Public Presentations

Below are different resources for crafting public presentation: 

Writing Speeches

• Structuring a Speech:
  • Video of Nancy Duarte's The secret structure of great talks (from TED Talks)
• Creating an Outline:
  • Professor Gail Reid's Public Speaking Outline (PDF) from The Department of Mass Communication at University of West Georgia
• Writing the Speech:
  • Nancy Duarte's article Don’t Be Boring: Your Presentation’s Missing Secret Ingredient
  • Forbes's 10 Keys to Writing a Speech (PDF)
  • Nick Morgan's article Speechwriting Under the Gun from Harvard Business School
  • Adam Frankel's article 6 Tips for Writing a Persuasive Speech (On Any Topic) from Time Magazine
  • Agnes Scott College's Center for Writing and Speaking page
    • Agnes Scott's Handout section offers a variety of helpful documents for the different components of speech writing.

Preparing for Presentations

• Minimizing Stress:
  • Video of Daniel Levitin's How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed (from TED-Ed)
• Preparing for a Presentation:
  • Video of Chris Anderson's TED's secret to great public speaking (from TED Talks)
• Building Confidence in Public Speaking:
  • Video of Amy Cuddy's Your body language shapes who you are (from TED Talks)
  • Video of Caroline Goyder's The surprising secret to speaking with confidence (from TED Talks)
  • Video of Megan Washington's Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking (from TED Talks)

• Creating the Presentation:

  • Video of David McCandless's The beauty of data visualization (from TED Talks)
  • Roberto Cipolla's How to prepare and deliver a presentation from University of Cambridge (PDF)
  • Planning an effective presentation from University of Leicester (PDF)
  • Preparing a good presentation from University of Colorado (PDF)
• Resources:
  • Prezi: This website helps students turn their ideas into a top-notch presentation. The graphics and presentation style far exceed the traditional PowerPoint presentation.

  • Copyright-and royalty-free Music Sources:

    • Creative Commons
    • Stone Washed
    • Archive.org
    • Partners In Rhyme
    • Shambles
    • Wikimedia
• Miscellaneous: 
  • Video of Dan Pink's The puzzle of motivation (from TED-Ed)

Preparing for Job Interviews

• Inspiration for the Job Hunt:
  • Scott Dinsmore's TED Talk video How to find work you love
  • Dan Ariely's TED Talk video What makes us feel good about our work
• Résumé Writing:
  • Resources for résumés and cover letters provided by Career Services
• Job Search Writing:
  • Job Search Writing from Owl at Purdue Online Writing Lab
  • Analyze your Employability Skills from University of Kent
  • How to answer competency-based questions on application forms and at interview from University of Kent
  • Job Skills Checklist from Owl at Purdue Online Writing Lab
• Job Interview Preparation:
  • Video of Regina Hartley's Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume (from TED Talks)
  • Career Services provides students with tips on interview preparation.