According to Fred Nickols (2003), “there are two other qualities that are more difficult to detect and they might be the most important: an effective presentation is well thought out and practiced”. Therefore, students need to plan, prepare and practice it before presenting it in class.
4.1.1.1. Planning
Planning means thinking ahead about important aspects of it. These are: objectives, content, organization and delivery. This is also the first step of organizing the presentation.
In general, a presentation consists of an opening, a main body, and a closing. The opening usually consists of two slides: a title slide and an overview slide. The main body of the presentation contains many slides which are necessary to make and support the points the presenters are trying to make. Like the opening, the closing typically consists of two or more slides: a summary slide and a thank-you slide. In terms of delivery, they should care about the pace of the presentation, points of emphasis and time allocation among its parts and among members of the group.
4.1.1.2. Preparing
Without preparation, a presentation seems to be boring, uninformative and unfocused.
Firstly, the outline should be made and then the content should be searched carefully. At this phase, it is advisable for students to hold a consultation with the teacher so that he/she can help to suggest some reliable materials. Next, making PPT slides plays an important role. The followings are some tips for the presenters:
- Only place main points on the outline slide and use the titles of each slide as main points
(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry
- Write key words and phrases only, not complete sentences - Include 4-5 points per slide
- Show one point at a time to help audience concentrate on what they are saying, prevent audience from reading ahead, and help them keep the presentation focused - Use at least an 24-point font and use different size fonts for main points and
supporting points
- Use backgrounds which are light and the same background consistently throughout the presentation. Avoid too colorful ones that make the audience difficult to read.
- Use pictures to illustrate the points. Avoid using the picture which is not related to the point they are speaking.
4.1.1.3. Rehearsing
“Practice makes perfect”. There are several reasons to do this. First of all, it helps the presenters familiar with the content and the visuals. Second, practising with the other members of the group make the whole presentation smooth. Furthermore, practising with an audience is to help identify the kinds of questions and issues that might surface during the actual presentation. Last, it gives them the chance to improve their voice. Dwyer (2000:
204) and Reinhart (2002:12) suggest some good methods for improving students’ voice. In their opinions, they should practise the talk three times orally in front of a mirror, with someone listening, or with a video or tape recorder, they can evaluate themselves: they can hear what their voice sounds like and observe their nonverbal communication. As they practise they can decide how loudly or softly they want to speak, which parts of the presentation to emphasize and where to pause. They can check how long the presentation will take. They can also pick up all the fillers such as “you know”, the “wells”, the “ums”
and “ers”, and other listeners may help them pick up any errors in pronunciation.
4.1.1.4. Presenting
The last step is presenting. While presenting, students should pay attention to these aspects:
- Voice: keep their voice enthusiastic, loud enough and not too fast
(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry(LUAN.van.THAC.si).an.action.research.on.developing.speaking.skill.throught.oral.presentations.with.reference.to.the.coursebook.talk.time.for.the.second.year.non.major.students.at.hanoi.university.of.industry
- Facial expressions: smile when speaking to transmit happiness, friendliness, warmth and liking and consequently the audience will feel more comfortable and they want to listen more.
- Eye contact: make eye contact with the audience
- Using slides: make sure they explain the information on each slide - Posture: have a relaxed, natural stance
- Body language: use some hand gestures appropriately to illustrate main points and attract the audience
In summary, planning, preparing, practising and presenting are deserved to pay attention to by students because some main reasons for their bad performance are poor preparation, lack of practice, limited knowledge of presentation skills and limited speaking ability.