Basic Elements of Classroom Presentations

• Basic goals of your presentation.
• Develop your presentation's topic to a few main ideas.
• Audience characteristics and knowledge base
  Cover mutual ground as a starting point
  Compare and adapt the presentation's goals with the interests of the audience
• Thesis statement
  State where you are going and what you will prove
• Argument
  Convince them with facts and logic
• Review and summarize when complete;
  Summarize what you've told them
  Check for comprehension
• Questions and discussion

Techniques of Delivery

• Put your audience at ease with a relevant anecdote or joke, or get their attention with a dramatic gesture or event...
• Use personal pronouns in your delivery;
• Make eye contact with the audience;
• Present your report with a conversational voice though vary it for emphasis;
• Use transitions to signal the audience you're moving to a new idea;
• Direct questions to your audience to get them more involved;
• Conclude by summing up your main ideas, points, or arguments;
• Leave time for questions, and invite feedback on
• the content (un-addressed, related ideas)
• the conclusions
• your manner of presentation
• Leave your contact information (business card) for further questions

Using Visual Aids or Media

• Call early and make sure hardware is compatible with your software;
  and software versions of your documents are compatible with versions of their software
• Have several versions of computerized files (on your hard drive, disk, web site, and overhead and/or paper (!) just in case
• Come early and make sure everything works and that any media (audio, visual, computer) can be seen, heard, understood by all
• Keep all visual materials simple in large text for visibility
• Have supportive materials for each idea
• Do not distribute handouts, even outlines, before your speech (or the audience will focus on the reading material instead of listening to you)