Oral Presentations Script, Study notes of Communication

Download Oral Presentations Script and more Study notes Communication in PDF only on Docsity! Title of Module: Oral Presentation Collaborator: Christina Michaud Video 1: Oral Presentation Skill Areas • Types of oral presentations you may encounter in your classes • Key skill areas necessary for effective presentations • Oral vs. written communication Video 2: Oral Presentation Preparation • Preparing on your own • Working together with a group • Creating slides and/or handouts for presentations Video 3: Oral Presentation Delivery • Pacing • Intonation • Body Language Video 1: Oral Presentation Skill Areas Welcome to our Oral Presentation module. In these three videos, we will talk about formal oral communication in academic settings—that is, about speaking in class as part of individual or group oral presentations. Video 1 will cover Oral Presentation Skill Areas and will lay out some different types of oral presentations you may encounter in your classes, as well as the key skill areas necessary for effective presentations and some differences between oral and written communication. Video 2 will discuss Oral Presentation Preparation, including preparing on your own and also working together with a group, as well as creating slides and/or handouts for your presentations. Video 3 will address Oral Presentation Delivery, including pacing, intonation, and body Language. Now let's address some of the different types of oral presentations you may encounter in your classes. You may be asked to deliver extemporaneous--unplanned--presentations or planned ones. You may be asked to prepare and deliver an oral presentation on your own, or in a group. You may be asked to prepare a text to be read aloud to an audience, or you may be asked to memorize a text or a speech and deliver that. You may also be asked to lead a portion of class time, or facilitate a discussion among your classmates, rather than do all the "presenting" work yourself. Other speaking tasks you may be asked to participate in in your classes include debates, role-plays, and skits or short plays. Some of the key skill areas necessary for effective oral presentation include elocution--speaking aloud clearly, coherently, and expressively; extemporaneous speech--speaking aloud in unscripted situations, improvising, and thinking on your feet in real-time, perhaps in debates or other related formats; leading or facilitating class discussions--guiding your classmates to a deeper understanding of a text or topic, and anticipating and responding to questions and comments (in essence, "teaching" a portion of the course); memory, or oral retrieval, tasks--that is, recitation or declamation, summarizing or quoting from previous readings or materials without slides or note cards; and metacognitive reflections--reflecting on and evaluating your own or your classmates' speech and oral presentations, live or via video recordings. Oral vs. Written Communication Oral and written communication have some similarities. In both, you need to be organized and clear, and always communicate with your audience in mind. It’s not enough that something is clear to you, the writer/speaker—it also needs to be clear to your audience, your readers/listeners. There are also some differences, however. When reading an essay, readers can look back up to the paragraph before to remind themselves of a previous point. They cannot do that during an oral presentation, so you need to be much clearer about connections between points, given the constraints of your listeners’ working memory. Video 2: Oral Presentation Preparation Preparing an oral presentation is in many ways more work, and takes much more time, than delivering it. First, be sure to find out exactly what is expected of you during the presentation: should you stand or sit? Use slides, a handout, both, or neither? Your instructor may have very specific requirements, or may be more flexible in her expectations. Some instructors have very specific timing requirements, and some may want you to submit an outline of your presentation in addition to delivering it orally. Double-check these details before you begin the work of preparation. You should also confirm how the presentation or other oral task will be evaluated. What criteria will the instructor be looking for? Often, professors evaluate presentations based on how clear and audible your speech is; how well you stay within the time and assignment constraints; and how easy to follow the content of your talk actually is. There may be additional criteria as well, with more or less emphasis placed on the style--delivery--of your presentation, versus the content, depending on the class, instructor, and purpose of the assignment. Your professor may Be aware of the intonation of your voice: don't speak in a monotone, but don't allow all your sentences to rise in intonation either, as that can make you sound very unsure of yourself, even if you are well prepared. You may want to practice where to emphasize words and where to pause; if you have a script, consider marking it up to better help you during the actual presentation. Your audience will rely on your emphasis to help understand the connections between ideas or to see contrasts that you are making. Pausing functions as oral “punctuation marks” when you speak, and can help listeners follow along, so plan to pause, briefly, at the end of phrases, or between items in a series, and a little longer at the end of a sentence. Overall, be sure to enunciate clearly, not swallowing your words, and speak at an appropriate volume. Practice Body Language You will need to consider where you’re going to look and how you will gesture during your presentation. In general, try to look out at your audience, not simply down at your notes—but of course, be sure you can find your spot again if you do need to look back at your notes. Try to smile when you are speaking, or at least keep a neutral expression on your face. This can be hard, but practice helps. Plan to make eye contact in a natural and approachable way with your audience. Avoid only looking at your instructor and avoid turning around to face the screen, with your back to your audience. Try to use natural posture and gestures, rather than stylized or overly dramatic gestures, and consider dressing in a manner that does not distract from your presentation. Finally, if you are presenting with a group, make sure that you’ve considered where you will stand and where and how you will look even during your groupmates’ portions of the presentations, not just your own. You don’t want to be distracting your audience from your groupmates’ part of the talk, and you don’t want to be blocking your audience’s view of the screen while a partner speaks. References: Bukuras, Andrew. "5 TED Talks to Watch Before Giving a Presentation." CGI Interactive Communications, 2 Mar. 2017, cgiinteractive.com/blog/ted-talks-to-watch. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017. "Designing Effective PowerPoint Presentations." Purdue OWL, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/686/01/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017. "How to Convert your Paper into a Presentation." Duke University Thompson Writing Program, twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file- attachments/paper-to-talk.original.pdf. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017. Pollard, Catriona. "The Top 5 TED Talks on How to Give a Great TED Talk." From Unknown to Expert, unknowntoexpert.com/public-speaking/top-5-tedtalks-give- great-ted-talk/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017. "Posters & Presentations." Georgia Tech Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/presentation-tips/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017. "Preparing Presentations (Oral & Poster.)" Georgia Tech Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/docume nts/preparing-presentations.pdf. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017.