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  GRS 91 - Today's Russia
Oral Presentation of Semester Project

How to Competently Present an Oral Project / Report     
Since as students, you intensely dislike boring professorial presentations, keep    
the problem of "boredom" in mind as you present!  If you attack your presentation as
something you merely "slog through," you will cause your audience to sleep!   Make every
attempt to actually BE INTERESTING.


1.  Announce the title of your presentation clearly - enunciate - write the title on the board. 
Do not just "fluff" over it as you often do when asked your name, so that the listener
has no idea what you have said!  Speak loudly enough that no one can even consider sleeping!

2.  Introduce your topic with a simple, clear explanation (overview) of what you will say.

3.  If your project contains lots of detailed information, sift that information and present ONLY
the most important data.  Just as in an academic lecture that is loaded with small, critical points,
everyone cannot and will not be able to handle massive, detailed descritpion.  (Nor is it necessary to present
such.)

4.  Look at your audience and MOUDLATE YOUR VOICE.  Many of you present soporifically but are
easy to listen to when you answer a question posed by another student after your talk.

5.  Master your subject matter sufficiently that you are NOT tied to notes, note cards etc.

6.  If you use media in your presentation, set up that media BEFORE you present, lead up to that
media presentation.   (Since much of the University operates using WINDOWS based computers,
be sure you bring all of your cables and check in advance if you are using a MAC.  MAC is superb equipment,
but more than once, MACs have been incompatible with our media inputs unless you have the right
interface cables.)