Come to class having completed the assigned reading or writing. Both formal and informal presentations ask students to demonstrate not only that an assignment has been completed, but also that the information has been analyzed and synthesized. Do not try to wing a presentation; a lack of preparation will be glaringly obvious and will likely result in the loss of points.
Tailor your presentation to the audience, which may include classmates. Knowing the audience shapes the language, tone and supporting examples, such as facts, anecdotes, or visuals. Knowing the purpose --- informative, persuasive or summary --- determines which appeals to use and how to organize information. If giving a formal presentation, organize the presentation into three main parts, an introduction, body and conclusion.
Set the tone and lay out how the presentation is organized. According to the "Hodges Harbrace Handbook" by Cheryl Glenn and Loretta Gray, "Taking no more than one-tenth of your overall presentation time (for example one minute of a ten-minute presentation), your introduction should indicate who you are, your qualifications, your topic, and the relevance of your topic to the audience."
Develop the body of a presentation as you would an essay. Divide information into three or four main points and back up those points with specific examples and explanations. Summarizing each point and using transitional words and phrases when moving on to the next point provides a way for the audience to mentally organize and retain information.
Use words like "in conclusion" or "to summarize" to mark that the presentation is winding down. Review topic points and state what you would like the audience to do with the information they have just heard, such as following the instructions or implementing a policy.
Use creativity to keep the audience interested. If making a poster, include text and photos to depict the thesis and supporting topics. Creating an outline that highlights key points with bold headings and bullets or that contains graphs or charts helps focus attention. Practice before using a PowerPoint and "have a back-up plan for visuals" advises author Lester Faigley in "The Brief Penguin Handbook."