With spring break and midterms behind us, we are now headed toward that crazy time of year, the end of spring semester! The end of the year is the most hectic time of year, for both fun and professional events. During the spring you may find yourself attending events such as the Career Fair, the Celebration of Academic Excellence ceremonies, and Commencement. In addition, many of us will be going on job/internship interviews, talking to graduate schools, or giving final presentations in class. No matter what the occasion, it is important that you are best prepared and present yourself professionally. To help, here are some tips to make sure you are putting your best self forward this spring.
Now that you’ve mastered the Career Fair, let’s talk about preparing for class presentations:
How to Prepare:
Practice, practice, practice! We all get nervous during class presentations, but practice builds confidence.
Make sure you practice your presentation a number of times beforehand! Practice alone and time yourself giving the presentation at various speeds. If your presentation has a time requirement, make sure you have enough to say to meet that requirement. When you are nervous, naturally you will talk faster, so practice slowing down your words. By timing yourself, you will know if you need to add or cut to meet any time requirements.
Practice your presentation for a friend or family member, so you will become more comfortable presenting in front of an audience. Have them ask questions to help you see if anything in your presentation is unclear.
During class presentations, keep note cards with you to outline your presentation and write down key points you don’t want to forget. Presentations are nerve-wracking, but note cards are an important tool that not only help you remember facts, but can give you a break from making eye contact with the class, and can keep you from fidgeting during your presentation.
What to Wear:
For class presentations, what to wear depends on the class and the professor’s standards. For many business presentations, professional business attire is required. Many professors tell you what they expect to see in your attire and some even grade you on dressing professionally. If you are unsure as to what your professor expects, don’t hesitate to ask.
For group presentations, make sure your group discusses what each person is going to wear. Some professors do not require professional dress, but often group members choose professional attire anyway. Make sure you know what your group is wearing so you don’t end up in jeans while everyone else is in a suit on presentation day.
If you don’t have to dress in business attire for a presentation, still put in the effort to look nice! It will make you feel more confident and will give a great first impression when you present to your professor and peers.
Do your best in preparing for your presentation, remember to practice, practice, practice, and dress for success! If you put your best self forward in preparing your presentations, you will be more confident and shine in front of the class.
Good luck Saints, we believe in you and know you’ll rock it during all of your presentations this spring.