PREPARING YOUR DISSERTATION ENGLISH III Listening and Speaking Prof. Jonathan Vela

WHAT IS A DISSERTATION?  It consists on explaining a certain topic in front of an audience.  It's an exercise of reflection: on a personal level and based on factual information: It's on a personal level because it is about reflecting on your own so that you understand the topic and solve doubts. It's based on factual information because your reflections are based on authors, theories or objective data.

WHAT IS IT USED FOR ? To increase our confidence in professional life. To help us present our knowledge, arguments and other ideas: it helps us communicate what happens to us, what we feel, what we know, and what we need. To learn important content for our academic and professional development.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR DISSERTATION Now, you're going to find some elements which are necessary in order to prepare a dissertation, taking into account that it is extremely important to do it with time and dedication.

PART ONE: SET YOUR OBJECTIVES 1. Topic: what are you going to talk about? - Get the meaning of the topic - Understand the implications and connections of the topic 2. Purpose: what for? - Know the objectives of the teacher and the activity 3. Audience: to whom are you going to talk? - Know your audience and make sure the topic is interesting for them. - Make a combination between a professional yet entertaining dissertation.

PART TWO: KNOW YOUR CONTENT 4. Information: What are you going to say? - Look for ideas through different sources - Find out where to find most information - Gather all the information you need 5. Organization: In which order are you going to mention your contents? - Design a plan to follow - Order your ideas according to that plan 6. Structure: How are you going to explain your topic? - Way of expressing your ideas - Make a script: Introduction, body, conclusion.

PART THREE: GET READY 7. Preliminary Practice: How is it done? What do you have to correct? - Rehearse your posture, gestures and movements. - Watch out your pronunciation intonation voice and pauses. - Make sure you know well difficult words, original expressions and important statements. 8. General rehearsal: Have a global vision of the dissertation. Check if: - Something is missing. - Order is correct. - Time is precise ( 5 minutes). - Conclusion is logical and coherent.

PART FOUR: DISSERTATION TIME 9. Presenting your Dissertation: Present yourself with self-confidence in front of your audience. Give a clear and paused presentation of the topic. Get the interest of your audience so that they listen, understand and follow your oral defense.

AND REMEMBER… Explore different types of resources before hand:  Resources to overcome fear or anxiety.  Resources to answer possible questions.  Resources to improve your diction, language, body posture,  Resources to reinforce comprehension by repeating some ideas in a different way and using a particular formal style.

ASPECTS TO CONSIDER… Dissertations are more formal, and better structured than regular presentations.

PAUTA DE EVALUACIÓN PresentationInteractionMethodology Encourage reflection Formal languageFluency Talk to the class rather than the teacher Natural tone, Not reading Ask questions to interact Knowledge about topic Coordination of topics Dynamic presentation AttitudePronunciationKeep orderUse of examples Use examples to illustrate Body language, use of personal space Use of notecards Keep the attention of the audience Sections are clear Clear coordination of ideas Use of time (5 minutes) Interaction Precision Comparison with currrent topics Grammar Disposition to solve questions ParticipationPersonal analysis