CEE 102 Engineering in the Modern World CEE 262 Structures in the Urban Environment Making Oral Presentations

Why make oral presentations? Effective communications with others in a formal setting is essential in both academia and the business world.

Ground Rules 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.

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.

Bullet Point Lists 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…

Avoid wild color schemes

Includes with Power Point Don’t Use all the bells and whistles Microsoft 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 get to Carnegie Hall? A: Practice, practice, practice. The Secret Ingredient for a Good Presentation Q: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? A: Practice, practice, practice. Q: How do you give a good presentation? A: Practice, practice, practice.

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!