|
Oral Presentation Guide
The
ability to present yourself in a professional manner is a skill you will use
for a lifetime. The following guidelines are just that—guidelines. They are
in no means an absolute or comprehensive directive for the content and style
of your presentations. Keep in mind that presenting to an audience is
difficult. Rehearse several times. Don't worry if you don't do everything
perfectly the first time. Try your best, and keep looking back at these
guidelines. Always ask yourself, “Is this information getting across
effectively to a classmate who is hearing it for the first time?” |
|
Click on the
following sections to see what to include in your presentation:
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Content
|
| Consider that you
are not just showing what you learned, but that you are contributing to your
classmates' knowledge and helping the LHS community to grow
intellectually. Develop your content with this in mind. |
The following
points should be considered when developing your content: |
| Show
evidence of
higher-level thought. |
| Research
thoroughly so that you have a rich understanding of your subject matter,
with the ability to answer questions from your audience. |
| Ensure
that the majority of your content and many of your ideas are original and
inventive
and based upon logical conclusions and thorough research. |
| Include
complete and accurate information. |
| Engage
your audience with rich content, enthusiasm, and eagerness to encourage them
to want to learn more. |
| Devise
ways to help the audience understand and relate to the content. |
| Explain
difficult concepts and vocabulary. |
| Include
meaningful audience involvement or participation. |
| Use visuals
to support or extend the content. |
| Properly cite sources. |
|
|
Organization |
The organization of your presentation shows evidence of your preparation and
attention to detail. If your presentation is organized and polished, your
audience will be able to focus on your content and message. |
Consider the
following criteria when putting together your presentation: |
| Include
a greeting and an introduction of yourself and your topic. |
| Use an
introduction which engages the audience and is related to the content--a
"hook" to get the audience interested. |
| Follow a
logical sequence. |
| Maintain
a fluent pace. (This takes practice!) |
| If you
are using PowerPoint slides as prompts, elaborate on brief points instead of
reading lengthy text off each slide. |
| Involve
your audience in a meaningful way, allowing time for them to think and
respond. |
|
Logically conclude the presentation. |
| Rehearse several times. |
|
|
Visuals and
PowerPoint |
Visuals should
support or extend the oral component of your presentation.
They must be well-constructed and easy for your audience to see. |
Some ideas for
visuals include: |
- PowerPoint slide
show (see below for PowerPoint guidelines)
- Poster
- Model
- Transparency
- Video
- Real object
- Map
- Illustration
- Hand-out
(attractive, well-organized with relevant information)
|
PowerPoint Slide
Show Guidelines
Before you create a PowerPoint slide show, ask yourself this question: "Is
this the best
format to aid in presenting the results of my research findings and
conclusions?" If you answer "yes,"
consider the following criteria when creating your slide show:
|
| Begin
with an introductory slide including your topic and the names of the
presenters. |
| Each
slide should contain main points, not the entire text of your presentation.
You should use the points for elaboration. |
| Font
size should be no smaller than 32 points and the style should be consistent
throughout the slide show. |
| Font
color should contrast with the background color. Font color, typeface and
contrast should be visible. |
| Images
should reinforce or extend the content and be visible from the back of the
room. |
| Use a
lot of "white space," refraining from cluttering each slide. |
| Use
sound prudently—only for extending or supporting the content. |
| Slide
transitions should be consistent throughout the presentation. |
| If
linking to web sites, those should also be visible from the back of the
room. |
| Use
correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. |
| Include
a "Works Cited" slide. |
| Include
an opening slide stating that your project contains copyrighted materials
(if indeed it does), which have been used under the fair use exemption of
the U.S. Copyright Law. If you have made alterations, those must be
indicated. |
| Try to
rehearse your presentation with the computer connected to the projection
device. |
|
Speaking and Presenting
Skills |
| How you present
yourself to your audience makes or breaks your presentation. Practice many
times so that you are confident and can concentrate on the content and your
audience during the presentation. |
Keep the
following points in mind as you prepare and present your presentation: |
| Show
confidence. (Preparation and practice will help this!) |
| Know
your content well enough so you don't need to be prompted or to read
extensively from notes. |
| Show
enthusiasm for your topic. |
| Use an
interested, conversational tone of voice. |
| Use
humor, as appropriate, to connect to or extend the content. |
| Make eye
contact with various members of the audience. |
| Use good
posture and dress appropriately. |
| Use body
movement for effect only, otherwise stand still when speaking. |
| Stay
within two minutes of allotted time. |
Refrain
from using empty words and fillers, such as "uh, like, you know, uhm..."
|
|
Group Presentations |
Most careers require
you to problem-solve with other colleagues, presenting results to a boss,
board of directors, or a committee. Working in a group should be a good
experience, but can also
be stressful if you don't share the work load and cooperate. |
The following
points can help ease the stress and produce a polished presentation: |
| Follow
the guidelines in the other sections: Content, Organization, Visuals,
Speaking and Presenting Skills. |
| Share
the work load. |
|
Contribute the same effort you would to an individual assignment. |
| Include
complete and accurate information. |
| Make the
presentation look unified—not like separate presentations put together.
|
| Give
equal presentation time to each group member. |
| Practice
together several times before the actual presentation. |
|
Home
