CLARIFICATION: In an earlier version of this article, Drew Goins was incorrectly identified as a Prezi brand ambassador. The Daily Tar Heel would like to clarify that Prezi had no part in this article and that Goins is not an official representative of Prezi.
Kelsey Weekman (proud one-time Prezi user) and Drew Goins are the writers of UNC’s premier (only!) satirical advice column. Results may vary.
You: I’ve got a big presentation for class coming up, and I’m nervous. How do I prepare?
You Asked for It: Solid, thorough preparation is the key to making sure your presentation gets the A+ the Microsoft Office paperclip implicitly promises you’ll earn with his kind gaze and gentle encouragement.
Put plenty of work into the accompanying slides. If you’re struggling to make your PowerPoint long enough, add a slide (or four) for your works cited. If you’re way under, repeat every slide in order to make sure the class can “review” the concepts you present.
Always be considerate to the rest of the class. Make sure you bring enough PowerPoints for each student to have one.
Assuming you have a hip professor, get particularly mavericky and shake things up with a Prezi. Literally shake things up. Have you seen those animations? They’re wild.
Once you’ve set your supplementary materials, practice, practice, practice your speech! And by “practice, practice, practice,” we mean “mumble under your breath as you go through your slides once, idly glancing at an iPhone timer.”
Right before you go on, try doing some tongue-twisters: “The big, black bug bled blue-black blood.” “PowerPoint presenters please prudish professors.”
You: What tips and tricks will help me make sure that my class presentation is the sell-out event of the year?
YAFI: The first step is hype. Promote your presentation months in advance on Tidal.
Start your day off with a warmup playlist. Include all the greatest warmup songs to get you excited to present — “Eye of the Tiger,” that song from "High School Musical" or last week’s episode of This American Life.
Make sure your venue has all of the necessary elements. If your classroom does not have an overhead projector and adequate space to move around, rent out a larger space like Walnut Creek Amphitheatre or Madison Square Garden.
When the curtain rises, stride on from the wings, find your mark and give a subtle nod to the conductor to let him know you are ready to begin.
Make sure your first lines are captivating. Take this time to practice that stand-up you’ve always wanted to try. What is the deal with dining hall food, anyway?
Do your best to avoid using filler words like “um,” “like” “uh” or “heed my commands, you worthless heathens.”
When you find yourself getting nervous, picture the audience in their underwear. Then picture them as those hot barefoot guys.
Jazz up your regularly scheduled programming with some fun classroom-themed improvisation. Do shadow puppets on the projector or scale the professor’s lectern like Godzilla on the Empire State Building.
If you bomb the whole thing, who cares? Point finger guns at your professor and softly scream, “That’s showbiz!”
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