How to develop the presentation :

Now that you have worked with your team to determine your thesis statement, you will create your presentation on the potential changes your team investigated and practice your presentation.

Outline Development

1. Prepare yourself to create an outline of the presentation.
   
   
• For help, click on Writing in the General Skills Resources in the left menu.
  
  
  • Think about the outline as the structure of your argument. Read about how to create this structure using the resources in the section Developing an Outline.
    
    
  • Explore the resources in the section Building Your Argument. Then, think about the kinds of ideas that will contribute to the strength of your argument.
    
    
2. Begin your outline with your thesis statement. The rest of your presentation will be based on the ideas in this statement. This section should include a statement of the problem your team addressed and your team’s overall recommendation to Mr. Clark.



• When you give your opinion on whether to fund further studies about re-engineering the worm, be sure to address all of the key questions that he posed in his initial email to you.  If you need to remind yourself what Bill Clark’s key questions were, you should revisit the email.



• Following the thesis statement, include a brief, general description of how the research was done; this will give your audience a sense of the kind of support and evidence you will provide for your thesis.


3. Create a place in the outline for each change investigated by a member of your team.



1. Use your Rank Template to list the changes you researched.
   
   
2. Decide whether to start with the most viable features first or leave them for the end. You might base this decision on your thesis; a positive recommendation might be best supported by listing the most viable features first.
   


3. For each change investigated, outline the following subtopics:
• the hypotheses the team member pursued
• how the individual research was done
• what the person learned
• what the person concluded
• why he/she concluded this, providing the scientific support found
• a statement of how these findings relate to the overall thesis or recommendation


4. At the end of the outline, provide a summary and conclusion.
   
   
5. Submit the outline to your mentor for feedback.

Presentation Development

There are several remaining tasks to create a complete presentation from your outline. Complete the remaining tasks in whatever order you choose and structure your time as you see fit.  It will be important to plan carefully and communicate well with your teammates.

1. For help in working and making decisions as a team, visit the Teamwork link in the General Skills Resources in the left menu.



2. For help with project and time management, visit the Project Management link in the General Skills Resources in the left menu.



• 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.
  
  
• You also need to decide who is developing the written materials for each section.  It may be helpful for the same person to write the materials that he/she is delivering.
   
  
• Make sure that the labor is divided evenly among the team members. Every person on the team needs to participate in both writing and giving the presentation.
  
  
• Use PowerPoint to create written materials for each section of the presentation outline.
  
  
• For helpful instruction in using the PowerPoint program, click on the link Making Presentations/Speaking in the General Skills Resources in the left menu. See the section on Using PowerPoint.
  
  
• Make decisions as a team on formatting, such as graphics, colors, and fonts.  Agreeing on these details early on will reduce the need for rework and last-minute decisions.
  
  
• For each section of the outline, create a new slide in PowerPoint with a title that describes the point of the section. You'll fill in these slides later.
  
  
• Work individually or as a team to develop slides.
  
  
• It may be helpful to develop a plan before starting this work to create consensus on when each piece will 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.
  
  
• Whether the slides are developed independently or as a team, all slides should have a consistent “look and feel” throughout the presentation.  They should use the same colors, fonts, and organization to have the best audience appeal.
  
  
• Your goal is to explain which ideas might be worth pursuing, which are not, and why, and whether there are enough worthwhile ideas to go forward with more research.  Keep relating the details back to your team’s thesis.

Run-through and Revisions

1. Practice as a team and then do a run-through (like a dress rehearsal) with the mentor.
   


• Schedule your run-through with the mentor for a time when you will be well-prepared.
   
• Before conducting the run-through with the 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.
   


2. 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 the section about Giving Constructive Feedback in the General Skills Resources.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
3. Submit your finalized presentation to your mentor.

Final Preparations

1. Use any available time to practice your portion of the presentation or to smooth out difficult parts with the team.
   
   
2. You will be expected to offer feedback to other teams as they present to Dr. Matthews. To prepare, you can review the section Giving Constructive Feedback in the General Skills Resources.

Presentation Outline

• Do seek out and incorporate ideas from all team members about how to structure the presentation.  Once decisions are made, make sure everyone on the team is clear about how they should structure their arguments.



• Do use feedback from your mentor on your team's outline to appropriately revise your presentation plan.
  
  
• Don’t view the outline as busywork. By developing the outline before creating the slides, you will have an easier time developing the presentation and improve the flow and clarity of your argument.

Presentation Content

• Do decide carefully which points to detail on the slides and which to reserve for your oral comments. Cluttered slides with a lot of text will distract the audience; they will focus on reading the slides rather than listening to what you have to say.



• Do back up your argument with many scientific facts from your research.  Make sure you have a good understanding of the science facts and concepts you are presenting so you can respond to any questions or challenges.



• Do make a clear and explicit overall recommendation to Mr. Clark regarding funding further research of the worm re-engineering project.  As you do this, be sure you are answering the key questions from Mr. Clark’s first email. 



• Don’t get so involved in the details that your overall recommendation is lost or muddled.  Be sure to make your overall recommendation very clear; relate points back to your thesis often during the rest of the presentation.

Presentation Style and Organization

• Do work as a team and incorporate all members of the team in the presentation.  Move from one presenter to the next in an understandable sequence with clear transitions. Practice the presentation so that it flows well.
  
  
• Do wrap up your presentation with a conclusion or summary. (This may be a rephrasing of the claim in your thesis.)

• Do use the run-through as an opportunity to get feedback on what you've done and to improve your presentation.



• Don’t be resistant to constructive criticism from your teammates or your mentor. When you present an argument, you are doing it to communicate your ideas to an audience. If the audience doesn't understand your message or challenges your message, then your presentation isn't working as well as it could be; you must be willing to make changes to get your message across more clearly.



• Do take time to incorporate any feedback that the mentor shares before you give the final presentation.

There are no new content-specific resources relevant here, but you are always welcome to revisit prior tasks and review any relevant resources you may need.  You may also find some of the General Skills Resources to be helpful, as noted throughout the Step-by-Step Guide.