Research paper writing may not be the only pinnacle of your work in gradschool. An oral presentation regarding your research can also be required by your professor.
Before you deliver your presentation, consider the following points;
- How should I respond? If your professor hasn’t specified what should be the main point of your presentation, evaluate what you hope to accomplish and what you believe are the most crucial details that people should be aware of regarding your research. Consider the following: Do I want to educate my audience, pique their interest in my study, or persuade them of a particular viewpoint?
- Oral communication differs from written communication. Your speech can’t be “re-read” if your audience becomes confused because they only get one chance to hear it. If the audience is unable to ask questions throughout the discussion, ensure your speech are clear enough.
There are two established methods for clearly stating your points.
- The first is to K.I.S.S. (keep it short and simple). Put your attention on communicating one to three major points.
- Second, reiterate crucial points: tell them what you’re going to say (forecast), then tell them what you already said (Summarize)
- Consider your target audience. Yes, you want to show your lecturer that you did a quality study.
However, educators frequently require their students to deliver an oral presentation so that they can hone their communication skills and learn how to talk intelligbly and effectively about their work. Below are a few questions you should ask yourself before about you target audience
- What prior knowledge do they have of the issue?
- Is there anything of note that the audience might be interested in?
- In what way will I include them in my presentation?
How to get prepared for your research presentation
- Consider what you want to accomplish first
- Create a rough outline of what to say about your work after brainstorming. Don’t make it lengthy; keep in mind that your presentation has a time restriction.
- Prepare your speech in advance by organizing your materials.
- Create a summary of your manuscript that you can write on overheads or note cards.
- Get visual aids. You can present some information using Powerpoint slides
- Get the length of your presentation just right by practicing. Ask a friend to time you while they listen.
HOW TO HANDLE EACH SESSION OF YOUR WORK
The Introduction
- Draw the listeners’ attention. Start with something that will get the audience thinking, such as a provocative question, a humorous story, a striking remark, etc.
- Specify your goal. For instance, “I’m going to talk about…”
- Give an outline of the points you are going to discuss. For instance, “First of all, I will focus on the following points: Then, this will result in… Then, finally
The Body
- State your focal points in logical order
- At each point’s conclusion, pause. Permit your audience to take notes or think about what you are saying while you are speaking.
- When you switch to a new point, make it apparent. For instance, “The next point is that…”, “Of course, we must not forget that…”, or “However, it’s crucial to recognize that….”
- Use precise examples to highlight your main ideas and/or points.
The Conclusion
- Leave your audience with a concise overview of all the topics you have discussed.
- Don’t just let the conversation come to a halt. Let everyone know that the presentation is over by making it clear.
- Declare that you have met your goal and restate the purpose of your talk: It should now be evident that. “My objective was…,” and that objective has been achieved.
- Appreciate the audience for their time and attention.
- Entertain questions. If there is none ask a thought provoking question.
THINGS TO NOTE WHILE PRESENTING YOUR PAPER
Be mindful of language!
- Ensure simplicity. The goal is communication, not vocabulary display.
- Point out the important points, and ensure that they are understood by the audience.
- When using challenging, unique, or foreign terms, be sure you know how to pronounce them. You can write out the phonetic sound of any challenging terms in your note.
Communicate clearly by using your voice.
- Make your voice loud enough so that everyone in the room can hear you. Although at first it may seem uncomfortablely loud, but if they can’t hear you, they won’t bother listening.
- Speak clearly and slowly. Be patient. Speaking quickly dosen’t make you sound smart, it will simply make it more difficult for your audience to understand you.
- Try to refrain from using mannerisms such as “uh,” “ah”, “you know” and “like”. The listener is distracted by these words since they frequently appear when you move from one thought to another.
- Alter the tone of your voice. Your audience will cease paying attention if you speak at the same level and pitch throughout your speech (for instance, speaking all loud, all mild, or monotonously).
- Use a higher pitch and volume while starting a new point.
- Slow down when speaking, especially if you have an accent, and also when you want to present an important point. You can consider employing body language, such as hand gestures, to drive home your points.
- Take breaks. Don’t be afraid of brief silences. These moments of silence, allows the thoughts sink down in the minds of your audience .
Communicate with your body language
- Possess a straight, relaxed posture throughout the process . Do not stoop or stagger.
- Keep your head up high, it is a sign of confidence.
- Make eye contact with audience members as you present your paper. Avoid just talking to your supervisor, and never fixate your attention on an area of the wall.
- You naturally amplify your conversation when speaking with your friends by using your body, hands, and facial expressions. You can do it in your presentating your paper. For the audience, it will significantly increase interest.
- Stay focused on the audience and try not to move around too much. Mind you, both moving and remaining stationary are acceptable. Make do with whichever keeps you at ease.
- Avoid putting your hands in your pockets. Speaking in this way comes naturally. A single hand in your pocket conveys a sense of relaxation, but keeping both hands there is unprofessional and should be avoided.
Engage the audience in the conversation
- Always be conscious of how your audience is responding to your presentation. Do they seem interested or bored? Ask them if they look confuse when you throw a point. Do well to reiterate the point and pause to allow them take it in.
- Never apologize for making an error, simply correct it or move on. If you apologize for being uneasy or apprehensive, your audience will notice it, and they might lose confidence in your words.
- Be receptive to questions. Questions shouldn’t be interpreted as an attack on you but rather as a collaborative effort to gain a deeper knowledge because they demonstrate that the audience is paying attention and showing interest.
- When your presentation is finished, be prepared to start a conversation. Professors frequently want a quick conversation to follow a presentation. Thus, prepare some thought-provoking questions or topics for conversation for your audience in case nobody wants to speak or ask a question.
Academic Hive offers you a wide range of articles that helps you to become the best you can be during your academic program. We also offer a One-on-One Coaching class on how to speak during your research paper presentation.
