How can I prepare for a presentation at King's?
Giving presentations, and other types of oral assessments, is a way to improve your communication skills and demonstrate your knowledge.
They can help to prepare you for interviews or work environments where presenting is a part of your job and career progression. Giving presentations as a student can enable you to develop your skills in a supportive environment.
You might find the idea of giving presentations uncomfortable, but there's a range of support available to help you build your approaches to overcome any nervousness and gain confidence.
Remember that presentations are a small part of your whole programme, and things that you worry about can be things that other people don’t notice at all.
What academic support can I access while I prepare for my presentation?
Check your programme's guidance
Look at your programme’s information about assessments. Check if there are any presentations, when they’re scheduled and what support your programme will give you to prepare for them and enhance your skills.
Use our online resources to prepare
Check out the King’s Academic Skills for Learning (KASL)’s online self-study resource called Presenting at University. You’ll only need to self-enrol once.
Speak to your tutor or lecturer
As early as you can, speak to your tutor or lecturer about the presentation aspect of your course. You can share anything that you’re worried about (e.g., Q&A) or you can find out more about the format and expectations. They’ll be able to discuss support options available to you to resolve your concerns.
What wellbeing support can I access while I prepare for my presentation?
Look after your wellbeing and make sure that you’re practising regular self-care, reducing stress where you can.
If you have a disability, speak to your Disability Advisor about any adjustments that you may need to make presentations more accessible to you.
Consider support available via KCLSU, for example, speaking to the Campus Conversations team, who can provide some reassurance.
Counselling and wellbeing support
Think about whether you’d benefit from extra support from teams such as the Counselling Service or King’s Sport & Wellness who offer courses on breathing techniques, mindfulness and other helpful strategies to manage stress.
What career-focused support can I access while I prepare for my presentation?
Speak with our Careers & Employability team
Our Careers & Employability team spend a lot of time with employers and know how much communication and presentation skills are valued.
They can advise you on how to develop your communication skills while you’re at university as some people feel nervous communicating in a new setting, or through an unfamiliar method.
The more you do it, the easier it becomes, and trying things out in a safe environment can be a good way to practise.
This article TargetJobs: What are communication skills and how do I improve them? gives some helpful suggestions about how you can develop your presentation skills for your employability.
During the module and your assessment period
Speak with an Academic Skills Tutor
A few weeks before your presentation, consider booking a session with an Academic Skills Tutor through KASL to further develop your presentation skills.
Speak to your Faculty Wellbeing Advisor
Speak to your Faculty Wellbeing Advisor who will be able to help you with any specific requirements that your faculty may have.
Contact your Personal Tutor
Contact your Personal Tutor or lecturer who can speak with you about any concerns and help identify support available to you.
Continue practising self-care and noticing if your stress levels are going up. Take active steps to manage this and access support when you need it.
Reflect on how the presentation went and think about what worked for you, and any support you might need in the future.
You could use ‘Presenting at University’ from KASL to guide your reflection.
