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Chapter 4 of Oral Presentations for
Technical Communication provides additional
information about how you can continue to become
comfortable and confident as a presenter. This
chapter contains the following ideas on how you can
improve your confidence:
• Join a Local Speechmaking
Organization
• Give Presentations to Children
• Present to Small Groups
• Try Your Ideas Out In Writing
• Read Science and Technology Written
for General Audiences
• Pay Attention to Museum Exhibits
• Attend Presentations and Be a
Critic
These exercises build on the ideas addressed
in Chapter 4:
1. Locate a professional speaking association in
your community and check into their services.
Attend a meeting if you can and find out more about
their opportunities and events.
2. Volunteer to give a talk to the local
elementary school or at your public library's
children's section. Pick a topic that involves
something you care about and think children will
find interesting.
3. If you have a job or internship, offer to
give a brown bag lunch presentation at work. If you
don't work, offer to give a talk to your dorm or a
student club on campus. Keep it short and simple,
and use it as a time to practice your posture, eye
contact, and other delivery skills.
4. For the next two weeks, increase your normal
reading habits by including new items on scientific
and technical ideas. Make notes while you read
about words or concepts that are new to you, and
look these up in a dictionary or other source.
Observe how science and technology journalists make
complex topics seem simple and interesting.
Presentations and Cyberspace. Connect to
the Web site for Toastmasters
International
and learn more about this organization. Check out
their "10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking".
If you wish, attend a local meeting.
Presentations and Teamwork. With several
other students, attend one or more presentations in
town and critique the speaker(s), use of visuals,
and other items. Write down your observations and
discuss them with your teammates. Pay particular
attention to items you would like to emulate.
Presentations and International
Communication. Determine when you would want to
use a translator for giving a presentation to an
audience from a different culture. How would you
work with this translator (e.g., where would the
translator stand during the presentation, would he
or she receive a copy of the speech in advance,
would you want the translator to be seen or only
heard)? What are some questions or pointers you
would want to go over with the translator prior to
the presentation?
Presentations and Your Profession. List
several projects you are doing or recently
completed in your field; identify some that might
be interesting to elementary school students.
Arrange to give a presentation to a class at a
local elementary school (it will probably be a good
idea to meet with the teacher several days before
your presentation to learn more about the group of
students, explain what you plan to do and say, and
to solicit the teacher's suggestions for ensuring
the effectiveness of your presentation).
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