eLearning

Seminar presentations are an integral part of most units, and they require skills that need to be learnt and rehearsed. Being able to give a good and clear presentation to a public audience is an asset you - and your future employer - will greatly value. Oral skills, alongside writing and research skills, teamwork, and time management, are aspects of your degree course, or key skills, which will have application to your future career in whatever field that may be. Future employers always ask for these key skills in references, and they are often seen as more important than the subject of your degree.

Design and delivery guidelines

The following points may be useful in designing and giving a seminar presentation:

• A seminar presentation is a means of communication with a specific audience (in the case of seminar presentations, with your fellow students). It is NOT a monologue, delivered to a lecturer, to prove to him/her that you’ve done your homework.

• A seminar presentation is an oral presentation. It is NOT a written essay that is simply read out from paper. If you don’t feel confident enough to speak completely freely, this would be ideal, and then use notes/bullet points on prompt cards. Make sure that your presentation uses English as it is spoken (so no longwinded sentences of the kind that you are likely to read), but also that the language fits the occasion (so: neither too formal, nor too casual).

• Speak in a lively and engaged way, so that you avoid monotonous delivery. If you give the impression that you are not particularly interested in your subject, no one else will be either (particularly if the session is early in the morning or late in the day). If in a large room, try to project your presentation, that is: speak loudly enough.

• Don’t speak too quickly, but keep your pace with your audience and allow your material to ‘sink in’.

• Make frequent eye contact with your fellow students. Address them as your audience - not just the lecturer.

• If at all possible, stand up while giving your presentation; if you prefer to sit down, try not to look down too much, or hide behind your notes. Choose a seat where you face your audience, rather than blend into it.

• At the beginning of your presentation, outline in a few words the aims of your presentation. When doing a joint presentation, the first speaker should explain how the different parts will work together. It is therefore absolutely essential that you co-ordinate your part of the presentation with your co-presenters in advance, so that you avoid overlaps, or an overall disjointed presentation.

• Distribute a prepared handout. This handout should give a run down of your presentation, preferably numbered or in bullet points and it should have a title. In any case it should be structured, and easy to read/follow. A handout is NOT identical with your notes, but a condensation of your presentation, so don’t have more than one to two A4 pages. Use illustrations only if they relate to your argument or if you refer to them.

• If you use (particularly lengthy) quotations from secondary sources, print them in full on your handout, as your audience will find it easier to follow them than if you just recite them. When you come to these quotes in your presentation, tell your audience they can find them on their handout.

• Also list on your handout all names and specific terms you mention in your presentation, particularly those that your audience may find difficult to note down without seeing them spelt out (i.e. foreign names, words, etc.).

• A presentation is usually a timed exercise, and you must therefore select your material carefully so that it fits into the time allocated. Depending on your time, choose a selected number of key points, rather than attempt to cram everything you’ve read into your presentation. If there is too much, this will be likely to result in information overload for your audience.

• Concentrate on arguments or developments, rather than simple facts. The presentation should encourage your audience to think, and to follow this up with a discussion.

• To facilitate a subsequent discussion, you may want to end your presentation with a number of conclusions, or even better with a set of questions that emerge from your research. This is particularly important when you are dealing, for example, with theoretical arguments or texts, which you may not agree with, or which you don’t fully understand. Don’t try to gloss over this, but use it instead as a way into the discussion with your audience. For example:

•This will help clarify matters both for you and your fellow students who may indeed have similar problems.

• Aim to make your presentation more interesting by using visual aids, such as OHP transparencies. The most important thing about these is that they need to be tied in with your presentation:

• Visual aids are used to illustrate a point that you have made (or are about to make) in your presentation. Avoid using them as a kind of visual wallpaper, for example by ending your talk by showing a transparency without commenting on it.

• Choose transparencies to display items such as key points, graphs, grids, statistics, illustrations, and photos.

• If you use video clips, use them economically: don’t show about ten minutes when all you are talking about can be justified by a shorter extract. If you have a limited time for your presentation, use perhaps only one to three clips.

• Have your visual aids ready to use, and in the right order.

• Introduce visual aids and speak to them. For example, you could say: I am now going to show you... What I want to show you here is...

• Before the presentation: make sure you are familiar with the room where you are giving your presentation, and with any audio-visual equipment you will be using. Make sure you are close to your equipment, and that you face the audience.

• It might be a good idea to rehearse your presentation at home. If possible, ask friends/house mates to listen to your performance, and ask them for advice which parts may still be a bit unclear.

• Time your presentation with a watch, to make sure you are within the limits you’ve been given.

• Do your last rehearsal at the latest the evening before the presentation. Have a good night’s sleep, avoid getting anxious, and don’t think about it until the moment of the presentation arrives. And do remember, your seminar tutor is always there in case you get stuck.