ORAL PRESENTATIONS

1. Only present what the audience needs to know in order to understand your project.

2. Cut back content to bare necessities: Refer audience to sections of paper as needed.

3. Ask for feedback/suggestions on points you are unsure of. Tell audience in the beginning whether you want feedback during the presentation or after it.

4. Note any revisions/additions to your project since earlier drafts that the audience saw.

5. Recognize areas of potential debate.

6. Prepare visuals (outline of presentation, handouts, computer slide show, flow chart of research design, diagrams, charts/tables).

a. Visuals help audience follow presentation:

b. Don’t read visuals to audience

c. Don’t over visualize: Visuals shouldn’t be a distraction from your presentation. Only use visuals that will help audience

d. Computer Slides: 1 minute per slide, graphic every 2-3 slides

7. Prepare a presentation guide for yourself: Use index cards

8. Practice: leads to "talking with" audience rather than "talking to"

a. Silent reads

b. Solitary speaking

c. Live audience (peers)

d. Revise as needed

9. Check out room and equipment before hand

10. During the presentation, face the audience.

11. Ask someone to take notes for you on the feedback you receive during/after the presentation.

12. When the audience asks questions:

a. For complicated questions, paraphrase the question back to make sure you understood right and to buy yourself some time to think about your answer.

b. If you don’t know the answer, say so and that you will get an answer to them later.