Quick Tips to a Great Team Presentation

TEAM PRESENTATIONS

Some of the common mistakes and misfires of giving presentations usually stem from two issues: the very personal and irrational fear of presenting and some very poor planning and coordination between group members. But while a group project has many pros and cons, a well-defined project assignment enhances the learning experience, challenges individuals to develop strong group socialization, communication and leadership skills and offers a learning opportunity for the entire class. (Petty 2010)

In the article “9 Tips for Nailing the Classroom Group Project Presentation”, the author, Art Petty, provides readers with 9 great and useful tips to working on a team project. Below are the main ones I found to be the most important:

1. Ensure that the group members share an integrated view of the project

2. Before presenting, make sure the group has considered the following:

* Interest your audience in the first 60 seconds and try to keep them engaged throughout the presentation

* Plan your message: make sure you cover key points, insights and conclusions

3. Building the presentation

* Keep your power point slides brief and make every slide count.

* Ideally, have one person build the presentation- it allows you to standardize on graphics, fonts and importantly, on a single voice.

* Keep the slides interesting- add a few pictures.

* Plan on your narrative and speaking points filling in all of the words that are not on the slides.

4. Helping the group and individuals prepare to present: Practice your presentation with your group and try to create transitions between speakers.

5. Getting yourself ready: Remember there is nothing to fear. Your goal is to always inform, share and even entertain. Make sure your outfit is appropriate

6. Immediately before the presentation, remind yourself to smile while speaking- it’s infectious. Maintain eye contact with the audience. Project your...