Assuming this hasn't disappeared off into a new thread, here's the AgnesDavies guide to presentations. Credentials-wise, let's just say that I ran a one day (six HOURS!) workshop a couple of months back, and most of what I am going to describe is techniques I used there.
Notes
In a word, don't. That's to say, don't write out a presentation verbatim and deliver it off the "script". To be frank, long pauses with plenty of "uhhhhh..." comes over better than someone reading to the audience, unless you're VERY good at reading off script, in which case you're probably in the wrong job.
What I have found works really well is to build a mind map (aka spider chart) of the topics I'm going to cover (I used FreeMind to draw it). This gave me a hierarchical breakdown of the material I needed to present, but the flexibility to ad lib my way through the presentation. That might be overkill for a titchy little ten minute job, so consider just doing some bullet points on postcards if you feel that's enough.
Powerpoint
The BIGGEST mistake (apart from reading off a script) that anyone making presentations makes is to put up Powerpoint slides and read them to the audience. DON'T! You will bore them, and if you write the way you speak it'll look funny, and if you talk the way it's written, you'll sound funny. The slide needs to have the barest key essentials up - your bullet points, if you like - and your job is to weave and improvise a jazz solo-esque web of interestingness around it. Keep your audience on their toes by having apparently completely controversial or paradoxical bits on slides, then have them eating out of your hand as you weave it into the narrative.
There's no rules for how many slides to use in a presentation, but for 10 minutes, I can't imagine you could possibly need more than seven or 8.
Content
Use the tried and trusted essay technique: tell 'em what you're going to say, then say it, then tell 'em what you just said. Your presentation title slide should, unless you're being particularly smart-arsed
, effectively encapsulate your presentation in 3-5 words. The last slide should, similarly, but perhaps not quite so briefly, tell them what you think they need to have been convinced of - that one will probably be the one that remains on-screen the longest, so bear that in mind. It's sometimes quite fun, as I often do, to use a quote from someone else that says what you're trying to say.
I expect that when you start to put this presentation together, you won't be clear what you want to say. Fine, but remember that when you stand up to deliver it, you do need to know how it ends. I've been to quite a few presentations from people who seemed almost surprised to get to the end of their spiel, and didn't seem to realise it was coming!
Speaking
Talk slow. No, even slower than that. Under any kind of pressure, our temptation is to speed up and gabble. We all do it, even experienced presenters. Either we're nervous and want to get the whole thing over with, or we're so full of ideas we just can't RESIST speaking at threehundredwordsaminutejusttogetthewholethingoverandconveyourenthusiasmandexcitementatitall. They'll be frustrated. Less is more, except where spaces in between sentences and pauses for effect are concerned, where more is more.
Use eye contact. Use it a lot. Not so much that it feels unnatural and uncomfortable, but more than you would think is "normal". Depending on how many you're presenting to, select a few likely candidates, and make sure you regularly make eye contact with them. We're not talking fixed stares here, just a level of engagement...
Humour
If you can do it, by all means (but be careful!). If you can't, or you're just not sure, then don't risk it. And one thing I'd always advise is...never script your jokes in. It just doesn't work. Far better that you think of a spontaneous funny and do it off the cuff than roll out some over-prepared witticism...
Finally...ten minutes really isn't long (schedule in 2-3 minutes for questions, but have some of your own - with suitable answers - to supply if nobody wants to ask any), so don't try to convey too much.
And - the easy bit - make it look like you're loving every motherloving minute of it, and that this is what you do. Because the chances are that at least half the people watching are thinking "phew, I'm glad it's not me having to do this"...
