Oral Presentations: Tell a Good Story

Tell your listeners an interesting story. It should have a beginning, middle and end. The story should have a Main Character (Subject) and the Main Character's Problem (presentation's Purpose). The Main Character and his Problem belong together. Main Character (Subject) Major appliances: vacuum cleaners & dishwashers Books (publishing) Mercedes automobiles Our company's market share New environmental friendly car Water consumption Too little food A Political Figure Problem (Purpose) Increasing sales (against competitors, in a financial crisis, etc) Increasing sales through internet marketing Increasing oversea sales Increasing it by creating better branding to use in overseas markets High costs and low market share (getting worldwide PR and product recognition) People in certain countries use too much water Drought and food distribution problems in Africa Bad people run our government and you must elect this new Political Figure

Perhaps you begin your presentation by putting the Main Character in the middle of the Problem -it's dramatic, exciting! The Main Character must sell more vacuum cleaners! Or he is in danger of losing his job to the competition! Or perhaps the Main Character must dramatically increase plasma screen TVs sales during a worldwide financial crisis. Whatever. However you start, introduce us to your Main Character (Subject) so we can get to know him a little and see what a nice guy he is. Also give us a small hint (or a dramatic scene!) exploring the drama of The Problem, so we can see how difficult and complicated the situation is.

Introduction:
Your overall objective is to show us the Subject of your presentation (the Main Character) and introduce us to the Purpose of your presentation (The Problem) so that we become interested and learn to care (become emotional!) about the Main Character and see you solve The Problem! Of course putting drama into your presentation helps do this, it makes us care about the subject and it motivate us to take the problem seriously. And, finally, it should make us want to fix the problem. Fixing the problem is the Objective, the Point, the Reason you're giving the presentation.

Body (the Story):

After introducing the Main Character of the story -- the thing /subject/department /product that has the problem -- show us how the Main Character and The Problem go together. What is their relationship? How did they end up together? Speak to us about the Main Character and explain the origins of The Problem. Start at the beginning. Explain how this Character / Problem / Objective happened. Give details, facts and figures, information, and interesting anecdotes illustrating the problem (photos, charts, etc). Then build to the ending (aka the Finale, the Big Battle), giving us clear strategies for how we can win, how we will accomplish the wonderful objective you've given us (destroy the Battlestar, sell more vacuum cleaners!) and save the world from certain doom (by selling them the newest products or services). Be specific and clear and KISS (Keep It Short & Simple).

Conclusion (Happy Ending):

After showing us the details and laying out the solution, give us a brief and efficient recap. And don't forget to Call-Back to one or two of the more interesting visuals. And finish off those cliffhangers (puzzles) that you set up in the introduction.

Presentations: Formal Structure The Introduction

The purpose of the introduction is not only to introduce your topic, but also to interest your audience in the topic. 1. Grab the audience's attention. There is something important that must be done! There is something that has just happened! There is something important that is going to happen. Be brief, be mysterious, be clever: What is it that must be done, has happened, must be done!!? 2. Preview the content of your presentation. Think of this as a kind of TV commercial for an upcoming show (a TV Werbung). Offering a brief outline of what you will be discussing. Give us a brief sense of what results your listeners might expect after hearing your presentation: increased sales figures, elaborate rewards, great accomplishments, incredible glory, high honor, phenomenal knowledge. You may also want to include why this topic is so important to you and to them and to the world!

The Body
Use facts to begin building the secondary points that lead up to your climax, the big battle, the most important point(s) and facts of your presentation -- the finale explaining everything they ever needed to know about your topic. How will these fantastic things happen, why must we do something to accomplish this great result, what are the solutions to these difficult problems, why is this amazing thing going to happen (and how are we a part of it)? This part of your presentation should support your introduction by offering facts, opinions, and reasons. It should contain at least three ideas with supporting details to illustrate your point.

The Conclusion
The conclusion should restate the main points but this time WITHOUT the examples, facts and figures. Think of it as a brief summary which emphasizes what you want the audience to remember. Tell them what to do, tell them how they can be a great success, tell them how they can save the world. Closing Statement: Finally, you can finish with a recommendation, a few inspiring sentences, a personal thought, an observation. Your closing statement (the last statement) should pull your presentation together.

Oral Presentations Do's & Don'ts

1. Organize your thoughts and material! The more organized and focused your presentation is, the more relaxed you'll feel. 2. Breathe! (It helps you relax.) 3. Be practical. Don't try to cover too much material. Remember you only have 7-10 minutes. 4. Speak clearly, slowly and at an appropriate level for your audience. 5. Use appropriate vocabulary that exactly suits your specific audience. If you use new vocabulary, make sure you explain it and write it on the board. 6. Make eye contact with all members of your audience. 7. Don't read your presentation. You can use short notes, but reading a presentation is unnatural; also, it makes it very difficult for your audience to follow. 8. Practice your presentation with a partner or in front of the mirror. 9. Ask for questions at the end of your presentation. 10. Be organized! Prepare, prepare, prepare! And practice, practice, practice!

Oral Presentations: Peer Evaluation

Person Presenting: ____________________________
Please rate each of the following criteria on a scale of 1 to 5: (needs improvement)12345(good) 1. The presenter spoke clearly. 2. The presenter spoke at a good volume. 3. The presenter spoke at a good pace. 4. The presenter faced the audience. 5. The presenter appeared relaxed. 6. The presenter's English grammar was correct. 7. The presenter used effective hand gestures. 8. The presenter made eye contact with me. 9. The introduction caught my attention. 10. The presentation included clear information. 11. The conclusion wrapped up the speech. 12. I found this topic interesting. 12. The presenter's used the correct vocabulary. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Oral Presentations: Teacher Evaluation

Part One: Grammar

Verb Forms Articles Prepositions Word Choice Sentence Structure Other

Part Two: Presentation Comments

Grade: ______