Giving a presentation is part of our educational or working lives, whether we like it or not. A presentation is the key to making your message clear, whether you're in an interview or giving a talk in front of the class. Here are some ways to give presentations.

Control your nerves       

For years, Sally Chopping, a speech coach for the company Acting for Business, had feared the day she would draw a blank during a presentation. Then one day during a 45-minute speech, it happened— she forgot what she was going to say. To help her get back on track（恢复正常）, Chopping asked the audience（观众）to look at the handout and tell her what topic was up next. At the end of her presentation, audience members gave her top marks for organization. "What they care about is what you are going to do about it," Chopping said. "My nervousness went away when I just thought, 'How is my speech going to help the audience?' Once you do that, you will not be afraid."

Be prepared       

Doug Carter is the founder of Canada-based presentation skills training company Presentations Etc. When possible, he gets to the location of his presentation the day before to make sure all the electronic helpers work. He wants to ensure the screen, lighting and computer all work properly. "Most of the time it works, but one time it doesn't, you're dangerous," he says. In addition, build an exit（退场）plan before you present. Having a point of your main idea helps when getting to the end, or if you are given an unexpected five-minute warning.

Engage the audience       

Whether you've got a one-on-one talk or a speech in front of 400 people, think "story-telling". Sometimes all it takes is a few seconds to connect an audience member with a story, according to Eric English, a communication teacher at the University of Pittsburgh in the US. Moreover, the hardest thing for people to do is to say nothing, although it can be a nice tool. If you've got something people should read, pause（暂停）and let them read it. "One thing that shocks people back into attention is to leave an almost uncomfortably long pause," he said. "They've been used to hearing this voice and all of a sudden it is, 'Oh, no, what did I miss?' That reminds them and brings them back to the speaker."

It is believed that a good memory comes naturally, while a bad memory cannot be changed. 【小题1】. Here are some tips for you.

Take an interest.

【小题2】. This can explain the reason why schoolboys remember football results clearly but have trouble with dates from their history lessons.

Repeat things in chunks (块).

Repeating things in chunks is the best way to remember things for a short time. 【小题3】. The following numbers would be difficult for most of us to remember: 1492178919318483. But look at them in groups or chunks repeatedly and it becomes easy: 149 217 891 931 8483.

【小题4】.

To remember long lists, try inventing a story that includes all the things you want to remember. In experiments (实验), people were asked to remember up to 120 words using this way. When tested later, they could remember about 90% of them. The test result was really amazing.

Take physical exercise.

Physical exercise is important for your memory, because it sends more oxygen (氧气) to your brain, and that makes your memory work better. 【小题5】. As we know, too much pressure is very bad for the memory.

I’m sorry to hear that you have problems with your parents. After reading your letter carefully, I’m going to offer you some advice.

Firstly, find a right time to talk. Communication is a good way to solve problems. But don’t talk to your parents during they are cooking dinner or before you go to school. Looking for a proper time to talk is very helpful.

Secondly, plan what you want to say. You might have great pressure to talk with your parents. But you must make a change to get on well with your parents. Why don’t you start by thinking about what problem you want to solve at first?

Thirdly, deal with their worries. Let your parents trust you and believe your friends are good people. You can provide them with certain examples so that they don’t need to worry about you.

Finally, take on more things around the house. Although you know the importance of doing housework, you are sometimes lazy. When you do more housework to help your parents, you can imagine how happy they will be. So you should try to do some housework for your parents.

I really hope that my advice can help you.

Yours,

Li Hua

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