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How to prepare and deliver an effective oral presentation

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Peer review
Lucia Hartigan , registrar 1 ,
Fionnuala Mone , fellow in maternal fetal medicine 1 ,
Mary Higgins , consultant obstetrician 2
1 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
2 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin; Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College Dublin
luciahartigan{at}hotmail.com

The success of an oral presentation lies in the speaker’s ability to transmit information to the audience. Lucia Hartigan and colleagues describe what they have learnt about delivering an effective scientific oral presentation from their own experiences, and their mistakes

The objective of an oral presentation is to portray large amounts of often complex information in a clear, bite sized fashion. Although some of the success lies in the content, the rest lies in the speaker’s skills in transmitting the information to the audience. 1

Preparation

It is important to be as well prepared as possible. Look at the venue in person, and find out the time allowed for your presentation and for questions, and the size of the audience and their backgrounds, which will allow the presentation to be pitched at the appropriate level.

See what the ambience and temperature are like and check that the format of your presentation is compatible with the available computer. This is particularly important when embedding videos. Before you begin, look at the video on stand-by and make sure the lights are dimmed and the speakers are functioning.

For visual aids, Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Mac Keynote programmes are usual, although Prezi is increasing in popularity. Save the presentation on a USB stick, with email or cloud storage backup to avoid last minute disasters.

When preparing the presentation, start with an opening slide containing the title of the study, your name, and the date. Begin by addressing and thanking the audience and the organisation that has invited you to speak. Typically, the format includes background, study aims, methodology, results, strengths and weaknesses of the study, and conclusions.

If the study takes a lecturing format, consider including “any questions?” on a slide before you conclude, which will allow the audience to remember the take home messages. Ideally, the audience should remember three of the main points from the presentation. 2

Have a maximum of four short points per slide. If you can display something as a diagram, video, or a graph, use this instead of text and talk around it.

Animation is available in both Microsoft PowerPoint and the Apple Mac Keynote programme, and its use in presentations has been demonstrated to assist in the retention and recall of facts. 3 Do not overuse it, though, as it could make you appear unprofessional. If you show a video or diagram don’t just sit back—use a laser pointer to explain what is happening.

Rehearse your presentation in front of at least one person. Request feedback and amend accordingly. If possible, practise in the venue itself so things will not be unfamiliar on the day. If you appear comfortable, the audience will feel comfortable. Ask colleagues and seniors what questions they would ask and prepare responses to these questions.

It is important to dress appropriately, stand up straight, and project your voice towards the back of the room. Practise using a microphone, or any other presentation aids, in advance. If you don’t have your own presenting style, think of the style of inspirational scientific speakers you have seen and imitate it.

Try to present slides at the rate of around one slide a minute. If you talk too much, you will lose your audience’s attention. The slides or videos should be an adjunct to your presentation, so do not hide behind them, and be proud of the work you are presenting. You should avoid reading the wording on the slides, but instead talk around the content on them.

Maintain eye contact with the audience and remember to smile and pause after each comment, giving your nerves time to settle. Speak slowly and concisely, highlighting key points.

Do not assume that the audience is completely familiar with the topic you are passionate about, but don’t patronise them either. Use every presentation as an opportunity to teach, even your seniors. The information you are presenting may be new to them, but it is always important to know your audience’s background. You can then ensure you do not patronise world experts.

To maintain the audience’s attention, vary the tone and inflection of your voice. If appropriate, use humour, though you should run any comments or jokes past others beforehand and make sure they are culturally appropriate. Check every now and again that the audience is following and offer them the opportunity to ask questions.

Finishing up is the most important part, as this is when you send your take home message with the audience. Slow down, even though time is important at this stage. Conclude with the three key points from the study and leave the slide up for a further few seconds. Do not ramble on. Give the audience a chance to digest the presentation. Conclude by acknowledging those who assisted you in the study, and thank the audience and organisation. If you are presenting in North America, it is usual practice to conclude with an image of the team. If you wish to show references, insert a text box on the appropriate slide with the primary author, year, and paper, although this is not always required.

Answering questions can often feel like the most daunting part, but don’t look upon this as negative. Assume that the audience has listened and is interested in your research. Listen carefully, and if you are unsure about what someone is saying, ask for the question to be rephrased. Thank the audience member for asking the question and keep responses brief and concise. If you are unsure of the answer you can say that the questioner has raised an interesting point that you will have to investigate further. Have someone in the audience who will write down the questions for you, and remember that this is effectively free peer review.

Be proud of your achievements and try to do justice to the work that you and the rest of your group have done. You deserve to be up on that stage, so show off what you have achieved.

Competing interests: We have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: None.

↵ Rovira A, Auger C, Naidich TP. How to prepare an oral presentation and a conference. Radiologica 2013 ; 55 (suppl 1): 2 -7S. OpenUrl
↵ Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLos Comput Biol 2007 ; 3 : e77 . OpenUrl PubMed
↵ Naqvi SH, Mobasher F, Afzal MA, Umair M, Kohli AN, Bukhari MH. Effectiveness of teaching methods in a medical institute: perceptions of medical students to teaching aids. J Pak Med Assoc 2013 ; 63 : 859 -64. OpenUrl

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Education and Communications
Presentations

How to Do an Oral Presentation

Last Updated: April 15, 2024

This article was co-authored by Vikas Agrawal . Vikas Agrawal is a Visual Content Marketing Expert & Entrepreneur, as well as the Founder of Full Service Creative Agency Infobrandz. With over 10 years of experience, he specializes in designing visually engaging content, such as infographics, videos, and e-books. He’s an expert in Making content marketing strategies and has contributed to and been featured in many publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, and INC.com. This article has been viewed 48,131 times.

The power of words can control the thoughts, emotions and the decisions of others. Giving an oral presentation can be a challenge, but with the right plan and delivery, you can move an entire audience in your favor.

Researching Your Presentation

If speaking about the effect of junk food on an adult’s mind, include the increase of serotonin, a happiness hormone. Then inform the audience how fast the hormone drastically depletes to give out worse feelings. This gives the perspective that even the advantages of junk food are outweighed by the negative effects.

Writing Your Script

Make sure to begin each argument with a clear description of the content such as. "The result of eating junk food has increased negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem". This gives the audience a quick outlook of what the argument is about. Always remember to state how the argument relates and supports the topic question.

If necessary, this is where you could include, "My name is ___ and I will be speaking about the effect on junk food on our minds." Then you include a brief out view of each argument you will be speaking about. Do not include any information about your arguments in the introduction.

Some example concluding sentences include, "The entire process of the mind, changed by a simple bite of a cookie. Our entire body's control system, defined by our choices of food. The definite truth. You are what you eat."

Practicing and Performing

Taking the effort to memorize your script allows you to keep eye contact with the audience and brings confidence to your speech. Reading from an entire script can easily cause you to lose your place and stutter. Also make sure they are the same size and only put important key words or those that are hard to remember. This allows you to easily flip through and read off the cue cards.

Step 2 Use the aid of visual images or videos if allowed.

What Is The Best Way To Start a Presentation?

Expert Q&A

Research persuasive language techniques. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
Watch online speeches to get an idea of how to tone your presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
Color code each sentence on your cue cards to never lose track. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

What Are Some Interesting Topics to Discuss in a Group

↑ https://www.princeton.edu/~archss/webpdfs08/BaharMartonosi.pdf
↑ https://education.seattlepi.com/give-good-speech-presentations-college-1147.html

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20 Tips For Preparing An Effective Oral Presentation

Don’t mind the informal me, I just seem to love that ‘down-to-earthness’ – I personally believe that such disposition is a better facilitator of effective communication.

Without much ado, I am going to share with you some ideas on what I can safely call most people’s nightmare (next to examinations, of course) – An oral presentation.

Organizations and other platforms have also come to discover the essence of an effective oral presentation. How it can move an employee from a zero state of mind to an excited state of mind after a brief but powerful presentation.

Businesses are not left out too as it has become a core value that has to be portrayed to convince potential clients about a business idea.

Read this: How to manage your time effectively

Essentially, oral presentations are nothing to be scared of.

They add some kind of depth to the learning experience.

Not having this depth is what we should be scared of. Self-expression is just one of the core pillars of assessing how much and how well a student or presenter has assimilated the content of instructional material.

Overall, some of the most faced challenges associated with oral presentations are content and stage management which shall be discussed broadly here.

Whether you are a student, employee, professional or businessman , you sure need this skill to make a good impression.

Enjoy these tips, internalize them and start putting them into good practice. At the end of this write-up, you will discover the peculiar challenges of stage fright, how to deal with it and a few tidbits on presentation etiquette.

1. Know the content

Nothing breeds confidence like competence and nothing breeds competence like preparation . Being vast in and thoroughly familiar with whatever the subject of a presentation will, in no small way, reinforce your sense of having something genuinely interesting to offer.

With this in place, the presentation ceases to be a mere talk or some kind of recital. It indeed becomes an active engagement of the audience on a journey of discovery. All you need do is just visualize yourself as a tour guide or a curator in a museum.

All you need do is to relate antecedents, history, origins, facts, figures and aspects of the subject matter in such a way as to stimulate their imagination.

You lead the audience on, not exactly projecting yourself but helping them see what needs to be seen. You wouldn’t want to go to the stage and destroy the expectations of people eagerly waiting to listen to you.

2. Define the purpose of the presentation

A presentation isn’t just a list of random facts. It makes a specific point, just like laboratory reports or essays.

Without a clear purpose in mind, your presentation will most likely be a jumble of unorganized factual information, putting your audience in the dark about your true intent.

What is the most important message you want to convey to the audience? Consider this to be the idea or theme of your presentation.

Your presentation’s goal(s) could include, but are not restricted to, trying to inform, inspire, or persuade.

Remember that what you say as well as how you say it must be consistent with the presentation’s goal.

3. Be natural

The mistake a lot of presenters make is thinking that great presentations are all about big vocabulary and sophisticated terms.

May I indulge you in a different perspective – great presentations are all about presentations done in the most natural way. Be calm, relax and flow effortlessly .

Do your presentations like they are your daily routines. Help your audience feel like – “yes, I agree with what he is talking about”.

Rather than trying to charm the audience with a sophisticated style, be more committed to capturing their imagination through simple cues and vivid expressions.

There is a child in everyone, no matter how old. If possible, add a little humour here and there but try not to overdo it. Ensure you stay on track.

Read this: How to ask questions smartly

4. Invoke curiosity

This aspect is what makes your audience hooked until the end of your presentation. They want to know where you are headed. They can’t risk being distracted until you finish. All you need do is reawaken that curious infant in the brief moment of your presentation.

It is for this reason that presentations adopt visual aids and graphical tools. The world-famous PowerPoint computer application also goes hand in hand with projectors – large screens for a clearer, broader view.

Where else is such pervasive attention given to pictures and descriptive tools apart from a kindergarten? Such applications show that there is a childlike nature in every man. Invoke it!

Read: How To Celebrate Failure For Success

5. Get your audience involved

Get your audience involved in your presentation. Don’t stand behind a lectern all through, tale a brisk, confident walk and project your words into the minds of your audience. Don’t let the lectern come in between you and the audience.

Try to get your audience out of their seats, laughing, raising hands or even standing by your side to make an analysis. Getting your audience to laugh is not as difficult as you might think. For example, you might try, “Ladies and gentlemen, I was told to announce something very critical to the success of today’s event. Even though I don’t think it’s my place to begin my presentation with an announcement that has nothing to do with my topic.”

“Anyway, I’ve been asked to tell you that in the event that you laugh too hard, don’t cause a stampede or fart too loud.” 😆

Get free tips and tricks that will help you to achieve success faster 😉

6. Gesticulate

If you can request a cordless lavaliere mic, pls do, so that you can be as flexible with your hands as possible. A handheld mic might become tiring if your presentation takes a while.

Your audience will only remember 30% of what they hear & see but 70% of what they do will stick to them forever.

7. Project your words

Two things that can make your projection so vivid and impactful are a clear voice and clarity of communication. Try to emphasize the last sound of each word which will help you to sound very polished. This may sound odd to you when you start but eventually sound normal as you get used to it.

8. Take a pause

I cannot stress this enough. Take your time to pause! It kinda helps your audience to brainstorm, evaluate and re-evaluate. You shouldn’t say more than six to eight words at a time without a pause. As longer sentences reduce readability, longer spoken words also reduce absorption.

Use a full voice, then pause. Think of great speakers that utilized a full voice and paused. They did efficiently well. Such presentations drop some value within you.

9. Use acronyms

After you have written all the words on index cards, try to think of an acronym or Slang abbreviation that has every point you want to talk about. Use this strategy to keep your presentation in order.

For example, you may have written on a marriage/relationship index card – ask, support, kiss . Think of the first letter in each word and arrange them to ASK or any other word of your choice.

ASK will keep you on track this way:

A – Ask what he thinks

S – Support his opinion first

K – Kiss him when the discussion ends

You must have practised what you will say about each word beforehand. You will only use the acronym to keep track which the audience has no clue about. They will only think you are so perfect! If your oral presentation takes time and involves longer acronyms, you could keep your index card(s) on you just in case you get lost.

10. Give life to figures

The Simplest Ways To Make The Best Of Oral Presentations

The best way to do this is to put a ‘Point’ of mind-gripping information (pictures, graphs, a phrase or table, flow charts, diagrams or a statistic) on some slides and speaking to them.

While the audience is fixated on that slide, all you need do is try to make them see the aspects of the slides that are hidden. Hence, you help to make their imagination make up for the rest of the story.

Such information is alike in features such as introduction, plot build-up, themes climax/anticlimax, a hero and his trials/triumph and so on.

And like a good storyteller or the mythical Pied Piper, the story or the music as the case is, becomes the object of the audience’s attention. The presenter is merely an intermediary.

11. Face the object

Sure, it is not bad to feel weird for a moment. Gain your confidence back by becoming the audience for a moment.

Face the presentation with your hands towards the slide, board or what have you? Making this brief move takes a whole lot of burden off as you see that you do not have to be the audience’s object of attention for a while.

You can use this moment to stealthily move from your weak points to your strong points as you gain your confidence back .

Not all presentations have to be a serious one looking like a board meeting. It doesn’t have to be a brainstorming session to close a million-dollar deal. Smile if you can.

In fact, you should smile. It will reduce any pressure you might be feeling. You never know how powerful a smile can be until you smile at a confused child who looks at you and then returns the smile.

While you smile, make good eye contact with them and gesticulate as often as possible. This will create a good impression on your audience and make them connect with you easily.

Read this: Amazing facts about your handwriting

13. Intrigue them with stories

Whether it’s a story your grandfather told you or a story you learnt while growing up, people would love to listen. Stories are interesting ways to give your audience a light mood.

Who doesn’t like the taste of a little icing on the cake or peanuts in the chocolate? Just something a little bit different to ease the whole seriousness of the atmosphere.

Professional speakers are becoming professional storytellers , primarily stories about themselves or someone they know so well . If you can tell a story about each word or topic on your cards or slides, your speech will have a better flow.

14. Take corrections politely

One mistake people do is to try to show that they know better than their judges.

Judges, examiners, instructors or even a member of your audience can come into your presentation abruptly. Prepare your mind ahead for this and don’t fidget.

A simple “Noted, sir” “sorry, I skipped that” or “thanks for the feedback” would go a long way in determining your final presentation score.

Be courteous and mindful of harsh emotions as you face arguments or opposition. A wrong approach in dealing with this can ruin everything you have started. So be cool with everyone.

As a matter of fact, who you are and who the audience perceives you to be is a measure of the weight of your words.

Hence, it is safer to use universally acceptable codes of conduct and principles of etiquette that will put you in the good graces of the audience.

15. Define your target audience

The audience’s reaction is the only way to judge a good presentation. What do they currently know about your subject matter?

What are their perceptions about your subject matter: will they accept whatever you say, or will you have to persuade them to change their views? Do they have a good command of the English language?

An effective oral presentation requires much more than simply presenting your ideas or giving a presentation. It is all about clear communication and connecting with the audience.

Preparation is required to create that type of presentation. You must learn about your target audience to tailor your message.

If you’re talking to experts in your field, for example, you don’t have to explain all the terms you’re using but if you expect your audience to disagree with your assertions, it’s a great idea to provide additional illustrations and go into greater detail when presenting the evidence.

You can outline your presentation with your audience in mind to explain your main points and maintain a logical flow. The more you understand your target audience, the better you will be able to communicate with them.

16. P redict your audience’s thoughts and tell them

If you’re lucky enough to predict what is on their minds, you’ll get almost 100% attention from your audience. This lowers the barriers between you and them.

They’ll say “hey, he’s so clever hahaha”. Wow, you’re absolutely right! Tell them you know what they are thinking and answer a question they haven’t yet asked you.

17. Practice your presentation beforehand

You should start with yourself first. Talk to yourself, then move on to talking to a friend or small group of friends. When you build more confidence, start by speaking for free to become more professional.

You could begin by speaking to associations and clubs. Your audience may give you more networking opportunities when they enjoy your free presentations. There are business owners in your audience or people who work for businesses looking for speakers.

In fact, t here is much more to learn while you practise. By the time you become well-known, you can start charging a token or your prices can even become non-negotiable. 😉

18. Explore every possible detail about your subject matter

To prepare an effective oral presentation, you must thoroughly understand your subject matter, which means knowing far more than you will present.

There is no such thing as too much research. The more familiar you are with your content, the more settled and confident you will feel when presenting it to a group.

Take notes as you read about your topic. Then organize your notes for your presentation. The most straightforward structure is an outline.

In most cases, a concise outline will serve as a good template for presenting your topic. The introduction, body, and summary make up a concise outline.

Introduction

In the introductory part, you must provide a concise context for your discussion. This is where you describe the problem or issue that the presentation will solve.

You want to immediately grab people’s attention, stimulate their interest, and get them pondering about your topic. That is what creating engaging content is all about.

The bulk of your presentation. It provides specific examples to back up your main point. This is where you add important facts, statistics, and details to your discourse.

Make certain that your material is presented articulately, with each point connected to another and clear progressions.

To summarize, highlight the previous points briefly. Use keywords from your introduction to restate your argument.

Take note of transitory phrases or words like “in summary.” Appreciate the audience for their time and, if the presentation format allows, gladly accept their questions.

A clear structure helps to support a clear and focused message, and it prevents you from jumping from concept to concept, which can make it difficult for your audience to grasp your presentation.

Having this in place, the presentation is no longer just a discussion. It truly becomes an active participation of the audience on a discovery journey. All you have to do is relate the subject’s antecedents, background, facts, statistics, and features in a way that stimulates their curiosity.

19. Use visual aids to supplement your content

It is easier to deliver an oral presentation when you employ visual aids. Visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides or printed handouts, provide structure to your presentation and assist the audience in comprehending the key points.

Since the majority of information is deemed and grasped visually, you may need to resolve this in your presentation by including a few visuals.

This would help the audience follow your discourse and possibly discuss a few of your points after the presentation is finished.

A good visual aid , as obvious as it may seem, must remain visual. Visuals can be bulleted lists or outlines, diagrams or figures, or pictures that depict crucial points that would be difficult to explain orally. Visual aids should be used to supplement, not compete with, your presentation. Use them only when they are necessary or beneficial.

20. Anticipate questions and prepare thoughtful answers in advance

A key component of preparing for an effective oral presentation is anticipating questions and creating thoughtful responses beforehand.

It demonstrates that you are knowledgeable about the subject and that you gave the subject some research. It also helps establish credibility and demonstrate your knowledge.

Additionally, it might assist you in remaining composed and assured throughout the presentation, especially if you are posed with unexpected questions. A few strategies for getting ready for questions are as follows:

Researching your topic thoroughly: This will enable you to answer any questions that may come up about your subject matter.
Identifying key points of confusion: Think about what aspects of your presentation may be most difficult for your audience to understand and prepare answers accordingly.
Practicing your responses: Rehearse answering potential questions so you are more comfortable and confident when answering them during the presentation.
Being open to feedback: Encourage your audience to ask questions and be open to feedback , even if it is critical. Take the opportunity to address any misconceptions or confusion that may have arisen during your presentation.
Be prepared for the unexpected: Sometimes, the questions you get may be totally out of the blue, be prepared to answer those as well.

In summary, your oral presentation is highly related to your motion, posture, gesture, gesticulation, eye contact, pausing effect, response to applause and so on.

The evolving nature of education has seen many lecturers and teachers adopt oral examinations as an integral part of grading students’ performance.

That is apart from lines of study such as Medicine (Viva) and Law (mock trials) that already have oral-related content as a part of their continuous assessment.

It also affords the teacher the opportunity to do more than just teach but to also be a kind of ‘coach’ that nurtures not only the content but also the delivery of knowledge . As a teacher myself, I do subscribe to this method of teaching; after all, was it not Einstein that said – If you cannot explain it simply, then you do not understand it all.

In oral presentations, especially ones that adopt projected information, the words you speak are more important than the words you display.

However, the pictures you use are just as important as the words you speak. In no place is the saying truer – a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Therefore, being in a position where you have to present your own perspective, with your own words and in your own style goes a long way in shaping your intellectual capabilities . It also builds self-confidence in those that eventually master it.

I wish you a hitch-free and mind-blowing experience in your next oral presentation. 😉 . Which of these tips has helped you tremendously?

Share with love!

Post Author: Ikeoluwa Ogedengbe

24 replies to “20 tips for preparing an effective oral presentation”.

Wonderful post! Putting these suggestions into practice will make anyone a ‘better’ presenter! Multiple thumbs up!

Sure, they will. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for this post, I believe it will help me gather more confidence in public speaking.

All the best in your next public speaking engagement, Josephine.

Love this post! I have a fear of public speaking so this checklist is so helpful! Thanks for sharing!

I’m glad you love it, Lissy.

Cool, just cool. I like it.

Thanks, Yeahme.

Thank you these are great tips! I have always had a lot of self confidence but always struggle with imposter syndrome so I get so nervous before public speaking!

Aww, I am sure these tips and a lot of practice will take the nervousness away.

This reminds me of my speech 101 class in college. I definitely with these tips — especially the one about knowing the content. Nothing prepares you more than knowing what you are talking about.

That’s absolutely right!

I used to work for a company that offered feedback for corporate leaders on presenting and I agree with everything you say. Bringing your personality into a presentation or speech can make a huge difference but it can take practice to get comfortable enough to bring that energy.

Yes, practice does a lot to make one perfect. Thanks for your input, Sarah.

This is a very helpful post. I wish I had read this when I was still a student. I didn’t like oral presentations and this could have given me a better perspective.

Awww, You may pass on the message to young students to ensure they get it right early.

Great read. Very helpful for my upcoming convention. Thanks for sharing.

I’m glad this helped. I wish you a splendid convention, Allison.

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Happy to help.

How to deliver an oral presentation

Georgina wellstead.

a Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

Katharine Whitehurst

b Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital

Buket Gundogan

c University College London

d Guy's St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Delivering an oral presentation in conferences and meetings can seem daunting. However, if delivered effectively, it can be an invaluable opportunity to showcase your work in front of peers as well as receive feedback on your project. In this “How to” article, we demonstrate how one can plan and successfully deliver an engaging oral presentation.

Giving an oral presentation at a scientific conference is an almost inevitable task at some point during your medical career. The prospect of presenting your original work to colleagues and peers, however, may be intimidating, and it can be difficult to know how to approach it. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that although daunting, an oral presentation is one of the best ways to get your work out there, and so should be looked upon as an exciting and invaluable opportunity.

Slide content

Although things may vary slightly depending on the type of research you are presenting, the typical structure is as follows:

Opening slide (title of study, authors, institutions, and date)
Methodology
Discussion (including strengths and weaknesses of the study)

Conclusions

Picking out only the most important findings to include in your presentation is key and will keep it concise and easy to follow. This in turn will keep your viewers engaged, and more likely to understand and remember your presentation.

Psychological analysis of PowerPoint presentations, finds that 8 psychological principles are often violated 1 . One of these was the limited capacity of working memory, which can hold 4 units of information at any 1 time in most circumstances. Hence, too many points or concepts on a slide could be detrimental to the presenter’s desire to give information.

You can also help keep your audience engaged with images, which you can talk around, rather than lots of text. Video can also be useful, for example, a surgical procedure. However, be warned that IT can let you down when you need it most and you need to have a backup plan if the video fails. It’s worth coming to the venue early and testing it and resolving issues beforehand with the AV support staff if speaking at a conference.

Slide design and layout

It is important not to clutter your slides with too much text or too many pictures. An easy way to do this is by using the 5×5 rule. This means using no more than 5 bullet points per slide, with no more than 5 words per bullet point. It is also good to break up the text-heavy slides with ones including diagrams or graphs. This can also help to convey your results in a more visual and easy-to-understand way.

It is best to keep the slide design simple, as busy backgrounds and loud color schemes are distracting. Ensure that you use a uniform font and stick to the same color scheme throughout. As a general rule, a light-colored background with dark-colored text is easier to read than light-colored text on a dark-colored background. If you can use an image instead of text, this is even better.

A systematic review study of expert opinion papers demonstrates several key recommendations on how to effectively deliver medical research presentations 2 . These include:

Keeping your slides simple
Knowing your audience (pitching to the right level)
Making eye contact
Rehearsing the presentation
Do not read from the slides
Limiting the number of lines per slide
Sticking to the allotted time

You should practice your presentation before the conference, making sure that you stick to the allocated time given to you. Oral presentations are usually short (around 8–10 min maximum), and it is, therefore, easy to go under or over time if you have not rehearsed. Aiming to spend around 1 minute per slide is usually a good guide. It is useful to present to your colleagues and seniors, allowing them to ask you questions afterwards so that you can be prepared for the sort of questions you may get asked at the conference. Knowing your research inside out and reading around the subject is advisable, as there may be experts watching you at the conference with more challenging questions! Make sure you re-read your paper the day before, or on the day of the conference to refresh your memory.

It is useful to bring along handouts of your presentation for those who may be interested. Rather than printing out miniature versions of your power point slides, it is better to condense your findings into a brief word document. Not only will this be easier to read, but you will also save a lot of paper by doing this!

Delivering the presentation

Having rehearsed your presentation beforehand, the most important thing to do when you get to the conference is to keep calm and be confident. Remember that you know your own research better than anyone else in the room! Be sure to take some deep breaths and speak at an appropriate pace and volume, making good eye contact with your viewers. If there is a microphone, don’t keep turning away from it as the audience will get frustrated if your voice keeps cutting in and out. Gesturing and using pointers when appropriate can be a really useful tool, and will enable you to emphasize your important findings.

Presenting tips

Do not hide behind the computer. Come out to the center or side and present there.
Maintain eye contact with the audience, especially the judges.
Remember to pause every so often.
Don’t clutter your presentation with verbal noise such as “umm,” “like,” or “so.” You will look more slick if you avoid this.
Rhetorical questions once in a while can be useful in maintaining the audience’s attention.

When reaching the end of your presentation, you should slow down in order to clearly convey your key points. Using phases such as “in summary” and “to conclude” often prompts those who have drifted off slightly during your presentation start paying attention again, so it is a critical time to make sure that your work is understood and remembered. Leaving up your conclusions/summary slide for a short while after stopping speaking will give the audience time to digest the information. Conclude by acknowledging any fellow authors or assistants before thanking the audience for their attention and inviting any questions (as long as you have left sufficient time).

If asked a question, firstly thank the audience member, then repeat what they have asked to the rest of the listeners in case they didn’t hear the first time. Keep your answers short and succinct, and if unsure say that the questioner has raised a good point and that you will have to look into it further. Having someone else in the audience write down the question is useful for this.

The key points to remember when preparing for an oral presentation are:

Keep your slides simple and concise using the 5×5 rule and images.
When appropriate; rehearse timings; prepare answers to questions; speak slowly and use gestures/ pointers where appropriate; make eye contact with the audience; emphasize your key points at the end; make acknowledgments and thank the audience; invite questions and be confident but not arrogant.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no financial conflict of interest with regard to the content of this report.

Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Published online 8 June 2017

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How to Make an Oral Presentation

Explore the possibilities.

The purpose of an oral presentation is to share your research with an audience, typically through PowerPoint or Prezi. It is typically a synopsis of your research. If you've conducted a study, you will probably address the following topics:

Background research on your topic (with citations to past studies)
The rationale for your study (how does your study address a gap in the literature?)
Hypotheses/research questions
Methodology
Results (graphs are more interesting than tables or words)
Conclusions (for example, the implications or applications of your research, limitations, future research directions, a concise summary of your main findings, concluding thoughts)
References and Acknowledgements (such as grant support, a faculty advisor if he/she is not an author on the presentation, assistance from others who are not listed as authors)

If your scholarship is in a different form (e.g., a film analysis, a presentation of a creative work), the structure will likely be a little different, but in all cases, it should be clear to the audience what the main goals of your research are, why it's important to do this work, and what you found in your research.

First, make sure you know how much time you have; it is common for oral presentations at conferences to exceed the time limit. Prepare a presentation that is a little shorter than the allotted time to allow for questions and other comments.
Think about your audience: Will they understand technical terms, jargon, and acronyms? Will they be mostly undergraduates or professors in the field? You should tailor your presentation to your expected audience.
Think carefully about your central message. What do you want the audience to know by the end of your presentation? Most people will only remember a few take-home points from your carefully constructed presentation (if that!). There's no point in getting bogged down in minutia that the audience can't really process anyway.
The most important parts are the beginning (to draw the audience in) and the ending (to wrap up, to inspire). Put some thought into how to make these parts of your presentation have impact.
Think about your speaking style; can you speak loudly and clearly? Can you modulate your voice appropriately, or do you tend to sound monotone when you give presentations? Consider working on your public speaking skills if it's needed; consider joining Legacy Owls Toastmasters Club for this purpose and check out Toastmasters International public speaking tips .
Will the conference provide computers or do you bring your own laptop?
Will there be internet available?
How reliable is the internet?
Will there be speakers or a way to use audio (if necessary)?
Back up your presentation in at least two places (e.g., flash drive, Dropbox, email it to yourself).
When you prepare a presentation on a Mac and then use a PC (or vice versa), be aware that sometimes things look different.
Bring a printed copy in case the technology fails, or have a tablet/laptop with you.
Find the room early, and check out the technology so you’re familiar with it.

It is usually not required that you use visuals for your presentation, but a PowerPoint or Prezi can often help the audience follow along with your research.

If you use PowerPoint or Prezi:

Avoid the temptation to put too much text on your slides; the audience can get bored or overwhelmed and might not be able to clearly see all the words if you've used a small font (less than 20-pt is considered "small").
Avoid font types that are hard to read or look unprofessional.
Avoid putting words on a busy powerpoint background that makes the words hard to read.
Avoid using font color that doesn't contrast with the background (in other words, your audience can't read gray text on a black background).
Avoid tables and graphs that have too much information - you can recreate those tables and graphs with just the most important information instead.

Also, consider your verbal and physical presentation:

Avoid reading your slides to the audience.
Avoid reading from prepared notes; the audience will maintain interest better if you can speak extemporaneously directly to them. It's also hard to make eye contact with the audience if you are reading.
Avoid distracting behaviors or verbal tics (“um,” “like,” “uh”).
Dress appropriately for the occasion.
Consider your body language (e.g., arms crossed can come across as you not wanting to be there).
Embrace a "Presentation Zen" style: simple (not simplistic), clean, and powerful.
Have interesting, high-resolution images on your slides.
You could connect your research to recent events (perhaps asking the audience to summarize the recent event).
You could ask specific questions throughout the presentation.
You could poll the audience on a topic relevant to your presentation (perhaps even using a free resource such as Socrative or Poll Everywhere ).
You could insert a powerful quote into your presentation (perhaps at the beginning or end).
You can show a short video to illustrate something important about your topic.
The point is not to be gimmicky; the point is to keep your audience interested and engaged (especially when the audience has been listening to oral presentations all day and might be tired). Be aware, though, that different disciplines have different conventions regarding what is and is not appropriate for an oral presentation; be sure to ask your research advisor for advice first.
Showing enthusiasm for their work
Being energetic
Using emphasis on certain words
Using hand gestures to keep the audience engaged
Be sure to leave some time at the end.
If a questioner is soft-spoken, repeat the question so everyone hears.
Avoid long, meandering answers.
Don’t make something up if you don’t know an answer. Offer to look it up and get back to the person, and be open to someone in the audience knowing the answer.
Give positive reinforcement to questioners (smiling, nodding, “that’s a good question”).
If someone is attacking you or otherwise being rude, remember that this usually comes from someone who wants to show off or appear smart in front of everyone The other audience members will recognize the rudeness and be on your side! Stay calm, answer as best you can, and acknowledge it when he/she makes a good point (smiling and nodding can disarm an attacker).
People will often talk to you right afterwards; try to avoid running out right after your presentation if you can help it.
Audience members may email for a copy of your presentation or to ask further questions; be sure to follow up with them.

If you have been accepted to present your research at a conference, congratulations! This is a great honor, and you should be proud of this accomplishment. If you would like an individual consultation with someone from the Office of Undergraduate Research about your presentation, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] .

Other online resources to check out include:

Presentation Tips (Prepare, Design, Deliver)
18 Tips for Killer Presentations

Contact Info

Kennesaw Campus 1000 Chastain Road Kennesaw, GA 30144

Marietta Campus 1100 South Marietta Pkwy Marietta, GA 30060

Campus Maps

Phone 470-KSU-INFO (470-578-4636)

kennesaw.edu/info

Media Resources

Resources For

Chapter 3: Oral Presentations

Patricia Williamson

Many academic courses require students to present information to their peers and teachers in a classroom setting. Such presentations are usually in the form of a short talk, often, but not always, accompanied by visual aids such as a PowerPoint. Yet, students often become nervous at the idea of speaking in front of a group. This chapter aims to help calms those nerves.

This chapter is divided under five headings to establish a quick reference guide for oral presentations.

A beginner, who may have little or no experience, should read each section in full.
For the intermediate learner, who has some experience with oral presentations, review the sections you feel you need work on.
If you are an experienced presenter then you may wish to jog your memory about the basics or gain some fresh insights about technique.

The Purpose of an Oral Presentation

Generally, oral presentation is public speaking, either individually or as a group, the aim of which is to provide information, to entertain, to persuade the audience, or to educate. In an academic setting, oral presentations are often assessable tasks with a marking criteria. Therefore, students are being evaluated on two separate-but-related competencies within a set timeframe: the ability to speak and the quality of the spoken content. An oral presentation differs from a speech in that it usually has visual aids and may involve audience interaction; ideas are both shown and explained . A speech, on the other hand, is a formal verbal discourse addressing an audience, without visual aids and audience participation.

Tips for Types of Oral Presentations

Individual presentation.

Know your content. The number one way to have a smooth presentation is to know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Write it down and rehearse it until you feel relaxed and confident and do not have to rely heavily on notes while speaking.
Eliminate ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs’ from your oral presentation vocabulary. Speak slowly and clearly and pause when you need to. It is not a contest to see who can race through their presentation the fastest or fit the most content within the time limit. The average person speaks at a rate of 125 words per minute. Therefore, if you are required to speak for 10 minutes, you will need to write and practice 1250 words for speaking. Ensure you time yourself and get it right.
Ensure you meet the requirements of the marking criteria, including non-verbal communication skills. Make good eye contact with the audience; watch your posture; don’t fidget.
Know the language requirements. Check if you are permitted to use a more casual, conversational tone and first-person pronouns, or do you need to keep a more formal, academic tone?
Breathe. You are in control. You’ve got this!

Group Presentation

All of the above applies; however, you are working as part of a group. So how should you approach group work?
Firstly, if you are not assigned to a group by your lecturer/tutor, choose people based on their availability and accessibility. If you cannot meet face-to-face you may schedule online meetings.
Get to know each other. It’s easier to work with friends than strangers.
Consider everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. Determining strengths and weaknesses will involve a discussion that will often lead to task or role allocations within the group; however, everyone should be carrying an equal level of the workload.
Some group members may be more focused on getting the script written, with a different section for each team member to say. Others may be more experienced with the presentation software and skilled in editing and refining PowerPoint slides so they are appropriate for the presentation. Use one visual aid (one set of PowerPoint slides) for the whole group; you may consider using a shared cloud drive so that there is no need to integrate slides later on.
Be patient and tolerant with each other’s learning style and personality. Do not judge people in your group based on their personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender, age, or cultural background.
Rehearse as a group–more than once. Keep rehearsing until you have seamless transitions between speakers. Ensure you thank the previous speaker and introduce the one following you. If you are rehearsing online, but have to present in-person, try to schedule some face-to-face time that will allow you to physically practice using the technology and classroom space of the campus.

Writing Your Presentation

Approach the oral presentation task just as you would any other assignment. Review the available topics and then do some background reading and research to ensure you can talk about the topic for the appropriate length of time and in an informed manner. Break the question down into manageable parts .

Creating a presentation differs from writing an essay in that the information in the speech must align with the visual aid. Therefore, with each idea, concept, or new information that you write, you need to think about how this might be visually displayed through minimal text and the occasional use of images. Proceed to write your ideas in full, but consider that not all information will end up on a PowerPoint slide. Many guides, such as Marsen (2020), will suggest no more than five points per slide, with each bullet point have no more than six words (for a maximum of 30 words per slide). After all, it is you who are doing the presenting , not the PowerPoint. Your presentation skills are being evaluated, but this evaluation may include only a small percentage for the actual visual aid: check your assessment guidelines.

Using Visual Aids

To keep your audience engaged and help them to remember what you have to say, you may want to use visual aids, such as slides.

When designing slides for your presentation, make sure:

any text is brief, grammatically correct and easy to read. Use dot points and space between lines, plus large font size (18-20 point)
Resist the temptation to use dark slides with a light-coloured font; it is hard on the eyes
if images and graphs are used to support your main points, they should be non-intrusive on the written work

Images and Graphs

Your audience will respond better to slides that deliver information quickly – images and graphs are a good way to do this. However, they are not always appropriate or necessary.

When choosing images, it’s important to find images that:

support your presentation and aren’t just decorative
are high quality, however, using large HD picture files can make the PowerPoint file too large overall for submission via Turnitin
you have permission to use (Creative Commons license, royalty-free, own images, or purchased)
suggested sites for free-to-use images: Openclipart – Clipping Culture ; Beautiful Free Images & Pictures | Unsplash ; Pxfuel – Royalty free stock photos free download ; When we share, everyone wins – Creative Commons

The specific requirements for your papers may differ. Again, ensure that you read through any assignment requirements carefully and ask your lecturer or tutor if you’re unsure how to meet them.

Using Visual Aids Effectively

Too often, students make an impressive PowerPoint though do not understand how to use it effectively to enhance their presentation.

Rehearse with the PowerPoint.
Keep the slides synchronized with your presentation; change them at the appropriate time.
Refer to the information on the slides. Point out details; comment on images; note facts such as data.
Don’t let the PowerPoint just be something happening in the background while you speak.
Write notes in your script to indicate when to change slides or which slide number the information applies to.
Pace yourself so you are not spending a disproportionate amount of time on slides at the beginning of the presentation and racing through them at the end.
Practice, practice, practice.

Nonverbal Communication

It is clear by the name that nonverbal communication includes the ways that we communicate without speaking. You use nonverbal communication everyday–often without thinking about it. Consider meeting a friend on the street: you may say “hello”, but you may also smile, wave, offer your hand to shake, and the like. Here are a few tips that relate specifically to oral presentations.

Being confident and looking confident are two different things. Even if you may be nervous (which is natural), the following will help you look confident and professional:

Avoid slouching or leaning – standing up straight instantly gives you an air of confidence, but more importantly it allows you to breathe freely. Remember that breathing well allows you to project your voice, but it also prevents your body from experiencing extra stress.
If you have the space, move when appropriate. You can, for example, move to gesture to a more distant visual aid or to get closer to different part of the audience who might be answering a question.
If you’re someone who “speaks with their hands”, resist the urge to gesticulate constantly. Use gestures purposefully to highlight, illustrate, motion, or the like.
Be animated, but don’t fidget. Ask someone to watch you rehearse and identify if you have any nervous, repetitive habits you may be unaware of, such as ‘finger-combing’ your hair or touching your face.
Avoid ‘verbal fidgets’ such as “umm” or “ahh”; silence is ok. If you needs to cough or clear your throat, do so once then take a drink of water.
Avoid distractions that you can control. Put your phone on “do not disturb” or turn it off completely.
Keep your distance. Don’t hover over front-row audience members.
Have a cheerful demeaner. Remember that your audience will mirror your demeanor.
Maintain an engaging tone in your voice, by varying tone, pace, and emphasis. Match emotion to concept; slow when concepts might be difficult; stress important words.
Don’t read your presentation–present it! Internalize your script so you can speak with confidence and only occasionally refer to your notes if needed.
Make eye contact with your audience members so they know you are talking with them, not at them. You’re having a conversation. Watch the link below for some great speaking tips, including eye contact.

Below is a video of some great tips about public speaking from Amy Wolff at TEDx Portland [1]

Wolff. A. [The Oregonion]. (2016, April 9). 5 public speaking tips from TEDxPortland speaker coach [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNOXZumCXNM&ab_channel=TheOregonian ↵

Two or more people tied by marriage, blood, adoption, or choice; living together or apart by choice or circumstance; having interaction within family roles; creating and maintaining a common culture; being characterized by economic cooperation; deciding to have or not to have children, either own or adopted; having boundaries; and claiming mutual affection.

Chapter 3: Oral Presentations Copyright © 2023 by Patricia Williamson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Argonne National Laboratory

Guide to oral research presentations.

An important aspect to any research project is the oral presentation of the experiment to other people. As with a research report, you want to tell the story of your experiment: why the experiment was done, how it was done, the results, interpretation of the results, and why the experiment matters.

However, a good presentation is different from a good paper. The presentation should not consist of simply reading from a paper that was previously prepared. Care should be taken to not overwhelm the listener with needless detail. Much more detailed information can be presented and understood in a written paper than in an oral presentation.

The style of a presentation is also important. The presenter must try to keep the listener focused on the key information that is being conveyed.

The following are specific things that should be considered when preparing an oral presentation.

Organization

Oral presentations should be organized to have introduction, body and conclusion sections.

Introduction

This section should be brief. It should provide enough background information so that the listener understands the general hypothesis and why the experiments were done. It should also state the specific research question that was studied.

This section is the major portion of the talk. It should include research methods as well as research results. The methods should be briefly stated, providing detail when necessary for understanding a particular result.

This section should also be brief. A clear, concise statement of what the results prove should be made. The data can be related to experiments others have performed, but this should not be overdone. Future experiments to test unanswered questions could be suggested. State why this experiment matters.

Presentation Style

The following are things that should be considered when designing a presentation.

Pay attention to the time. Most research talks are short and no more than 15 minutes.

Do not talk too quickly. Slow down so that the listener has time to hear you.

If you think you are speaking too slowly, then you probably are going at the right pace.

Volume/Tone

Talk loud enough so that your listener can hear you. Use a variety of voice inflections and pitches so that the listener stays interested.

Nothing is more boring than a monotone presentation.
Alterations in volume/tone gives the listener the feeling that the presenter is interested in the topic.

Eye Contact

Try to maintain eye contact with the listener; this helps them stay focused on the talk.

DO NOT SIMPLY READ YOUR PAPER ! Whether or not you are presenting from notes, a fully prepared script, or from memory, eye contact must be made frequently.
Face the audience: DO NOT READ OFF OF YOUR SLIDES ! You are talking to the people so look at them.

The presentation should be made in a formal, professional manner.

Dress appropriately.
Maintain good, erect posture
Refrain from informal speech patterns and actions.
Minimize unnecessary movements such as excessive walking, hand motions, etc.
Keep your hands out of your pockets

Visual Aids

In general, all research presentations need some sort of visual aid. This is most often done using PowerPoint.

Graphs, tables, photographs etc. of data help the listener sort through the material.
Complex methods can be presented clearly through visuals.
A list of conclusion statements helps the listener focus on the final statement.
A clearly stated research question when visually presented helps.
Be sure that the visuals are not too complicated. Include only the information you will be discussing.
Be sure the visual is large enough to be clearly seen by the listener.
Point to the visuals during the presentation
Leave the visual up long enough so that the listener can assimilate it.

Present Information Clearly

The information in a presentation should be organized logically and clearly in a way that the listener can understand and follow.

Use of visuals helps here.
Details should be included when they are important in reaching a particular conclusion. They should be omitted when they get in the way of seeing a particular point.
Remember: it is not what you say that is important, it is what the listener hears, understands, and takes with him/her that is important.

Subject Knowledge

The presenter should demonstrate that he/she understands the subject being presented. This is done by:

presenting accurate information,
by responding to controversies in an appropriate way,
by answering reasonable questions from the audience.

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

Annotated Bibliography
Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
Group Presentations
Dealing with Nervousness
Using Visual Aids
Grading Someone Else's Paper
Types of Structured Group Activities
Group Project Survival Skills
Leading a Class Discussion
Multiple Book Review Essay
Reviewing Collected Works
Writing a Case Analysis Paper
Writing a Case Study
About Informed Consent
Writing Field Notes
Writing a Policy Memo
Writing a Reflective Paper
Writing a Research Proposal
Generative AI and Writing
Acknowledgments

In the social and behavioral sciences, an oral presentation assignment involves an individual student or group of students verbally addressing an audience on a specific research-based topic, often utilizing slides to help audience members understand and retain what they both see and hear. The purpose is to inform, report, and explain the significance of research findings, and your critical analysis of those findings, within a specific period of time, often in the form of a reasoned and persuasive argument. Oral presentations are assigned to assess a student’s ability to organize and communicate relevant information effectively to a particular audience. Giving an oral presentation is considered an important learning skill because the ability to speak persuasively in front of an audience is transferable to most professional workplace settings.

Oral Presentations. Learning Co-Op. University of Wollongong, Australia; Oral Presentations. Undergraduate Research Office, Michigan State University; Oral Presentations. Presentations Research Guide, East Carolina University Libraries; Tsang, Art. “Enhancing Learners’ Awareness of Oral Presentation (Delivery) Skills in the Context of Self-regulated Learning.” Active Learning in Higher Education 21 (2020): 39-50.

Preparing for Your Oral Presentation

In some classes, writing the research paper is only part of what is required in reporting the results your work. Your professor may also require you to give an oral presentation about your study. Here are some things to think about before you are scheduled to give a presentation.

1. What should I say?

If your professor hasn't explicitly stated what the content of your presentation should focus on, think about what you want to achieve and what you consider to be the most important things that members of the audience should know about your research. Think about the following: Do I want to inform my audience, inspire them to think about my research, or convince them of a particular point of view? These questions will help frame how to approach your presentation topic.

2. Oral communication is different from written communication

Your audience has just one chance to hear your talk; they can't "re-read" your words 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, often applied in combination. The first is the K.I.S.S. method [Keep It Simple Stupid]. Focus your presentation on getting two to three key points across. The second approach is to repeat key insights: tell them what you're going to tell them [forecast], tell them [explain], and then tell them what you just told them [summarize].

3. Think about your audience

Yes, you want to demonstrate to your professor that you have conducted a good study. But professors 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?

4. Create effective notes

If you don't have notes to refer to as you speak, you run the risk of forgetting something important. Also, having no notes increases the chance you'll lose your train of thought and begin relying on reading from the presentation slides. Think about the best ways to create notes that can be easily referred to as you speak. This is important! Nothing is more distracting to an audience than the speaker fumbling around with notes as they try to speak. It gives the impression of being disorganized and unprepared.

NOTE: A good strategy is to have a page of notes for each slide so that the act of referring to a new page helps remind you to move to the next slide. This also creates a natural pause that allows your audience to contemplate what you just presented.

Strategies for creating effective notes for yourself include the following:

Choose a large, readable font [at least 18 point in Ariel ]; avoid using fancy text fonts or cursive text.
Use bold text, underlining, or different-colored text to highlight elements of your speech that you want to emphasize. Don't over do it, though. Only highlight the most important elements of your presentation.
Leave adequate space on your notes to jot down additional thoughts or observations before and during your presentation. This is also helpful when writing down your thoughts in response to a question or to remember a multi-part question [remember to have a pen with you when you give your presentation].
Place a cue in the text of your notes to indicate when to move to the next slide, to click on a link, or to take some other action, such as, linking to a video. If appropriate, include a cue in your notes if there is a point during your presentation when you want the audience to refer to a handout.
Spell out challenging words phonetically and practice saying them ahead of time. This is particularly important for accurately pronouncing people’s names, technical or scientific terminology, words in a foreign language, or any unfamiliar words.

Creating and Using Overheads. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Kelly, Christine. Mastering the Art of Presenting. Inside Higher Education Career Advice; Giving an Oral Presentation. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra; Lucas, Stephen. The Art of Public Speaking . 12th edition. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2015; Peery, Angela B. Creating Effective Presentations: Staff Development with Impact . Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Education, 2011; Peoples, Deborah Carter. Guidelines for Oral Presentations. Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries; Perret, Nellie. Oral Presentations. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Speeches. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Storz, Carl et al. Oral Presentation Skills. Institut national de télécommunications, EVRY FRANCE.

Organizing the Content

In the process of organizing the content of your presentation, begin by thinking about what you want to achieve and how are you going to involve your audience in the presentation.

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 [see below].
Summarize your draft into key points to write on your presentation slides and/or note cards and/or handout.
Prepare your visual aids.
Rehearse your presentation and practice getting the presentation completed within the time limit given by your professor. Ask a friend to listen and time you.

GENERAL OUTLINE

I. Introduction [may be written last]

Capture your listeners’ attention . Begin with a question, an amusing story, a provocative statement, a personal story, or anything that will engage your audience and make them think. For example, "As a first-gen student, my hardest adjustment to college was the amount of papers I had to write...."
State your purpose . For example, "I’m going to talk about..."; "This morning I want to explain…."
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…"

II. The Body

Present your main points one by one in a logical order .
Pause at the end of each point . Give people time to take notes, or time to think about what you are saying.
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....”
Use clear examples to illustrate your points and/or key findings .
If appropriate, consider using visual aids to make your presentation more interesting [e.g., a map, chart, picture, link to a video, etc.].

III. The Conclusion

Leave your audience with a clear summary of everything that you have covered.
Summarize the main points again . For example, use phrases like: "So, in conclusion..."; "To recap the main issues...," "In summary, it is important to realize...."
Restate the purpose of your talk, and say that you have achieved your aim : "My intention was ..., and it should now be clear that...."
Don't let the talk just fizzle out . Make it obvious that you have reached the end of the presentation.
Thank the audience, and invite questions : "Thank you. Are there any questions?"

NOTE: When asking your audience if anyone has any questions, give people time to contemplate what you have said and to formulate a question. It may seem like an awkward pause to wait ten seconds or so for someone to raise their hand, but it's frustrating to have a question come to mind but be cutoff because the presenter rushed to end the talk.

ANOTHER NOTE: If your last slide includes any contact information or other important information, leave it up long enough to ensure audience members have time to write the information down. Nothing is more frustrating to an audience member than wanting to jot something down, but the presenter closes the slides immediately after finishing.

Creating and Using Overheads. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Giving an Oral Presentation. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra; Lucas, Stephen. The Art of Public Speaking . 12th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2015; Peery, Angela B. Creating Effective Presentations: Staff Development with Impact . Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Education, 2011; Peoples, Deborah Carter. Guidelines for Oral Presentations. Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries; Perret, Nellie. Oral Presentations. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Speeches. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Storz, Carl et al. Oral Presentation Skills. Institut national de télécommunications, EVRY FRANCE.

Delivering Your Presentation

When delivering your presentation, keep in mind the following points to help you remain focused and ensure that everything goes as planned.

Pay Attention to Language!

Keep it simple . The aim is to communicate, not to show off your vocabulary. Using complex words or phrases increases the chance of stumbling over a word and losing your train of thought.
Emphasize the key points . Make sure people realize which are the key points of your study. Repeat them using different phrasing to help the audience remember them.
Check the pronunciation of difficult, unusual, or foreign words beforehand . Keep it simple, but if you have to use unfamiliar words, write them out phonetically in your notes and practice saying them. This is particularly important when pronouncing proper names. Give the definition of words that are unusual or are being used in a particular context [e.g., "By using the term affective response, I am referring to..."].

Use Your Voice to Communicate Clearly

Speak loud enough for everyone in the room to hear you . Projecting your voice may feel uncomfortably loud at first, but if people can't hear you, they won't try to listen. However, moderate your voice if you are talking in front of a microphone.
Speak slowly and clearly . Don’t rush! Speaking fast makes it harder for people to understand you and signals being nervous.
Avoid the use of "fillers." Linguists refer to utterances such as um, ah, you know, and like as fillers. They occur most often during transitions from one idea to another and, if expressed too much, are distracting to an audience. The better you know your presentation, the better you can control these verbal tics.
Vary your voice quality . If you always use the same volume and pitch [for example, all loud, or all soft, or in a monotone] during your presentation, your audience will stop listening. Use a higher pitch and volume in your voice when you begin a new point or when emphasizing the transition to a new point.
Speakers with accents need to slow down [so do most others]. Non-native speakers often speak English faster than we slow-mouthed native speakers, usually because most non-English languages flow more quickly than English. Slowing down helps the audience to comprehend what you are saying.
Slow down for key points . These are also moments in your presentation to consider using body language, such as hand gestures or leaving the podium to point to a slide, to help emphasize key points.
Use pauses . Don't be afraid of short periods of silence. They give you a chance to gather your thoughts, and your audience an opportunity to think about what you've just said.

Also Use Your Body Language to Communicate!

Stand straight and comfortably . Do not slouch or shuffle about. If you appear bored or uninterested in what your talking about, the audience will emulate this as well. Wear something comfortable. This is not the time to wear an itchy wool sweater or new high heel shoes for the first time.
Hold your head up . Look around and make eye contact with people in the audience [or at least pretend to]. Do not just look at your professor or your notes the whole time! Looking up at your your audience brings them into the conversation. If you don't include the audience, they won't listen to you.
When you are talking to your friends, you naturally use your hands, your facial expression, and your body to add to your communication . Do it in your presentation as well. It will make things far more interesting for the audience.
Don't turn your back on the audience and don't fidget! Neither moving around nor standing still is wrong. Practice either to make yourself comfortable. Even when pointing to a slide, don't turn your back; stand at the side and turn your head towards the audience as you speak.
Keep your hands out of your pocket . This is a natural habit when speaking. One hand in your pocket gives the impression of being relaxed, but both hands in pockets looks too casual and should be avoided.

Interact with the Audience

Be aware of how your audience is reacting to your presentation . Are they interested or bored? If they look confused, stop and ask them [e.g., "Is anything I've covered so far unclear?"]. Stop and explain a point again if needed.
Check after highlighting key points to ask if the audience is still with you . "Does that make sense?"; "Is that clear?" Don't do this often during the presentation but, if the audience looks disengaged, interrupting your talk to ask a quick question can re-focus their attention even if no one answers.
Do not apologize for anything . If you believe something will be hard to read or understand, don't use it. If you apologize for feeling awkward and nervous, you'll only succeed in drawing attention to the fact you are feeling awkward and nervous and your audience will begin looking for this, rather than focusing on what you are saying.
Be open to questions . If someone asks a question in the middle of your talk, answer it. If it disrupts your train of thought momentarily, that's ok because your audience will understand. Questions show that the audience is listening with interest and, therefore, should not be regarded as an attack on you, but as a collaborative search for deeper understanding. However, don't engage in an extended conversation with an audience member or the rest of the audience will begin to feel left out. If an audience member persists, kindly tell them that the issue can be addressed after you've completed the rest of your presentation and note to them that their issue may be addressed later in your presentation [it may not be, but at least saying so allows you to move on].
Be ready to get the discussion going after your presentation . Professors often want a brief discussion to take place after a presentation. Just in case nobody has anything to say or no one asks any questions, be prepared to ask your audience some provocative questions or bring up key issues for discussion.

Amirian, Seyed Mohammad Reza and Elaheh Tavakoli. “Academic Oral Presentation Self-Efficacy: A Cross-Sectional Interdisciplinary Comparative Study.” Higher Education Research and Development 35 (December 2016): 1095-1110; Balistreri, William F. “Giving an Effective Presentation.” Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 35 (July 2002): 1-4; Creating and Using Overheads. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Enfield, N. J. How We Talk: The Inner Workings of Conversation . New York: Basic Books, 2017; Giving an Oral Presentation. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra; Lucas, Stephen. The Art of Public Speaking . 12th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2015; Peery, Angela B. Creating Effective Presentations: Staff Development with Impact . Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Education, 2011; Peoples, Deborah Carter. Guidelines for Oral Presentations. Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries; Perret, Nellie. Oral Presentations. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Speeches. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Storz, Carl et al. Oral Presentation Skills. Institut national de télécommunications, EVRY FRANCE.

Speaking Tip

Your First Words are Your Most Important Words!

Your introduction should begin with something that grabs the attention of your audience, such as, an interesting statistic, a brief narrative or story, or a bold assertion, and then clearly tell the audience in a well-crafted sentence what you plan to accomplish in your presentation. Your introductory statement should be constructed so as to invite the audience to pay close attention to your message and to give the audience a clear sense of the direction in which you are about to take them.

Lucas, Stephen. The Art of Public Speaking . 12th edition. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2015.

Another Speaking Tip

Talk to Your Audience, Don't Read to Them!

A presentation is not the same as reading a prepared speech or essay. If you read your presentation as if it were an essay, your audience will probably understand very little about what you say and will lose their concentration quickly. Use notes, cue cards, or presentation slides as prompts that highlight key points, and speak to your audience . Include everyone by looking at them and maintaining regular eye-contact [but don't stare or glare at people]. Limit reading text to quotes or to specific points you want to emphasize.

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Jerz's Literacy Weblog (est. 1999)

Oral presentation tips: how to deliver a speech for school or work.

Jerz > Writing > [ Academic | Technical ] This document briefly describes how to write and deliver a formal oral presentation on an academic or professional subject. It should be useful for anyone who wants to know how to speak in public.

Note: by “formal presentation,” I don’t necessarily mean a Shakespeare monologue or a scientific treatise on robot-assisted microsurgery. Giving an oral presentation on any subject–your favorite book, current events, a family story–can be “formal” and “technical” whenever its primary purpose is to communicate complex information.

The content is the most obvious component of any oral presentation — after all, if you are talking, you had better have something worthwhile to say. But a presentation is only as effective as its delivery .

Part 1: Planning the Content

1. Determine your goals. 2. Prepare your material. 3. Study a model. 4. Arrange with your strongest points first . 5. Practice, practice, practice .

Part 2: Delivering the Content

6. Make eye contact with your audience. 7. Engage actively with the audience. 8. A slide show is not a speech. 9. Watch the time! 10. Take questions in the middle, not the end?

1) Determine Your Goals as a Speaker

2) Prepare your material

Plan. Practice. Keep what’s good and try again.

Good speakers usually aim to look like they are speaking effortlessly, tossing off words as they come to mind. What you don’t see is the preparation that paved the way for the polished performance. It’s all an act! You can do it too, if you plan ahead.

Once you know what your goal is, and you know what your audience wants, you can start strategizing. There is no single strategy that will guarantee success. How you plan depends on many variables.

How many minutes long is your speech? About how many words do you speak per minute?

Will your audience be lost if you use jargon? Will they feel talked down to if you spend time defining terms they already know?

Do you expect that your audience will disagree with you? (If so, you might need to give more examples and more evidence and spend more time addressing reasonable objections in order to sound convincing, which may mean talking a little faster.)

Do you expect your audience already agrees with the position you will take? (If so, they may check out if your speech simply rehashes arguments they already accept without question. What can you say to an audience that already agrees with you? Why would you listen to a speaker who is restating things you already accept as the truth?)

Graphics, inspirational quotations, and anecdotes are all well-respected methods of maintaining audience interest. However, Pinterest clip art, fancy computer transitions between slides, and vaudeville tricks get old pretty quickly (see Don McMillan’s hilarious “ Death by Powerpoint “), and they eat up time that you could use more effectively.

3) Study a Model

The internet is of course full of examples of good speeches, but the YouTube users who vote on videos may not have much in common with the audience who will hear your oral presentation.

Do you have access to speeches that your discourse community values? Your instructor or supervisor may not have ready access to video recordings from last year’s class or last quarter’s budget meeting, but you can pay attention to the speaking techniques deployed by people with authority in your field.

For instance, I have a colleague who never says, “This is taking too long, and I’m watching the clock, so let’s get on with it already.” Instead, this person says, “I’m conscious of everyone’s time, so shall we move on to the next item?”

Bear in mind that

if you have been assigned to deliver a speech that defends a position on a topic (such as, whether Huckleberry Finn should be taught in middle school)…
but your instructor usually refrains from stating any one answer is the best (preferring instead to present several viewpoints and letting the students decide for themselves)…
then your instructor’s open-ended lecture (intended to spark a discussion) is not a good model of a position statement (intended to showcase your ability to latch onto a specific solution).

While this handout aims to provide general tips, you should ignore any general tip that contradicts something specific you learn about the goals, context, or genre of the specific speech you are preparing.

General Model

Successful oral presentations typically share some basic characteristics, owing to the nature of the spoken word.

Tell them what you’re going to tell them.
Tell them what you told them.

When we read, we can go back and reread passages we skimmed over the first time, and we can skip ahead when we’re bored. In a live oral presentation, the audience can’t re-read or skip ahead. If the audience doesn’t know why they are listening to your anecdote about winning the spelling bee, or why they should care what version of the software was installed on the computer that you used to crunch your numbers, their attention will wander and it will be hard to get it back.

When we listen, we gratefully cling to orientation phrases that help us understand what the whole shape of a speech is, where we are within the overall structure, and when we are transitioning from one section to another.

Your specific occasion for delivering a speech may involve specific contextual details that don’t mesh with the general advice I’m providing here.

Introduction : "I am Pinky J. Witzowitz from the U.S. Department of Bureaucracy, and I have been asked to speak for 20 minutes on 'The Government's Plan for Preventing Situation X in America's Heartland.'"
"Situation X is the worst thing that can happen to you and your family." [ Startling claim ; follow up by citing the source of this quote, or giving evidence that supports it.]
"It happened once to a family in Dubuque, and they were never heard from again." [ Anecdote ; follow up with details.]
"I am here today to tell you how to prevent this terrible tragedy from striking you." [ Demonstrates relevance ; move directly to your road map ]
Main Content : Put up a slide with topics to cover, a specific problem to solve, or a series of questions to answer. Promise that your talk will address the material on that slide. You might even return to that slide each time you start a new subsection, with the current place in the talk highlighted.
Questions/Comments from the Audience? Even though most people save the question period until the end, they lose the opportunity to modify their conclusion to address the interests of the audience.
Recap : Our earnest “Situation X” speaker might give microencapsulated answers to all the questions on the main road map: "We have learned that Situation X is a blah blah blah; that we should all care about it because yada, yada, yada..."
Wrap it up : After reminding the audience how all these factors fit together, the speaker might say, "Now that you understand how the U.S. Department of Bureaucracy helps you keep Situation X out of your life, please take one of our pamphlets home to your family and put it by the telephone where you can get it in an emergency; your family will thank you."
Invite Questions : If there is time, and if you haven’t already done so.

4) Arrange with Your Strongest Points First

In rare cases — such as when you are facing a hostile audience, you might want to start out by emphasizing where you agree with your audience, and then carefully working your way towards your most divisive, most daring claims.

If the question is actually important to your talk, you’ll probably be able to answer right away.
If you can’t answer right away, or you don’t want to take the time, just promise you’ll follow up via e-mail , and then go right back to your presentation. Most audience members will probably have been annoyed by the interruption. They will be delighted that you didn’t take the questioner’s bait .

5) Practice, Practice, Practice.

Set a timer, and deliver your speech to a willing co-worker or family member, your pet fish, or the bathroom mirror.

My students are often surprised at how hard it is to fill up 3 minutes for an informal practice speech early in the term, and how hard it is to fit everything they want to say into a 10-minute formal speech later in the term.

Once you have the right amount of content, make a video recording of yourself practicing. If you plan to show a video clip, or ad-lib an explanation of a diagram, or load a website, or pass out paper handouts, or saw an assistant in half, actually do it while the camera is rolling, so that you know exactly how much time it takes.

Time it out.

Script out a powerful introduction and conclusion.
Know how long each section of your speech should take.
which example or anecdote you will cut if you are running long?
what additional example you can introduce if you need to fill time?

If you know your conclusion takes you 90 seconds to deliver, make sure to start your conclusion when you have at least 90 seconds left.

At several key points during your speech, maybe while you are playing a video or while the audience is taking in a complex image, glance at the clock and check to see — are you on track?

If you notice you’re starting Section 3 60 seconds later than you had intended, try to make up for time by rushing through your second example in section 3 and cutting the third example in section 4, so that you still have the full 90 seconds at the end to deliver that powerful conclusion.

Technological Considerations

Do you know how to connect your computer to the overhead projector? (If you don’t know, who does?)
What will you do if you can’t get your computer connected to the projector? (Back in 2003, when I applied for my current job at Seton Hill University, I was asked to give a teaching demonstration. I couldn’t get my laptop to work with the overhead projector, but I had posted the most important links on my blog, and I had brought along a printout of my speech, just in case. My preparations have paid off, because I got the job.)
In the room where you will be speaking, will you be using a microphone, or relying on your unamplified voice?
Will you be able to walk around with the microphone — perhaps to gesture at details in the slides — or is the mic attached to a stand? (Do you need to borrow a laser pointer, or get a volunteer to advance slides for you?)

6) Make Eye Contact With Your Audience.

I once sat through a four-hour training session, during which this was all I could see of the instructor.

Go ahead and write your whole speech out so you can read robotically if you blank out, but you should practice your speech so you know it well enough that you can glance up from your notes and look at your audience as you speak.

7) Engage with the audience.

Pay attention to the audience, and they will pay attention to you.

Don’t try to recite from memory . If you spend your energy worrying about what you’re supposed to say next, you won’t be able to pay attention to whether the audience can hear you, or whether the overhead projections are focused.

Preparation : Set up before the audience files into their seats. If you have scheduled a presentation for a class, don’t sit in your seat like a lump while your professor calls the roll and hands out papers. Few things are more boring than watching a presenter log into the computer, fiddle with the video data projector, hunt around for the light switches, etc.

Introduction : As the audience files into their seats, have a title card displayed on the screen — or at least write your name and the title of your talk on the whiteboard. In a formal setting, usually a moderator will usually introduce you, so you won’t need to repeat everything the moderator says. Avoid canned introductions like “Principal Burch, members of the faculty, and fellow students, we are gathered here today…”

Hashtag : If it’s likely that many people in your audience use the same social media network, consider encouraging them to post their thoughts there. When you introduce yourself, give your social media handle and suggest a hashtag.

Handouts : Consider distributing handouts that present the basic facts (names, dates, timelines) and your main points. You can keep the conclusion just slightly mysterious, if you don’t want to give everything away immediately, but the idea is to free the audience from the feeling that they have to write everything down themselves. (Note: Simply printing up all the overhead slides wastes a lot of paper.)

Grabber : Grab the attention of your audience with a startling fact or claim, an inspiring quotation, or a revealing anecdote. This is not the time to try out your nightclub act; the “grabber” is not just comic relief, it also helps you set up the problem that you are going to address. If the audience will be diverse and general, you can use the “grabber” as a metaphor, helping the audience see why the topic is so important to you, and how it might be important to them, too. If your audience shares your technical specialty, and thus needs no special introduction to the topic, feel free simply to state your purpose without much to-do; but bear in mind that even technical audiences don’t want to be bored.

Road Map : Once you have established the problem or the main point of your talk, let the audience know how you are going to get to a solution. You might put up a series of questions on a slide, then as your talk progresses, proceed to answer each one. You might break each question down into a series of smaller questions, and answer each one of these in turn. Each time you finish a subsection, return to the road map, to help your audience keep track of where you have been and where you are going.

Conclusion : To give your presentation closure, return to the “grabber”, and extend it, modify it, or otherwise use it to help drive home your main point. Recap your main points, and demonstrate how they all fit together into a thought that the audience members can take with them.

8) A Slide Show Is Not a Speech

Don’t read word-for-word with your nose buried in a stack of papers . If you bother to show up to hear a person speak, how do you feel when the speaker mumbles through page after page of written text? Do you feel you should have just asked for a copy of the paper in the mail?

When you present, make every effort to include your audience; after all, they are the reason you are speaking in the first place.

If you do feel that you must write out your speech word-for-word, you should be familiar enough with it that you don’t need to look at the paper all the time. (And hold the page up when you glance at it, rather than bending down to look at it.)

9) Watch the time!

To help pace yourself, at the top of each page of your notes, write down what time it should be ; as you turn each page, you can glance at the clock and see whether you are on track.

(The first time I gave this advice to a technical writing class, I mimed the action of “looking at the clock” — and noticed that I was running ten minutes behind, eating into time that I had promised to a student for an in-class testing session. That was a rather humbling experience!)

See the “preparation” section above. If you have already practiced your speech and timed out the various sections, you’ll know whether you are running long. If you are, don’t talk faster — cut something that you already marked out as optional.

Decide in advance which examples, which anecdotes, which subsections you can drop, without damaging the whole presentation.

I was at a conference in 1998 where the first speaker talked for 40 minutes — double her allotted time. (Why the moderator allowed this is a mystery to me.)

None of the other speakers on the panel felt like cutting their talks to compensate.
The result was that the last scheduled speaker — who had paid for an international plane ticket and a week in a hotel — did not get to speak at all.

10) Take questions in the middle, not at the end?

The benefits include:

If you spark a good Q & A session, your audience will remember and appreciate it.
If nobody has any questions, you can just fill up the space with more of your own material . That would be much harder to do if you have already wrapped up your talk and had nothing left to say.
If you really know your material, you can adjust your conclusion to address the questions raised by the audience. Even if someone in the audience steals a little of your thunder by bringing up points you were saving for your big finish, you will appear smart for having predicted that audience response. At the same time, someone in your audience will feel smart for having anticipated what you were going to say.

Dennis G. Jerz , 01/27/2009 07:24:28 Oct, 1999 — first written 03 Dec, 2000 — posted here 03 June 2003 — tweaked and updated 30 Oct 2011 — updated and added video links 31 May 2016 — major update; separated into “preparation” and “presentation” sections. 26 Jan 2018 — blackboard -> whiteboard

50 thoughts on “ Oral Presentation Tips: How to Deliver a Speech for School or Work ”

Thanks alot for your teachings

Thank a lot , really great tip for oral presentation, i’ll implement these tips, and will let you know.

Very helpful tips.

this is awfully helpful. I am a teacher in France and my students have to do presentations in English. I wish they could read this and understand.

Thank you for these very useful tips on Oral presentation. I am taking an Organizational Behavior class and need to do a 5 minute oral presentation on a real life situation about Conflict Management in the Workplace. I am not sure how to structure or begin the presentation.

I like it Really helpful for me

Thank you for helping me to do my presentation…..and I have learned so much from oral presentation.

thankyou thankyou thankyou this helped me so much!!! : )

thankyou thankyou thankyou this helped me so much in english!!! : )

Thanks. Really helpful

Hi, I going to do 3 minute presentation and my topic is My son. what is a best tips to talk about the this topic. I am not sure where to start. Any tips to help me with.

Is that the topic you were assigned? Are you taking a public speaking class, a child development class, a class in writing personal memoirs, or are you learning English as a second language? I don’t know how your instructor will evaluate your work, so I am not sure how to help.

You might find it useful to look at this handout on writing personal essays. http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/personal-essays/

Hi, I going to do minute presentation and my topic is My son. what is a best tips to talk about the this topic. I am not sure where to start. Any tips to help me with.

This sort of helped

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Enter your comment here…Thanks a lot… I will follow your instructions..I’m hopeful those tips will work. .. Thanks once again….

Thanks so much will follow your instruction tomorrow where I will be having presentation with 180 Head masters about suplimetary feeding on their hunger striken ares

Yeah ,thanks and good luck to all of you from a powerful Jamaican girl

That’s great… It will work well for those who are aiming for like me. Thanks!

The tips are totally handy until now I am still applying it.

Appreciate it. =)

Very helpful for my presentation. Thanks!

I have learned a lot on this…thanks

Thanks a lot I have learned so much on this

I suppose to give out a presentation on Monday on someone or something in either an athlete or an actor and I don’t know how to start

i have a question i am supposed to give a speech but it has to have a power point or a drama thing the only problem is that i can’t have a power point because it won’t work into my speech and neither will a drama thing what should i do?

I suggest you talk to whoever set up the requirement for a slideshow/drama component. Maybe there is some flexibility, or maybe you’ll find a way to work that component into your speech.

Thank you heaps this really helped a lot

that is such good information and i believe im going to pass my speeches.

wow!!this are really helpfull stuff..but im just not confident enough to stand infront of all those people..wish i could do it without them looking at me

blind fold them! just joking…I’m getting ready to do mine and I’m having the same problem as you.

this is a helpfull site

this isn’t helping me with how nervous I am!! bye!!

love it really helped

thanks you are good

I have to do a presentation about “Importance of learning English”. There are 6 people in my group including myself. The presentation has to be exactly 8 minutes. We can’t use PowerPoint. Can you give us any unique, memorable and creative idea?

What are some lessons or life experiences that you find unique and memorable? I’d probably do a play, with a character who gets into trouble because he/she doesn’t know English, and then has a chance to correct those problems by demonstrating how learning English can fix the problems.

Hello mr.Dennis,I go straight to it.how can I become the most sought after Master of Ceremony(M.C.)/tv show presenter extra-ordinaire in my country before going international?any useful tips?

Sorry, that question is not something I cover on this page.

really well writen loved how you added steps so its easy to follow clear easily can be understaned and really helps us and gives us tips that we should actually think about and use at times

Yeah! I found it quite impressive. I hope it’z gonna be helpful for me to develop my speech techniques.

Nice tips….i think it will help me. but it’s too lengthy,it takes so much of time to read.

This really helps to prepare for all sort of things, Thanks a lot

Really helpful! Thank you

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i love this helpful tips of oral presentation.. hope to visit this again or i just make a hard copy of this… thank you very much for that…

it was quite helpful

thank you for the great tip, but my problem is actually that I have a presentation on ‘All About Me’ and I have to keep the audience ‘engaged’ like by making a guessing game or something. If anyone has any other ideas please help!!

This may help: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/showing/

This really helped me prepare my oral presentation…thanks very much!!!!

24 Oral Presentations

Many academic courses require students to present information to their peers and teachers in a classroom setting. This is usually in the form of a short talk, often, but not always, accompanied by visual aids such as a power point. Students often become nervous at the idea of speaking in front of a group.

This chapter is divided under five headings to establish a quick reference guide for oral presentations.

A beginner, who may have little or no experience, should read each section in full.

For the intermediate learner, who has some experience with oral presentations, review the sections you feel you need work on.

The Purpose of an Oral Presentation

Generally, oral presentation is public speaking, either individually or as a group, the aim of which is to provide information, entertain, persuade the audience, or educate. In an academic setting, oral presentations are often assessable tasks with a marking criteria. Therefore, students are being evaluated on their capacity to speak and deliver relevant information within a set timeframe. An oral presentation differs from a speech in that it usually has visual aids and may involve audience interaction; ideas are both shown and explained . A speech, on the other hand, is a formal verbal discourse addressing an audience, without visual aids and audience participation.

Types of Oral Presentations

Individual presentation.

Breathe and remember that everyone gets nervous when speaking in public. You are in control. You’ve got this!
Know your content. The number one way to have a smooth presentation is to know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Write it down and rehearse it until you feel relaxed and confident and do not have to rely heavily on notes while speaking.
Eliminate ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs’ from your oral presentation vocabulary. Speak slowly and clearly and pause when you need to. It is not a contest to see who can race through their presentation the fastest or fit the most content within the time limit. The average person speaks at a rate of 125 words per minute. Therefore, if you are required to speak for 10 minutes, you will need to write and practice 1250 words for speaking. Ensure you time yourself and get it right.
Ensure you meet the requirements of the marking criteria, including non-verbal communication skills. Make good eye contact with the audience; watch your posture; don’t fidget.
Know the language requirements. Check if you are permitted to use a more casual, conversational tone and first-person pronouns, or do you need to keep a more formal, academic tone?

Group Presentation

All of the above applies, however you are working as part of a group. So how should you approach group work?
Firstly, if you are not assigned to a group by your lecturer/tutor, choose people based on their availability and accessibility. If you cannot meet face-to-face you may schedule online meetings.
Get to know each other. It’s easier to work with friends than strangers.
Also consider everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. This will involve a discussion that will often lead to task or role allocations within the group, however, everyone should be carrying an equal level of the workload.
Some group members may be more focused on getting the script written, with a different section for each team member to say. Others may be more experienced with the presentation software and skilled in editing and refining power point slides so they are appropriate for the presentation. Use one visual aid (one set of power point slides) for the whole group. Take turns presenting information and ideas.
Be patient and tolerant with each other’s learning style and personality. Do not judge people in your group based on their personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender, age, or cultural background.
Rehearse as a group, more than once. Keep rehearsing until you have seamless transitions between speakers. Ensure you thank the previous speaker and introduce the one following you. If you are rehearsing online, but have to present in-person, try to schedule some face-to-face time that will allow you to physically practice using the technology and classroom space of the campus.
For further information on working as a group see:

Working as a group – my.UQ – University of Queensland

Writing Your Presentation

Approach the oral presentation task just as you would any other assignment. Review the available topics, do some background reading and research to ensure you can talk about the topic for the appropriate length of time and in an informed manner. Break the question down as demonstrated in Chapter 17 Breaking Down an Assignment. Where it differs from writing an essay is that the information in the written speech must align with the visual aid. Therefore, with each idea, concept or new information you write, think about how this might be visually displayed through minimal text and the occasional use of images. Proceed to write your ideas in full, but consider that not all information will end up on a power point slide. After all, it is you who are doing the presenting , not the power point. Your presentation skills are being evaluated; this may include a small percentage for the actual visual aid. This is also why it is important that EVERYONE has a turn at speaking during the presentation, as each person receives their own individual grade.

Using Visual Aids

A whole chapter could be written about the visual aids alone, therefore I will simply refer to the key points as noted by my.UQ

To keep your audience engaged and help them to remember what you have to say, you may want to use visual aids, such as slides.

When designing slides for your presentation, make sure:

any text is brief, grammatically correct and easy to read. Use dot points and space between lines, plus large font size (18-20 point).
Resist the temptation to use dark slides with a light-coloured font; it is hard on the eyes
if images and graphs are used to support your main points, they should be non-intrusive on the written work

Images and Graphs

Your audience will respond better to slides that deliver information quickly – images and graphs are a good way to do this. However, they are not always appropriate or necessary.

When choosing images, it’s important to find images that:

support your presentation and aren’t just decorative
are high quality, however, using large HD picture files can make the power point file too large overall for submission via Turnitin
you have permission to use (Creative Commons license, royalty-free, own images, or purchased)
suggested sites for free-to-use images: Openclipart – Clipping Culture ; Beautiful Free Images & Pictures | Unsplash ; Pxfuel – Royalty free stock photos free download ; When we share, everyone wins – Creative Commons

This is a general guide. The specific requirements for your course may be different. Make sure you read through any assignment requirements carefully and ask your lecturer or tutor if you’re unsure how to meet them.

Using Visual Aids Effectively

Too often, students make an impressive power point though do not understand how to use it effectively to enhance their presentation.

Rehearse with the power point.
Keep the slides synchronized with your presentation; change them at the appropriate time.
Refer to the information on the slides. Point out details; comment on images; note facts such as data.
Don’t let the power point just be something happening in the background while you speak.
Write notes in your script to indicate when to change slides or which slide number the information applies to.
Pace yourself so you are not spending a disproportionate amount of time on slides at the beginning of the presentation and racing through them at the end.
Practice, practice, practice.

Nonverbal Communication

It is clear by the name that nonverbal communication are the ways that we communicate without speaking. Many people are already aware of this, however here are a few tips that relate specifically to oral presentations.

Being confident and looking confident are two different things. Fake it until you make it.

Avoid slouching or leaning – standing up straight instantly gives you an air of confidence.
Move! When you’re glued to one spot as a presenter, you’re not perceived as either confident or dynamic. Use the available space effectively, though do not exaggerate your natural movements so you look ridiculous.
If you’re someone who “speaks with their hands”, resist the urge to constantly wave them around. They detract from your message. Occasional gestures are fine.
Be animated, but don’t fidget. Ask someone to watch you rehearse and identify if you have any nervous, repetitive habits you may be unaware of, for example, constantly touching or ‘finger-combing’ your hair, rubbing your face.
Avoid ‘voice fidgets’ also. If you needs to cough or clear your throat, do so once then take a drink of water.
Avoid distractions. No phone turned on. Water available but off to one side.
Keep your distance. Don’t hover over front-row audience members; this can be intimidating.
Have a cheerful demeaner. You do not need to grin like a Cheshire cat throughout the presentation, yet your facial expression should be relaxed and welcoming.
Maintain an engaging TONE in your voice. Sometimes it’s not what you’re saying that is putting your audience to sleep, it’s your monotonous tone. Vary your tone and pace.
Don’t read your presentation – PRESENT it! Internalize your script so you can speak with confidence and only occasionally refer to your notes if needed.
Lastly, make good eye contact with your audience members so they know you are talking with them, not at them. You’re having a conversation. Watch the link below for some great speaking tips, including eye contact.

Below is a video of some great tips about public speaking from Amy Wolff at TEDx Portland [1]

Wolff. A. [The Oregonion]. (2016, April 9). 5 public speaking tips from TEDxPortland speaker coach [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNOXZumCXNM&ab_channel=TheOregonian ↵

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There are few abilities that will benefit you more than good communication skills. Being able to give an effective oral presentation will be a tremendous asset for you no matter what you do following graduation from college.

To some extent oral communication skills reflect an individual's personality. While it is helpful to pay attention to how others present themselves orally, it is usually not a good idea to try to copy someone else's style. What works for someone else, may not work for you. It is good, however, to learn by watching others present. This does not mean to copy others but to learn from others by seeing what they do, and do not do, well. Although there is no single, surefire method for giving an effective oral presentation, there are a few principles that one should follow. Below are some suggestions:

Organize and Create Your Presentation. Creating an organized oral presentation can be guided by following some simple steps. First, create an outline for your presentation, just as you would for a paper; Next, select the graphics you will include in the talk and put them in order according to the outline; Then, develop a phrase, concept, sentence, or take-home idea to go along with each visual to make sure the audience grasps the importance of it; Finally, consider a closing summary or synthesis of the ideas you want to emphasize most.

Use Visual Aids and Technology. Visual aids should be used in most oral presentations. These may include handouts, overhead projections, or computer-driven graphics. Visuals not only contribute to your presentation by helping the audience grasp the meaning of your presentation, but they also help listeners stay interested by giving them something to which they can relate. By using their eyes and ears, the audience stays more focused on the topic. Be sure to minimize the number of text-only slides and emphasize graphic slides. Clifton, 1978, can provide helpful insights into this process. Furthermore, learn how to use the microphone, if available. Practice with the computer system and the laser pointer in order to be proficient before the first slide comes on!

Know Your Audience. Know your audience! Without a doubt, one of the most important things to keep in mind before giving a presentation is who will be listening to it. Will it be a group of peers, a class of high school students, your church congregation, or experts in the field? Also, it may be important to consider why the audience is there. Is the audience expecting something from you? If so you must find a way to include their expectations in your presentation. To be effective, attempt to assess your audience‟s knowledge, experience and interest in the subject. In what aspects of your subject will they be most interested? If you talk over the audience's head, you will lose them. New information will keep your audience‟s attention. It is your job to develop their interest. There are many ways to lose your audience. If you do not consider your audience before preparing your presentation, you will not be as effective as you could have been.

Generate Momentum. Nothing will lose an audience more quickly than a talk that does not seem to be going anywhere. The audience should feel some momentum when listening to a presentation. A presentation should have a clear beginning, a middle, and an ending, and the listener should always feel that progress is being made along this path. It is not always necessary to describe to the listener the path that will be taken (e.g., „first I will explain this, then I will compare this, and finally...‟), but you need to provide the listener with periodic road signs. Examples of road signs are comments such as: „To answer these questions, we conducted the following experiment', „We have several interpretations of our findings', „In conclusion‟. Such comments indicate to the listener that the talk is about to move another step along the path. Moreover, they actually tell the listener what the next section of the talk concerns.

Know Your Presentation. You cannot know your presentation and the material you are presenting too well. This does not mean that you have to include absolutely everything you know in the presentation. This will prepare you for follow-up questions and give you the confidence to present the information without the audience „losing faith‟ in you or your talk. Rehearsing just a few times can make the presentation less stressful and more enjoyable because you know approximately how long the talk will be, and you have been able to correct any „bad‟ or unclear parts of the talk. Also, this gives one the opportunity to add anything that was inadvertently left out. In some formal settings it is acceptable, even advisable, to write out your presentation and to read it before the group. This, too, requires rehearsal – even more than the less formal presentation.

Be Enthusiastic. As a speaker, it is your job to create a sense of energy throughout the room. If you are not interested or excited about your topic, at least pretend that you are. You can be sure people will lose interest if you seem bored by your own presentation. Without a doubt, an animated speaker will have an easier time capturing and holding the audience's attention. Vary your inflection, the loudness of your voice and the length of your pauses. A relentless monotone is sure to promote daydreaming among your audience.

Also some “Do’s”. Dress accordingly (this goes along with knowing your audience); speak clearly; keep an eye on the clock; practice ahead of time; be responsive to the audience (if you sense you are losing your audience move along a little quicker to the next section); use appropriate hand gestures.

And some “Don'ts”. Don't speak too quickly; don't speak too softly or tentatively; don‟t wave the laser pointer wildly – point at the particular spot of interest; don‟t jiggle the change in your pocket (or use any other distracting habits). Turn OFF your cell phone! Avoid the tendency to insert phrases such as “umm”, “like”, “yuh know?”or “OK?”; they are bush league idiosyncrasies that convey no information. Learn to make a quiet pause in your speaking as you finish a topic or consider your next topic. Audiences do not expect “stream of conscientiousness” brain dumps so be quiet for a moment and prepare your next thoughts, “yuh know?”

And finally, try to have fun. Yes, believe it or not, engaging an audience with some new information, a new perspective, perhaps with a few jokes interspersed, can be a very enjoyable experience. Good luck!! References: Clifton. H.E., 1978. How to keep an audience attentive, alert, and around for the conclusions at a scientific meeting. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 48(1):1-5. This UFI (Useful Flier of Information) was originally developed and written by M. A. Davis at Macalester College and revised by Jesse Emilo at St. Lawrence University during Geowriting, Sept. 13, 2004 and by J.M. Erickson and his Geowriting class Nov. 17, 2010, for the benefit of students.

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Presentation

Oral presentation skill: what it is and how to develop it

May 1, 2022

In each private and professional environment, effective communication is a fundamental skill. Among the various types of communication, oral shows stand out as an effective capability of conveying information, ideas, and opinions. Whether in academic, business, or social environments, the potential to deliver a compelling oral presentation can notably affect how your message is received. This article will discover what is oral presentation skills, the purpose of oral presentation, how to use them effectively, and when to use them in Presentation design services.

Table of Contents

What are Oral Presentation Skills?

Oral presentation skills refer to the ability to convey information and ideas through spoken words, body language, and visual aids in a structured and engaging manner. It involves organizing thoughts, tailoring content to the audience, and delivering the message confidently and clearly.

These skills encompass verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, ensuring your message is understood, remembered, and impactful.

The Purpose of Oral Presentation

These are the main purpose of Oral presentation skills:

1-Inform and Educate:

Oral presentations are an advantageous tool for disseminating know-how and information. Whether it is a business proposal, research finding, or an academic seminar, the main purpose is to inform and instruct the target market about the subject matter.

2-Persuade and Influence:

In a professional context, oral presentations are frequently used to persuade and affect stakeholders, customers, or colleagues. It could be a sales pitch, a project proposal, or a motivational talk to inspire action or change.

3-Showcase Skills:

Presentations can also showcase your expertise and proficiency in a particular field. A well-delivered presentation can leave a lasting impression and enhance credibility and reputation.

The different types of oral presentations

Luckily, there are different types of oral presentations. The type you give will depend on what’s needed in the situation! For example, an informative speech is typically used to educate your audience about something specific while a persuasive one tries convincing people around them that they should do/believe so-and it doesn’t matter if this works because both have their own purposes behind them anyway.

How to Use Oral Presentation Skills Effectively?

Here are some tips to improve your oral presentation skills effectively:

Know Your Audience:

Tailor your presentation to your audience’s needs, interests, and knowledge level. Understand their expectations and adjust your content accordingly to ensure maximum engagement.

Structure Your Presentation:

Organize your content into a clear and logical structure. Typically, a presentation consists of an introduction, main points with supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Ensure smooth transitions between sections to maintain flow.

Engaging Visuals:

Utilize visuals such as slides, videos, or props to complement your verbal message. Visual aids can enhance understanding and retention but avoid overwhelming the audience with too much information.

Practice and Rehearse:

Practice your presentation multiple times to become familiar with the content and delivery. Rehearsing also helps reduce nervousness and build confidence in communicating effectively.

Eye Contact and Body Language:

Maintain eye contact with the audience and use positive body language to create a connection. Gestures, facial expressions, and posture can convey confidence and enthusiasm, enhancing the impact of your message.

How to develop your oral presentation skills

To improve your oral presentation skills, be prepared and know the material inside out. Additionally, practice makes perfect! It’s helpful to pay attention not just to what you’re saying but also to how YOU are sounding–that is assuming people will actually listen anyway (which they won’t).

Eye contact can help engage an audience as well by making them feel like their opinion matters or that this person truly wants input from every single individual present at any given time during a speech/presentation session…all while smiling confidently with pride because these techniques work wonders even on oneself.

When do you need to Use Oral Presentation Skills?

1-academic settings:.

Students often use oral presentations to share research findings, present projects, or defend their theses. Mastering these skills boosts grades and prepares students for future professional endeavors.

2-Public Speaking Engagements:

Speaking at conferences, seminars, workshops, or occasions allows sharing knowledge, network, and construct recognition as a professional in your field.

3-Social and Personal Life :

Strong oral presentation capabilities are precious in daily life, whether or not speaking at family gatherings, handing over a toast at a wedding, or sharing thoughts in a neighborhood meeting.

4-Social and Personal Life:

Strong oral presentation skills are valuable in everyday life, whether speaking at family gatherings, delivering a toast at a wedding, or sharing ideas in a community meeting.

Tips for delivering an effective oral presentation

Here are a few tips to help you deliver an effective oral presentation. First, start off by grabbing your audience’s attention with an interesting opening sentence or phrase; keep them interested in what comes after that! And remember not everyone will understand all the jargon used during a technical conversation so try keeping things clear and simple – even if it means sacrificing some depth knowledge (which isn’t always bad!).

Practice makes perfect – the more you present, the better you’ll get!

Presentations are a common occurrence in today’s business world. Whether you’re giving an oral presentation to your team or pitching for investors, being able to communicate effectively and inspire lively will set clients’ minds at ease when they hear from YOU! Here is some advice on how best to approach this essential skill: Maintain eye contact with every person who speaks during yours as well as their own reactions; don’t get distracted by anything around them (including other people) because it can cause hesitation which makes someone else more comfortable speaking up instead – even if what was said wasn’t exactly relevant towards our current topic discussion., Use gestures often so everyone understands where certain points lie within the overall message.

Based on your current knowledge about what is Oral presentation skills, you are aware that they are valuable in today’s fast-paced and interconnected world. Mastering these skills allows you to communicate your ideas effectively, influence others positively, and showcase your expertise. You can become a confident and impactful communicator in any setting by understanding the purpose, honing the techniques, and recognizing when to employ oral presentation skills. So, embrace the challenge, practice, and watch as your ability to connect and inspire others soars to new heights.

What are the 5 Ps of oral presentation?

The 5Ps of Oral presentation are planning, preparation, practice, performance, and passion, which can guide you to a successful presentation.

What is the difference between public speaking and oral presentation?

The main factor of public speaking is the involvement with the live audience. However oral presentations can be carried out with or without a live audience.

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Oral Presentation Guide

Please read ASLO’s guide on preparing a successful presentation .

Oral Presentations

Talks will be scheduled in 15-minute time slots. We strongly encourage a presentation of no more than 12 minutes to allow three minutes for discussion and to entertain questions from those in the audience. In special cases, and at the discretion of the session organizers, invited presenters may be given two consecutive slots to provide a tutorial/overview talk at the beginning of the session. The time limit will be strictly enforced to facilitate movement between sessions.

Audio-Visual Equipment at the Meeting

Each session room will have a screen, projector, computer, sound system, timer, and laser pointer. All presentations will be preloaded into the computer by the audio-visual staff for the session room. Oral presenters will be provided with instructions on using the presentation system.

Uploading Your Presentation

Pre-meeting presentation upload is highly preferred. instructions will follow.

Presentations may be loaded on-site no less than 24 hours before your presentation time in the presentation room, Hall of Fame Room, located on Level 2 – Mezzanine during the following hours.

Sunday 1300 – 2000
Monday 0800-1900
Tuesday 0800-1900
Wednesday 0800-1700
Thursday 0800-1700
Friday 0800-1500

At the Meeting

Once you arrive at the meeting, all presenters are required to check in (no less than 24 hours before their presentation time) at the Presentation Room (Hall of Fame) to make sure that all fonts, images, and animations appear as expected and that all audio or video clips are working properly. This is the single most important action you will take to ensure your presentation is a success.

Presentation Preparation

Windows is the only operating system available for the presentations. If your presentation data is linked to other files, those linked files also should be saved in the same folder and checked with the audio-visual technicians for operability beforehand. Likewise, if parts of your presentation are not in PowerPoint format, you will need to check with the audio-visual technicians before the meeting to make sure it is compatible with the computers that will be used during the sessions.

IF THE PRESENTATION DOES NOT PLAY PROPERLY IN THE PRESENTATION ROOM, IT WILL NOT PLAY PROPERLY IN THE MEETING ROOM.
PERSONAL LAPTOPS CANNOT BE USED IN THE SESSION ROOMS.
DEDICATED INTERNET ACCESS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE IN THE SESSION ROOMS.

Format for Presentations

PowerPoint (.ppt) or (.pptx) is the only valid format for oral presentations.
Microsoft PowerPoint Tips: Your content will be displayed on a 16x9 aspect ratio screen. Choose the correct format by going to the “Design” tab. Select “Slide Size” and then select "Widescreen (16x9)."
All images and videos must be embedded in your presentation. You may not embed media directly from the web. Instead, download a local copy and embed it in your presentation.
Use short video segments when needed. Try to keep the file to less than 20 MB. Large files will load and play slower during your presentation.

Apple Macintosh Users

Please make sure that all inserted pictures are either JPEG or PNG file types. Individuals using Apple Keynote should bring their files directly to the Speaker/Presentation Room to have them correctly transferred.

List of Preferred Media

Video Formats: The recommended video format for Windows-based presentations is MPEG 4 (.mp4).
Audio Formats: MPEG3 (.mp3), Windows Audio File (.wav), Windows Media Audio (.wma). iTunes-based files will not work.
Fonts: Choose a font available in Windows 10/PowerPoint 2021. Custom fonts will not display correctly.
For on-screen presentations, JPEG-type images work well.
Resize the image to 1920x1080 as a default.
Compress all files.
Insert all images directly into PowerPoint (Insert / Picture / from File).
Animations: Keep animations to a minimum. When using a bulleted list of points, it may be useful to have the points appear.

Other Resources:

Tips and cautions for presenting at virtual conferences and meetings

9 Important Virtual Presentation Tips For You

Preparation Manual

Section 5: Sample Oral Expression Constructed-Response Assignments Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) – Spanish (190)

Expand All Answers | Collapse All Answers

Following are five sample oral expression constructed-response assignments that represent the types of assignments you will see on the BTLPT–Spanish.

In preparing for the oral expression constructed-response assignments, you may wish to make notes to organize your oral response on the erasable sheets provided. You may write on the erasable sheets; however, you will be scored only on the responses you record after the instructions indicate that you should begin speaking. Each task will have its own timing for preparation and response. Also, since no reference materials will be available during the test, it is recommended that you refrain from using a dictionary, a thesaurus, or textbooks while preparing your practice responses.

Oral Expression Section Directions

This section of the exam consists of five assignments that measure different aspects of your speaking ability in the target language. This section lasts approximately 20 minutes and consists of the following tasks:

Simulated Conversation

Question and Answer (part 1)
Question and Answer (part 2)

Oral Presentation

Support a situation/opinion.

For each assignment, you will be given specific directions, including the amount of time allowed for preparation and speaking. Answer each question according to the directions. You may use the erasable notebooklet provided to write notes or organize your response; however, you will be scored only on your recorded oral response.

Be sure to speak naturally and appropriately in the target language when responding to the oral expression assignments. There are no prescribed answers to these assignments; however, each response needs to follow all task directions. Say as much as you can until the response time is over or until you feel you have provided a thorough response.

When responding to questions in this section of the exam, pay close attention to the specific assignment directions. If you are given specific information that will assist you in answering the question, such as a task, topic, objective, situation, scenario, etc., you should use this information when responding. When the questions are being scored, task completion and topic development are taken into consideration in addition to your language skills. If you do not use all of the information given to you in the directions, your response may not be on task or receive a high score.

Click the N ext button when you have finished reading these directions and are ready to begin the oral expression section of the exam. Be sure you have your headset on before proceeding.

Select the N ext button to continue.

Domain III—Oral Expression

Competency 003—the teacher demonstrates the ability to construct effective and appropriate oral discourse in the target language for various audiences, purposes and occasions relevant to the bilingual classroom and the school environment., sample oral expression constructed-response assignments.

Directions for the Simulated Conversation Assignment

For this assignment, you will participate in a simulated conversation. On the first screen you will see instructions for the assignment and hear a scenario for the conversation. You will have 30 seconds to read the outline of the conversation presented on-screen. The shaded lines reflect a sense of what you will hear during the conversation, while the other lines reflect general ideas about what you will be expected to say.

When the 30 seconds of preparation time is complete, the exam will automatically advance to the next screen and the audio portion of conversation will automatically begin. You will not be able to pause, stop, or replay any portion of this audio.

You will have four turns to participate in the conversation. Each time it is your turn to respond, you will hear a tone and have 20 seconds of silence to respond to that portion of the conversation. A tone will indicate when to end speaking and then the conversation will continue. You should participate in the conversation as fully and as appropriately as possible. The responses you provide during the specified response times will be automatically recorded.

When the final response time has ended, you will automatically be taken to the directions screen for the next assignment. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

Task 1 (Questions 1–4)

Imagínese que usted se encuentra en una feria de trabajo de un distrito escolar en Texas. Se acerca a la mesa de una escuela primaria muy popular que es reconocida por los resultados excelentes y la calidad de su personal. Ud. se presenta a la directora y le entrega su curriculum vitae. La directora de inmediato inicia una conversacion con usted.

[The conversation will now begin. La conversación empieza ahora. ]

Question and Answer (parts 1 and 2)

Directions for the Question and Answer Tasks

For this assignment, you will be asked two questions related to information provided. The first screen will appear and you will see instructions for the assignment and have 15 seconds to review the scenario presented on-screen.

When the 15 seconds of review time is complete, the exam will automatically advance to the first question screen. The audio presentation of the question will automatically begin. You will not be able to pause, stop, or replay any portion of the assignment.

For each question, you will hear the question followed by 60 seconds of silence. Use this period of silence to prepare your response to the question. When the preparation time is complete, the audio presentation of the question will then be repeated and you will hear a tone when it is time to begin speaking. You will have 60 seconds to complete your oral response to the question. You should respond as fully and as appropriately as possible. The response you provide during the specified response time will be automatically recorded.

When the response time for the first question has ended, you will automatically be taken to the next question. When the response time for the second question has ended, you will automatically be taken to the directions screen for the next assignment. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

Task 2 (Questions 5 and 6)

Imagínese que en una reunión de maestros de su escuela, usted propuso realizer un festival cultural al final del año escolar. Después de haber hecho la propuesta, algunos de los maestros asistentes le hacen algunas preguntas sobre el festival.

Man: Me pareció interesante su propuesta del festival cultural y me gustaría ser voluntario, ¿en qué actividades le puedo ayudar?

Woman: ¿Por favor me puede dar más detalles sobre cómo este festival cultural beneficiará a mis estudiantes?

Directions for the Oral Presentation Assignment

For this assignment, you will give an oral presentation based on the information provided. First, you will have 45 seconds to review the information presented on-screen. You will then be prompted to begin preparing your response and will have 2 minutes to prepare your response.

When the preparation time is complete, you will be prompted to begin speaking. You will have 2 minutes to complete your oral presentation. You should respond as fully and as appropriately as possible. The response you provide during the specified response time will be automatically recorded.

When the response time has ended, you will automatically be taken to the directions screen for the next assignment. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

Task 3 (Question 7)

Imagínese que usted enseña en el programa de educación bilingüe en una escuela en Texas y está preparando una breve introducción para el estudio de un capítulo sobre la independencia de Estados Unidos. Durante su introducción deberá incluir elementos para captar la atención de sus estudiantes, tales como personajes famosos de la revolución.

Directions for the Situation to Express an Opinion or Propose a Solution Assignment

For this assignment, you will be presented with a situation and asked to give your opinion or propose a solution. First, you will have 60 seconds to review the situation presented on-screen. You will then be prompted to begin preparing your response and will have 2 minutes to prepare your response.

When the preparation time is complete, you will be prompted to begin speaking. You will have 2 minutes to complete your response. You should respond as fully and as appropriately as possible. The response you provide during the specified response time will be automatically recorded.

When the response time has ended, you will automatically be taken to the next screen. You will not be able to return to previous questions.

This is the end of the oral expression section of the exam. You may now remove your headset.

Task 4 (Question 8)

Un grupo de maestros se reúnen para la planeación de un taller familiar de matemáticas. El propósito del taller es el de darles a los padres sugerencias para ayudar con la tarea. Dos colegas proponen ideas sobre el formato a seguir en cuanto a la presentación de la información. Una, la señorita Luna, sugiere que los padres tengan la oportunidad de formar grupos más pequeños y que cada grupo se siente en una mesa con un maestro o maestra. Por otra parte, el señor Montenegro opina que simplemente se les presente la información a todos los padres en un solo grupo. Obviamente existen formas distintas en las que se podría desarrollar el taller. Si la señorita Luna le preguntara a usted su opinión acerca de este asunto, ¿qué le aconsejaría? Proporcione por lo menos dos razones válidas y convincentes que justifiquen su preferencia.

Sample Responses with Rationales

Score point 3.

Transcription:

1. Hola, Sra. Moreno. Muchímo gusto en conocerla. Este … es un placer para mí poder … es … tomar esta entrevista con usted y que me dedique el tiempo. Me di cuenta porque escuché que iba a haber una feria de trabajo por medio de un comercial que se da en la televisión, y, y me parece una oportunidad excelente y decidí venir.

2. Tengo tres años enseñando el primer grado de primaria bilingüe. Me siento totalmente capacitada. Lo que es en el área lectura, escritura, matemáticas, ciencias sociales y ciencias sociales y ciencias naturales. Por lo tanto, siento que podré ofrecer mucho a los alumnos tanto a su escuela como a los padres.

3. En los últimos años he tenido extensa capacitación en el área de lectura y tecnología y siento que … que con mi experiencia podré ayudar a su distri, a su escuela a mejorar en los estándares tecnológicos y técnicos y poder aplicar más tecnología dentro de los aulas junto con los alumnos y hacerlos más … .

4. Eh, bueno. Mi dirección está en Brownsville en 1900 Coffee Pot, departamento L8. Y quisiera también poder agradecerle el tiempo que me dedicó para hacer esta entrevista y que realmente me considere para este puesto. Siento que sería yo un buen integrante para su equipo de maestros aquí en esta escuela. Le agradezco. Gracias y mucho gusto.

Rationale for the Score of 3

Fully addresses and completes the task. Responses to all parts of the conversation include lots of details: "Me di cuenta porque escuché que iba a haber una feria de trabajo por medio de un comercial que se da en la televisión, y, y me parece una oportunidad excelente y decidí venir."
Responds fully to all or almost all of the parts/prompts of the conversation. See above.
Responses relate directly to the topic and include a well-developed treatment of all or almost all the elements in the thread of the conversation: "Tengo tres años enseñando el primer grado de primaria bilingüe. Me siento totalmente capacitada. Lo que es en el área lectura, escritura, matemáticas, ciencias sociales y ciencias sociales y ciencias naturales."
Demonstrates mid-high or high degree of control of a variety of structures; a few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns: "ayudar a mejorar, he tenido, quisiera también poder agradecerle, siento que podré ofrecer"
Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision: "extensa capacitación, los estándares tecnológico y técnicos, me considere para este puesto"
High level of fluency
Very good pronunciation
Well-organized, generally coherent responses: "Tengo tres años enseñando el primer grado de primaria bilingüe. Me siento totalmente capacitada. Lo que es en el área lectura, escritura, matemáticas, ciencias sociales y ciencias sociales y ciencias naturales. Por lo tanto, siento que podré ofrecer mucho a los alumnos tanto a su escuela como a los padres."
Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included) The interviewer is addressed in a formal manner throughout the response: "Hola, Sra. Moreno. Muchímo gusto en conocerla. Este … es un placer para mí poder … es … tomar esta entrevista con usted y que me dedique el tiempo", "Y quisiera también poder agradecerle el tiempo que me dedicó para hacer esta entrevista y que realmente me considere para este puesto"

Score Point 2

1. Pues, una amiga mía me dijo sobre su escuela y que es una escuela muy buena, que tiene muchas o … oportunidades a avanzar en la, mi carrera de educación. Estudié en la Universidad de Texas y me graduó en 2000.

2. Pues, me gustaría enseñar el nivel de quinto grado, porque ahora estoy enseñando matemáticas en el nivel de quinto grado y me encanta los niños que tiene este año de diez años. Y tengo mucho talento con estudiantes de ese año.

3. Sí, me gustaría ofrecer mi, … am, … estudié este, … el español y matemáticas, entonces puedo ayudar con los maestros bilingües y también tengo muchas estrategias, eh, … este, … a enseñar estudiantes bilingües.

4. Pues, mi dirección es, am, …este. … en …en mi currículum viate, entonces usted puede enviar toda la información a este dirección. Y es mucho gusto, am, … este, … mucho gusto a conocer a usted... Gracias.

Rationale for the Score of 2

Addresses and completes the task.
Responds to all or almost all of the parts/prompts of the conversation: "una amiga me dijo sobre su escuela", "puedo ayudar con los maestros bilingües", "me gustaría enseñar el nivel de quinto grado, porque ahora estoy enseñando matemáticas en el nivel de quinto grado y me encanta los niños que tiene este año"
Responses relate to the topic and include most elements in the thread of the conversation: "Pues, mi dirección es, am, …este. … en …en mi currículum viate, entonces usted puede enviar toda la información a este dirección", "una amiga mía me dijo sobre su escuela y que es una escuela muy buena, que tiene muchas o … oportunidades a avanzar en la, mi carrera de educación"
Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures; some grammatical errors occur: "me gustaría enseñar, estoy enseñando, usted puede enviar, estudié en la Universidad de Texas"; "me graduó en 2000, me encanta los niños"
Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching: "curriculum viate"
Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful selfcorrection: "me gustaría ofrecer mi ,… am, … estudié este …", "es mucho, am, … este, … mucho gusto"
Good pronunciation
Organized responses with some coherence: "pues una amiga mía me dijo sobre su escuela y que es una escuela muy buena"
Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included) The formal " usted " form is used at the end of the conversation to address señora Moreno: "es mucho gusto a conocer a usted"

Score Point 1

1. Sube de su escuela por medios de … unos …, am …

2. Me gustaría enseñar, am, … los niños … en elementaria, la escuela elementaria. Mm, … mejor los en kindergarten or en primer grado. Am, … los más jóvenes son los que me gustan a mí. Mm, es la grado con que tengo más familiedad.

3. Tengo mucha experiencia con los niños bilingües. Llevo mucho tiempo que hablando con los niños mm, … en los dos en los dos idiomas inglés y español, y tengo mucha experiencia con los niños pequeños que están aprendiendo, aa, … el inglés y el español.

4. Si me lo … mande por correo … a mi casa eso sería … lo mejor … que puede usted … enviar las cosas. A … mi dirección en casa es ……

Rationale for the Score of 1

Addresses and completes some parts of the task: "Me gustaría enseñar, am, … los niños … en elementaría, la escuela elementaría. Mm, … mejor los en kindergarten or en primer grado. Am, … los más jóvenes son los que me gustan a mí. Mm, es la grado con que tengo más familiedad."
Responds to most parts/prompts of the conversation.
Responses relate moderately to the topic and include some elements in the thread of the conversation: "Si me lo … mande por correo … a mi casa eso sería … lo mejor … que puede usted … enviar las cosas. A … mi dirección en casa es ……"
Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur: "Llevo mucho tiempo que hablando, Si me lo … mande por correo"; "es la grado, Si me lo mande, Llevo mucho tiempo que hablando (instead of "llevo mucho tiempo hablando")
Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and codeswitching: "familiedad, sube de la escuela, or"
Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance: "Me gustaría enseñar, am, … los niños … en elementaría, la escuela elementaría. Mm, … mejor los en kindergarten or en primer grado. Am, …"
Fair pronunciation with interference from another language
Disorganized responses with little coherence: "Si me lo … mande por correo … a mi casa eso sería … lo mejor … que puede usted … enviar las cosas. A … mi dirección en casa es … …"
Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included): The interviewer is addressed using the formal "usted": "Si me lo … mande por correo … a mi casa eso sería … lo mejor … que puede usted … enviar las cosas."

Score Point 0

1. Hola, me llamo Sarah Patrick. Soy la maestra de cinco grado de bilingüe. Ah, … enseño ciencias, lectura y matemáticas. Puedo, … tengo que aprender más de enseñar ciencias especialmente de s …

2. Puedo enseñarle más matemáticas porque creo que yo tengo más información de esto, de la lectura. También, creo que los estudiantes necesitan aprender matemáticas más de ciencias.

3. Sí, am, … necesita, am, … aprender todos los maestros de la escuela y también necesita a… formar una … un relación de importancia de los otros profesoras.

4. Prefiero recibir por la correo electrónico porque tengo una computadora y estoy trabajando por la computadora todo, todos los días. Muchas gracias para …

Rationale for the Score of 0

Partially addresses and/or partially completes the task: "Hola, me llamo Sarah Patrick. Soy la maestra de cinco grado de bilingüe. Ah, … Enseño ciencias, lectura y matemáticas. Puedo, … Tengo que aprender más de enseñar ciencias especialmente de s …"
Responds inappropriately to some parts/prompts of the conversation: "Sí, am, … necesita, am, … aprender todos los maestros de la escuela y también necesita a… formar una … un relación de importancia de los otros profesoras."
Responses relate minimally to the topic and include few elements in the thread of the conversation: "Hola, me llamo Sarah Patrick. Soy la maestra de cinco grado de bilingüe. Ah, … Enseño ciencias, lectura y matemáticas. Puedo, … Tengo que aprender más de enseñar ciencias especialmente de s…"
Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication: "necesita, am, … aprender todos los maestros, también necesita a… formar una … un relación de importancia de los otros profesoras"; "cinco grado de bilingüe, la correo electrónico, creo que los estudiantes necesitan aprender matemáticas más de ciencias"
Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language: " necesita, am, … aprender todos los maestros de la escuela , Puedo, … Tengo que aprender, Muchas gracias para …"
Poor fluency with labored expression: See above.
Poor pronunciation, which affects comprehension: "especialmente"
Disorganized responses with no coherence: "Sí, am, … necesita, am, … aprender todos los maestros de la escuela y también necesita a… formar una … un relación de importancia de los otros profesoras."
Minimal to no attention to register (inaccurate social and/or cultural references are included)

Task 2 Question 5

Bueno, gracias por su oferta, la vamos a necesitar mucho, bastante. Voy a hacer baile, teatro, lectura, escritura, poesía. En cada una de ellas voy a necesitar un maestro que siga mis instrucciones para que dirija el grupo de personas que van a trabajar. Dado que usted se está ofreciendo, solamente tiene que decirme en cuál de ellas se sentiría más cómodo. ¿Prefiere el baile, el teatro? ¿qué prefiere? ¿la lectura, la pintura, la escritura, la poesía? Yo le voy a dar todas las instrucciones. Realmente usted todo lo que va a hacer es seguir las instrucciones para desarrollar el taller y las actividades completamente. Todo está bien esquematizado, el punto es, ¿cuál de ellas se siente usted bien? Dado que usted es maestro de español, yo creo que en la parte de lectura usted se sentiría muy bien y me ayudaría bastante. Gracias por la oferta.

Fully addresses and completes the task: “Bueno, gracias por su oferta, la vamos a necesitar mucho, bastante. Voy ahacer baile, teatro, lectura, escritura, poesía. En cada una de ellas voy anecesitar un maestro que siga mis instrucciones para que dirija el grupo depersonas que van a trabajar. Dado que usted se está ofreciendo, solamentetiene que decirme en cuál de ellas se sentiría más cómodo”
Directly relates to the topic, well-developed treatment of the topic: “Yo le voy a dar todas las instrucciones. Realmente usted todo lo que va a haceres seguir las instrucciones para desarrollar el taller y las actividadescompletamente”
All or almost all supporting details or examples are appropriate and effective: “¿Prefiere el baile, el teatro? ¿qué prefiere? ¿la lectura, la pintura, la escritura,la poesía? Yo le voy a dar todas las instrucciones”, “..dado que usted es elmaestro de español, yo creo que la parte de lectura usted se sentiría muy bien yme ayudaría bastante”
Demonstrates mid-high or high degree of control of a variety of structures; a very few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns: "lo que queremos hacer es que ellos aprencien la historia, que ellos se sientan orgullosos, van a saber más, cuando ellos ya conozcan"
Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision: "aprovechen, satisfechos, orgullosos, raíces, apreciar"
Well-organized, generally coherent response: "este es un festival cultural y lo queremos es, um, armar un intercambio de culturas porque aquí en los Estados Unidos hay alumnos de diferentes países. Entonces, lo que queremos hacer es que ellos aprecien la historia y las raíces de cada uno de sus países. Entonces, eh, queremos que ellos se sientan orgullosos de su historia, de su herencia"
Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included) Use of the formal “ usted ” form to address the other teacher: “ Gracias por su oferta, Dado que usted se está ofreciendo, Yo le voy a dar todas las instrucciones ”

¡Qué bien! Me parece fantástico. La verdad si vamos a ocupar mucha ayuda, entonces si acaso usted podría tal vez ayudarme con la comunicación de los, con los padres y la comunidad sería fantástico. Si usted puede preparar unos emails, unas cartas, y tal vez, um, hasta hacer unas llamadas para poder avisarles a los papás y a la comunidad del festival, sería algo que realmente me ayudaría bastante. Igual vamos a tener otras cosas que voy a necesitar en cuestión de preparativos. No sé si acaso usted podría estar en comunicación con la comunidad, ah, podemos entre todos los maestros, igual usted y yo a poder...darles la información necesaria para los, los de la comunidad.

Addresses and completes the task: “¡Qué bien! Me parece fantástico. La verdad si vamos a ocupar mucha ayuda, entonces si acaso usted podría tal vez ayudarme con la comunicación de los, con los padres y la comunidad sería fantástico”
Relates to the topic: “hacer unas llamadas para poder avisarles a los papás y a la comunidad del festival”
Most supporting details or examples are well- defined: “Si usted puede preparar unos emails, unas cartas, y tal vez, um, hasta hacer unas llamadas para poder avisarles a los papás y a la comunidad del festival, sería algo que realmente me ayudaría bastante”
Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures; some grammatical errors occur: “Me parece fantástico, vamos a ocupar, usted podría tal vez ayudarme, poder darles la información”
Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching: “comunicación, cartas, preparativos, comunidad”; “emails”
Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful self-correction “No sé si acaso usted podría estar en comunicación con la comunidad, ah, podemos entre todos los maestros, igual usted y yo a poder...darles”
Organized response with some coherence: “Si usted puede preparar unos emails, unas cartas, y tal vez, hasta hacer unasllamadas para avisarles a los papás y a la comunidad del festival.. …igual vamos a tener otras cosas que voy a necesitar en cuestión de preparativos”
Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included) Use of formal “ usted ” throughout the response: “ si acaso usted podría ”, “ Siusted puede preparar ”

Gracias, bueno hay dos ideas que tengo. Primer podemos hacer un, un show de modelos de cualquier parte del mundo y si puedes hacer un, un narración para los modelos para, nari, para decir qué son los partes de la ropa y todo y como se, se, qué tiene que ver con, con el parte del país que viene. Además, es posible que tenemos hacer un, una entrevista con alguien de un parte del mundo que también va a la escuela o quizás los padres si puedes conectar con ellos y también pedir las cosas de, de la cultura que quizás no sabemos. Me gustaría esto. Si, si puedes escoger uno de esos me, me ayudaría mucho. Gracias. ¿Qué piensas?

Addresses and completes the task: “Gracias, bueno hay dos ideas que tengo. Primer podemos hacer un, un show de modelos de cualquier parte del mundo”, “Además, es posible que tenemos hacer un, una entrevista con alguien de un parte del mundo que también va a la escuela”
Moderately relates to the topic: “Primer podemos hacer un, un show de modelos de cualquier parte del mundo”
Some supporting details or examples are vague or not well-defined: “es posible que tenemos hacer un, una entrevista con alguien de un parte del mundo que también va a la escuela o quizás los padres si puedes conectar con ellos y también pedir las cosas de, de la cultura que quizás no sabemos”
Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur: “es posible que tenemos”; “Primer podemos hacer un, el parte del país, un narración”
Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching: “ pedir las cosas ” Same basic vocabulary is repeated over and over again.
Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance: “si puedes hacer un, un narración para los modelos para, nari, para decir qué son los partes de la ropa y todo y como se, se, qué tiene que ver con, con el parte del país”
Disorganized response with little coherence: “Además, es posible que tenemos hacer un, una entrevista con alguien de un parte del mundo que también va a la escuela o quizás los padres si puedes conectar con ellos”
Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included) Use of the informal “ tú ” throughout the response, not very appropriate in a teachers’ meeting. The presentation ends in a very colloquial way by saying: “ ¿Qué piensas? ”

Quería ah, aprender con la organización y necesitamos la música, las de butures y necesitamos, ah, con la cambia de estructos diferentes. Todos les gustan la comida culturales diferentes y la arte. Ah, además, ah, podemos, ah, darle noticias sobre la festival, y .... ah, encuentran ... personas para ayudar en la festival... Tenemos culturales son importantes y diversidad y .... quería aprender que …

Partially addresses and/or completes the task: “Quería ah, aprender con la organización y necesitamos la música, las de butures y necesitamos, ah, con la cambia de estructos diferentes”
Minimally relates to the topic: “Ah, además, ah, podemos, ah, darle noticias sobre la festival y .... ah, encuentran ... personas para ayudar en la festival”
Most supporting details or examples are irrelevant or not effective: “necesitamos la música, las de butures y necesitamos, ah, con la cambia de estructos diferentes. Todos les gustan la comida culturales diferentes y la arte”
Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication: “Todos les gustan la comida culturales diferentes, Tenemos culturales son importantes y diversidad y .... quería aprender que”
Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language: “ butures (not sure what this is referring to), estructos (not sure what this is referring to)
Poor fluency with labored expression: “Ah, además, ah, podemos, ah, darle noticias sobre la festival y .... ah, encuentran ... personas para ayudar en la festival... Tenemos culturales son importantes y diversidad y .... quería aprender que...”
Poor pronunciation, which affects comprehension
Disorganized response with no coherence: “Quería ah, aprender con la organización y necesitamos la música, las de butures y necesitamos, ah, con la cambia de estructos diferentes”

Task 2 Question 6

Sí, por supuesto. Uh, este es un festival cultural y lo que queremos es, um, armar un intercambio de culturas porque aquí en los Estados Unidos hay alumnos de diferentes países. Entonces, lo que queremos hacer es que ellos aprecien la historia y las raíces de cada uno de sus países. Entonces,eh, queremos que ellos se sientan orgullosos de su historia, de su herencia, de todo lo que viene detrás de ellos, de todo lo que viene de sus raíces, de los padres, de los abuelos. Cuando ellos ya conozcan de este festival, van a saber más de las cosas, van a apreciar mejor a sus compañeros y van a quedar muy satisfechos con las cosas que van a ver en este festival cultural. Va a ser muy bonito y espero que los estudiantes y los profesores todos lo aprovechen.

Fully addresses and completes the task: "queremos es, um, armar un intercambio de culturas porque aquí en los Estados Unidos hay alumnos de diferentes países", "lo que queremos hacer es que ellos aprecien la historia y las raíces de cada uno de sus países"
Directly relates to the topic, well-developed treatment of the topic: "queremos que ellos se sientan orgullosos de su historia, de su herencia, de todo lo que viene detrás de ellos, de todo lo que viene de sus raíces, de los padres, de los abuelos"
All or almost all supporting details or examples are appropriate and effective: "Cuando ellos ya conozcan de este festival, van a saber más de las cosas, van a apreciar mejor a sus compañeros y van a quedar muy satisfechos con las cosas que van a ver en este festival cultural", "queremos que ellos se sientan orgullosos de su historia, de su herencia"
Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included)

Ay, claro, por supuesto. Bueno, tus estudiantes pueden aprender características de otras culturas en esta festival. Ellos pueden visitar cada paso en el festival que representa una cultura diferente de su propia cultura. Y, entonces, ellos pueden saber que hay gente diferente en el mundo. Y también como maestra usted puede integrar lo que aprenden en una lección, y continuando con eso, los estudiantes pueden hacer un proyecto sobre la cultura que ellos encuentren más interesante del festival. Y, entonces, en el festival puede aprender hechos y características de los otros culturas, pueden escribir una lista y entonces cuando regresen a la clase, ellos pueden presentar los, lo que encuentren más interesante para, para apoyarlo.

Addresses and completes the task: "tus estudiantes pueden aprender características de otras culturas en esta festival", "Ellos pueden visitar cada paso en el festival que presenta una cultura diferente de su propia cultura. Y, entonces, ellos pueden saber que hay gente diferente en el mundo"
Relates to the topic: See above.
Most supporting details or examples are well- defined: "también como maestra usted puede integrar lo que aprenden una lección", "los estudiantes pueden hacer un proyecto sobre la cultura que ellos encuentren más interesante"
Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures; some grammatical errors occur: "cuando regresen a la clase, ellos pueden presentar, lo que encuentren más interesante para, para apoyarlo", "lo que encuentren más interesante del festival"; "otros culturas", "esta festival"
Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching: "caracterísitcas, integrar, aprenden, proyecto"
Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful self-correction
Organized response with some coherence: "Ellos pueden visitar cada paso en el festival que representa una cultura diferente de su propia cultura. Y, entonces, ellos pueden saber que hay gente diferente en el mundo. Y también como maestra usted puede integrar lo que aprenden en una lección, y continuando con eso, los estudiantes pueden hacer un proyecto sobre la cultura que ellos encuentren más interesante del festival"
Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included)

Sí, este festibilidad es, puede abrer los ojos de los estudiantes porque en nuestra ciudad hay diferente culturas y es importante que los estudiantes son bicultural. En el festival vamos a tener diferente comidas. Los estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de tratarse diferente comidas de otro culturas y también vamos a tener a diferente grupos de música de otro regiones que los estudiantes no saben mucho sobre. No es la música del radio y también vamos a tener diferente ejecuciones de arte de diferente regiones. Y por esto, este festival van a, otra vez, aprender sus hojas de otro lugares.

Addresses and completes the task: "este festibilidad es, puede abrer los ojos de los estudiantes porque en nuestra ciudad hay diferente culturas y es importante que los estudiantes son bicultural"
Moderately relates to the topic: "Los estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de tratarse diferente comidas de otro culturas y también vamos a tener a diferente grupos de música de otro regiones que los estudiantes no saben mucho sobre"
Some supporting details or examples are vague or not well-defined: "No es la música del radio", "también vamos a tener diferente ejecuciones de arte de diferente regiones"
Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur: "es importante que los estudiantes son, este festival van a, otra vez, aprender sus hojas"; "los estudiantes son bicultural, de diferente regiones, de otro culturas"
Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching: "festibilidad", "abrer los ojos", "los estudiantes no saben mucho sobre"
Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance
Disorganized response with little coherence: "En el festival vamos a tener diferente comidas. Los estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de tratarse diferente comidas de otro culturas y también vamos atener a diferente grupos de música de otro regiones que los estudiantes no saben mucho sobre. No es la música del radio y también vamos a tener diferente ejecuciones de arte de diferente regions"
Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included)

Sí, nos puede ayudar porque los incentives para la festival es agarrar tiquetes cuando están en el, en el clase. Pueden agarrar tiquetes y a usarlos en diferentes, como a comprar comida, y pueden a jugar juegos y pueden hacer … pueden hacer muchos, mucho con los tiquetes que tienen. Yo creo que esto va a ayudar a los niños y las niñas a hacer más trabajo en el clase y …

Partially addresses and/or completes the task: "nos puede ayudar porque los incentives para la festival es agarrar tiquetes cuando están en el, en el clase"
Minimally relates to the topic: "Pueden agarrar tiquetes y a usarlos en diferentes, como a comprar comida, y pueden a jugar juegos y pueden hacer … pueden hacer muchos, mucho con los tiquetes que tienen"
Most supporting details or examples are irrelevant or not effective: "Pueden agarrar tiquetes y a usarlos en diferentes como a comprar comida", "Yo creo que esto va a ayudar a los niños y las niñas a hacer más trabajo en el clase"
Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication: "están en el clase; pueden agarrar tiquetes y a usarlos; y pueden a jugar juegos"
Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language: "incentives, agarrar tiquetes"
The same basic vocabulary is used over and over: "pueden hacer, va a ayudar"
Poor fluency with labored expression
Disorganized response with no coherence: "Pueden agarrar tiquetes y a usarlos en diferentes como a comprar comida y pueden a jugar juegos y pueden hacer ..., pueden hacer muchos, mucho con los tiquetes que tienen"

Queridos alumnos, hoy estudiaremos la independencia de los Estados Unidos. ¿Por qué los Estados Unidos entró en una guerra? ¿Por qué quisieron independizarse? Resulta ser que cuando Europa entró en … la famosa … Era de la Ilustración mucha de las ideas de la revolución, eh, ideas revolucionarias en Francia, esto lo que se conoció como la Ilustración, estas ideas se trans, se, llegaron a Estados Unidos con el, con el, la, con la idea de independizarse. Muchos libros llegaron de Francia e Inglaterra a Estados Unidos y sirvieron como base de educación en muchas de la ciudades de la costa oeste, de la costa este de Estados Unidos. Personajes importantes como George Washin Washington y otros literarios más utilizaron esta información para promover la independencia de las colonias americanas. Estas colonias estaban dominadas y mucha de sus, de su gente estaba esclavizada. Estas ideas de revolución traídas desde Europa fueron la base primordial para que las colonias americanas iniciaran su revolución. La revolución no fue un proceso fácil, y condujo a la muerte de muchos, de muchas personas. Pero que al final fue la base importante para que las, la Independencia de Estados Unidos se llevara a cabo.

Fully addresses and completes the task: "hoy estudiaremos la independencia de los Estados Unidos. ¿Por qué los Estados Unidos entró en una guerra? ¿Por qué quisieron independizarse? Resulta ser que cuando Europa entró en … la famosa … Era de la Ilustración mucha de las ideas de la revolución, eh, ideas revolucionarias en Francia, esto lo que se conoció como la Ilustración, estas ideas se trans, se, llegaron a Estados Unidos con el, con el, la, con la idea de independizarse."
Directly relates to the topic, well-developed treatment of the topic: "Queridos alumnos, hoy estudiaremos la independencia de los Estados Unidos", "Personajes importantes como George Washin Washington y otros literarios más utilizaron esta información para promover la independencia de las colonias americanas"
All or almost all supporting details or examples are appropriate and effective: "Resulta ser que cuando Europa entró en la famosa … Era de la Ilustración mucha de las ideas de la revolución, eh, ideas revolucionarias en Francia, esto lo que se conoció como la Ilustración, estas ideas se trans, se, llegaron a Estados Unidos con el, con el, la, con la idea de independizarse", "Personajes importantes como George Washin, Washington y otros literarios más utilizaron esta información para promover la independencia de las colonias americanas"
Demonstrates mid-high or high degree of control of a variety of structures; a very few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns: "hoy estudiaremos, quisieron independizarse, su gente estaba esclavizada, para que las colonias americanas iniciaran su revolución"
Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision: "era de la Ilustración, independizarse, promover, colonias, esclavizada, primordial"
Well-organized, generally coherent response: The response is presented as a class lecture and the candidate addresses his students: "Queridos alumnos, hoy estudiaremos la independencia de los Estadoh Unidos. ¿Por qué los Estados Unidos entró en una guerra? ¿Por qué quisieron independizarse?", "Estas ideas de revolución traídas desde Europa fueron labase primordial para que las colonias americanas iniciaran su revolución. La revolución no fue un proceso fácil, y condujo a la muerte de muchos, de muchas personas. Pero que al final fue la base importante para que las, la independencia de Estados Unidos se llevara a cabo."

Estudiantes, tenemos un tema muy importante para aprender hoy en la clase de historia. Vamos a aprender cómo fue la Revolución de los Estados Unidos y vamos a aprender sobre las personas importantes de la revolución. Estudiantes, imaginen que habían otro, otros maestros encargados de esta salón. O, imaginen que otros adultos hay, es, están encarga, encargada de su casa. ¿Cómo se sentían tus padres? Este es cómo se sentían los americanos con los de Inglaterra. Por eso, había una revolución grande entra los Estados Unidos y el rey de Inglaterra. George Washington era un gi, gineral para los Estados Unidos y él empezó a organizar la Revolución de los Estados Unidos. Miren, estudiantes. Miren, estos, estas fotos de la, la revolución. Aquí pueden ver George Washington y su caballo y también sus amigos de la revolución. Pueden ver armas grandes, caballos, y también pueden ver los soldados de Inglaterra aquí por el otro lado. Aquí empezó la Revolución de los Estados Unidos. Miren, es, estas fotos aquí también. Aquí, pueden ver los soldados de Inglaterra con el rey de Inglaterra. Él vino a los Estados Unidos muy enojado a lo que estaba pasando. Y aquí finalmente tenemos una foto de … Paul Revere .

Addresses and completes the task: "Estudiantes, tenemos un tema muy importante para aprender hoy en la clase de historia. Vamos a aprender cómo fue la Revolución de los Estados Unidos y vamos a aprender sobre las personas importantes de la revolución."
Relates to the topic: "había una revolución grande entra los Estados Unidos y el rey de Inglaterra. George Washington era un gi, gineral para los Estados Unidos y él empezó a organizar la Revolución de los Estados Unidos"
Most supporting details or examples are well- defined: " George Washington era un gi, gineral para los Estados Unidos y él empezó a organizar la Revolución de los Estados Unidos", "Aquí pueden ver George Washington y su caballo y también sus amigos de la revolución. Pueden ver armas grandes, caballos, y también pueden ver los soldados de Inglaterra aquí por el otro lado. Aquí empezó la Revolución de los Estaos Unidos", "Aquí, pueden ver los soldados de Inglaterra con el rey de Inglaterra". Candidate also gives names of historical figures of US independence: George Washington and Paul Revere.
Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures; some grammatical errors occur: "Habían otro, otros maestros, aquí empezó, miren, pueden ver, lo que estaba pasando"; "esta salon"
Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching: "revolución, organizar, armas grandes, caballos, soldados"
Organized response with some coherence: Response is delivered as a class lecture addressing the students directly:"Estudiantes, tenemos un tema muy importante para aprender hoy en la clase de historia", "Miren, estudiantes. Miren, estos, estas fotos de la, la revolución"

Buenos días, estudiantes. Vamos a empezar un capítulo nueve, nuevo sobre la indepen, inden, independencia de Estados Unidos. Vamos a hablar sobre los b, las batalles grandes y más y mu, más famoso de la indepencia de Estados U, de Estados Unidos, y vamos a discutir los personajes como los generales y las mujeres de este época durante la independencia del Estado de Texas. Y antes de empezar, primero, vam, voy a…., voy a rev, revisar los otros batalles que estudiaron en la clase. Por ejemplo, los, am, los revoluciones de Texas, los revoluciones de Francia, de las otros países para …. obtener los información que … tiene sobre los, los, am, batalles de independencia de otros país. So, entonces, al final del parte de los, la lección vamos a hablar sobre todos las cosas importante de la indepencia de Estados de Unidos. Si tienes preguntas antes de empezar, leva de mano, si no tiene preguntas, vamos a empezar.

Addresses and completes the task: "Buenos días, estudiantes. Vamos a empezar un capítulo nueve, nuevo sobre la indepen, inden, independencia de Estados Unidos. Vamos a hablar sobre los b, las batalles grandes y más y mu, más famoso de la indepencia de Estados U, de Estados Unidos, y vamos a discutir los personajes como los generales y las mujeres de este época durante la independencia del Estado de Texas."
Moderately relates to the topic: "vamos a discutir los personajes como los generales y las mujeres de este época durante la independencia del Estado de Texas"
Some supporting details or examples are vague or not well-defined: "voy a rev, revisar los otros batalles que estudiaron en la clase. Por ejemplo, los, am, los revoluciones de Texas, los revoluciones de Francia, de las otros países para …. obtener los información que … tiene sobre los, los, am, batalles de independencia de otros país"
Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur: "Vamos a hablar sobre los b, las batalles grandes y más y mu, más famoso de la indepencia de Estados U, de Estados Unidos", "vamos a discutir los personajes", "este época", "la independencia del Estado de Texas", "los revoluciones de Texas, los revoluciones de Francia", "de otros país", "para obtener los información", "al final del parte de los, la lección", "sobre todos las cosas importante"
Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching" "batalles, so"
Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance: "primero, vam, voy a…., voy a rev, revisar los otros batalles que estudiaron en la clase. Por ejemplo, los, am, los revoluciones de Texas, los revoluciones de Francia, de las otros países para …. obtener los información que … tiene sobre los, los, am, batalles"
Disorganized response with little coherence: "Y antes de empezar, primero, vam, voy a…., voy a rev, revisar los otros batalles que estudiaron en la clase. Por ejemplo, los, am, los revoluciones de Texas, los revoluciones de Francia, de las otros países para …. obtener los información que … tiene sobre los, los, am, batalles de independencia de otros país."
Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included): "Buenos días, estudiantes". However, at the end, she is unable to decide whether to use "tú" or "usted": "Si tienes preguntas antes de empezar, leva de mano, si no tiene preguntas, vamos a empezar."

George Washington, George Washington, una persona más famosa en Estados Unidos. Los Estados Unidos en muchos años pasado quieren ser libre de Inglaterra. ¿Cómo lo par? Es una pregunta magnificado. Apretar. Pues, que pasan así, que tomo mucho sangre y en dos lados este güerra estar, estuvo muy grande. Finalmente, después muchos armas en este güerra, el Estados Unidos ganar, ganó y ahora, Estados Unidos está libre con muchas diversidades de gentes vedi, veviendo todos y en todos estados, cincuenta en todo, pero este era no muy fácil. Toman muchos, muchos peleando, entre soldados en Estados Unidos y Inglaterra. Está llamar revolución. También … estaba otras personas famosas en lugar de George Washington. Recuerd …

Partially addresses and/or completes the task: "Los Estados Unidos en muchos años pasado quieren ser libre de Inglaterra. ¿Cómo lo par? Es una pregunta magnificado."
Minimally relates to the topic: "el Estados Unidos ganar, ganó y ahora, Estados Unidos está libre con muchas daiversidades de gentes vedi, veviendo todos y en todos estados, cincuenta en todo, pero este era no muy fácil"
Most supporting details or examples are irrelevant or not effective: "tomo mucho sangre y en dos lados este güerra está, estuvo muy grande","Finalmente, después muchos armas en este güerra"
Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication: "el Estados Unidos ganar, ganó y ahora Estados Unidos está libre con muchas daiversidades de gentes vedi, veviendo todos y en todos estados, cincuenta en todo, pero este era no muy fácil. Toman muchos, muchos peleando, entre soldados en Estados Unidos y Inglaterra. Está llamar revolución"
Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language: "con muchas daiversidades, ¿Cómo lo par?, una pregunta magnificado, apretar"
Poor fluency with labored expression: "Está llamar revolución. También ……estaba otras personas famosas en lugar de George Washington. Recuerd..."
Disorganized response with no coherence: The response is a series of incomplete phrases put together with no connection:"Es una pregunta magnificado. Apretar. Pues, que pasan así, que tomo mucho sangre y en dos lados este güerra estar, estuvo muy grande."
Minimal to no attention to register (inaccurate social and/or cultural references are included): Finally, the delivery of the response has minimal to no attention to register. The beginning sounds more like a monologue or somebody reciting a poem —"George Washington, George Washington..." — than a class lecture.

Señorita Luna, me parece que la idea de trabajar en grupos pequeños con padres de familia es la mejor opción. Primero, porque me parece que se le daría más atención a los padres de familia. Es decir, trabajar en grupos pequeños nos daría más tiempo para cubrir los problemas, porque se trabajaría con un grupo más pequeño. Déjeme elaborar en mis, en mis dos puntos. Me parece que cuando digo que se daría más atención a los padres, es porque vamos a tener un grupo pequeño de padres y un maestro en cada grupo. Esto nos ayudaría a ayudarles con cualquier tipo de preguntas o cuestiones que tengan acerca de cualquier tema. Lo que sí es importante es saber que tenemos los suficientes maestros para hacer estos grupos. Siempre y cuando se tenga la cantidad necesaria de maestros para trabajar en grupos pequeños con los estu, con los padres de familia, me parece que sería una gran opción. Mi segundo punto, a lo que, y a lo que me refiero cuando digo que es cada problema lo resolvería o pregunta, se resolvería en menos tiempo es porque tendríamos más tiempo de cubrir los problemas porque se trabajaría con un grupo más pequeño. Es decir, no tendríamos el …salón lleno de padres familia haciendo preguntas en general. Simple y sencillamente se tendría este grupo pequeño de personas en los cuales se podría cubrir sus preguntas con más, eh, más específicamente. Por eso, me parece que la idea de formar grupos pequeños para ayudar a los padres de familia con cualquier tipo de pregunta que tengan es la mejor opción.

Fully addresses and completes the task: "Me parece que la idea de trabajar en grupos pequeños con padres de familia es la mejor opción. Primero, porque me parece que se le daría más atención a Los padres de familia. Es decir, trabajar en grupos pequeños nos daría más tiempo para cubrir los problemas, porque se trabajaría con un grupo más pequeño."
Directly relates to the topic, well-developed treatment of the topic: See above.
All or almost all supporting details or examples are appropriate and effective: "...porque me parece que se le daría más atención a los padres de familia", "trabajar en grupos pequeños nos daría más tiempo para cubrir los problemas porque se trabajaría con un grupo más pequeño", "Esto nos ayudaría a ayudarles con cualquier tipo de preguntas."
Demonstrates mid-high or high degree of control of a variety of structures; a very few grammatical errors occur with no evident patterns: "me parece que se le daría, déjeme elaborar, Esto nos ayudaría a ayudarles con cualquier tipo de preguntas o cuestiones que tengan acerca de cualquier tema, alo que me refiero cuando digo"
Varied vocabulary appropriate for the content used with precision: "padres de familia, cantidad necesaria, resolvería, cuestiones"
Well-organized, generally coherent response: "Primero, porque... Déjeme elaborar en mis dos puntos... Mi segundo punto..."
Register is appropriate (accurate social and/or cultural references included): Candidate addresses Srta. Luna , and he uses the " usted " form when needed: " Déjeme elaborar.... "

Bueno, yo estoy de acuerdo con la señorita Luna, que sería mejor que, poner unos grupos chicos con, de los padres con un maestro o una maestra. Primeramente, porque si lo hiciéramos en un grupo grande mucho, mucha gente no le gusta hablar enfrente de un grupo grande. Entonces sí, no, no se no se sienten con la confianza de si tien, si los padres tienen preguntas, no se van, no van a tener la confianza de, de preguntarlo en un grupo grande, y si estuvieran en un grupo chico, entonces sí, este, harían más confianza con la maestra o el maestro. Este, no tendrían miedo en preguntar algo que a lo mejor ellos piensan que no sé una, que no se sientan nada más bien. … … También sería más, este, sería más fácil entregarles algún, este, algunos papeles a los, a los, este, a los papás, y explicarles bien de lo, detallar más bien lo que se le está presentando y poder, este, darles unas, este, explicarles más bien por si tienen algunas preguntas, y pues, no les dará pena preguntar también si alguna persona se puede tomar más tiempo la maestra con el papá, y para tomar más atención así.

Addresses and completes the task: "Bueno, yo estoy de acuerdo con la señorita Luna, que sería mejor que, poner unos grupos chicos con, de los padres con un maestro o una maestra."
Relates to the topic: "Primeramente, porque si lo hiciéramos en un grupo grande mucho, mucha gente no le gusta hablar enfrente de un grupo grande. Entonces sí, no, no se no se sienten con la confianza de si tien, si los padres tienen preguntas, no se van, no van a tener la confianza de, de preguntarlo en un grupo grande, y si estuvieran en un grupo chico, entonces sí, este, harían más confianza con la maestra o el maestro."
Most supporting details or examples are well-defined: "También sería más, este, sería más fácil entregarles algún, este, algunos papeles a los, a los, este, a los papás, y explicarles bien de lo, detallar más bien lo que se le está presentando"
Demonstrates a moderate degree of control of a variety of structures; some grammatical errors occur: "no se sienten, sería mejor que, si lo hiciéramos, no van a tener, lo que se le está presentando"; "mucha gente no le gustar hablar"
Appropriate vocabulary with occasional errors such as making up words or code-switching: "entregarles, tener la confianza, presentando"; "harían más confianza"
Moderate level of fluency with occasional hesitance; some successful self-correction: "También sería más, este, sería más fácil entregarles algún, este, algunos papeles a los, a los, este, a los papás, y explicarles bien de lo, detallar más bien lo que se le está presentando"
Organized response with some coherence: "Primeramente, también, entonces" These connectors bring coherence and organization to the response.
Register is usually appropriate (generally accurate social and/or cultural references included): The response addresses señorita Luna at the beginning and uses vocabulary that is usually appropriate.

Hola, las padres de matimáticas. Creo que es un buen idea para las padres necesitan formar grupos más pequeños y cada grupo se siente en una mesa con un maestra o maestro. Los padres necesitan aprender al estudiar con sus hijos. Si … es un grupo pequeño, las pa, los padres y los maestros prestan más atención para detalles de matemáticas y los personajes de las padres. … En un grupo largo, … no, en un grupo grande, los padres … pueden … aprender, pero creo que, … pienso que … los padres … … sin … tien … … más amable con reunar con los maestros grupos de dos o tres. … Si los padres tienen preguntas personales, los maestros o maestras, am, … si pueden, am, …contestar en un … situación más familiare. … … ….

Addresses and completes the task: "Creo que es un buen idea para las padres necesitan formar grupos más pequeños y cada grupo se siente en una mesa con un maestra o maestro…. Si …es un grupo pequeño, las pa, los padres y los maestros prestan más atención para detalles de matemáticas y los personajes de las padres. … En un grupo largo, … no, en un grupo grande, los padres … pueden … aprender, pero creo que … pienso que … los padres … … sin … tien … … más amable con reunar con los maestros grupos de dos o tres. …"
Moderately relates to the topic: "Creo que es un buen idea para las padres necesitan formar grupos más pequeños y cada grupo se siente en una mesa con un maestra o maestro. Los padres necesitan aprender al estudiar con sus hijos."
Some supporting details or examples are vague or not well-defined: "Si los padres tienen preguntas personales, los maestros o maestras, am, … si pueden, am, … contestar en un … situación más familiar", "creo que es un buen idea para las padres necesitan formar grupos más pequeños y cada grupo se siente en una mesa con un maestro o maestra", "los padres necesitan aprender al estudiar con sus hijos", "En un grupo grande los padres … pueden …aprender, pero creo que … pienso que … los padres … … sin … tien … … más amable con reunar con los maestros"
Demonstrates a lack of control of a variety of structures; frequent grammatical errors occur: "pienso que … los padres … … sin … tien … … más amable con reunar con los maestros"; "un buen idea, las padres, un maestra"
Limited vocabulary, frequent errors such as making up words and code-switching: "personajes de los padres, matimáticas, familiare"
Low level of fluency with frequent hesitance: "En un grupo largo, … no, en un grupo grande, los padres … pueden … aprender, pero creo que, … pienso que … los padres … … sin … tien … … más amable con reunar con los maestros grupos de dos o tres"
Disorganized response with little coherence: "En un grupo grande, los padres .... pueden .... aprender, pero creo que ... pienso que ... los padres... sin ... tien... .... más amable con reunar con los maestros..."
Register is inappropriate (inaccurate social and/or cultural references included) Response is addressing the parents, not señortita Luna: "Hola, las padres dematimáticas"

Ahh, … prefero una grupo grande por discutar con todos los personas. Es muy importante de escuchar los argumentos disparentes y saber los soluciones. … Más que una grupa es mal porque los instrucciones diferentes puedan esta dar … … … …

Partially addresses and/or completes the task: "Ahh … prefero una grupo grande por discutar con todos los personas. Es muy importante de escuchar los argumentos disparentes y saber los soluciones"
Minimally relates to the topic: See above.
Most supporting details or examples are irrelevant or not effective: "Más que una grupa es mal porque los instrucciones diferentes puedan esta dar", "Es muy importante de escuchar los argumentos disparentes y saber los soluciones"
Demonstrates a lack of control of numerous structures; numerous grammatical errors impede communication: "prefero, es muy importante de escuchar, más que una grupa es mal"; "una grupo grande, es mal, los instrucciones, todos los personas"
Insufficient vocabulary; constant interference from another language: "disparentes, grupa, discutar"
Disorganized response with no coherence: In a response that is much shorter than the time allotted, it is obvious by listening to the whole response that it is a disorganized response with no coherence.

Scoring Rubric for Oral Expression — Simulated Conversation

Note: Your written response should be your original work, written in your own words and not copied or paraphrased from some other work.

Scoring Rubric for Oral Expression — Question and Answer, Oral Presentation, and Situation/Opinion

Pedro completes his prelim!

Pedro Henrique Wink Reis, a second-year graduate student, completed his preliminary oral exam yesterday. His presentation was on “Ionotronic Tactile Sensors from Sustainable Homocomposite Hydrogels”. He is co-advised by Dr. Lilian Hsiao from the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. With the completion of his exam, he is now officially a PhD candidate! Congratulations Pedro! 🙂

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6 Tips For Making Oral Presentations
How to Prepare an Oral Presentation
Oral Presentation Planning 1 :: Teacher Resources and Classroom Games
How To Have A Good Oral Presentation
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Oral presentation guided by Chat GPT, English class
Oral presentation Practice 1 Victoria Sáez
Oral presentation AAT for PTSD
Oral Presentation: Nature's Impact on Mental Health
oral presentation DUE3022(GROUP 3)
Oral Presentation- Impact Organizational Culture on Employee Engagement

COMMENTS

PDF Oral Presentations
Oral presentations typically involve three important steps: 1) planning, 2) practicing, and 3) presenting. 1. Planning Oral presentations require a good deal of planning. Scholars estimate that approximately 50% of all mistakes in an oral presentation actually occur in the planning stage (or rather, lack of a planning stage). Make sure to ...
How to prepare and deliver an effective oral presentation
Delivery. It is important to dress appropriately, stand up straight, and project your voice towards the back of the room. Practise using a microphone, or any other presentation aids, in advance. If you don't have your own presenting style, think of the style of inspirational scientific speakers you have seen and imitate it.
How to Do an Oral Presentation
Humor, empathy and factual tones are some of many which allows a speaker to connect with the audience and the topic. 3. Briefly research arguments for and against your topic. This allows the audience to observe both sides of the topic and feel as if they have made a fair judgement when convinced.
How to give a good oral presentation: Video & Anatomy
First, make sure you know your topic inside and out. Not only will this help you feel more confident when speaking, but it will also make it easier to answer questions from audience members. Second, be aware of your body language and try to appear relaxed and confident. Make eye contact with your audience and use gestures to emphasize your points.
20 Tips For Preparing An Effective Oral Presentation
1. Know the content. Nothing breeds confidence like competence and nothing breeds competence like preparation. Being vast in and thoroughly familiar with whatever the subject of a presentation will, in no small way, reinforce your sense of having something genuinely interesting to offer.
Oral Presentation
Become an expert at oral presentations in less than six and a half minutes? OK, that's a little much to expect, but learn best practices and advice about how...
PDF Tips for Conducting an Oral Presentation
Keep it Simple: It is important that you organize your presentation clearly and simply. Prioritize topics and allocate time accordingly; Stick to a few main points; Have a distinct pattern (e.g., cause and effect, chronological, problem/solution); Use transitions to move smoothly from one point to the next; Use examples, anecdotes, graphics ...
How to deliver an oral presentation
An easy way to do this is by using the 5×5 rule. This means using no more than 5 bullet points per slide, with no more than 5 words per bullet point. It is also good to break up the text-heavy slides with ones including diagrams or graphs. This can also help to convey your results in a more visual and easy-to-understand way.
Seven Tips for Creating Powerful Oral Presentations
Tip #4: Use non-verbal clues strategically. "Make sure you use your body for inflections and gestures and think about how to move your body in space," Bailey says. "Think about standing tall, lengthening your spine and stretching your tailbone and you will be perceived by your audience as more energized.".
How to Make an Oral Presentation
The purpose of an oral presentation is to share your research with an audience, typically through PowerPoint or Prezi. It is typically a synopsis of your research. ... , future research directions, a concise summary of your main findings, concluding thoughts) References and Acknowledgements (such as grant support, a faculty advisor if he/she is ...
Chapter 3: Oral Presentations
Chapter 3: Oral Presentations. Patricia Williamson. Many academic courses require students to present information to their peers and teachers in a classroom setting. Such presentations are usually in the form of a short talk, often, but not always, accompanied by visual aids such as a PowerPoint. Yet, students often become nervous at the idea ...
Guide to Oral Research Presentations
In general, all research presentations need some sort of visual aid. This is most often done using PowerPoint. Graphs, tables, photographs etc. of data help the listener sort through the material. Complex methods can be presented clearly through visuals. A list of conclusion statements helps the listener focus on the final statement.
Posters & Oral Presentations
Posters & Oral Presentations. Good scientific research involves a sound methodology and a novel idea that can be tested simply and repeatedly to give valid, trustworthy results. However, even the most clinically significant research is useless if it is not communicated successfully. Scientific ideas are novel, sometimes simple in theory, but ...
Giving an Oral Presentation
In the social and behavioral sciences, an oral presentation assignment involves an individual student or group of students verbally addressing an audience on a specific research-based topic, often utilizing slides to help audience members understand and retain what they both see and hear. The purpose is to inform, report, and explain the significance of research findings, and your critical ...
How to do an oral presentation
Use this animation to help you prepare for an oral presentation.Back to page: https://www.learnquebec.ca/how-to-do-an-oral-presentation1Check out more of our...
Oral Presentation Tips: How to Deliver a Speech for School or Work
Jerz > Writing > [ Academic | Technical] This document briefly describes how to write and deliver a formal oral presentation on an academic or professional subject.It should be useful for anyone who wants to know how to speak in public. Note: by "formal presentation," I don't necessarily mean a Shakespeare monologue or a scientific treatise on robot-assisted microsurgery.
Oral Presentations
The Purpose of an Oral Presentation. Generally, oral presentation is public speaking, either individually or as a group, the aim of which is to provide information, entertain, persuade the audience, or educate. In an academic setting, oral presentations are often assessable tasks with a marking criteria. Therefore, students are being evaluated ...
How to Give an Oral Presentation
Creating an organized oral presentation can be guided by following some simple steps. First, create an outline for your presentation, just as you would for a paper; Next, select the graphics you will include in the talk and put them in order according to the outline; Then, develop a phrase, concept, sentence, or take-home idea to go along with ...
Oral Presentations
Oral Presentations: Tips, Significance, Design, Guidelines & Presentation. Tips. 1) Know your audience. what you are presenting. A good scientist should be able to present complex, scientific ideas, no matter how technical, in a simple, easy to follow manner. Complexity is not a necessity, it is an annoyance. Understand your purpose.
PDF General Instructions to Students for Oral Presentations
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS. Preparation for your talk: -. -. Know your topic; read background information; talk to your mentor, other faculty, etc. Be prepared to answer questions. Organization of visual aids: Organize your slides with the following in mind: Title, affiliations, awards, etc.
PDF Instructions for Oral Presentation Accommodations
For students with the oral presentation accommodation taking FSA Mathematics or EOCs or NGSSS . Science or EOCs, all directions, passages, test questions, and answer choices may be read aloud. Charts, tables, illustrations, and graphs may also be read aloud to students with the oral presentation accommodation.
Mastering The Art Of Oral Presentation Skills: Communicate With ...
Oral presentation skills refer to the ability to convey information and ideas through spoken words, body language, and visual aids in a structured and engaging manner. It involves organizing thoughts, tailoring content to the audience, and delivering the message confidently and clearly. These skills encompass verbal and non-verbal communication ...
Oral Presentation Guide
Pre-meeting presentation upload is highly preferred. instructions will follow. Presentations may be loaded on-site no less than 24 hours before your presentation time in the presentation room, Hall of Fame Room, located on Level 2 - Mezzanine during the following hours. Sunday 1300 - 2000. Monday 0800-1900. Tuesday 0800-1900. Wednesday 0800 ...
Preparation Manual
Oral Presentation . Directions for the Oral Presentation Assignment . For this assignment, you will give an oral presentation based on the information provided. First, you will have 45 seconds to review the information presented on-screen. You will then be prompted to begin preparing your response and will have 2 minutes to prepare your response.
Pedro completes his prelim!
Pedro Henrique Wink Reis, a second-year graduate student, completed his preliminary oral exam yesterday. His presentation was on "Ionotronic Tactile Sensors from Sustainable Homocomposite Hydrogels". He is co-advised by Dr. Lilian Hsiao from the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. ... Directions. Group Office: 1050 Engineering ...

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How to prepare and deliver an effective oral presentation

Preparation

How to Do an Oral Presentation

Researching Your Presentation

Writing Your Script

Practicing and Performing

What Is The Best Way To Start a Presentation?

Expert Q&A

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They add some kind of depth to the learning experience.

1. Know the content

2. Define the purpose of the presentation

3. Be natural

4. Invoke curiosity

5. Get your audience involved

6. Gesticulate

7. Project your words

8. Take a pause

9. Use acronyms

10. Give life to figures

11. Face the object

13. Intrigue them with stories

14. Take corrections politely

15. Define your target audience

16. P redict your audience’s thoughts and tell them

17. Practice your presentation beforehand

18. Explore every possible detail about your subject matter

19. Use visual aids to supplement your content

20. Anticipate questions and prepare thoughtful answers in advance

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How to deliver an oral presentation

Katharine Whitehurst

Buket Gundogan

Slide content

Conclusions

Slide design and layout

Delivering the presentation

Presenting tips

Conflicts of interest

How to Make an Oral Presentation

Chapter 3: Oral Presentations

The Purpose of an Oral Presentation

Tips for Types of Oral Presentations

Group Presentation

Writing Your Presentation

Using Visual Aids

Images and Graphs

Using Visual Aids Effectively

Nonverbal Communication

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Argonne National Laboratory

Organization

Introduction

Presentation Style

Volume/Tone

Eye Contact

Visual Aids

Present Information Clearly

Subject Knowledge

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

Preparing for Your Oral Presentation

Organizing the Content

Delivering Your Presentation

Speaking Tip

Another Speaking Tip

Jerz's Literacy Weblog (est. 1999)

Part 1: Planning the Content

Part 2: Delivering the Content

1) Determine Your Goals as a Speaker

2) Prepare your material

3) Study a Model