Tips+on+Presentations

The presentation should be about 8 minutes in length and followed by a discussion of 5 or 6 minutes.

I often suggest facetiously that students should consider the health perils that bad presentations can pose to both audience and presenter. This, however, boiled down to but one tip - avoid boring your audience by going over your allotted time and reading your paper in a monotone. Here are some other tips.

I The Presentation Proper
 * Think about your audience, in this case, your fellow students. It is a mistake to direct your presentation to the professor as if he or she was the only one who matters.
 * Know your material thoroughly. Try presenting your material to friends, oftentimes you become aware of “holes” in your understanding when you have to explain it to others.
 * Put what you have to say in a logical sequence. There are several forms
 * The essay form mimics the essay form that all of you have learned as a way to present your ideas in writing. This means you will have a thesis, evidence, and conclusion (revisiting the thesis with summary remarks)/
 * The sharing knowledge form – here you note that the knowledge you’ve attained is valuable (important, interesting, surprising, shocking, horrifying, funny, or entertaining) then you share the information point by point, starting with the point you find most important, interesting, etc. and ending with a point that is equivalent or nearly so with the minor points falling between.
 * The interrogative form. Here you present material asking your audience to react. Here you use dramatic or hyperbolic statements and examples and organize your points to create the most contrastive tension possible. (ie showing an image of a gunnery crew trading high fives followed by an image of death misery and desolation in the shelled area). You may instruct your audience to react to the presentation as a piece or to each point separately.
 * The interpretive form. Here you create a presentation that stands in metaphorical relation to the point(s) you are trying to convey. Such presentations can take the form of dance, poetry, plastic art, etc.
 * Remember that your presentation must entertain your audience as well as informing them. This is one big difference between a presentation and a paper.
 * When you are presenting in front of an audience, you are performing as an actor is on stage. How you are being perceived is very important. In answer to the question about "dressing up" for your presentation,this is notrequired. That does not mean that dress is irrelevant. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Present the desired image to your audience. Look pleasant, enthusiastic, confident, proud, but not arrogant. Remain calm. Appear relaxed, even if you feel nervous. Speak slowly, enunciate clearly, and show appropriate emotion and feeling relating to your topic. Establish rapport with your audience. Speak to the person farthest away from you to ensure your voice is loud enough to project to the back of the room. Vary the tone of your voice and dramatize if necessary.
 * NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR ANY ASPECT OF YOUR PRESENTATION. IF YOU ARE AWARE OF WEAKNESSES IN YOUR ARGUMENT OR GAPS IN YOUR INFORMATION, DISGUISE THEM AS BEST YOU CAN.
 * Body language is important. Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or facial expression is preferred to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared speech. Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate and necessary. Master the use of presentation software such as //PowerPoint// well before your presentation. Do not over-dazzle your audience with technological bells and whistles. Do not read slide or posters to your audience. Let them read and add ancillary material
 * Do not read from notes for any extended length of time although it is quite acceptable to glance at your notes infrequently. Speak loudly and clearly. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error, correct it, and continue.
 * Maintain sincere eye contact with your audience. Use the 3-second method, e.g. look straight into the eyes of a person in the audience for 3 seconds at a time. Have direct eye contact with a number of people in the audience, and every now and then glance at the whole audience while speaking. Use your eye contact to make everyone in your audience feel involved.
 * When using audio-visual aids to enhance your presentation, be sure all necessary equipment is set up and in good working order prior to the presentation. If possible, have an emergency backup system readily available.
 * Have handouts ready and give them out at the appropriate time.
 * Terminate your presentation with an interesting remark or an appropriate punch line. Leave your listeners with a positive impression and a sense of completion.

II. Discussion - Here are some techniques that may be helpful in leading discussion.


 * To Start (options)
 * Ask someone to summarize in their terms what you've stated in your presentation.
 * Ask if there is an aspect of your presentation that need further explanation.
 * Ask if anyone has a comment or point of criticism on the presentation.
 * Appoint a commentator (or two) to listen carefully and briefly respond to your presentation. After their commentary, ask if someone has a point.
 * Draw a question from your presentation and ask the group to jot down a brief answer. Then ask individuals what they've written.
 * Use open-ended rather than yes/no type discussion questions.


 * Tactics on Nurturing and Guiding the Discussion
 * Ask people to clarify or expand their statements.
 * Restate what people have said, and ask it your restatement is accurate
 * Ask people for examples relevant to statements they've made. Give pithy examples of your own points.
 * Restate what someone has said in an exaggerated or distorted way and ask if that is what they meant.
 * Summarize lengthy and possibly irrelevant statements and relate them back to the topic you wish to discuss.
 * Have a handout (perhaps the outline, perhaps a set of questions) to give to the class.


 * To conclude:
 * Summarize the major points of the discussion
 * .Relate the discussion to the presentation and the presentation to the class as a whole
 * Thank the class for their interest and participation, and thank the instructor for scheduling class time for your presentation.