Since from here on out there are going to be even more oral presentations for schoolwork I thought I'd like to share this list of things you have to stop doing when giving an oral report/presentation.
1. Do not present anything which you have partial to no knowledge on.
I know what you're thinking: 'Way to go, Captain Obvious. As if I didn't know that already,' but trust me, it happens all the time. Know in explicit detail what you're about to say next, and then after that and so on. Practice, practice, practice. Fragmented knowledge on your presentation will only lead to slips mid-speech, anxiety and a pissed off audience. It quickly becomes very obvious that you are ill-prepared when you inadvertently display any of the traits listed after this point.
2. Try hard not to use any of the following: Actually, Also, Err, Ahh, Uhh or any incomprehensible sound.
While the last three are an obvious no, let me explain the first two. These are what I like to call 'fillers'. Why? Because they can be used to fill holes in your oral presentation. However, once you use them, they tend to become abused and sooner or later, you're going to be using them all over the place where they don't fit. A classic example would be the double filler: "Actually, it is actually...(the rest of the presentation)" Worse still, flustered presenters may fall under the misconception that they are interchangeable.
The best solution is to restrict the use of fillers to just once or twice per presentation. Alternative words like 'moreover' and 'furthermore' can be used instead. When used appropriately, they are acceptable.
3. Do not end your sentences in either of the following: ...it is (actually) quite interesting, or ...so, yeah.
The first one makes the audience think, "Don't you have anything better to use?" If you are going to use this, please, for the love of Pete, explain why you think they will find it interesting. Don't explain everything in one sentence and then end with "yeah, so it is interesting."
The second one screams "The audience is made up of geniuses". By using this finisher, you assume that the audience you are presenting to can piece together the rest of the presentation easily, right? Don't. It gets annoying when presenters think that the audience knows all and if you're being scored on content, don't expect a generous mark. Stylistically speaking, it's not very gracious either.
4. As far as possible, avoid reading directly off your script and/or notes.
While this may seem rather obvious, it has two undesirable effects. Firstly, perpetrators tend to speak in a dull, uninteresting monotone throughout the entire presentation. Boring much? Secondly, it breaks your eye contact with the audience. It's like steadily building a wall in between yourself and the people you are trying to reach.
You do not, I repeat, do not need to completely memorise the entire script and then recite everything from memory as this can also result in the two traits explained above. The most effective tactic is to commit parts of the script to memory using short points you can explain very clearly and in detail. Just by looking at your points, you should be able to give a good presentation while maximizing eye contact.
5. Do not sway your body, fidget, swing your arms or do any combination of the three.
Simply put, you appear to be nervous, unprepared and without the smallest iota of confidence. Body language says a lot about a presenter. A good posture to try is to steady yourself with one foot in front and the other behind to support yourself.
However, this doesn't mean you can't move around. Standing completely still also produces a very boring, wooden effect. You can use hand gestures or shift slowly. These help alleviate nervousness and brings attention to yourself.
6. Most importantly, should you somehow screw something up, do not pause suddenly, gasp in astonishment, giggle and then smile apologetically at the audience.
Seriously. Do not do this. I cannot count how many times I have lost eyebrows over this mess-up. This won't help your presentation in any way whatsoever or undo any damage done. There will be no laugh track or any comedic effect. It only frustrates people and every time you do this a bunny rabbit gets a bullet between the eyes.