SEMINAR IN

INTERNATIONAL
RELATION
REASON WRITING A REPORT
Oral presentations are one of the most common
assignments in college courses. Scholars, professionals,
and students in all fields desire to disseminate the new
knowledge they produce, and this is often accomplished
by delivering oral presentations in class, at
conferences, in public lectures, or in company
meetings.
Therefore, learning to deliver effective presentations is
a necessary skill to master both for college and further
endeavors.
Oral presentations typically involve three important
steps:
1) planning,
2) practicing, and
3) presenting.
1. Planning

Oral presentations require a good deal of planning.

Scholars estimate that approximately 50% of all
mistakes in an oral presentation actually occur in
the planning stage (or rather, lack of a planning
stage).
Make sure to address the following issues:
Audience
· Focus your presentation on the audience. Your
presentation is not about how much you can say,
but about how much your audience can understand.
· Organize your information into three to five
points/categories. Audiences can only easily
remember a maximum of three to five points.
· Build repetition. Listening is much different than
reading. Your audience cannot go back and read
over something they missed or did not understand.
Build repetition through internal summaries,
transitions, analogies, and stories.
Introduction:
· Introduce yourself if needed, providing your
affiliation and/or credibility.
· Create an effective opening that will interest
your audience: pose a question, give an
amazing fact, or tell a short, interesting story.
· Reveal your topic to the audience and explain
why it is important for them to learn about.
· Give a brief outline of the major points you
will cover in your presentation.
Main Body:

· Explain your points. Give clear explanations.

Provide sufficient evidence to be convincing.
· Use transitions between sections of your
presentation (introduction, body, and
conclusion) as well as between points in your
main body section.
· Use analogies and stories to explain
complicated ideas and to build repetition.
Conclusion:
· Signal your conclusion with a transition.
· Summarize your points.
· Refer to future action if needed.
· End with, “Thank You.”
· If answering questions, tell your audience,
“I’ll now be happy to answer any questions.”
2. Practicing
Practicing your presentation is essential. It is at this
stage of the process that you figure out word and phrase
emphasis and the timing of your sections and overall
presentation.

· Record your presentation and review it in order to

know how you sound and appear to your audience. You
may notice that you are pausing awkwardly, talking too
fast, or using distracting gestures.
· Consider using different colored highlighters to remind
yourself when to pause, when to emphasize a particular
point, when you have a slide change on your PowerPoint,
etc.
· Practice in front of peers and elicit feedback. Ask
your peers to comment on your delivery and
content. What aspects of your delivery work well
to convey the information and argument of the
presentation, and what aspects of your delivery
are not working as well as they could? Also, are
there moments in your presentation in which your
peers become confused, bored, or distracted?
· Remember that the more you practice, the more
comfortable you will become with the material. As
a result of repeated practice, you will appear far
more polished and professional while delivering
your presentation.
3. Presenting
As the person in charge of the situation when presenting, it is your
job to make your audience feel comfortable and engaged with both
you and the material of the presentation.

● Maintain eye contact. Only look at notes or slides very briefly.

Sweep the room with your gaze, pausing briefly on various people.
● Be aware of your body posture.
● Be enthusiastic about your topic.
● Smile.
● Slow down your speech. We naturally talk
faster when we are nervous. Include pauses to
allow your listeners to keep up and time for
you to think ahead.
● Use gestures to emphasize points and move
about the space if possible.
· Calibrate the volume of your voice so that
people in the back of the room can hear you.
· Avoid fillers, such as “Ah, uh, I mean, like,
okay, um….”
· Act as natural and relaxed as possible.
· Dress appropriately.
Not like this
Visual Aids - help explain your points, act as supporting
evidence, and add visual interest.
· Do not turn your back on the audience to look at the
visual or block the visual with your body.
· Provide an orientation to the visual (explain the X and
Y axis, etc.).
· Highlight what you would like the audience to focus
on, and then make sure you fully explain the
information you are highlighting.
· Make your visuals readable and visually pleasing.
· Above all, make sure your visual aids augment what you
are saying rather than compete with what you are saying.
Try not to include too much text or too many images in
your visual aid. Your spoken words and your visual aid
should work together so the audience’s attention is never
divided between the two.
Questions and Answers – Do not underestimate the
challenge of running a successful question and answer
session. They are unpredictable by nature. In your
planning, try to anticipate possible questions your audience
might have. Follow this four-step process to successfully
answer audience questions:
· Acknowledge the question. (“Good Question!”) This
polite gesture shows your interest.
· Rephrase the question. This important step allows you
to: make sure you understand the question, ensure all
audience members hear the question, phrase the question
into one you want to or are willing to answer, and gain
time to think about your answer.
· Answer the question as clearly and concisely as possible.
· Check for comprehension with the questioner and your
audience. (“Does that make sense? Is that clear?”)
Oral Presentation Resources:
· NC Central Oral Speaking PDF: Very detailed advice on planning, presenting,
concluding, etc. - definitely the most comprehensive and detailed resource on this
list.
· Princeton: Brief bullet-pointed lists on tips to prepare, presenting, visual aids,
etc. - good if you want fast pointers.
· Purdue OWL: Specific advice for presentations in different settings (for example
scientific presentations, persuasive presentations, interviews, etc.) - perhaps a
good link for people who are looking for more specific advice.
· University of Wisconsin : FAQs about presenting - a good overview to address the
common concerns of presenters.
· University of Guelph: Information on how to avoid nerves and deal with making
mistakes during a presentation.
· University of Wisconsin: Gives good timelines and outlines for how different
presentations should be carried out - good for specific organization of a topic.
· Carleton College: If you want more resources about oral presentations, here is a
very comprehensive list of links to the resources of other universities.
· UNC: This is another comprehensive list of links to other schools’ oral
presentation resources.
· Emory University (visual aids): Very detailed PowerPoint on how to design visual
aids and PowerPoints for presentations.
Guidelines For Student Presentations In Class
Suggestions for doing as well as possible in classroom presentation are
noted below.

1. Nervousness and anxiety

Everybody has it when they start. There is no magical solution for
avoiding it. Here are a couple of ideas:

One important step is to do a good job actually understanding the material

you are presenting and organizing it for clear presentation. Last minute and
superficial study and preparation of the material will be reflected as
uncertainty and doubt in your presentation.

No doubt one of the best ways to minimize nervousness and anxiety is to

practice. Practice in front of a mirror and/or in front of friends or family;
ask for feedback. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will
be when making the real presentation. Be sure and time your
presentation, using an egg timer or some other device to mark off the
allotted time; do this with every practice session.

While you would not necessarily be graded down for nervousness,

presentations may be graded poorly when they are poorly organized and
carried out.
2. The Opening
Generally, it is a good idea to do two things at the outset: try to establish a
degree of rapport with the audience and tell the audience what you will
cover.
It can be a good idea to introduce yourself, especially if the class is large
and you don’t know everyone. Another good thing to do is to open with a
story or example (by doing this, you can kill the proverbial two birds of
rapport and nervousness with one stone). For example, you can use a
personal example (something that happened to you or a personal
experience) to explain why you selected a topic.

Another technique that can help you relax in the early part of the
presentation is to get the audience involved by asking a question or having
them do an activity, like take a test or pose a question. Whatever you do,
it should be related to what you are presenting.

After any opening comments or activities, you should tell the audience
what you will cover. This can be a 15 second piece, to the effect that “I’m
going to cover three things. First, I’ll talk about .. Then, I’ll review … and
I’ll wrap up by ….”
3. Engaging the Audience
Engaging the audience does not have to be restricted to
the opening. There are several ways you can keep the
audience actively engaged during your presentation.
Again, some examples include:
Asking hypothetical questions
Taking a show of hands
Having them take a short test (either handed out or
presented on the overhead)
Asking for them to provide an example from their
experience
Do a demonstration using members of the audience

By getting the audience involved, you keep them alert

and attentive, while also taking some pressure off you.
4. Making the Presentation
A basic rule is NOT to read your paper. Deliver your comments in a
more conversational presentation style. Create a separate set of notes
for your presentation; don't flip through a stapled copy of your
paper, especially if it has been graded or marked on. Power Point
allows you to download a copy of slides with the ability to write in
comments.
Whatever form of notes you use, keep them flat on the podium.
Don’t carry them around with you if you move away from the
podium.
I also recommend that students use an outline format as the basis for
their presentation. With an outline, you list the major points you
will talk about, but you don’t write out every word you will say --
the danger being that you might revert to reading it. You work on
the specifics in your practice rehearsals.
One approach is to put the main issues or concepts to be discuss as
bulleted points on the slide. You then expand on and discuss the
bulleted items.
Fill the room with your voice and your knowledge.
5. Making an Impression
You should make an effective impression. This should involve
STANDING AT THE PODIUM.
STAND: this does not mean standing at rigid attention, but
rather staying in one place rather than moving around a
lot or pacing back and forth.
STAND: don’t lean or crouch forward on the podium. Don’t
sit on the table.

Also, don’t create unnecessary personal distractions, like

wearing a hat or sunglasses (unless needed for medical
reasons), or constantly having to flip your hair back or pull it
behind your ears.
For our purposes at school, business dress – while certainly
nice – is not necessary nor expected.
6. Using Visual aides Yardımcılar
You should use visual aides such as Power Point or overhead
transparencies.
The slides should be neat, typed and well organized. There should be
plenty of "white" or blank space. Crowded slides are difficult to read.
Make sure there is a clear color contrast between the background and
the type. Avoid using distracting gimmicks, like moving or pulsating
objects (unless they are the focal point of the slide). Restrain any
impulse to use wild or jarring styles or animations.
The type should be large (minimum 18 point) and easy to read.
If you have not used the technical system at the location, you
should plan on getting there early and familiarizing yourself with
the system in order to avoid technical glitches.
There are two main reasons for making in-class presentations:
sharing what you have learned with your classmates for their
educational benefit, and equipping you to make strong and
effective presentations to others in the “real world” when you
need to. Look at these presentations as a way to build and
improve your skills while inoculating you against the stresses
associated therewith.
Preparing the content
An excellent presentation starts with excellent content. For your presentation to be a success,
identify why you are speaking about your topic and to whom you are delivering the message.
Gather support for your topic, organize your points and write a draft of the presentation. Plan
how you will present, prepare speaking notes and create audiovisual aids.

Analyze the assignment First, examine the assignment your instructor has assigned. The following
questions may help you get started.
• What are possible presentation topics?
• Do you provide information about a particular topic or try to persuade people to do something?
• Does your instructor want you to do research to back up your points or can you rely on your
own experience?
• Are you required to work independently or in a group?
• Are you expected to have audience participation?
• What types of visual aids are you required to use?
• When is the presentation scheduled?
• How long do you have to present?
• Do you have to hand in a paper on the topic you present?
If you are not sure about the requirements, ask you instructor.

Analyze the audience dinleyiciler In addition, analyze your audience. You are giving a class
presentation, so your classmates and instructor are present. Think about who they are.
• How interested might they be in the topic and how could you pique their interest and make the
information relevant to them?
• What do they know or not know about the topic you will present?
• What questions might they ask that you might need to address in the presentation?
ANSWER QUESTIONS COMPETENTLY

If you have prepared well, you will know a lot

about the topic so questions will not
scare you. Sometimes people ask a question
because they have not heard what you said
so you just have to repeat your point but
sometimes they have not understood so you
have to explain, perhaps by elaborating more.
Always stay calm and make sure you have
heard — and understood — the entire question.
Respond honestly as best you can and
check the clarity of your response before moving
on.