Activity description

What makes a good oral presentation?

Which do you think are True, which False?

1. The speaker conveys the topic in great detail.
2. The speaker uses impressive academic language.
3. The audience is engaged.
4. It's easy to follow the speaker's direction.
5. The content is all relevant to the title or task.
6. The visuals are impressively dazzling.

Feedback

3, 4 and 5 are True. In a good oral presentation, the audience is engaged, it's easy to follow the speaker's direction, and the content is all relevant to the title or task.

1. False. Speakers must know their topic, otherwise how can they present on it. However, it's more important to be enthusiastic about the topic than to know it down to the smallest detail. When you prepare your presentation you have to identify the key elements to present. Too great a level of detail can be overwhelming and boring.
2. False. Sometimes speakers feel they have to impress their listeners by showing how much they know and by using lots of complex academic language. The level and type of language you use should be appropriate to the situation and to your audience. Too much jargon could mean your audience will be unable to grasp your points.
3. True. It's very important that the audience should feel engaged. You can do this through eye contact, using your voice to maintain interest, and by ensuring your visuals and content are appropriate.
4. True. Listeners are dependent on the presenter for a sense of direction. Clear structure is important, but the speaker also needs to 'signpost' what's coming next and what the key points are. When you're reading, you can go back and look at something again for clarification, but you can't do that when you're listening.
5. True. It sounds obvious, but it's easy to drift away from the title. When you're preparing your presentation, you need to keep returning to the title to ensure all your points are relevant.
6. False. Visuals are an important feature of a presentation, but they need to be clear and effective, not dazzling. A good presentation can be ruined by visuals that distract the listeners from the message.

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