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First year presentations …something to be scared of? …nothing to be scared of?. Deborah Worton. Rules of engagement. No strict agenda or running order This is a session for you so JUMP IN! Ask any questions you like Whenever you like Talk about your experiences, concerns.
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First year presentations…something to be scared of?…nothing to be scared of? Deborah Worton
Rules of engagement • No strict agenda or running order • This is a session for you so JUMP IN! • Ask any questions you like • Whenever you like • Talk about your experiences, concerns
Important questions • What is the pass mark for the first year presentation? • What happens if you fail the first year presentation? • Will I have to repeat my first year? • Will they throw me out? • NO!
Important questions • Is it an opportunity for academic professionals: • to decide whether your idea is good enough? • to decide whether you have done enough work to go on to Year 2? • to pick holes in your work? • to give you a hard time to see if you really know your stuff?
So what is it for? • Writing phase: a chance to • review…bring together everything done to date…see gaps and opportunities • make choices for the future • The presentation itself: a chance to • share your enthusiasm for your topic • practice being an authority on your subject • get feedback and constructive comments
So what is it for? • Afterwards • Increased confidence in your ideas • Clearer vision • Enthusiasm to take the next step • A better project
Who will be there? • Your supervisor • Members of the academic team • Your supervisor’s peers! • Experienced and skilled • Fellow students • How much do any of them know about your specific topic?
Who will be there? They are all on your side! • Your supervisor • Members of the academic team • Your supervisor’s peers! • Experienced and skilled • Fellow students • How much do they know about your specific topic?
How to get started • Go to the Form Storehttp://www.soton.ac.uk/hpgr/documents/form_store.html • On left hand navigation bar, find “1st year presentations – sample guidelines” • Talk to your supervisor…each discipline is slightly different in what they want
How to get started • Effectively you are turning a summary of you’re your early work into a presentation • Can’t get everything in! • Remember who your audience is: • not specialist so contextualise your research (give the background)
YOU ONLY HAVE 15 MINUTES! • What to include? What to leave out? • To read or not to read? • Hand-outs or no hand-outs? • PowerPoint or no PowerPoint?
PowerPoint: an alternative view • “I think we've developed the mindset that one MUST use it, or SHOULD use it, and in most cases it's nothing but distracting. There are certain types of presentations for which it's really useful - those where the visual is paramount to the talk, that sort of thing. But for the rest of 'em, I don't think PowerPoint is all that helpful (and in many cases, it's even worse, it actually detracts from the presentation).”(Denise Greenfield, 2010: English)
PowerPoint: an alternative view • Good for showing: • Quotations • Photos/visuals/graphs/charts/numbers • Good for organising thoughts • Could do 2 - one for self and one for presentation…Deb’s method! • Could use a blend of ‘paper’ and PP
PowerPoint and handouts • Make an ACTIVE decision of what to use …or what not to use! • Make them relevant • Use them to cover stuff that would be too time-consuming to speak about…a picture paints a thousand words!
Questions, answers, feedback • You will get asked questions! • Eleanor’s quick fix answers for ‘I haven’t got a clue’ questions: • “That’s a direction in which I aim to go in the next few months” • “I have started to look at that, but I need to do more research”
Questions, answers, feedback • Take a notepad with you • These are gems that you shouldn’t lose • Arrange a meeting with your advisor as soon as possible • Extra feedback often given afterwards that can be useful
Vital points • Practice, practice, practice • And when you think you’ve done enough, practice some more! • Don’t forget to practice with equipment too • Check out the room and the equipment. • In advance • On the day, early
Vital points • Nerves…breathing helps! • Do you get the shakes? • Umms, ahhs and other fillers • Control paper…card is good! • Practice • Who are you talking to? • Everyone! • Eye contact…even if reading
A final thought… Have fun!