and note your filler words
  3. Practice pausing instead of saying “um”
  4. Memorize your first and last 30 seconds

✏️ Countdown timer: rehearse your talk to time

🧠 Quick quiz

Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.

1. What should replace filler words?
2. The best way to rehearse is…
3. Where should you face while presenting?
4. A helpful reframe for nerves is…

0 of 4 correct

All lessons in Presentation Skills

  1. 🎯 1. Audience and one clear messageWho is listening, what should they remember, and why
  2. 🏗️ 2. Structure a talkA strong opening, three points and a memorable close
  3. 🖼️ 3. Clean slide designOne idea per slide, assertion headlines and fewer words
  4. 📊 4. Presenting dataOne chart, one message — and guiding the audience’s eyes
  5. 🗣️ 5. Delivery and nervesVoice, eye contact, pacing, notes and managing anxiety
  6. 🙋 6. Q&A and tough questionsPrepare likely questions, answer clearly and say “I don’t know” well
  7. 👥 7. Group and online presentationsSmooth handoffs, shared slides and presenting on Zoom or Teams