UNIPREP ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Basic structure for making an effective speech.

1.       Greeting:  Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening Madam Chair/Mr Chairman,(Name of tutor) & fellow students/classmates. (This is quite formal.  In a tutorial where you are presenting a commentary on a reading as a regular feature of the tutorial, a more informal greeting, such as Welcome everyone, may be acceptable.  Check with your tutor about the appropriate greeting beforehand.)

 2.       Title:  Choose a title that grabs your audience’s attention.  Make it as specific as possible.  eg. A Hobby of MineàPhotographyàBlack and White PhotographyàBlack and White Portrait Photography

3.       Introduction:  This part should contain the topic, the purpose of the talk and the sections of your speech. eg.  Today I’m going to introduce you to an interest of mine, and that is, Black and White Portrait Photography.  (TOPIC)  My aim in doing this, is to show you that black and white photography is an artistic form that can capture characteristics of the human face that colour can’t do as well. (PURPOSE)  My talk will be in four parts.  To begin, I’ll talk about the reasons for my interest in photography generally; then, I’ll briefly outline the equipment required for taking and developing black and white photographs; following that, I’ll detail how I go about selecting my human subjects;  and finally, I’ll illustrate through a particular experience of mine how rewarding exhibiting your own photographs can be.  (SECTIONS)

4.       Outline of the Body:  Using notes or key words is preferable to writing out in essay style, a speech with familiar content.  Topics concerning global issues may require more detailed notes, as the speaker is presenting more complex ideas and information.

Some signal phrases to introduce sections of the presentation include:

Let’s begin with.........../First,............../To begin...........;

Next, (name the heading of this section)/Now, let’s look at.............../ Now, turning to/Let’s now turn to/Let me now move on to.........

5.       Conclusion:  Two parts should be included in your conclusion:  summarising your content and leaving a lasting impression on your listeners.

Some signal phrases to begin a summary/conclusion include:

So, to summarise/sum up

So, as we’ve seen in this presentation today

As I’ve explained

In conclusion then

To conclude

In summarising your content, mention again in any order the main points of your talk.  The time taken to do this will depend on the length of your presentation.  A 5 minute presentation would mean only a 20 –30 second summary.

In a concluding comment(s), the speaker may (i) repeat the main idea; (ii) suggest a solution or make a comment/opinion;  (iii) leave the audience with a question or persuasive idea.

6.       ANSWERING QUESTIONS:

The speaker should:

(i)      clarify and summarise questions that are too wordy;

(ii)      restate all questions to ensure everyone in the audience has heard         the question (unless the group is very small); and

(iii)     if unable to answer a particular question, offer to pass on an       answer to the questioner when the information becomes available.

 Some phrases that may be helpful include:

So, what you’re asking is..........

If I understand the question correctly, you would like to know.............

When you say........do you mean...............?

I’m sorry, I’m unable to (give you those figures) right now, but if you meet me at the end of this session, I could make arrangements to pass them on to you.     

That’s an interesting question, but I’m  sorry I’m unable to give you an answer.  Perhaps...........................could help you with that information. 

7.       VISUAL AIDS:

Why use visual aids?

- to support what is being said

- to help maintain audience interest and concentration

- to replace a lot of text (eg. graphs and diagrams)

- to assist the presenter i.e. a useful prompt

Preparation of visuals:

-visuals are easily read if they have - clear lettering (use large font)

                                                     - are uncluttered  (not too many words)   

- visuals need to be displayed so that all of the audience can see them

- visuals may be fixed (eg. OHT’s/maps/charts) or movable (eg.artifacts                                                                                               photos)                                                  

For the presentation:

- prepare the room and position the visual aids eg. the OHP

- decide when in your talk, to show visuals, and for how long

- avoid leaving an OHP turned on for longer than necessary

- focus your audience’s attention on each visual by using signal phrases

- one visual per 5 minutes is generally a good rule to follow  

Some signal phrases which may help include:

- You can see the .......

- As you/we can see....

- What is interesting/important here is.............

- I’d like to draw you attention to........

- Notice/Observe the...........

- It is important/interesting to note that..........

email me                          Thursday, 21 September 2006