Guidelines for Presentations---by Donna

Before You Present

1. Choose a topic you are passionate about; your audience (or listeners) will feel your passion.
2. Get some cards to write down your presentation. Avoid paper.
3. Organize your ideas in ONE of these ways:

· chronological order

· most-known fact to least-known fact

· problems and solutions

· most-important to least-important facts

· general to specific

· specific to general

1. Practice in front of somebody you know (classmate, friend, boyfriend, homestay mother, etc.), then ask her or him for suggestions or corrections. If you don’t have any one, then go to the next step.
2. Practice in front of a video camera or mirror.
3. Practice your presentation five times. And check your timing!
4. Check the equipment at home and in the classroom before you present!
5. Get a bottle of water and bring it to class.

While You Present

Tell your audience you will take their questions after the presentation and to write down their questions in the meantime.

1. Elicit at the beginning and don’t forget to smile!

Choose ONE or TWO:

• Tell a personal story related to the topic
• Put a word or words on the board about the topic and ask questions if anyone knows something about it
• Make a surprising statement
• Announce recent news relevant to the topic
• Start with a little joke about yourself (self-deprecating humor that explains you are not perfect) When I’m at home, I never turn the lights off and that frustrates my roommate. She says we should save more energy. As a joke, she told me I should do my presentation on the most famous environmentalist in Canada.  He will be my greatest Canadian.

1. Make eye contact
2. Have a conversation with your audience and ask them many questions during the presentation.
3. Save time for questions!
4. Speak clearly but not slowly. Avoid “uuuuuuuuuhhhhhh” and other similar expressions.

After You Present

If somebody asks a difficult question, you can say:

• That’s a great question, but I’ll get back to you on that.
• (use her or his name) John, I’m glad you asked that question. But I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you right now.
• (repeat the question before you answer) What do I think of nanotechnology? Is that what you said?
• Try not to say NO. It’s very negative.
• Try not to say something negative with you, it’s also very negative in English: You don’t understand.
• Invite a lot of questions.