The roles you play when working on your presentation

What happens on stage is a small part of your presentation. Your role starts much earlier and the hard work occurs before you leave your seat. You actually have five jobs in total and your success depends entirely on how well you've performed all of them:

1. First you are a researcher. Of course you research your topic, but sometimes people are surprised by the depth of research you'll need for even a simple presentation. As you begin to put your talk together you'll notice you're saying things like, "A lot of people..." How many? What is the precise number? Precision always beats vague. If you can say, "37.5% of all parent...." you'll engage the audience. Also you'll notice some items in your speech need attribution. Sure, you "know" a particular fact...but can you find documentation?  Also you need to research your audience. How much do they know about your subject? What is their education level? Are they 'hostages' or did they attend this presentation willingly? Most of the time they know less about your subject than you might guess. Be ready to explain things like ROI or percentile rankings.
2. Next you are a writer. Write your presentation out. All of it. Yes, really. Think about all of the great presentations you've ever seen, from TedTalks to George Carlin to Martin Luther King. Each was carefully and painstakingly written in total before delivery. When you're writing your presentation it becomes clear where you are in great shape and where you have gaps or need better transitions.
3. Now you are an editor. A ruthless brutal editor. Go through and kill all of the weasel words. Words and phrases like, "So I thought I'd give you..." or "I'd like to tell you..." Cut, cut, cut. Try to get to the meat of the story as fast as you can. Kill every word, phrase, or paragraph that doesn't absolutely have to be there. Then go back and muscle-up your language. Can you kill "very large" and use "monolithic" instead? Learn to paint word-pictures and sensory images by describing how something felt, smelled, looked or sounded. Are you inviting the audience into your story or are you just assuming they'll come along? Do you have an open that will grab them in the first thirty seconds? Is there a humorous or poignant moment at least every six minutes during your presentation? Have you managed to find the emotional connection with your subject? Do you have a rock solid close with a forceful call to action? This is the task where all great presentations shine. Good research, yes. Solid performance, yes. But nothing will replace the task of editing. Take your time and do it right.
4. Now you become a performer. An actor. You take the prepared speech and memorize it. I like to read it into a voice recorder app on my phone and then play it back over and over and over when I am driving or doing other things. You are no longer writing, researching, or editing. You are now a stage actor working from a prepared speech. As any actor might do, rehearse in front of a mirror or get a friend or family member to be your audience. Time it out. Work on gestures, pauses, stage mechanics. 
5. Finally you are a refiner. As you work through your stage performance you'll find some areas that seemed great on paper that don't work out loud. You clean it up with additional research, re-writing, or editing. Often I'll find the structure is off. I need better transitions. I still have weasel words. My language isn't as precise as I'd like. Or my 'audience' (usually my wife) gives feedback that helps me to refine my presentation.

Your chances of captivating your audience are much improved if you take these steps in order. I see many beginning students who are still writing their presentations when they are on stage. You simply can't do both at the same time. Best of luck and please let me know if this helps.