How to Give a Presentation: Prep, Delivery and Nerves

A Referat, an oral presentation in school, university or training, is a talk in which you prepare a narrowed-down topic for an audience and explain it instead of just repeating texts. It works when you start early, limit yourself to a few key messages, speak freely and have rehearsed aloud several times beforehand.

What is a Referat?

A Referat (also called a talk or presentation) is an oral assessment in school, university or vocational training. You research a question, organise what you learn and present it to an audience, usually classmates or fellow students, sometimes trainers. The University of Potsdam's handout describes the goal this way: the audience should have learned something. According to that handout, one to three key messages should come across convincingly, and explaining matters more than merely summarising.

Your teacher or lecturer sets the requirements that apply to you (length, media, handout, grading). Ask about them first.

How do I prepare a presentation?

The Düsseldorf presentation tips, hosted on the University of Mannheim's server, explicitly advise starting on time: you need longer than you think, and even a month can be too little. That is aimed at a university talk. For a school presentation the lead time is usually shorter (our own estimate); still plan more time than you think you need.

Narrow down the topic

“Climate change” does not make a good presentation; “How does the greenhouse effect work?” can. Phrase your topic as a question and fit it to the time. Two test questions help:

• Can I answer it in one sentence? If not, the topic is usually too big.
• What does the audience already know? The Düsseldorf tips recommend assuming only what the listeners can know and giving the talk for students, not for the instructor who already knows the content. At school the equivalent is: for the class.

Also decide on your core message: what should stick even if everything else is forgotten? The Bielefeld handout on giving a Referat asks for exactly this, namely clarifying what the essential point is and how it relates to the seminar.

Research

Read an overview first (textbook, reference work), then deeper sources. Note for each source what it says and where you found it, so you can list sources on the last slide or in the handout. The Potsdam handout advises knowing key terms and background so you are ready for comprehension questions, and thinking up your own examples.

Separate the important from the unimportant. Not everything you have read is worth reporting; a presentation is a selection, not an extract of everything. Present only what you understand yourself. If you cannot explain a sentence, rephrase it or leave it out.

Structure: introduction, body, conclusion

According to the Potsdam handout, a good talk has a clear structure of introduction, main part and conclusion. A proven pattern:

1. Introduction: name the topic and guiding question, say briefly why it matters, and show the thread (the outline in two or three sentences).
2. Body: two to four sections, each with one key statement, an example and a transition to the next. Do not plan more sections than your audience can retain.
3. Conclusion: repeat the main points, add an assessment or criticism and, if useful, pose questions for discussion.

The Düsseldorf tips recommend showing the outline at the start, coming back to it along the way and briefly summarising the previous section at those points. At the end, the same tips say, there should be no more than two or three, at most four points, because nobody can remember a whole talk.

Schedule

Work backwards from the date. This is a suggestion, not a requirement from the sources:

• First: clarify the task, length and grading; narrow down the topic.
• Then: research and write a first outline.
• Next: make index cards and, if needed, slides; prepare the handout.
• Last: several rehearsals aloud, with a buffer in between for changes.

How do I deliver the presentation?

Speak freely instead of reading

The Bielefeld handout recommends giving the talk freely: no fully written text, only index cards or a keyword sheet. The Düsseldorf tips agree and warn against reading the talk out, least of all from the presentation on the wall. Keywords on index cards, by contrast, are perfectly fine.

How to use index cards sensibly:

• one card per section, numbered so they cannot get mixed up;
• keywords and figures instead of whole sentences, only quotations and difficult names word for word;
• written large enough to grasp at a glance.

The Potsdam handout also advises simple sentences and speaking towards the audience.

Eye contact and voice

Make eye contact with the audience during the talk and do not drone through the text; use emphasis deliberately, says the Bielefeld handout. It also recommends transitions so listeners notice when a new idea begins. Speak loudly and clearly, include pauses and do not stand rooted to the spot: the Düsseldorf tips advise some movement.

Use slides sparingly

Slides should support the talk, not replace it. How many are allowed depends on the subject and the brief. The Bielefeld handout names, for its own Referate, at most five slides and at most five bullet points per slide; the Potsdam checklist names no more than five points per slide, one topic per slide and a font size of at least 26. These are the rules of individual institutions; take them as orientation and follow your teacher.

According to Potsdam, the title slide should carry your name, the seminar, the university, the semester, the seminar leader and the topic, and the last slide the sources.

Handout

A handout helps the audience look things up later. According to the Potsdam handout, it should contain the most important definitions, facts, key statements and references. How to design one is covered in our article how to make a handout.

What helps against nervousness?

The Potsdam handout says it is completely normal to be nervous, and that the more often you present orally, the more confident you feel. That is also why it pays to practise early in small groups. Of what the sources and common study practice support, the most useful things give you security through preparation, without you having to “work on yourself”:

• Good preparation. If you understand the material, you have less to fear.
• Rehearsals. What you have already said aloud several times comes to mind more easily.
• A fixed opening. Learn the first sentence and the outline almost by heart; the start carries you into the talk.
• Arrive early. Check technology and room beforehand. The Potsdam handout advises testing whether your laptop fits the projector cable.
• Allow pauses. A quick glance at the card is not a mistake. Breathe, take a sip, carry on.

Stage fright is a common experience, not a sign that something is going wrong. If nervousness weighs on you so much that you avoid presentations altogether, talk to your teacher, a counselling service or a professional. This article gives no medical advice.

How do I deal with questions?

Prepare questions for the discussion yourself, the Bielefeld handout advises, and plan enough time for them. In addition:

• Listen, then answer. Briefly restate the question if it is unclear. It buys you time.
• Stay honest. If you do not know something, say so and offer to look it up. Guessing is worse than a clear gap.
• Return to the core. Point to your key message if the question drifts far away.
• Ask questions yourself. The Düsseldorf tips advise checking at important points whether the matter is clear: silence often means it is not.

How do I rehearse properly?

The Düsseldorf tips name three rehearsals at home in front of the mirror as the absolute minimum, five as better, and stress that you must also practise explaining graphics. You should never overrun your time; because many people underestimate how long they will talk on a topic, you have to rehearse. The Bielefeld handout gives 30 minutes as the upper limit for its Referate; for yours, your teacher's brief applies.

Here is how to go about it:

1. Speak aloud, do not read silently. Only then do you notice where sentences stumble.
2. With a stopwatch. Note the time per section and cut what runs long.
3. In front of people. Friends, family or classmates; ask them for two concrete pieces of feedback (what was unclear, where it got too fast).
4. Record yourself. A voice memo shows filler words and pace.
5. Simulate questions. Have someone ask you questions and answer aloud.

For practising aloud and answering follow-ups you can also use LearnCastAI's oral exam simulator, where you answer questions on your own material. It does not replace a real listener, and you should check the questions critically.

What are the typical mistakes?

• A topic that is too big. Trying to mention everything and explaining nothing.
• Reading out. Your eyes are glued to the sheet or the slide.
• Too many slides and too much text. The audience reads instead of listening.
• Too fast and too quiet. Nerves speed up speech; plan pauses.
• Overrunning the time. A short talk is better than a long one with the same content.
• No thread. Without a shown outline and transitions, the audience loses track.
• Not rehearsed. Otherwise you only find out in front of the audience what does not work.

More articles on the subject are in the learning methods category. If your talk is later the oral final exam, the article on the presentation in a thesis defense helps further.

Conclusion

A good Referat comes from a clearly narrowed topic, a clean structure, free speaking with index cards and several rehearsals aloud. Slides and handout support the talk; they do not replace it. Nervousness is part of it; preparation and routine are the most reliable remedies. If you want to turn your own material into questions and answer them aloud, LearnCastAI offers tools for that, but the decisive part remains your own practice. The cited pages were retrieved on 7 November 2026; your school's or university's requirements take precedence over the advice here.