Tips for Presentations in grades 7 to 9
■ Your presentation should be well-structured. It should cover several aspects of a topic. Each PowerPoint transparency should have a headline, e.g. climate, history, economy, …
Example:
It is not enough to enumerate the sights of New York and show some nice pictures.
Instead, you can talk about the 5 boroughs of New York, the Parks, history, problems, …
■ Write down only keywords, no full sentences. Don´t put more than 10 words on one transparency, except if you want to talk about a literal quotation. You should be able to talk about 1 powerpoint transparency for at least half a minute.
Don´t write: Blackbeard lived from 1726 to 1758.
Write: Blackbeard (*1726-1758)
■ A good (powerpoint) transparency has a picture / a quotation / a caricature / a table/ a diagram / … i.e. something interesting you can talk about, something that is worth looking at the transparency!
■ No absolute numbers without comparison, please!
Don´t say: Great Britain has a size of 240.000 square kilometres.
Say: Britain is about 2/3 the size of Germany.
■ You can use very short films in your powerpoint presentation, but they MUST have a PURPOSE. What do you want to explain or show with this film? Don´t show the film just for fun.
■ Showing something (very short) for fun is allowed: but only at the beginning – as an eye-catcher – to draw attention to your presentation or at the end, as a light-hearted conclusion. Introduction and conclusion are important parts of your presentation. Don´t forget them!
■ Don´t tell us things we already know! Be surprising and informative!
■ Look at the audience and speak slowly and clearly. You should have the impression that the audience can follow you. When they look puzzled, something is wrong!!! If presenting in a group, the members of a group should have equal shares in speaking time.
■ Prepare your speech carefully. Do it in front of friends or parents to practise!
■ You should be able to do your speech in English only and to answer simple questions on your speech in English. Don´t use words the class doesn´t understand. In case this is really necessary, you have to explain the words in the first part of your presentation. Write them down on your transparency and explain them to the class in English.
■ When you don´t use Powerpoint but overhead transparencies, you must adapt the above rules a bit: You should use one main transparency, which makes the structure of your presentation clear to the audience. In addition, you can use a transparency with pictures / diagrams / …by means of which you can give a closer look at certain aspects of your presentation.
Have fun creating a thrilling presentation!