I think that practicing your presentation out loud is the most useful piece of advice I can give from my 30 years of experience. At a minimum, you need to be sure that you fit within the timeline (sadly, I am always surprised by how many presenters cannot meet that basic goal). Beyond that, practicing out loud will get you away from just reading your presentation.

In terms of visuals, that will depend a lot on your field. If the presentations you have seen were heavy on visuals, then you should try to follow that standard. Otherwise, the most important thing is to be clear about your goals, and to have an equally clear outline about what you are doing. In general, the typical format for a scientific paper is a good overall format.

Having said that, I would balance the parts of your presentation so that your main emphasis is on why your research question is important and how your results contribute to the existing literature. These are the things that will be most interesting to your audience, so put the majority of your time there, rather than trying to divide it equally across all the sections of your presentation outline.

You asked a very important question, and I need high-quality answers.

I think that practicing your presentation out loud is the most useful piece of advice I can give from my 30 years of experience. At a minimum, you need to be sure that you fit within the timeline (sadly, I am always surprised by how many presenters cannot meet that basic goal). Beyond that, practicing out loud will get you away from just reading your presentation.

In terms of visuals, that will depend a lot on your field. If the presentations you have seen were heavy on visuals, then you should try to follow that standard. Otherwise, the most important thing is to be clear about your goals, and to have an equally clear outline about what you are doing. In general, the typical format for a scientific paper is a good overall format.

Having said that, I would balance the parts of your presentation so that your main emphasis is on why your research question is important and how your results contribute to the existing literature. These are the things that will be most interesting to your audience, so put the majority of your time there, rather than trying to divide it equally across all the sections of your presentation outline.

i would hire a stand-up comedian.

Like David L Morgan said, timing is key. The best presenters know exactly how much time they have to work with, then they tailor their presentation to fit the time and keep an eye on the time throughout. Remember to keep your visuals clean and simple. Some of the worst conference presentations I’ve seen are ones with complex imagery that force the audience to try and figure out how the image and the speaker’s point are related.

Once again like David L Morgan said, practicing aloud is key. I rehearse out loud in my bedroom. It feels strange but it works.

Another strategy that works well for me is recording myself. This allows me to see where I'm doing well and where I need to improve. I usually ask a friend or colleague to listen and be critical of my efforts.

Prepare for questions. Getting grilled beforehand really helps ease any presenting nerves or anxiety you will get if you’re unlucky enough to get grilled after your presentation.

Body language is another has an important role in presentations, especially at academic conferences. There are usually a lot of facts and findings to be highlighted in a conference presentation, and you need to use all the presenting tools available to you to remain interesting and effective throughout. Your gestures, tone of voice and positivism can be seen through your body language and may determine how engaged your audience is. When you’re speaking, a few body language tips can help improve your rapport with your audience. For your audience to engage, it’s important that they can see you and that you look at them and make eye contact. Try to spread your gaze, rather than staring at one person. And avoid focusing intently on your laptop screen, your notes, or the floor. This can give the impression that you’re nervous or uninterested, and can also prevent you from projecting your voice clearly.

The greatest mistake that presenters make is trying to present a paper in a fraction of the time it would take to read it. Think of the presentation as a presentation to accompany a paper, not of a paper. This means highlighting the interesting bits, juicy elements of data, but above all the storyline and the key arguments. How deep you get into subtleties depends on how much argument turns on them. What is unusual or surprising? What is likely to grab the audience's attention? Don't be superficial, as less is more. What is immediate about your work - ie to what will the audience react? Depending on your methods and data, is there anything about the immediate context of the conference, the people, the setting, other presentations that you can connect? I usually study the other papers and arrive early to study the context - just a couple of careful connections can bring the relevance and immediacy of your work alive. Don't do this casually though - it will come across as specious. What comes across as casual but effective needs work until it becomes natural. Makes sure the elements of your presentation work a) in themselves and b) together. Don't overload - information, design, audio - that is, don't blitz your audience. If you have a rich sensory element, give time to unpack it's significance. A friend of mine always used to begin with something personal - an anecdote, an object, an image - because it focused the audience and placed her in relation to both them and the research. These are the two key relations that make a presentation memorable outside the content. People can always read the content later, or ask about it in questions. The presentation should open windows into the paper and motivate others to read it. And above all, whatever medium you use, make sure it fits the material, and you use it well. I have been transfixed by a presentation that used visuals in a way I never expected, and also by one that used no visual aids at all - just voice and storytelling. Above all, don't try to stand out from the others - that leads to a glitzy race to the intellectual bottom. Try to a) do justice to the quality of your material, but selectively - you will leave out some of your best stuff, but it won't appear that way and b) respect your audience's time and attention - how do you want them to feel during and after your presentation? what do you want them to think, talk about or do after it? How will it reward their attention? c) Read the room - if you are going too fast or slow, too deep or shallow, their faces will tell you. Above all, have energy and enjoy yourself. A tip - if you are nervous and hesitant as a starter, try rehearsing the opening of your presentation while running on the spot. When your are about to present, briefly close your eyes and imagine yourself running. This will rekindle the association of your presentation with energy confidence and purpose and banish nerves. With time, you won't need to practice while running on the spot - the visualisation will work with any presentation, even if you haven't rehearsed it.

If one needs to prepare, one is not ready. But i agree with Stephen Andrew Linstead about the "glitzy race to the intellectual bottom."

when a researcher makes a presentation, his primordial reason is not to bamboozle people, but to pass across information/knowledge. As a teacher, experience has shown that the best way to do this is using simple terms and approach without necessarily watering the standard. For effective seamless presentation, prepare adequately. Attempt to imagine possible questions people may likely ask and answer them. Try NEVER to use fictitious results or you'll mislead the public. Understanding your potential and exploring it with a combination of adequate preparation and knowledge of the subject matter are key to a successful presentation