PREPARING FOR YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION

•WHAT SHOULD I SAY?

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE AND
WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT
THINGS THAT OTHERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR
STUDY. THINK ABOUT: DO I WANT TO INFORM MY
AUDIENCE, INSPIRE THEM TO THINK ABOUT MY RESEARCH,
OR CONVINCE THEM OF A PARTICULAR POINT OF VIEW?
 PREPARING FOR YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION

• ORAL COMMUNICATION IS DIFFERENT FROM WRITTEN

COMMUNICATION.
YOUR AUDIENCE ONLY HAS ONE CHANCE TO HEAR YOUR TALK AND CAN'T
"RE-READ" IT IF THEY GET CONFUSED. FOCUS ON BEING CLEAR, PARTICULARLY
IF THE AUDIENCE CAN'T ASK QUESTIONS DURING THE TALK. THERE ARE TWO
WELL-KNOWN WAYS TO COMMUNICATE YOUR POINTS EFFECTIVELY. THE
FIRST IS TO K.I.S.S. (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID). FOCUS ON GETTING ONE TO THREE
KEY POINTS ACROSS. SECOND, REPEAT KEY INSIGHTS: TELL THEM WHAT
YOU'RE GOING TO TELL THEM (FORECAST), TELL THEM, AND THEN TELL THEM
WHAT YOU JUST TOLD THEM (SUMMARIZE).
 PREPARING FOR YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION

• THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE.

YES, YOU WANT TO DEMONSTRATE TO YOUR TEACHER THAT YOU HAVE
CONDUCTED A GOOD STUDY. BUT TEACHERS OFTEN ASK STUDENTS TO GIVE AN
ORAL PRESENTATION TO PRACTICE THE ART OF COMMUNICATING AND TO
LEARN TO SPEAK CLEARLY AND AUDIBLY ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR
RESEARCH. QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT INCLUDE, WHAT BACKGROUND
KNOWLEDGE DO THEY HAVE ABOUT MY TOPIC? DOES THE AUDIENCE HAVE ANY
PARTICULAR INTERESTS? HOW AM I GOING TO INVOLVE THEM IN MY
PRESENTATION?
 ORGANIZING THE CONTENT
FIRST OF ALL, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE AND THINK ABOUT
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO INVOLVE YOUR AUDIENCE IN THE PRESENTATION.
THEN...
Brainstorm your topic and write a rough outline. Don’t get carried away—
remember you have a limited amount of time for your presentation.
Organize your material and draft what you want to say
Summarize your draft into key points to write on overheads and/or note cards.
Prepare your visual aids.
Rehearse your presentation and get its length right. Ask a friend to listen and time
you.
 GENERAL OUTLINE
I. Introduction
a. Capture your listeners’ attention.
Begin with a question, an amusing story, a startling comment, or anything
that will make the audience think.
b. State your purpose.
For example, "I’m going to talk about..."; "This morning I want to explain…."
c. Present an outline of your talk.
For example, “I will concentrate on the following points: First of
all…Then…This will lead to…And finally…"
 GENERAL OUTLINE
II. The Body
a.) Present your main points one by one in logical order.
b.) Pause at the end of each point. Give people time to take notes, or time to
think about what you are saying.
c.) Make it clear when you move to another point. For example, “The next
point is that...”; “Of course, we must not forget that...”; “However, it's
important to realize that....”
d.) Use clear examples to illustrate your points and/or key findings.
e.) Consider using visual aids to make your presentation more
interesting [e.g., a map, chart, picture, etc.].
III. The Conclusion GENERAL OUTLINE
a.) Leave your audience with a clear summary of everything that you have
covered.
b.) Don't let the talk just fizzle out. Make it obvious that you have reached
the end of the presentation.
c.) Summarize the main points again. For example, use phrases like: "So, in
conclusion..."; "To recap the main points..."
d.) Restate the purpose of your talk, and say that you have achieved your
aim: "My intention was ..., and it should now be clear that...."
e.) Thank the audience, and invite questions: "Thank you. Are there any
questions?