Guidelines for making a presentation
The process of delivering an effective talk consists of two parts: preparation and presentation. Both are equally important.
Step 1. Planning
Careful planning of a presentation will make you more confident and help you to overcome your nervousness. There are five elements to consider when preparing a talk.
1. Objective
Ø to inform;
Ø to persuade;
Ø to train;
Ø to entertain the audience, etc.
2. Audience
Ø Who is your audience?
Ø How many people will be attending?
Ø What do they need to know?
Ø What do they expect?
Ø Match your presentation to the interests and needs of the audience.
3. Contents
Ø Decide what is the most relevant and appropriate information to deliver.
Ø Be selective, don’t present too much in your presentation.
Ø Prepare your material by dividing it into essential points you want to make and extra points that you’ll make if you have time.
4. Structure
The structure should be easy to follow. Your presentation should consist of three parts: an introduction, a main body and a conclusion.
5. Rehearsal
This is to:
Ø identify any weak points or gaps;
Ø make sure you can pronounce any figures and proper names correctly and confidently;
Ø fine-tune the timing.
Besides:
Ø Relevant humour is welcome.
Ø Jargon and colloquial expressions should be avoided.
Ø Visual aids are used only as a support or illustration of what you are delivering and to add emphasis to a talk, but they must be simple to understand. Don’t overuse computers! The audience wants to listen to YOU, not to look at the slides!
Ø Think about the beginning of your talk very carefully. You need to think of a “hook” – that’ something to attract the attention of the audience. Some people use a famous quotation or an amazing statistic, or ask the audience a question. A lot of presenters like to start with a joke, or tell a short story, maybe something from their experience.
Ø Finally, you need to end strongly. Prepare some sentences which will really impress the audience and make a strong impact on them. It’s good to end the presentation with a bang, so say something that will stay in the audience’s mind after they’ve left you.
Step 2. Presentation
If you wish to make an effective presentation, take care of five elements.
1. Nervousness
Ø Prepare your talk well.
Ø Do not fall into the trap of speaking too quickly.
Ø In fact, speak slower during the first few moments of a talk (it really works to overcome nervousness).
2. Rapport
Rapport is the relationship between you and your audience.
Ø Be friendly and make eye contact, don’t look over the tops of everyone’s heads.
Ø It’s critical that you are able to observe the reactions to your message and make any adjustments to your talk.
3. Body language
Ø Avoid any distracting mannerisms like pacing, rocking back and forth on your feet, etc.
Ø Use open-handed natural gestures.
4. Vocal quality
You should consider the volume, tone, and tempo of your presentation. Good public speakers will vary the volume, the tempo, and the tone of the talk to make the audience listen to them. It’s critical to work on delivery techniques such as intonation, stress and pausing .
5. Question time
Do not be afraid of questions from the audience. It is civilized practice to solicit them.
Ø Listen to the speaker carefully, perhaps nodding in approval and paraphrasing the question for clarification.
Ø Answer the questions shortly and simply.
Ø If you do not know the answer it is better to say so.
| Excellent | Satisfactory | Weak | ||||
| Organization | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Were the aims clear? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Were the ideas clearly linked? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Was the summary effective? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Content | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Were the facts and information accurate? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Was the content relevant to the topic? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the talk hold the audience’s attention? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker deal with questions effectively? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Language | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Was the speaker’s language accurate? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker use a wide range of vocabulary? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker use the signposts? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Delivery | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Was the speaker’s voice clear and easy to understand? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Was the speed and volume appropriate? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker emphasize important points well? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Body language | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker use gestures where appropriate? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker maintain good eye contact? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Visual aids | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Were any visual aids clear and well presented? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Did the speaker exploit the visual aids fully? | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| What is your overall impression of the talk? |
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| Good points: |
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| Weak points: | ||||||
| Suggestions for improvements: | ||||||
Criteria for peer-assessment
Критерии оценивания презентации преподавателем
Оценка складывается из следующих составляющих:
1. Содержание высказывания – 3 балл а.
2. Организация высказывания (структура, логичность) – 3 балла.
3. Лексика (лексика по обсуждаемой теме, слова связки, специальные слова и фразы, используемые для презентации) – 3 балла.
4. Грамматика – 3 балла.
5. Произношение – 3 балла.
VOCABULARY FILE 1
Beginnings
Getting started
Good morning, everyone.
Shall we get started.
Perhaps, we should begin.
Introducing the title/ subject.
I’d like to tell you about….
I’d like to have a look at….
I´d like to focus on….
Stating your purpose/ objective
We are here today to decide/ to learn about/ agree on….
The purpose of this talk is to give you the background to…
In my presentation, I’ll be proposing….
Outlining the main parts
I’ve divided my presentation into 3 sections. They are….
First, I’ll give you… Second,…… Finally,…..
Questions
If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt.
I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have at the end of my talk.
VOCABULARY FILE 2
Endings
Closing
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you for listening.
I hope you’ve got now the picture/ the idea of…..
Inviting questions
If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them now.
I’d be glad to answer any questions.
VOCABULARY FILE 3
Signposting phrases
| Introducing the topic | Giving an example |
| Let me start by….. I’ll start by…. First of all….. Starting with….. | For example….. A good example of…. To illustrate this point….. |
| Reaching the end of point | Dealing with questions |
| Right, I’ve told you about….. We’ve looked at….. That’s all I have to say about….. So much for….. | I’ll deal with this later, if I may, but for now…. I’ll come back to this question later in my talk. We’ll be examining this question in more detail later on. |
| Moving on to the next point | Summarizing/ concluding |
| Let me turn now to… Let’s move onto…. Turning to….. I’d like now to…. Let’s look now to… | Let’s recap, shall we? I’d like to sum up now…. Let me summarize briefly what I have said…. In conclusion…. |
| Developing/ analyzing a point | Sequencing |
| Where does that take us? Let’s look at this in more details…. What does that mean for us? | Firstly…secondly…..thirdly….lastly… First of all…then…next…after that…. To start with…later….to finish up….. |
VOCABULARY FILE 4
Useful Linking Words
| Contrast | Result | Extra information | Sequence |
| On the other hand | So | Furthermore | Meanwhile |
| Nevertheless | Therefore | Moreover | Eventually |
| Alternatively | Thus | Also | Firstly, Secondly etc… |
| Although | Consequently | Too | Next |
| Despite/ In spite of | In addition | Last but not least | |
| However |