Structure of a presentation
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A presentation:
- has an introduction, body and conclusion
- may include visual aids
- is usually followed by questions and discussions
- may also have a handout for the audience to take away.
Introduction
- The introduction should orient the audience to your subject and purpose. To capture interest and set up rapport, it should tell the audience what to expect.
- Be sure to carefully define the central point (or thesis) that is the basis of your talk and ensure that your supporting argument or information relates closely to it.
- If you are not proceeding from an already written assignment, it might help to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped, with the content coming out of the funnel. See the diagram below:
![alt text](/sites/default/files/styles/container_width_large_x1/public/oral1.jpg?itok=QlKP7kEj)
Useful language for presentations
Staging the introduction
Function |
EXAMPLES OF SIGNPOST LANGUAGE |
---|---|
Greet the audience |
Good morning/afternoon distinguished guests/ladies and gentlemen/colleagues (whichever is appropriate) |
Express special acknowledgements if appropriate |
I’d especially like to welcome… |
Signal question/discussion opportunity |
There will be time for questions and discussion at the end of my talk. |
Introduce your carefully defined topic |
I’d like to talk to you about… |
Explain the topic area and purpose |
This presentation will cover mainly… |
Dispose of a distraction or side issue |
Before I start, let me clarify one point… |
Briefly preview the organisation of the body of your talk |
The main points I will make are, first… second… and third… |
Provide important history and/or definitions |
As background, it’s important to note that… |
Remind the audience of the topic and give it status |
So we can see that (the topic) involves… |
Body
The body of the presentation should meet the promises of purpose and information made in the introduction.
The structure of the presentation is crucial.
Whether you organise:
- chronologically,
- by priority,
- or theme
the body of your talk must proceed logically. The main points should be brought out one by one, with concise and relevant supportive evidence, statistics or examples and verbal ‘signposting’ of your progress through your argument or report.
You could present each important idea or point several times in different ways, because a listening audience needs several opportunities to fully absorb meaning.
You need to state clearly the links between your ideas and always signal when the next point is coming. If you think something is particularly important, say so and why.
If you don’t have a written assignment, it will help to think of your main points as paragraph topic sentences, each of which needs to be followed by supporting sentences and a conclusion.
Staging the body of your talk
FUNCTION |
EXAMPLES OF SIGNPOST LANGUAGE |
---|---|
Begin the body of the talk |
The first point I would like to address is… |
Develop the first point |
For example… |
Sum up the first point |
So, we can see that… |
Introduce the second point |
Secondly, I’d like to turn to… |
Develop the second point |
An important statistic in this area is… |
Sum up the second point |
It’s evident that… |
Bring in the final point |
Finally, we need to look at… |
Develop the final point |
This situation exists because… |
Sum up the final point |
Thus, the result is… |
Emphasising a point |
I’d like to stress that… |
Introducing a contrasting idea |
By the way… |
Sum up the body of the talk and remind listeners of the topic |
To summarise… |
Group Presentations
It may be that you are making a presentation as part of a group. Essentially the same information applies to group presentations as individual ones. It is important that they are logical and well structured as well as professional and meaningful. It is also doubly important that the group rehearse and practise together several times to ensure the presentation runs smoothly on the day.
Handing over to a co-presenter
Your talk may involve several speakers in your group presentation. You need to manage the handover smoothly and professionally, for example:
“I would like to conclude my discussion/report at this point and hand over to my partner/colleague XYZ who will examine/discuss/report the area/topic/perspective of…”
Conclusion
Similar to a written assignment, the conclusion again states your main points and what has been learned or shown but you also may raise implications inherent in the findings and offer creative recommendations.
Staging the conclusion
FUNCTION |
EXAMPLE OF SIGNPOST LANGUAGE |
---|---|
Signal the end of your talk is coming |
In conclusion, we have examined the question that… |
Remind the audience of your argument |
We discussed… |
Remind the audience of your findings |
The evidence shows that… |
Alert the audience that you have thought deeply about the topic |
An important implication is… |
Offer an innovative, provoking thought to take away |
I would like to offer recommendations to address this. Firstly… Secondly… |
Signal the end of your talk |
Thank you for your time and attention today. |
Signal the question/discussion session |
I’d now like to open the floor for questions and discussion. |