Making Oral Presentations

CEE 102 Engineering in the Modern World

CEE 262 Structures in the Urban Environment

Why make oral presentations?

Effective communications with others in a formal setting is essential in both academia and the business world.

• Your presentation is a synopsis of your term paper.• It should last 5 to 10 minutes.• It should be presented in Power Point.• You will be graded on both content and presentation style.

Ground Rules

What should be included?

• Start with your paper’s thesis.• Talk about important highlights.• State your conclusions.• Explain any further work that could be done on your

topic. • Be prepared to answer questions.

Include photos, maps and figures.

• Use the bullet points in your presentation as an outline…• But don’t just read from your slides…• Because that gets really boring…• And puts people to sleep…• Very quickly…

Bullet Point Lists

• Avoid wild color schemes

Don’t

Use all the bells and whistles

Includes with Power Point

• Make your slides simple.

• Select a clear, clean font.

• Use an unobtrusive background.

That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative…

…just be judicious.

Presentation Style

Think about the following:

• Make eye contact with the audience.• Stand up straight.• Speak up!• Don’t speak too quickly.• Don’t sway or rock.…but don’t be stiff.

Q: How do you give a good presentation?

A: Practice, practice, practice.

Q: How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

A: Practice, practice, practice.

The Secret Ingredient for a Good Presentation

If you are well prepared, you will be able to present your material smoothly, without pauses.

You won’t have to think about what you are saying.

If you are not well prepared, your brain will not work in concert with your mouth.

As a result, your presentation will be filled with uncomfortable pauses punctuated with “ahhhs” and “ummms”.

Look Professional

Don’t wear a hat.

Don’t wear clothing with writing on it.

Be neat.

Remember: you are learning skills that will help you in future “real world” situations. Make the most of it!