Presentations Maïa Ibsen m.ibsen@kingston.ac.uk Presentations Bases of a good oral presentation are: Know your audience Prepare Structure Practice Working from the whole to the part Enthusiasm 1
Know your audience Why am I presenting? e.g. what are the aims and objectives Who am I presenting to? Where am I presenting? When am I presenting? Prepare Clear objective(s) brainstorm, select the key points and place them logically Content divide material into essential, desirable and useful Structure convey, interpret and share the material Support use prompts, devise activities, produce visual aids Practice 2
Suggested structure Introduce yourself and your presentation The contents - state what you are going to say and what you are trying to achieve Explain each of the points in your content provide some examples, how you have tackled and overcome some of the problems encountered Conclusions emphasise what you have said Method Use powerpoint as a prompt Each slide should: State main points Key words Use examples Keep information to a minimum Allow audience to participate Support your message with visuals 3
Practice Practice is an essential element Rehearse your presentation in front of colleagues, family and friends Ask for feedback and improve your presentation Working from the whole to the part Overall scheme must be outlined before you deal with the detail Apply this to the oral presentation; most of the detail will not be required but contained within the report Many oral presentations are ruined by too much detail and not enough focus on the overall scheme. The audience is left wondering what the project is actually about. 4
Enthusiasm You have been working on this project therefore you are enthusiastic about it! You have got a loud voice very loud! You are not going to read anything from a script You are going to look at the audience not the floor, the projector screen or a set of notes. Your Powerpoint slides are going to be clear and attractive. Tips - do 1. Introduce yourself 2. Slow down when you are speaking 3. Make eye contact with the audience and involve them 4. Concentrate on the aim and objectives 5. Be enthusiastic think positive and smile 6. Always have a back up and prepare more than you need 5
Tips - don t 7. Read from a script 8. See a presentation as a threatening situation the audience will be sympathetic 9. Let nervousness take over everybody suffers (you are not alone) References Becker L and Van Emden J (2004) Presentation Skills for Students. New York, Palgrave Macmillan http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/ Successful student learning, Phil Race http://www.phil-race.com 6
Report Writing Maia Ibsen m.ibsen@kingston.ac.uk Writing a Report The Reader - is the most important person. Structure Layout and format Use the right diagram in the right place with the right labels Plagiarism References need to be correct in all details 7
The Reader For whom is the report? Why is the report being written? What does the reader need to know? What are the objectives? Structure Make a plan with a logical structure Introduction Literature review Methodology Results Analysis Discussion Conclusion 8
Structure Divide this structure into parts or sections Introduction summarises what you are about to write Separate sections are written Conclusion sums up what you have written Layout and Format Title is precise and informative. Abstract Keywords Acknowledgements Introduction Sections and Sub-sections Conclusions and Recommendations References Appendices 9
Sections and Subsections For example: CHAPTER 3 OPEN CHANNEL HYDRAULICS 3.1 Uniform Flow 3.1.1 Rectangular Channels 3.1.2 Circular Channels 3.1.3 Trapezoidal Channels 3.2 Non-Uniform Flow 3.2.1 Rectangular Channels 3.2.2 Circular Channels 3.3 Summary Content Divide the material into 3 categories - Essential for the report - Desirable but not vital - Handy for filling in 10
Report Writing Writing should be accurate and concise. Sentence structure - Short sentences for clear factual material - Longer sentences for information that needs to be considered - One concept per sentence Paragraphs should have a single content, with one group of concepts per paragraph, limited to one topic Useful hints - Avoid starting consecutive sentences or paragraphs with the same word - Don t even start them with the same letter - Steer clear of using the same phrase too often - Use the thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms - Spell check and grammar check 11
Word limits Word limits e.g. 5000 words there is about 300 for the introduction, 300 for the conclusion and 6-900 for each section and each sub-section is 2-300 words 2-300 words is about a page of text this is enough for about 3-5 paragraphs with 4-5 sentences Report Writing Read your essay out loud. If you find it difficult, then rewrite Proof reading, allow a 24hour break Ask someone else to read it Check consistency of references, and that the list of references is complete. Refer to your drawings and label them correctly 12
Figures and Tables Use key diagrams in the text and supplementary ones in the appendices. Position when and where the reader needs them. Label diagrams clearly and concisely, giving them a number that relates to the text. Information within the diagram should be clear. Plagiarism v. Scholarship Copying without due reference When and where to cite sources? When and where to put quotations? Too few sources Key references Back up your arguments with published works Sources of illustrations also need citation (in the caption) Read then use your own words 13
References Referencing within the text. Use name and date e.g. (Bromhead, 1996) (Bromhead et al., 2003). Make any quotes identifiable with speech marks and perhaps italic text. Reference list. Use name, date, title, where it has been published and page numbers e.g. Bromhead, E.N. 1996. Slope stability. Thomas Telford, pp217-255. 14