PART I: Oral Presentations

 Reasons for Giving an Oral Presentation

 What Makes an Effective Presentation?

 Presenting as Part of a Group

 Fear of Public Speaking

 The 4 Rs of Public Speaking

 Learning from Presentations

 Useful Expressions to Structure your Presentation

 Oral Presentation Checklist

 General Guidelines for Oral Presentations

1. Reasons for Giving an Oral Presentation

What are the reasons for giving and oral presentations?

Training
Teaching and learning
Assessment
2. What Makes an Effective Presentation?
 Careful planning and preparation: search databases, on-line resources and use
libraries.

 Good time management: make sure you keep to the time limits.

 Relevant content: choose examples to improve understanding, provide links to

further information.

 Clear structure: provide an outline or overview.

 Good communication skills: speak clearly and face the audience.

 Appropriate use of technology: rehearse the use of technology and have a backup
system.

 Clear supporting documentation: prepare handouts.

 Audience participation: invite questions, involve the audience with tasks and
 3. Presenting as Part of a Group
Benefits

 Teamwork can be motivating and offers social opportunities.

 There is a wider range of skills and knowledge available.
 Group performance can be higher than individual performance.
 The group presentation can be more enjoyable than an individual
performance.
 Students participate in their own learning.
 Students develop new knowledge and different perspectives on a topic.
 Students practise in a known environment/situation.
 Students increase confidence to speak in front of an audience.
 Students develop a wide range of communication and presentation
skills.
 Students are prepared for skills needed in the workplace.
 Students exchange roles and perspectives from audience to presenter.
Problems

There are different levels of commitment in the group.

There are difficult group dynamics.
There is limited development of ideas and poor decision-
making.
The group presentation seems fragmented.
Students tend to learn from their own presentations but not
when they listen to others.
Students do not know enough about the topic to give a
presentation.
Students are nervous about speaking in public.
Students feel that they do more of the work than other group
members.
4. The Fear of Public Speaking
Opinion surveys have found that speaking in front of a group
ranks high on people´s list of things they fear the most.

The only items ahead of it are fear of war; fear of death; and
fear of losing members of one´s family. As you can see, giving
an oral presentation may be equated with life-threatening
situations.

Therefore, it needs preparation and self-confidence. The

stages below will help you be ready for speaking in front of a
group.
5. The 4 Rs of Public Speaking

Respond
Restructure
Rehearse
Relax

(based on the model proposed by Baugh, 1995)

I. RESPOND

You first should respond to your material:

Find interesting or surprising facts

Get involved
Write down something meaningful that you want to communicate

You should also respond to your audience:

Build an audience profile: interest, level of knowledge

Tailor your speech to your audience
Plan to hook their attention from the beginning
II. RESTRUCTURE
There are differences between written materials and an
oral report so you need to rework reading materials
taking into account the main parts of an oral
presentation:

Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Language practice activity
 You can organize the material with the following organizational
patterns:

 Topical order
 Time order
 Spatial order
 Cause-effect order
 Problem-solution order
 For-and-against order

You can organize your presentation following the outline

approach: This approach enables you to see the entire structure of
your talk at a glance. Use numbers and letters and key words or
phrases. Example:
I. Advantages of genetic modification
A.
B.
C.
II. Disadvantages of genetic modification
A.
B.
C.
III. Conclusion
You can also organize your presentation following the
notecard approach: This approach enables you to
include more information about each point using
cards to write down key words, phrases and full
sentences.

After brainstorming your topic and writing an outline,

work on the organization of the presentation and the
distribution of topics and subtopics among group
members.
Each group member should:

 Research the topic by doing library and web search consulting

reliable sources.
 Read, analyse and organize the material.
 Summarize main points and identify minor points and supporting
evidence.
 Write a draft and an outline of his/her part of the presentation.
 Do dictionary work and check appropriate language use (e.g.:
pronunciation, content-specific vocabulary and transition signals).
 Prepare a roadmap: a guide of what he/she is going to talk about
and give it to classmates (it can be similar to the outline).
 Plan the conclusion of the speech.
 Prepare visuals.
 Visuals aids
Visual aids can help you illustrate the main points of your speech and
make your presentation more lively. Some practical issues students
should take into account are:

 Visuals should be easy to read and understand.

 They should serve to catch the audience’s attention.

Visuals serve three functions:

 They help hold the attention of the listeners.

 They provide information in the visual channel.
 They help the audience remember what you've said.
Types of visual aids used in an oral presentation

The blackboard/whiteboard (the most accessible

visual aid. You can draw diagrams and write key words).

Posters

Diagrams and Charts

Tables and Graphs (graphs are statistical material

presented in a visual form, such as bars, pies and lines. A
line graph is useful to show events over a period of time).
Handouts (include the sources consulted and questions for
discussion or language activities)

Overheads (the easiest and most reliable visual aids. You should
use bold typeface and a minimum of size 16 font to make sure they
are readable).

Computer-generated material (graphics, PowerPoint

presentations and multimedia): Don't crowd your slides. A
PowerPoint presentation that emphasizes key points is more
effective than one that contains every word you say. If the
technology goes wrong, you may be embarrassed, so print out a
handout or have some overheads as a backup.
Using PowerPoint Effectively
Avoid getting too technical.

Keep your slides simple.

Think about PowerPoint as a component within the

overall presentation.

Incorporate images into your PowerPoint slides.

What’s wrong with PowerPoint?
It makes presenters lazy and inclined to think in bullet
points.
It is not good at presenting a lot of data because there
is not enough space on the slide.
It encourages too much reliance on technological
issues such as slide transitions.
What is good about PowerPoint?
It can explain something in visual terms that would
take many words to explain.
Everything is together in one place: templates, sound,
colour, graphs and images.
You can have your own notes to give a personalized
commentary on individual slides.
You can run the software as an automatic
presentation.
It can make your presentation more:
Memorable: through a combination of words, pictures and
sounds
Powerful and strong: by using images which impact on the
audience
Thought-provoking: by using appropriate quotations and
puzzles
Colourful: by making it vibrant with background and colourful
text
Creative: by designing diagrams or importing photographs,
charts, etc.
Dynamic and current: you can update slides and add new
material
Mistakes PowerPoint users commonly make
Too much reliance on PowerPoint
Information overload
Thinking in bullet points
Getting too technical
Too small type size
Tips for getting the best out of PowerPoint

Think about your audience.

Use a simple structure for the presentation.
Think in terms of ideas, not bullet points.
Use images to support the message.
Keep it simple.
PowerPoint is a support for your presentation, not the
presentation itself.
Provide information clearly and simply.
Stay in charge. PowerPoint is your servant, not your boss!
Express yourself creatively.
Tips to create useful visual aids
 Use visual aids to supplement, not replace, your speech.
 Choose visuals for points that could be better explained through visual support.
 Show the visual aid only when you need it. When you have finished, put it away
so that it does not compete with you for attention.
 Make sure everyone can read the visual aid.
 Before your speech, check if your visual can be easily displayed.
 Practise with your visual aid before the speech so you feel comfortable using it.
 Point at it with your right or left hand rather than standing in front of it with
your back to the audience.
 If you are using electronic equipment, consider having a classmate run it for you.
 Check how long it takes to refer to the visuals to keep within time limits.
 Talk to the audience, not to the visuals. Remember that eye contact with your
audience is essential for effective communication.
 Maintain control of the situation. Visuals can distract the audience’s attention.
Tips to make your visual aids more readable

Restrict the number of words: Use keywords.

Dim the lights: This enables you and the audience to
see the screen.
Use colour carefully: Avoid more than two or three
colours. Red, black, green or white work reasonably well.
Avoid light blue or yellow as you will get insufficient
contrast.
Enhance your presentation using images: diagrams,
cartoons and pictures.
Correct spelling mistakes: these are usually very
noticeable.
 Use type effectively:

Typeface:
Use a conventional typeface such as Times New Roman or Arial. Never use a fancy
type face.

Capitals:
Use upper and lower case, NOT JUST CAPITAL LETTERS, which are more difficult to
read in a long sentence.

Type size:
avoid anything too small (24 point minimum). Signal the structure of your
presentation using type size.

Bullet points:
These can be highly effective in moderation but not page after page!
III. REHEARSE
An important secret to give a successful oral presentation is
rehearsing. As you rehearse, timing is very important. It is necessary
to comply with time constrains. These are some pieces of advice:

 Fit your talk to the time allowed.

 Include any audiovisual aids you want to use.
 Practise your talk in front of a mirror or before a “preview” audience
of friends, classmates, family.
 Adjust and correct your talk as you rehearse.
 Arrange with your instructor if you need audiovisual equipment for
your talk.
The importance of your voice and body language
These are important non-linguistic aspects which should be taken into account:

 Pace: Your speed of delivery should allow listeners enough time to take in what
you are saying. However, too slow a pace can be boring.

 Voice: You should be heard by everybody in the room; otherwise, it will be

difficult for the audience to follow the speech. This involves projecting your voice
to the far corners.

 Stance: Face your audience. If you are referring to a visual, don’t turn your back
on your listeners. Don’t speak to the blackboard.

 Audience contact: Try to speak to all your listeners and not just a section.
Dealing with nervousness
Speaking in front of an audience makes most people nervous. This can be good since
a bit of adrenalin often helps you perform well. However, public speaking anxiety
should not become a problem for you. Follow this advice:

 Be well prepared: Practise as many times as you need to remember your main
points without relying too much on your notes.

 Be organized: This will help you feel confident.

 Do not rush: You may shorten the length of your speech in order to avoid rushing
through all the material.

 Concentrate on your message and your audience: Be enthusiastic about your

topic. This will help you take the focus away from yourself and aim it at the listeners.
 Smile and treat your audience like friends: The way you perform is the way your
audience will feel. They will react warmly if you look relaxed. Nervous speakers make
people ill at ease.

 Picture yourself doing well: Be positive.

 Take deep breaths on the way to the front of the classroom: This will calm you
down.

 Move around: This will help you release nervous energy and restore a feeling of calm.

 Pick out friendly faces and make eye contact with them: They will increase your
confidence and reassure you.

 Give yourself a reward after your speech: Congratulate yourself because you were
able to do it.
IV. RELAX
You´ve responded, restructured and rehearsed. You´re fully prepared and still terrified.
Now comes the last and least understood of the four Rs: Relax. You should feel self-
confident as you have followed all the steps to give a successful oral presentation.

6. Learning from Presentations

 Correcting mistakes: If you do not learn from your mistakes, you will keep repeating
them next time.

 Making improvements: If you can learn from your presentations, you will get more
competent each time you give a presentation.

 Feeling better about presentations and gaining satisfaction: Learning from your
presentations makes them more enjoyable for you and your audiences. There is always
room for improvement. Next time, it can be even better.

 Improving employment skills: Presentations are part of a bigger process of learning

from experience and developing employment skills. They are essential for job interviews.
What can you learn from your presentation?

Ways of handling presentations.

How to motivate your audience to enjoy them.
How to react under pressure and think on your feet in
such circumstances.
How to correct mistakes.
How to work with a group.
How are you going to learn from your own presentation?

A learning log or journal can help you learn from your

presentation. This is like a diary, but focused on what happened
and what you can learn from it. For example:

The aspect of the presentation I want to reflect on is:

The specific issue for me was:
How I acted and felt at the time:
How I acted and felt later on:
How I might have appeared to others:
What I need to do next time:
Specific steps to take:
How can your audience learn from your presentation?

Looking at the slides.

Listening and paying attention.
Taking notes.
Sketching out a diagram.
Participating in the language activity at the end of the
presentation.
Giving feedback.
Ways of helping learners to be fully engaged

 Acknowledge that people learn in different ways. Therefore, your presentation has
to cater for different learning styles: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, etc.
 Ensure that there is strong visual content.
 Speak clearly.
 Ensure that there is something to read – with a small group, a handout, with a
bigger group, reference material.
 Make the presentation multisensory, so the audience can get involved through
their senses.
 The BME factor: Every presentation needs a Beginning, a Middle and an End
(BME).
 Break it down: Break content down into ‘chunks’ that are easy to understand.
 Add stimulus and variety: Improve the quality of the presentation by asking your
audience to move around or talk to each other.
 Adapt your presentation so that you are not stuck in one particular delivery style.
Do not get stuck in one physical spot for the whole time.
7. Useful Expressions for Structuring your Presentation
Introduction

 Good morning / afternoon / evening.

 Let me introduce myself. My name is…and I am…
 The subject / topic of my talk today is…
 In this presentation, I’d like to look at…

Outlining the structure of the talk

 Today I’m going to refer / consider to three main areas…

 I’d like to discuss / talk about…
 I’m going to divide this presentation into three main sections…
 First,…Second, …Third,
 Firstly,…Secondly, …Thirdly,
 To start with, …Next, …Finally, …Then, …Lastly,... Following this,...
 If you have any questions, I’ll be glad to answer them at the end of the presentation.

Introducing a new point / section

 Moving on now to look at…/ consider…/ my next point…

 Having looked at…, I’d now like to move on to…/ Let’s now consider…
Concluding a point / section

 So, you can see that…

 To summarize my point, …

Changing focus

 Moving away from… to consider…

 Let’s now look at a different example / topic / subject.
 To digress for a moment, …

Introducing an example

 For example,…
 For instance,…
 To take just one example, …
 By way of example, think of / look at / consider…

Referring to visual aids

 If you look at this slide / OHT / graph / table / picture now, you can see…
 To illustrate this point, have a look at this table / chart / diagram.
 You can see from this chart / table / diagram that…
Signalling the end of your speech

 The last thing I’d like to say …

 Finally …
 To round off …

Restating the purpose of your talk

 I think you can now see that...

 My intention was ..., and it should now be clear that ...

Concluding and summarizing

 In summary,…/ In conclusion, …/ To summarize, …

 To sum up, …/ To conclude, …/ By way of conclusion, I´d like to…
 OK, so to recap the main points…
 I hope this presentation has given you some useful information / issues to think about / an insight
into…
 Thank you for your attention / time.
 If you have found a quotation that fits your subject, the conclusion is a good place to use it. If
another member of the group will speak after you, announce him or her. For example: …and now X
will tell you about …
Inviting questions

Now, if anyone has any questions, I´d be pleased to

answer them.
Does anyone have any questions / comments?

Consider possible points of discussion with the rest of

the class. When your group has finished, open up a
debate with your classmates by posing a thought-
provoking question.
8. Oral Presentation Checklist
I. RESPOND

To your subject:

 Does your presentation respond to the materials assigned by the course

instructor?
 Have you picked out the ideas or facts that interest you and that can serve as
the basis for your presentation?

To your audience:

 Does your presentation address the level of knowledge and interest of the
audience in your subject?
II. RESTRUCTURE

 Has every group member done appropriate research on the topic of the
presentation?
 Do all group members cooperate to prepare the presentation?
 Does the organizational pattern of your speech suit the topic?
 If you use the outline approach to create your talk, will key words suffice, or do you
need to use complete sentences?
 If you use the notecard approach, have you placed only one or two key points on
each card? Have you numbered your cards?
 If you use audiovisual aids, are they easy to read and understand?
 Do the audiovisual aids you prepared catch the attention of the audience or take it
away from you?
 Have you marked in your talk where and what type of audiovisual aids you will use?
 Do you use appropriate language expressions to structure your talk?
III. REHEARSE

Does the length of your talk fit the time allowed?

Have you rehearsed in front of an audience or given the talk in front
of a mirror?
Have you incorporated any criticisms into your revised presentation?
Have you made notes on your outline or cards of things you need to
remember during your talk (e.g.: speak more slowly, loudly, look up at
the audience)?
Is your talk free of distracting mannerisms?
Have you made prior arrangements with your instructor for any
equipment you may need?
Have you prepared all your materials the day before your presentation
so you won’t forget anything?
IV. RELAX!
9. General Guidelines for Oral Presentations

Each group will have to deal with a set of three articles and a video about a given
topic. The participants are expected to fulfill the following objectives:

 Deal with the assigned material thoroughly.

 Prepare and oral presentation with visual support that provides an accurate summary of
main ideas.
 Respond to the material (by agreeing, disagreeing, redefining certain issues, focusing on
specific aspects and elaborating on them).
 Show that you have restructured the material and interacted with it in meaningful ways.
 Prepare and rehearse your talk, making any necessary phonological adjustments.
 Present the topic according to a clear plan and time your presentation (which should not
exceed 40/50 minutes).
 Prepare a language activity (Use of English format) and a comprehension activity (true and
false) for the class (which should not exceed 10 minutes)
 Prepare a glossary of content-specific vocabulary and new words.
 Submit the PPT presentation and glossary through the virtual classroom on the day of your
presentation.
 The glossary is expected to include a word study
based on linguistic items in the materials which
have immediate relevance to the content
presented.

It should include the discussion of word families,

semantic fields and collocations. Use such dictionaries
as Longman Language Activator, The Oxford
Dictionary of Collocations, or the Internet visual
thesaurus “Visuwords”, as a starting point.