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Wednesday 18 January 2012

Oral Presentations 30th and 31st Jan 2012 or therabouts

The presentations will focus on the main points from your inquiry and artefact - so some elements of the structure are 'givens' and reflect the style of professional practice - a bit of reportage in the 'design brief'  but also a lot of leeway for creative elements. This could mean, for example, mentioning points from the critical review such as your professional role, the context of the inquiry, tools used, findings and analysis and implications(added 20/1/12).


PLEASE ADD COMMENTS WITH OTHER POINTS THAT ARE HELPFUL...


As Natalie has said, it is your 'interpretation',  so like your blog, it should be done in to go over your inquiry and artefact but also to communicate what you want to communicate to your audience of academics and professional peers. 


It is about 10 minutes long... with Questions and Answers from the audience after that - you might want to mention some reflection about your learning for example. Like effective writing - it does not have to be dull!


Powerpoints are quite easy to do because  they have visual elements, but do not format them so much that you are in a strict regime of bullet points and reading out in a mechanical style. You can add performance related techniques if they fit into the over all ideas - the choice is up to you.

Some points to consider...

1. 1 minute per slide is a rule of thumb - think about how that is going to work - so 30 slides packed with text are too much - fewer slides and less text - simplify

2. Try not to use a font of less than 18 for visibility on PowerPoints

3. Some of the text right toward the edges may be difficult to read - but it is good to fill the slide.

4. Images and diagrams work well with speaking - you might have visual or audio elements but remember that some of these seem not to work on the day - the university's equipment might be older than what you have - so do you need to bring your computer? I will have my 2008 Office as a Mac powerbook on the day... and the equipment form the conference rooms at Trent Park.

5. You don't need to write down everything on a slide that you are going to say, but you can add notes to them that only you can see - you can prepare sheets about what you want to say.

6. Remember your audience - what will they be interested in - you have professionals and academics - try to represent your achievements but don't be afraid of adding some 'flair'. Sometimes people add performance elements, especially those that have been a part of the inquiry to provide evidence of the work being discussed.

7. Yes some questions will be from people that have read your inquiry - so yes be able to answer about the literature, findings and conclusions - so this 'viva' gives evidence that you have done a lot of hard work. What have you accomplished? How can your represent your artefact?

8. Rehearse in front of a colleague or friend - or alone - to get the timing and confidence up.


There are plenty of sites out there - I quickly googled a few and they are not supposed to be anything more than a quick search on my part... Most of all - have the final presentation be what you want it to be.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/presentationskills.htm
http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/present.htm
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/
http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/orals/
http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/Handouts/powerpoint.htm
http://www.cheney268.com/training/powerpoint/powerpointtips.htm
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_bohannon_dance_vs_powerpoint_a_modest_proposal.html

5 comments:

  1. Hi Paula,
    The TED talk in particular is very interesting. The importance of a GOOD presentation as opposed to presenting informatino for the sake of it. Using dancers certainly helped to keep me engaged on what he was saying. I think there is something in the stillness of power point which means an audience have to work harder to keep listening. However,I think the dancers energy was transferred to me as a listener, keeping it interesting.

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  2. Yes, findings new ways to communicate can be effective. The powerpoint or any presentation format is the framing device for the content... I think it takes preparation present in such a way that others will remember you and remember what you are trying to communicate. However, most to the inquires that people do for the course are very interesting, and have involved real people and topic issues and questions that others want to find out about.

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  3. Hi Paula,
    It has been interesting finding the balance between talking about the information that you find the most interesting, whilst making sure you are clear about the criteria and what information is required.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your website.Really i like your website.

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  5. I liked number six: do not forget Flair. However, I tend to get exited so for me, I need to be careful not to be too exited and speak slow and clear.

    I still am not sure that, will I be able to use some of the material from my artifact for the presentation?

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