Presentations, Storing and Organizing Data

The specific part of maturita topic 9 (Learning and education), at B2 level: how to give a good presentation, and how to store, organise and protect data – two skills every student and IT worker needs.

Giving a presentation

Preparation

1. Know your audience and your aim – who will listen and what they should remember.
2. Collect and check information from reliable sources and note them down.
3. Make an outline – introduction, main part with three or four key points, conclusion.
4. Prepare the slides in a program such as PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote or Canva.
5. Rehearse – practise aloud, check the timing and try the equipment (projector, laptop, clicker) before you start.

Good slides

• Less is more – one idea per slide, key words instead of full sentences (the “6×6 rule”: no more than six lines with six words).
• A clear, readable font that is big enough, and good contrast between text and background.
• Pictures, charts and diagrams instead of long text; always mention the source.
• A consistent design – the same template, colours and fonts.
• Animations and transitions only if they help; too many distract the audience.

Delivering it

• Start with something that catches attention – a question, a surprising fact or a short story – and say what you are going to talk about (signposting).
• Don’t read from the slides; speak freely and use short notes.
• Keep eye contact, speak slowly and clearly and use your voice and body language.
• Finish with a short summary and leave time for questions.

Storing data

Where we keep data

• Local storage – the internal drive of your computer or phone (HDD or SSD).
• External storage – USB flash drives, external hard drives, memory cards.
• Network storage – a school or company server, or a NAS (network-attached storage) at home.
• Cloud storage – services such as Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud or Dropbox keep your files on servers on the internet, so you can reach them from any device, share them and work on them with others at the same time.

Backing up

A backup is a copy of your data which you can use when the original is lost because of a broken disk, a stolen laptop, a mistake or ransomware. A well-known rule is 3-2-1: keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of media, and 1 of them in another place (for example in the cloud). Backups should be automatic and you should test that you can really restore them.

Organising data

• Folders – create a logical structure, for example School → 2026 → English → Presentations, instead of saving everything on the desktop.
• File names – short, clear and consistent, without spaces or special characters, often with a date: 2026-03-15_english_presentation_v2.pptx.
• File formats – documents (.docx, .pdf, .odt), spreadsheets (.xlsx, .csv), images (.jpg, .png), videos (.mp4), archives (.zip). PDF is best for sharing a document that should look the same everywhere.
• Versions – keep track of versions, or use tools that save them automatically (cloud services, Git for programmers).
• Databases – large amounts of structured data are stored in tables in a database (for example MySQL or Access) and searched with a query language such as SQL.
• Tags and search – modern systems let you add tags and find files by searching for their content.

Protecting data

Use strong, unique passwords and a password manager, turn on two-factor authentication, encrypt sensitive data and laptops, install updates and antivirus software, and be careful about what you share. In the EU, personal data is protected by the GDPR.

Key vocabulary

Useful phrases for presentations

• Today I’d like to talk to you about…
• My presentation is divided into three parts. First,… Then,… Finally,…
• Let’s move on to… / This brings me to my next point.
• As you can see in this chart, …
• To sum up, … / Thank you for your attention. Are there any questions?

Questions the examiner may ask

Try to answer each question in two or three sentences, then click on the hint to compare.