Before you give your presentation to a group of people, give it
a test run to a friend or SO. This lets you know how well
the flow of the presentation is, plus may give ideas for improvement.
If you have never taken a public speaking class, or given presentations
to large groups, the first few times you do this it may seem unnerving.
As I mentioned earlier, it may be easier to start with your local LUG
and get used to talking to groups of people - the local LUG will be
filled with a friendly audience and you will be more at ease.
When talking to a large audience, keep the following in mind:
Don't just read the text on the slides. Anyone can put slides up
and read the text on it. You are an expert!
Keep eye contact with the audience. Every now and then, look up
from your screen and scan the audience. If this makes you
nervous, look across the tops of the heads. From the perspective
of the audience, you're looking at them. Look up, and scan from
one side of the room to the other, then look back at your screen.
Feedback from microphones can cause headaches for all around.
Test your microphone setup before talking.
If you do not have a microphone, try and face your audience as
much as possible. Your voice will carry better.
Do not let yourself get sidetracked. Stay on the topic. If
a member of the audience tries to get you off topic too far,
offer to discuss it after the presentation. Others
who are interested can take part then.
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