Tips for Presenting Your Work to an Audience

Giving a speech, seminar, or lesson can be a great opportunity to bring visibility to your work and open your research up to potential funders or stakeholders that can help you advance it further. If you’re nervous about presenting in front of an audience, there are several things you can do to prepare and make the most out of the experience.
 
The first step is to assess who your audience is and what they would most like to know. Consider the following:

Audience Demographics

Odds are, if someone is attending your presentation, they have some vested interest in you and your work. Perhaps they have a similar background or specialization, and they’re curious as to how your work may impact their own. Or perhaps they are students, and it’s your task to inspire them. Maybe your audience is broad and general, and your work has sparked their curiosity. Whatever their reason for being in the room, it can be both validating and affirming to know that if they are there, then they want to hear what you have to say.