Practice Practice Practice...Oral Presentations

Not every student is fond of oral presentations.  While it does wonders for your CV, it is often nerve wrecking because of the preparation involved and requirement to speak before an audience.  Yet, students planning to apply for doctoral programs should practice their presentation skills. 

Doctoral programs will probably require students to give several oral presentations to be prepared for professional conferences, where one would provide an overview and importance of their research findings before an audience.  This is the reality of a field that falls under the bracket of science.  Science based fields tend to discuss and disseminate new/existing research ideas. Thus, get used to the idea of having to present your research to a group. 

A good start to oral presentations is to create a poster, paper, and present the information in front of peers in one's undergraduate years.  Obtaining consistent experience in this area will help students to get over their fear of speaking, gain research experience, and transition into higher academic activities, presenting.  In fact, oral presentations can help a student truly master various subject matter because of the extensive time required for gathering and presenting the findings.

Bottom line, take classes that require you to conduct and present your research.  It will not only impress a potential doctoral program, but it will also give you the time to grow into become a professional presenter.