Article: Pretty much everyone gets nervous about presenting, even when it isn't in front of a bunch of people. That's okay. All you have to do is mask the fact that you're nervous, since you won't be able to avoid the jitters themselves.  Before the presentation, clench and unclench your hands several times to deal with the adrenaline and then take 3 deep, slow breaths. Call up a smile, even if you feel like hurling. You can trick your brain into thinking that you're less anxious than you actually are and you'll also be able to hide your nervousness from your audience. One way to make your presentation memorable and interesting is to interact with your audience. Don't act like there's a wall between you and your audience, engage them in the material. Talk directly to them, not at them or at the back wall, but to your audience.  Make eye contact with your audience. Don't stare at one particular person, but section up the room and make eye contact with someone in each section on a rotational basis. Ask questions of your audience and take questions during your presentation. This will make it more of a conversation and therefore more interesting. Tell an amusing anecdote to illustrate your point. From the above examples about 17th century alchemy, you could find an amusing alchemical anecdote from the time period, or you could talk about your own forays into alchemy. Giving an engaging performance isn't the exact same thing as engaging your audience (although, hopefully, your performance will engage your audience). It simply means that you make the performance itself interesting and dynamic.  Move around, but make your movements deliberate. Don't nervously shift your feet (in fact, it's a good idea to imagine that your feet are nailed to the floor except for those times you deliberately choose to move). Use your vocal inflections to create a more dynamic presentation. Vary your voice as you're talking. Nobody (ever) wants to sit there and listen to someone drone on and on in dull monotone, no matter how interesting the material (think Professor Binns from Harry Potter; that's what you don't want). Try to create a balance between rehearsed and spontaneous. Spontaneous, on the spot, movement and asides can be great as long as you are really comfortable, otherwise they can sidetrack your presentation and make it rambling. Mess around with spontaneous and rehearsed when you're practicing and you'll get a feel for it. To get your audience's interest you'll need to connect them with the material on an emotional level and the best way to do that is to think of your presentation like a story you're telling.  Quickly introduce your topic and don't assume that your audience is familiar with all the terms, especially if your topic is one that isn't widely known. Figuring out why you want (or have to) give this presentation will help you work with an overarching story/theme. Maybe you want to pass the class. Maybe you're convincing people to give you money or join you in a philanthropic endeavor or act for a social or political reason. Channel that desire into your presentation. You're answering the question of why they would want to pass you or why they would want to fund you. That's the story you're telling. One of the most frequent things that people do to sabotage their own presentation is talking way too quickly and so many people make this mistake. They get nervous and they whip through their presentation, leaving the audience gasping at the tidal wave of information. Don't do this.  Have water with you and take a sip when you feel you're going too fast. If you have a friend in the class or meeting, arrange with them beforehand that they will let you know with a signal whether you're talking too quickly. Look over their way occasionally and check your progress. If you find that you're running out of time and you haven't finished, simply drop or summarize your leftover material. Acknowledge the leftover material as something that can be discussed later or in the Q&A. The beginning and the closing of a presentation are the parts that people tend to remember, so you want to make sure that you end with a punch to the gut (figuratively speaking; don't hit your audience). You'll need to reiterate those 3 most important points and make sure the listener knows why they should care about your topic.  Make it clear what the listeners now know and why it is important that they have this new information. Conclude with examples or stories about your main point and take home message. You might want a slide which summarizes your presentation. For example, you might conclude with a story about the nature of alchemy in the modern era (perhaps in a film) to show its malleable nature.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Deal with the jitters. Engage the audience. Give an engaging performance. Treat your presentation as a story. Talk more slowly. Have a killer closing.