Introduction

Being able to present your ideas in front of large audiences is very important -- both academically and professionally. The resources in this guide will help you develop this important skill throughout your years here at SFU.

For further resources and tips, try the following:

Resources to help you improve your presentation skills
An excellent list of resources prepared by our SFU Student Learning Commons. Note that they also offer suggestions about safe places to practice your presentation skills and tips to help you speak up in class.

  Our Sage Business Skills resource includes a section on Presenting and Speaking. Designed to support the development of workplace skills, each Sage Business Skills section incorporates a mix of interactive scenarios, brief videos, and useful tips to help you improve your skills. Read more about it in this blog post.

 Books and ebooks

Business-specific

Start with an SFU Library catalogue search for the subject: Business presentations

Samples

View/hide samples of "business presentations" titles

General

Try the following subject headings in the SFU Library Catalogue:

Samples

Other resources

 Articles

Business Source Complete (BSC)
Provides hundreds of articles with the subjects Business presentations AND Public speaking, many of which include useful tips & tricks. 

A couple specific publications in BSC that you may want to focus on:

 Videos

The subjects listed above will also work when looking in the SFU Library Catalogue for videos -- just change the location search option from All items  to  Audio Visual.

For online/streaming videos, try LinkedIn Learning. Start with a search for these titles:

  • Designing a Presentation
  • Own Your Voice: Improve Presentations and Executive Presence
  • Creating and Giving Business Presentations
  • Effective Public Speaking
  • PowerPoint Tips and Tricks for Business Presentations
  • Data-Driven Presentations with Excel and PowerPoint (365/2019) 
  • Structuring an effective presentation

Samples of videos available for SFU students and instructors

5 Essentials for Powerful Presentations [streaming video]
"...memorable ways to commence, managing anxiety, being succinct and sign-posting information, maintaining audience engagement, relaxed body language, telling a story, and finishing with a bang"

Preparing for an online presentation [streaming video]
Describes ways to ensure effective online meetings and presentations.

Presentations : When Am I Ever Going to Use This? [streaming video]
Students will learn important skills for utilizing Microsoft Powerpoint. Watch to learn about the tools available to make a well-rounded presentation. 

Presentation Skills [streaming video]
Series of over 30 short videos on basic presentation skills, including the design, structure, and content of a presentation.