Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Tips for Giving a Great Presentation
You awaken with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Do you have the flu? Was it something you ate? Suddenly you remember. Today is the day you have to give an oral presentation. You want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over your head. Don't do it! Giving an oral presentation is not that bad. The key is to be well prepared.
First, you need to research your subject. You will want to sound like an expert on your topic. Preparing an oral report is much like writing a paper. You research, take notes, and prepare an outline. You might even want to write out your whole presentation. Make sure it has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
However, you don't want to just read your speech to your audience. Nor do you want to memorize the whole thing. This is almost as bad as reading it aloud. You won't sound natural. You will bore the students and the teacher. And you probably won't get a very good grade. When you are preparing what you are actually going to say, go back to your outline.
On your outline, highlight the key phrases. Put each phrase on a note card. Then go back to the written paper. Find one or two important details that go with each key point. They may be explanations or examples. On your note cards, write down one or two words that will help you emphasize each main point. You might want to use a different color for these details.
The idea is to be able to use the note cards to jog your memory. You can refer to them during your presentation to help you keep your place. You can glance at them occasionally, but most of your time will be spent looking at your audience. Read over your note cards many times. This will help you to remember the most important points of your presentation.
