Preparing for a Presentation
Begin by considering the question or task that has been given to you with the aim of thinking what material you have at your disposal.
Decide which issues are raised by the question and undertake the necessary research (e.g. in the library). You should also follow any suggestions for secondary reading that your tutor has provided.
If you are preparing a presentation as a group (another vital transferable skill!):
- It is important that you meet during this phase. Not only will brainstorming in the analysis of the problem yield a variety of perspectives and ideas to be considered, but you should also decide on ways in which tasks can be apportioned
- Depending on the size of the group, you may want to separate tasks completely (one person will do all the research; one person will do all the writing; etc.), or, more democratically, you may wish to assign, for example, one aspect of the problem to each group member, so that you will then meet again to bring the results of your research together
- Just make sure that the process functions with as little dissention and discord as possible — this might be facilitated by, for example, also assigning roles during your meetings (e.g. chairperson, note-taker...)
When you are gathering your material:
- Be very thorough (e.g. be sure to take full references when making notes, listing the page number of each item that you write down)
- If you see an illustration which might possibly be of use to your presentation, be sure to note where you saw it or, even better, make a copy it is better to be selecting the highlights from a surplus of material than to be struggling for things to say
Do not think that your material should be limited to a script:
- Supporting materials will do much to enforce your message and keep the audience's attention
- Handouts, overhead projections, music, film... there are many options at your disposal
- If you will need any extra equipment, your tutor will be able to help you — but make sure that you ask him/her in good time!
Material adapted with permission from Guidelines for Making Presentations by Dr Daron Burrows, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures