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Improving your presentation skills can help you feel more comfortable in front of a group, whether it's at school, at work or in your community.

Presentations can be challenging. For some people the hardest part is speaking in front of a group, while others have a hard time figuring out how to present information in a way that doesn't feel boring. 

Luckily, help is only a few clicks away. Your library card gives you access to LinkedIn Learning which is an e-learning platform with thousands of video tutorials and courses by experts. You may know it by its former name, lynda.com. You'll find tutorials related to graphic design, photography, video editing and many other creative topics. But you'll also find videos about time management, public speaking, presentation skills and other topics that can help you academically. 

How to Find a Tutorial in LinkedIn Learning

The first step will be to access LinkedIn Learning through the Toronto Public Library website and enter your library card number and PIN. Your PIN is usually the last four digits of your phone number, but if that doesn't work you can try resetting it.

If you want to see the different types of tutorials that are available then use the Browse feature.

You'll find the browse button at the top of the page.

Tip! Click "Show All" under the list of topics if you're interested in seeing more related topics. 

If you already know the topic that you're interested in, then head over to the Search box and start typing.

You can use the search box to look for topics or specific software.

As you begin to type, LinkedIn Learning will offer you suggestions of related topics that you can choose (or ignore).

Pick and Choose: You're In Charge!

Your list of search results may end up offering you hundreds of options. While choices are great, you probably don't have the time to sift through all the results. This is where the search filters will come in handy.

There are five different filters, but "time to complete" and "level" will probably be the ones you'll use most often.

1. If you're short on time, then use the "Time to Complete" filter to narrow down your options.

2. The other filter that you may find useful is the "Level" filter. If you're looking for an introduction on a topic then choose "Beginner." But if you're feeling more confident about your skills then go ahead and try "Intermediate." The "Advanced" level tends to be more high-level and directed at people who may need the information for their jobs, but if you're curious then go ahead and check it out.

Tip! You can choose multiple filters at once.

Short on time?

You can also save videos that you're interested in watching and come back to them when you have more time to spare. 

You'll be able to easily find the saved videos in your account by clicking on "Me" at the top of the page.

Ready to go?

Once you feel more confident about your presentation and speaking points, do your best to set aside enough time to rehearse. You'll find that practicing your presentation out loud will be more helpful than going over it in your head. Some people even find practicing in front of the mirror to be helpful because it gives them a sense of what the audience will be seeing. 

Here are my top picks to get you started:

• Presentation Basics by Todd Dewett: Short on time? Review the basics in under 5 minutes! (This video can be found in the course called How to Present and Stay on Point)
• Designing a Presentation by Tony Harmer: Find tips for designing your slides and visual presentations.
• Managing Your Anxiety While Presenting by Matt Abrahams: It's completely normal to feel nervous before a presentation, and these tips and suggestions might help you with managing these feelings.

We know that presenting can be nerve-racking, but we hope that the expert tips you'll gain from LinkedIn Learning tutorials will help boost your skills and confidence.

Good luck with your presentations!