Step-By-Step Guide
Task 3.4: Develop Presentation on GM Muscles
You have been asked to put your presentation on the genetically modification of muscles together and to finish other preparations for conducting the presentation and the question and answer session that will follow it.
Reminder: In your research you may encounter theological or religious arguments, particularly regarding ethics. Remember that you have been asked to not include this line of discussion in your presentation.
The steps below will help you with your task.
- Note: The steps listed do not need to be completed sequentially. Work in the order best suited to your style and that will keep you on schedule for this task.
- Review the email from Dr. Woodrow to ensure you understand your tasks.
- Review the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu) particularly on references and citations, to understand what resources are available to you. You may refer to these resources as you complete your work to help keep track of what you find in your research.
Contents of this step-by-step guide: (click an item to jump to that section)
Project Management (back to top)
Your team will need to continue managing your projects and submit a team status report.
- Keep the same project manager as in the previous task.
- Use your status report template to keep track of your team’s work for this task. At the end of this task the project manager will need to submit the team status report detailing what was accomplished.
- Refer to previous tasks for more information on project management.
Develop Presentation (back to top)
You have been asked to develop your presentation based on your team presentation outline, presentation proposal, and feedback from your mentor. The steps involved in completing this task will vary depending on the type of presentation your team is doing. Plan carefully and communicate well with your teammates to complete this task within the allotted time.
- Review your notes from your previous presentations to refresh your memory of points you wanted to improve on or mistakes you wanted to avoid. Discuss with your team other ways things can be done to strengthen your presentation (and your skills).
- Discuss what needs to be accomplished with your team to get a sense of specifically what needs to be done to complete your presentation given your chosen format.
- Divide up your roles for the presentation.
- As a team, decide who will deliver each piece of the presentation. Use the outline as a guide for making these decisions.
- Next, as a team, decide who is developing the written materials for each section.
- Make sure that the labor is divided evenly among the team members.
- Each member of your team needs to present at least twice during this rotation (there are four presentations total in the rotation). Divide your work as your team sees fit, so long as everyone feels that the distribution is equitable and in the end you meet this requirement.
- Develop your presentation using the information available to you in the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu) under “Making Presentations” or other material you find based on your own research.
Tips and Traps for all types of presentations:
- It is helpful to develop a plan before starting to create consensus on what work needs to be done and when each piece is expected to be completed.
- Whatever plan you choose, remember to follow the outline you created as a team. Update your outline and/or your work plan when you get any comments or feedback on the outline from the mentor.
- Look for recommendations for both things to do as well as to avoid, given your chosen presentation method, in order to strengthen your presentation.
- Make sure the information you wish to convey isn’t lost in the details of how the presentation is done (e.g., using too many bells and whistles).
- Present the information in a logical order so your audience is able to follow along.
- Define and/or explain any terms or concepts you use that your audience may not be familiar with.
- Whether the work is completed independently or as a team, the final product needs to have a consistent “look and feel” throughout the presentation. Use the same colors, fonts, and organization to have the best audience appeal.
Prepare for Question and Answer Session (back to top)
You need to be prepared to answer any questions committee members have that aren’t answered elsewhere in your presentation.
- Ddiscuss with your team some questions people may have about genetically modification that are not explicitly answered in your presentation. These questions might come from:
- topics you encountered in your research
- issues raised during your focus groups,
- points your team decided not to include in the presentation,
- questions members of your team had about the topic,
- or from other sources.
- Determine which questions you are able to answer now.
- Compile notes for questions that a member of your team cannot answer from memory.
- Divide up any remaining questions and conduct research so your team is able to answer them if the question is asked.
- Go over your notes and other material to familiarize yourself with points to increase the likelihood that you will be able to answer other questions that may come up.
- Witnesses at congressional hearings don’t always have an answer to every question asked of them at the time of the hearing. While this may happen, you are expected to be reasonably prepared for the question and answer sessions.
Run-through and Revisions (back to top)
- Practice as a team and then do a run-through with your mentor.
- Schedule your run-through with your mentor for a time when you will be well-prepared.
- Before conducting the run-through with your mentor, listen to each team member’s portion of the presentation and think critically about your own work.
- Take your dress rehearsal seriously; it is an opportunity not only to practice and build confidence but also to get feedback from your mentor on your content and style before presenting in front of a larger audience.
- For a wealth of information on how to prepare for a presentation, visit the section on “Making Presentations/ Speaking” in the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu).
- Revise and finalize the presentation.
- Discuss any issues that arose during the run-through and make changes as needed.
- Give each other feedback as well; remember that it is part of your job to ensure that every team member is prepared. For advice on giving feedback to your peers, see “Constructive Criticism” in the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu).
- Some people may benefit from conducting additional practice sessions with the materials. Be flexible if other team members ask for you to listen to their sections again, and offer additional feedback.
Review and Submit Your Work (back to top)
- Review your work.
- In your presentation, did you answer all the questions the committee asked?
- Did you include other information your team determined was important?
- Did your team prepare for their notes for the question and answer session?
- Did you revise your presentation according to the feedback from your mentor and other members of your team?
- (Project Manager) Did you update your team status report to reflect the current state of progress?
- Submit your work.
- Review the checklist located in the Submit Your Work section of this task to ensure completion of the task before submitting your deliverables to your mentor.
Resources
Task 3.4 Resources
There are no new content-specific resources for this task. Use the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu), relevant resources from previous tasks, other resources you have available to you, and/or conduct your own research to find the information you need to complete this task.
