STUDY SKILLS BOOK - Assumption University

GIVING A SEMINARPRESENTATIONPresenting papers to your classis not just another assessmentmethod used by lecturers as analternative to examinations, butit is also a chance to learn a vitalskill which could be very helpfulto you in your future career.You must have a paper topresent, talking off the top ofyour head should be kept foremergencies only. Experiencedspeakers who are thoroughly familiarwith a subject may seemto be able to present material“just like that” but even theyput a lot of thought into eachpresentation and have only dispensedwith notes because the material is so familiar to them.Approach the writing of your seminar paper in the same way asyou would approach writing any other assignment, but bear thefollowing points in mind;a. your paper should be not only a good piece of writtenwork but it must be informative and interesting to yourfellow studentsb. you should treat the oral presentation as a trial run foryour paper and then amend your argument in the light ofcomment and discussion. Write your final draft soonafterwards so that any new ideas are still fresh.THE PRESENTATIONThe task of presenting a seminar paper can become less dauntingif you understand the nature of oral communication and learnsome ways to become a more effective speaker.The nature of oral communicationWhen you are speaking you face difficulties which you don’t encounteras a writer:a. your listeners have a limited span of attentionb. the reader can put your assignment down and pick it upagain later to re-read difficult parts, something that yourlisteners can not doc. your listeners can be distracted easily and so miss part ofthe presentationThe speaker does have advantages over the writer, these include:a. as a writer you are remote from your audience and canseem impersonalSTUDY SKILLS BOOK A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS 20