How to use Smart Flashcard Creation when planning your presentations!
Present Pal V6 introduces an incredible feature – Smart Flashcard Creation, you can capture your inner ramblings and turn them into coherent talking points.
Present Pal V6 introduces an incredible feature – Smart Flashcard Creation, you can capture your inner ramblings and turn them into coherent talking points.
Step 1: Access Smart Flashcard Creation
Log in to your Present Pal account and navigate to the ‘decks’ section. Once you click on the flashcard, you'll now see two options: ‘Smart create’ or ‘Add bullet’. Smart create is the new enhanced option.
Already know what you want to say? Click ‘Add bullet’ and make flashcards the same way as before.
Step 2: Choose Your Input Method
With Smart Create, you have the flexibility to use your voice, type or paste your notes in. You can only use this on a blank deck, not one you have already set up.
Step 3: Let Present Pal Work Its Magic
Once you've input your notes or audio, hit the "Summarise" button. Watch as Present Pal's Smart Summarisation algorithm analyses your content and generates optimised bullet points.
Step 4: Review and Personalise
The suggested bullet points are just the starting point. Take a moment to review them and edit, rearrange, or add additional information to suit your presentation.
Step 5: Repeat and Expand
Repeat the process for each new flashcard you want to add to your deck until you have your full deck.
Update the app by heading to your app store now!
Top 3 Presentation Rehearsal Techniques
Public speaking is the most common fear, and 86% of disabled students experience presentation anxiety. So what can we do about it? Here are three presentation rehearsal techniques to help you up your game.
Have you ever been halfway through your presentation, your mind goes blank and all you can hear is your heart like a cursed techno beat in your brain?
This is a pretty common scenario, and it never gets easier. Public speaking is the most common fear, and 86% of disabled students experience presentation anxiety.
So what can we do about it?
Alongside creating a killer presentation with excellent content, your delivery is just as important. Rehearsing is a key part of this process, and helps massively with presentation nerves, especially for university students with disabilities or learning differences like dyslexia.
Instead of focussing on memorising your content (which isn’t a great method once you forget something) focus on practicing it. Here are three presentation rehearsal techniques to help you up your game.
The gospel of 10
Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor is a scientist who gave one of the most viewed TED talks in history, and when asked how many times she rehearsed her presentation beforehand, the answer may shock you.
It wasn’t five, it wasn’t ten…it was 200.
Which is a little intense, and by no means necessary for a uni presentation! But it proves that practicing your presentation is a crucial part of the public speaking process.
Many experts claim that the magic number is 10. Rehearsing ten times is a great technique for success.
The 20-20-20 rule
Experts suggest going over your presentations for 20 minutes, then repeating the information twice or more.
Repeating the content within 30 mins of the task means it’s more likely to stay in your long term memory, and thinking about the 20-20-20 split is an easy way of segmenting and prioritising your rehearsal time.
Practice with a little pressure
Find ways to rehearse that help to mimic the real life presentation environment, whether that’s going to familiarize yourself with the room you’ll be doing your presentation in and practicing there, or using family or friends as audience guinea pigs.
You can also practice in front of a mirror or record or time yourself in video or audio to identify areas that need improvement in your speech or body language.
You can rehearse with Present Pal for greater accessibility, listen back to records and set target times to help perfect your presentation.
Get more pro presentation advice and find out more about Present Pal here.
How to Prepare for a Q&A
Sometimes the most challenging element of a presentation can be the Q&A. But it can also be the most impressive if you’re prepared. Here’s some pointers from the Present Pal team.
Picture this: you’ve spent weeks practising your presentation and you finally deliver it - it’s just how you always dreamed.
Despite your anxieties you nailed it. Your class applauds and you heave a sigh of relief, wiping your brow like a cartoon character.
But then you hear the lecturer bellow those terrifying words: does anyone have any questions? You’ve completely forgotten about this part, and you don’t know what to do.
Sometimes the most challenging element of a presentation can be the Q&A. But it can also be the most impressive, if you’re prepared. Here’s some pointers from the Present Pal team.
Remember that questions are a good sign
While you may be worrying that your presentation Q&A will kick in your fight-or-flight response, causing a brain-wobble, remember that people asking questions and being curious about your topic is a good sign, it means they were engaged with your presentation.
You could even write a little note to yourself in the Present Pal app on your final slide, to remind yourself of that in the moment, to help calm your nerves.
Research FAQs
One of the simplest ways of preparing for a Q&A is to research commonly asked questions for your topic, exploring every possible angle.
This will also help you feel more confident in your overall knowledge, and give you the tools to answer any tricky questions.
If you don’t know the answer to something, that’s okay, you won’t be an expert on every presentation you give.
So it’s acceptable to say that you don’t know the exact answer, but you can follow up with something related to the question that you do know, to convey your competence.
If you rehearse your presentation for friends or family beforehand, ask them what questions they have after the presentation.
This will give you an idea of what people want to know. Using the Present Pal app is a great way of rehearsing, you can listen to past rehearsals and set target times.
What if someone asks a question because they disagree with your statements? Use what psychologists call ‘in group’ thinking.
Connect with your audience
It’s likely that your audience are your peers and so they’ll be in the same position as you in being tasked with delivering a presentation. So while you’ll feel like you’re in the hot seat, remember that your classmates will be too.
Using that empathy will help you feel on more of an equal level with your audience during the Q&A portion and help you connect with them, which in turn will allow a more relaxed and conversational approach.
But what if someone asks a question because they disagree with your statements? Use what psychologists call ‘in group’ thinking, to make you and your audience feel like you share common ground.
Start by thanking them for a great question, identifying the areas that you both agree in, echo their question back to them to show you understood, then explain your perspective.
Demonstrate your knowledge
If you’ve spent a few agonising weeks preparing and rehearsing your presentation, thinking about the Q&A as an opportunity to make all of that work worth it.
It’s a great way to show off your knowledge on the topic, and this will definitely impress your lecturer and increase your chances of a good grade.
Keen to know how Present Pal can help you nail your presentation? Find out more here.
3 Ways to Kickstart Your Presentation
Struggling to get started with your presentation? We’ve all been there. Here are three ways to kickstart building your presentation, and overcome that procrastination temptation.
Struggling to get started with your presentation? We’ve all been there. Especially for the more nervous among us (*stares in fidget spinner*) it can feel like a mammoth task to begin a presentation, never mind structure it, plan it, and deliver it.
At Present Pal we’re pros when it comes to creating presentations in an accessible way, and so we’ve learned a few tricks over the years. Here are three ways to kickstart building your presentation, and overcome that procrastination temptation.
Define your goals
There’s no point hurtling full force into presentation-writing-mode unless you have a really clear idea of what your presentation is going to be about, and why.
Defining your goals is a great first exercise and will help you stay focused during the process of building your presentation.
Take a look at the brief that you were given, and ask yourself the following: Why am I doing this presentation? Why does this subject matter? How will this task benefit my studies? What new or interesting information can I personally bring to this and why?
Once you’ve identified your goals it will be much easier to create a plan of action.
2. Break your tasks into bite-size steps
Don’t overwhelm or pressure yourself into completing a perfect presentation in the speed of light, taking the time to process your task and breaking it into manageable steps will ensure greater chances of productivity and success.
Here are some suggestions for steps, you can alter these or add your own, whatever best suits your learning style:
Create a structure: break your presentation topic into three major areas
Take each area at a time, identifying key points for each
Work out how you learn best - .e.g are you a visual learner or a verbal learner?
Decide what style and tone you’re going for
Create a realistic timeline for completing tasks
Factor in time for corrections, rehearsals and reviews
Jump into the Present Pal app to start creating your notes and building your presentation, or find out more about accessing Present Pal here. You can also listen to past rehearsals and set target times.
Present Pal will also guide you through your presentation and help you stay on track by allowing you to check off each bullet point as you go, and connect to PowerPoint or Google Slides.
3. Promise yourself a reward
One of the best ways to keep motivation levels high is to incentivise. Who else remembers the absolute glory of getting a gold star at school for completing a task? Well, it works the same way in your adult life.
After you’ve broken your presentation building plan into manageable day-by-day steps, you can plan rewards for yourself once you’ve completed X amount of steps.
Not only will this make the process more bearable, it can actually increase your productivity and motivation.
For example, if you managed to plan a structure for your presentation that day, reward yourself by buying an iced vanilla oat milk latte or pampering yourself with a facemask and hot bath.
Interested in more presentation advice and hacks? Read and watch them here.
Presentation 101: Understanding the Brief
Public speaking can be anxiety-inducing for the best of us, but couple that with the dilemma of understanding the assignment, and it can feel really overwhelming. Here’s our guide for understanding the assignment brief, to set you up for success.
“Identify one core message that your presentation will revolve around, then be as focussed and specific as possible in the areas you’re analysing.”
Public speaking and presentations can be anxiety-inducing for the best of us, but couple that with the dilemma of understanding the assignment, and it can feel really overwhelming.
Especially for university students who have disabilities or learning differences, it’s super important for us to feel confident in how we are going to approach a task.
Luckily, the Present Pal team have got our back. Here’s our guide for understanding the assignment brief, to set you up for success.
Know the basics
Check the presentation length, deadline, format and any guidance issued by the department or your tutor.
Depending on what school you’re in, your module handbook will be able to tell you what is and is not appropriate for your course, and will also detail the learning outcomes.
If you’re not sure, you can always hang back after class to ask your lecturer questions, email them, or check your course information online.
Know your goal
Start by answering the following:
What topic am I presenting on?
What angle/perspective will I bring to the conversation?
What key areas am I going to analyse?
How long do I have to deliver the presentation?
What are the bullet points I need the audience/my lecturer to take away?
This will help you create the basic building blocks of your presentation when it comes to structure and content.
What are your key points?
Identify one core message that your presentation will revolve around, then be as focussed and specific as possible in the areas you’re analysing.
Identify three or four subheadings, with three or four bullet points for each. Think about the order and why it matters, and include examples or evidence that support your statements. For example:
The question or topic is ‘Digital marketing trends’.
The core message: Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of current digital marketing trends.
Subheading example: The rise of Tik Tok:
The appeal of short form video
User-generated content
Gen Z and online habits
Where to start? Using Present Pal to create your notes
Beginning your presentation can often be the biggest challenge - should you dive straight into building your Powerpoint slides? Or begin with notes and research? Whatever route you take is up to you.
Present Pal is an accessible presentation support app that will make the process of planning and delivering your presentation that much easier. Use the app to create your interactive flashcards, and personalise them by changing colour and fonts.
To practise and refine your content you can listen to past rehearsals and set target times to help you identify areas for improvement.
Present Pal will also guide you through your presentation and help you stay on track by allowing you to check off each bullet point as you go, and connect to PowerPoint or Google Slides.
How will it look? Less is more
You can control your slides as you present (like a clicker) by connecting the Present Pal app to your PowerPoint or Google Slides integrations (you check out the installation guide here).
As well as your content, the visuals are an important component of a presentation, but not the most important.
While it may be tempting to add animations, graphics and fancy fonts to your presentation, the content should always be the part that shines. Think about consistent colour schemes, clear and legible fonts, and images and video that support your statements.
Looking for more presentation and accessibility advice? Read our full list of advice and hacks here.
What Is Your Learning Style?
Have you ever sat down to start writing an essay or been asked a question in a tutorial and you feel like you can’t quite grasp the concept? But you know that you’re capable of understanding but you feel like you don’t have the right tools? Before you get started with your presentation, it’s important to find out which learning model suits you best, to alleviate some anxiety and give you the best chances of presentation success.
Have you ever sat down to start writing an essay or been asked a question in a tutorial and you feel like you can’t quite grasp the concept? But you know that you’re capable of understanding but you feel like you don’t have the right tools?
For university students especially, everyone’s learning style is different and, when you have a disability or are neurodivergent, finding the best ways you learn is crucial for meeting your needs in your educational development. You could be a rainbow highlighter, doodle and diagrams kind of person, or you might prefer to take a more physical and hands-on approach with your learning.
That’s where we come in - Present Pal is an accessible presentation support app that prepares and guides you through presentations in the style that works for you, using interactive flashcards.
So before you get started with your presentation, it’s important to find out which learning model suits you best, to alleviate some anxiety and give you the best chances of public speaking success.
The VARK model
The VARK model is the most widely accepted theory for different learning styles. Look at each one below to see what might be the best fit for you. Many people have a dominant learning style, but you could also have a hybrid learning style - there is no right or wrong answer.
What are memletics?
In addition to the VARK model, memletics looks at other ways of learning that relate more to cognitive function, and these can be combined with VARK learning styles to help you better understand how you learn and why.
Verbal
Logical (mathematical)
Social (interpersonal)
Solitary (intrapersonal)
Now you know more about your learning style, you have the right foundation to get started with your presentation task! The more that you try different methods of learning the more you’ll realize the ones which work best for you and your individual needs.
Keen to learn more presentation and public speaking tips? Have a read here.
Looking for access to Present Pal? Find out more.