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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Presenting with Confidence: 10 Tips for Librarians |
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According to The Book of Lists, people are more afraid of public speaking than heights, spiders, or even death. However, presenting is something that most librarians do at some point in their careers. Maybe it’s a presentation at a state or national conference, maybe it’s a five-minute talk about a new database, or maybe it’s a presentation during an interview. Most librarians won’t have the luxury of taking a public speaking course, so I’ve listed ten tips that will reduce the stress of presenting. 1. Prepare Prepare now; don’t wait until the last minute. Finishing your preparations early gives you time to practice and to solicit feedback from others. While preparing, consider what handouts you want to distribute. Do you want to use PowerPoint? If you decide to do so, I recommend consulting Steven Bell’s PowerPoint and Presentation Skills Resource Page for tips on creating an effective presentation. If you plan to use PowerPoint or the Internet, have a backup plan in case you can’t use a computer or access the Internet the day of the presentation. 2. Organize You’ll need to start with an introduction that tells the audience what you’ll be speaking about. Organize your main presentation into three main points. The three points compose the middle section of your presentation. Three points create a nice rhythm and linger longer with the audience. Your points can be arranged in many ways, but I suggest using a chronological or topical pattern. The chronological pattern is a good choice if your main points can be presented as a sequence of events over time, such as covering the history of an initiative at your library. The topical arrangement works well when all of your main points are equally important and can be presented in any order. For example, I’d use this arrangement for a presentation on the challenges facing librarianship, which many employers assign as a topic for interview presentations. To wrap up the presentation, conclude by reviewing what you’ve talked about. This sounds repetitive, but the repetition creates a rhythm to your presentation. 3. Practice Practice out loud and standing. Reading your presentation to yourself at your desk will not prepare you for delivering the presentation. Time yourself. Is the speech too long or too short? The goal of practicing is not to memorize your presentation. I suggest using note cards. Use a separate card for each section of your speech and only write the key points for each section. As you practice, your presentation will be a little different each time, but practicing your speech allows you to develop a rhythm and also alerts you to anything that doesn’t sound good out loud. Additionally, if you decide to use PowerPoint, you need to practice using your slides in order to change slides smoothly. I even note on my cards when to move to the next slide. 4. Find Find your own style. Your style will develop as you give more presentations. Whatever style you adopt, you want to be enthusiastic. This doesn’t mean you have to be a performer; just be excited about your topic and find a way to communicate your enthusiasm to the audience. 5. Examine Examine your presentation site. You may not be able to review the room before you start preparing, but you need to look at it sometime before speaking. What are you looking for? Notice the layout, lighting, seating arrangement, acoustics, computer setup, and projector system. Is there too much sunlight for PowerPoint slides to be read? Do the windows have blinds? Are the chairs in a circle instead of facing the presenter? Is the room cold? Hot? What about acoustics? Will you need to project your voice more than usual? Will you need a microphone? I advise practicing in the room if possible. 6. Budget Budget your time. Don’t go over your allotted time, especially if you’re part of a panel presentation. I can’t stress this enough: going over your time is unprofessional. The more time you leave for discussion, the better. Your audience wants to hear what you have to say, but they also want to express their thoughts on the topic. 7. Review Review your presentation and preparation. Did you cover the most important aspects of your topic? Do you need to create handouts? Handouts provide a way for the audience to share your presentation with others. Include your name and contact information on handouts; you can also use them to identify the sources you’ve used. If you’re using PowerPoint, review your slides for accuracy and spelling. As with handouts, provide your name and contact information on the title slide. 8. Connect Connect with your audience. The audience wants you to succeed, so making a connection is easy. Involve them by asking rhetorical questions. Another way to connect is to make eye contact with people in different parts of the room. Avoid constantly scanning the audience as this will make you appear shifty. 9. Facilitate Facilitate the discussion after your presentation. Remember that audience members want the opportunity to comment on your presentation and to hear what other people have to say on the topic. When leading the discussion, repeat questions so that the entire audience can hear what was asked. Of course, repeating the questions also gives you time to frame your answer. 10. Breathe Breathe deeply before starting your presentation. A deep breath enables you to start your speech without squeaking. A deep breath also helps to calm you down. I talk fast even when I’m not nervous, so I make notes on my note cards to remind myself to breathe. One Last Tip Get a good night’s sleep. You’ll have the energy to deliver a dynamic presentation worthy of your preparation. Suggested Resources Asher, S., & Chambers, W. (1997). Wooing and Winning Business: The Foolproof Formula for Making Persuasive Business Presentations. New York: Wiley. Bell, S. J. (2004). End PowerPoint dependency now! American Libraries, 35(6), 56-59. Germano, W. (2003, November 28). The scholarly lecture: How to stand and deliver. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. B14. Lynch, P. L. (1985). Surviving the Q & A period. Training & Development, 39(6), 32-33. Schmidt J. J., & Miller, J. B. (2000). The five-minute rule for presentations. Training & Development, 54(3), 16-17. Statz, S. R. (2003). Public Speaking Handbook for Librarians and Information Professionals. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. Robin Ewing is Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. She received her MLIS from the University of Oklahoma in 2001. Article published Nov 2004 Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer editors.
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Page last updated
10/03/2005
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