Structuring Your Presentation

A clear structure helps your audience follow along and remember your key points. Every good presentation follows this four-part framework.

1

Introduction

• Hook the audience
• State your topic
• Preview your key points

2

Key Points

• 2–4 main ideas
• Evidence for each point
• Clear transitions

3

Visuals

• Support your words
• Graphs, images, diagrams
• Keep slides simple

4

Conclusion

• Summarise key points
• Call to action or takeaway
• Invite questions

Transition phrases that link your points:

"Moving on to..." "Now let's look at..." "My next point is..." "This connects to..." "To summarise..."

Choosing the Right Visual Aid

Different types of information are best shown with different visuals. Choose the right one and your audience will understand instantly.

📊

Bar Graph

Best for: Comparing quantities between different groups.

Example: Number of students in each sport at your school.

📈

Line Graph

Best for: Showing changes over time (trends).

Example: Average temperature over 12 months.

🔵

Pie Chart

Best for: Showing parts of a whole (percentages).

Example: How students travel to school (bus 40%, walk 30%, car 30%).

📸

Photos/Images

Best for: Making emotional impact, showing real examples.

Example: Photos of pollution for an environmental presentation.

🛠

Diagram/Flowchart

Best for: Explaining processes or how things work.

Example: The water cycle or how a bill becomes a law.

📋

Table

Best for: Showing precise data or comparing multiple features.

Example: Comparing features of different phone plans.

Slide Design: Less Is More

Your slides should support your speech, not replace it. If you put everything on the slide, the audience reads instead of listening to you.

Bad Slide Design

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!!!

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Sources: Wikipedia, National Geographic, and some other websites I found

✗ Wall of text — too much to read

✗ Hard-to-read fonts and colours

✗ No visuals or images

✗ Low contrast (light text on dark busy background)

Good Slide Design

The Great Barrier Reef

[Stunning photo of coral reef]

• 2,300 km long
• Over 2,900 individual reefs
• Visible from space

✓ Key points only — speak the details

✓ Clean, readable font

✓ Strong visual image

✓ High contrast, uncluttered

The 6x6 Rule

Maximum 6 bullet points per slide — each with no more than 6 words. This forces you to keep slides simple and speak the details yourself.

Other design rules:

• Use large, clear fonts (24pt minimum)
• High contrast (dark text on light background)
• One idea per slide
• Consistent design throughout

Speaking from Notes vs Reading Slides

Speaking from Notes

✓ Use small cue cards with key words only
✓ Maintain eye contact with the audience
✓ Sounds natural and conversational
✓ Shows you know your material

Reading from Slides

✗ Turns your back to the audience
✗ Sounds robotic and rehearsed
✗ Audience just reads ahead
✗ Shows you do not know your material

Handling Q&A

The question-and-answer session can feel scary, but it is actually a chance to show your expertise. Here is how to handle it well.

1

Listen to the full question

Do not interrupt. Let the person finish asking before you respond.

2

Repeat or rephrase the question

This ensures everyone heard it and gives you a moment to think. "Great question. You're asking about..."

3

Answer honestly

If you know the answer, share it clearly and briefly. If you do not know, say: "That's a great question. I'm not sure, but I'll find out."

4

Stay calm and positive

Thank the person for their question. Even if it is a tough one, treat it as an opportunity, not a threat.

Key Vocabulary

Visual Aid

Any image, graph, or diagram used to help the audience understand information.

6x6 Rule

A slide design guideline: maximum 6 bullet points with a maximum of 6 words each.

Cue Cards

Small cards with key words or phrases to remind you of your points while presenting.

Transition

A phrase that smoothly connects one section of your presentation to the next.

Contrast

The difference between text and background colours. High contrast (dark on light) is easier to read.

Q&A

Question and Answer — a session at the end of a presentation where the audience asks questions.

Worked Examples

See the difference between poor and effective presentation choices.

Example 1: Choosing the Right Visual

POOR CHOICE

You want to show how ocean temperatures have changed over 50 years, so you use a pie chart.

A pie chart shows parts of a whole at one point in time — it cannot show change over time.

GOOD CHOICE

You use a line graph with years on the x-axis and temperature on the y-axis. The upward trend is immediately visible.

Line graphs are perfect for showing trends and changes over time.

Example 2: Slide Bullet Points

TOO MUCH TEXT

"The Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 400 types of coral, and many other marine animals including dolphins, turtles, and sharks"

This is a full paragraph, not a bullet point. The audience will read it instead of listening to you.

CONCISE

• 1,500+ fish species

• 400 types of coral

• Dolphins, turtles, sharks

Short bullet points. You speak the details and stories around these key facts.

Example 3: Handling a Difficult Question

POOR

Audience: "What about the bleaching events in 2024?"
Presenter: "Uh, I dunno... next question?"

Dismissive, unprepared, makes the presenter lose credibility.

PROFESSIONAL

Audience: "What about the bleaching events in 2024?"
Presenter: "Great question. I focused my research on conservation efforts, so I don't have specific data on the 2024 bleaching. That would be a really important area to look into further. Thanks for raising it."

Honest, gracious, acknowledges the gap, maintains credibility.

Knowledge Check

Test your understanding of presentations and visual aids. Select the correct answer and click "Check Answer".

Question 1

You want to show what percentage of Year 8 students play each sport. Which visual is best?

Line graph Photograph Flowchart Pie chart

Question 2

What is the "6x6 Rule" for slide design?

Maximum 6 bullet points, each with maximum 6 words Use 6 different colours and 6 different fonts Include 6 images on every 6th slide Present for 6 minutes with 6 slides

Question 3

Why is it better to speak from cue cards rather than reading slides word-for-word?

Cue cards are cheaper than slides Reading slides means turning your back and sounding robotic, while cue cards let you maintain eye contact and speak naturally Teachers do not allow slides Slides are only for decoration

Question 4

Someone asks you a question during Q&A that you do not know the answer to. What is the best response?

"I don't know, next question" Make up an answer so you look smart "That's a great question. I don't have that information right now, but I'll look into it and follow up." Ignore the question and move on

Question 5

You want to show how the steps of photosynthesis work in order. Which visual would be most effective?

Pie chart Bar graph Table Diagram or flowchart

Presenting Information Clearly