Summarize this article:

The more you practice your presentation, the more familiar you'll be with your material. The more familiar you are with your material, the more comfortable you'll be talking about it. While you may have notes, if you look at them frequently, you will alienate your audience. They'll sense that you're not prepared, or perhaps not as enthusiastic about the subject matter as you told them you were. You don't necessarily have to memorize your whole presentation. However, any notes should be there to ensure you get specific names and numbers correct not to tell you what to say next. You may also want to tape or video your presentation and watch it yourself. However, keep in mind that people are typically their own worst critics. Don't get too down on yourself if your presentation doesn't rise to the level of, say, the last TED talk you saw. An ideal practice audience will be made up of people similar to the people who will be watching your actual presentation. If people who fit that description aren't readily available to you, use family and friends if necessary. If people in your practice audience don't have the background and experience people in your real audience will, give them a short briefing before your rehearsals to get them up to speed. Try to include 5 to 10 people in your practice audience so you can work on eye contact with different people in the audience. This also gives you the opportunity to space people out so you can work on projecting your voice. Check with the people in charge to find out what you'll need to bring to your presentation in terms of technological equipment, cables, and the like. Get together more than you need, in case there are any mix-ups. Bring paper notes and a print-out of your slide presentation, just in case you can't get the slides to work. That way, you'll still be able to make your presentation. If at all possible, you want to do at least one rehearsal of your presentation in the room where it will be held. This enables you to prepare technical details and ensure everyone in the entire room can see and hear you. Have your practice audience sit in different parts of the room so they can let you know if they can hear and see you clearly. If you aren't able to do a full dry run of your presentation, at least make sure you can show up early and prepare the room. For example, if you're using a microphone, you want to make sure the audio is set up properly before you start. While the time you'll need depends on how much equipment you have to set up, you should generally allow at least an hour. If others will also be presenting, the organizers may have a designated set-up time the day of the presentation. You also want to make sure your laptop will work with the display technology available. You may need to download software, and you want to do this in advance. Especially if you're nervous, you may have the tendency to sway or move around a lot. Generally, it's better to stand in one place and use hand gestures where necessary to make your points. For example, you might think that people won't notice that you're shaking if you pace back in forth. In reality, your audience is likely having trouble keeping up with you as you move around the stage. You'll also have difficulty making eye contact with members of the audience. When giving a professional presentation, making eye contact with members of the audience engages them and makes them believe you're genuinely interested in sharing with them. In a small group (fewer than 20 people), try to make eye contact with each person at least once. In a larger group, direct your gaze to zones of the room to involve more people. Don't just focus in and talk to one person. Hold eye contact for 1-2 seconds, then switch somewhere else. You don't want someone to feel that you're staring them down. If you have trouble looking people directly in the eye, simulate eye contact by looking at people's foreheads instead. Ask your practice audience what you can do to improve. Since many people aren't skilled at giving constructive criticism, you may want to give them a specific list of questions to answer at the end of your presentation. For example, one question might be "What were the main points of my presentation?" If they can't identify your main points, that indicates that you need to be clearer about them. If they listed something as a main point that wasn't one of your main points, that might indicate you spent too long talking about something that was actually tangential. Also ask about your body language, voice projection, and other physical traits. Find out if your practice audience thought you were active and engaged.
Go through your presentation several times by yourself. Recruit a practice audience. Organize the materials you need. Ask if you can use the room where your presentation will be. Limit your body language to hand gestures. Use your rehearsals to practice good eye contact. Seek constructive criticism after your rehearsal.