PRESENTING YOUR RESEARCH IN ENGLISH

1. PRESENTING YOUR RESEARCH IN ENGLISH TIPS AND ADVICE

2. To startwith • Good morning / good afternoon, … • Dearcolleagues and fellow-students, … • I amveryglad / pleased to present part of myresearchproject to you. • I amdelighted to introduceyou to the main issues tackled in myresearchproject, whichisentitled « … ». • Duringthisbriefpresentation, youwillbegiven the main outlines of myresearchproject. The title of my dissertation is «  ».

3. A wider perspective Thank the people supervisingyourwork: « This researchwasinitiallyinitiated by M. Smith, whosuggested I shouldinvestigate (inquireinto, delveinto, explore) … » Mention the researchlabyou’reattached to: « This enquiry (investigation, research) isconducted in the LEAD laboratory and I have received help from …. » Explain how yourresearchfits in otherresearchprojects: « This researchfits in a widerproject on remedialschemes in primaryschoolwhichiscurrentlybeingcarried out at Dijon University and whichispartlyfunded by the Education Board ».

4. Organization of your talk • Identify the important ideasYour work (or the work you are presenting) likely has many details, but only one or two main ideas; structure your talk around these main ideas. • For thispresentation, I have decided to focus on two main issues, namely … • As mysubject of researchisbroad (wide-ranging), I have singled out two crucial issues that I purport to analyzenow, firstly …, secondly…

5. Create a talk outline  • Your talk should be organized in a top-down manner. For example: The general theme of your research; The definition of the main concepts or words with relevant literature review if possible The problems raised by such an investigation The aspect you are interested in and the interest of your approach (what it could bring to the field) Your hypothesis Your methodology Your schedule (what you intend to do, when, where) The results.

6. Include an outlineslide With the title of yourresearch in large fonts. This titleshouldbeaptlyphrased. Rework the phrasing if needbeuntilitisboth concise and precise. Compounds canbeused. And the unfolding of your talk. 1 Introduction 2 Definitions 3 Literature 4 Myresearchproject 5 Myhypothesis 6 Methodologicalquestions

7. Didstudentsfrom the Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles (CPGE) experiencethis course differentlydepending on their social background?Coulditbe possible thatthis interrogation lead to a transfer ? M2 Research in Education - Simon Cherblanc, under the supervision of C. Blaya Structure of the presentation : • Introduction • Hypotheses • History of the CPGE • Method • Schedule • Conclusion

8. The title of yourresearch Didstudentsfrom the Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles (CPGE) experiencethis course differentlydepending on their social background?Coulditbe possible thatthis interrogation lead to a transfer ? Social biais in CPGEs (Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles = eliteprepschools) : How does social background impact course experience and the likelihood of transfer? The titleistoo long. The main word, i.e. social background is not enhanced.

9. Slides Your slides should be organized like an outline--a few main points, with sub-points under each one. Your slides are a guide for your talk not a word-for-word copy of your talk. List specific points that you want to talk about as sub-topics of each main topic.

10. Avoidwritingtoomuchtext ! Add just enough prose to present the main points and highlight the main parts of each point. Use phrases rather than complete sentences and use large fonts. You can use acronyms and abbreviations sparingly, however you should say the complete name when you talk about about them.

11.      1. Use no more than 6 lines of text per slide. •      2. Use no more than 7 words per line of text. •      3. Avoid using a number of text slides in a row during the presentation. • After a slide first appears, don't say anything for a few seconds - allow the audience to absorb the information. Then, expand upon what the slide has to say. • For this approach to be effective, you'll have to include only the most pertinent information in each visual. You should limit the text on each slide and restrict or enhance the contents of tables or graphs to include only the information most pertinent to your topic.

12. Do not write full-sentences. • Do not readyourslides. • Use large fonts sothateveryonecanread the slides. • Use different font sizes to highlight the most important items • Use a limited range of colours and opt for a sober lay-out • Makeyourslideseye-catchingwithoutforgettingthateyecatchinessshouldlead to a betterunderstanding

13. SCHOOL BULLYING Whatitrefers to not all definitionsinclude the sameacts or deeds geographical and cultural divergences consensus on the intention to harm Bias in data collection sexualharassmentispoorlydocumented victims’ reluctance to reportingbullying Necessity to use different sources of information (i.e. school administration reports; police records; parents …)

14. Visuals Use figures and graphs to explain implementation and results. Charts and diagrams should be large enough. Comment upon them during your presentation: ALL visual elements should be useful and back up your argument. DO NOT use icons, illustrations or visuals just to make your slides cool or nice. This is not an art class. Moving elements disturb reading.

15. Use good transitions from one slide to the next, and from one main topic to the next... EX: "We’ve just talked about the implementation. Now we will look at how well the system performs” or “I have just underscored difficulties, I must now present various solutions to avoid bias”. “Now that a proper definition has been agreed upon, we can move forward and consider various data gathering processes”

16. Don't read your slide off the computer, nor directly off the screen. It is okay to stop for a second and refer to your notes if you need to. Sorry, I’mafraid I need to go back to my notes to be more precise on that point. Now, I’mgetting a bit confused. What I wanted to saywasthat… I’mafraid I haven’t been veryclear on that point. What I reallywanted to saywasthat… Sorry, I’mgoing to put things in anotherway: … No, I’mgettingitwrong. What I meantwasthat… I’mgetting all messed, sorry. I’vegot to findanotherway of putting things. Well…

17. Practice makesitperfect ! Give a practice run-through of your talk in front of at least one other student. Stand in a room for 10 minutes and talk through all your slides out loud without pausing: Don't stop and fix slides as you go; you want to force yourself to talk through your entire talk. Avoid saying euh… (hum or well… are better) every 2 minutes: it may irritate your audience.

18. Communication skills Choose a natural, moderate rate of speech and slow down if you want to pronounce diphtongs and long vowels correctly Don't speak in a monotone voice: English has a falling intonation and word stresses. Vary pitch and volume as appropriate. Avoid habitual behaviors (e.g., pacing, toying with a pencil, etc.). LOOK AT YOUR AUDIENCE. SOUND ENTHUSIASTIC!

19. The discussion • Take a few seconds to think about a question that is being asked before you answer it. • It is okay to say "I don't know" or better yet "gee, I hadn't thought about that, but one possible approach would be to...“ or “That’s an interesting and relevant question. I shall muse upon this aspect of things but I haven’t got a proper answer by now”.

20. If youdon’tunderstand the question « Sorry, I haven’tunderstoodyour question properly. Wouldyoumindrephrasingit, thereis a word I don’tunderstand. Wouldyoumindrepeatingit more slowly. « I’mafraid I misunderstoodyour question. Couldyoupleaserepeatit ? » « I don’tunderstandyour question. It seemstootricky for me to give an answerright now. But youmay have another question and I willwillinglyprovide an answer ».