TIPS FOR MAKING A SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP ORAL PRESENTATION

I) WHILE PREPARING YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION

A) UPSTREAM FROM YOUR GROUP PRESENTATION, prepare everything by breaking down the role of each person, that is to say, it is necessary to clearly specify who is presenting which part. Exemplification: In a group of 6, for example, the first will make the introduction, the second will take over from the first one and start with the first half of the first part, another, the third will take care of the second half of the first part, the fourth will take care of the first half of the second part, the fifth will tackle the second half of the second part and the sixth will finish it all by ending with the conclusion

B) YOU SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL MEMBERS have something to say during the presentation, even a small part of the entire presentation should be dedicated to each member who is part of the presentation, this is not mandatory, but it should ensure that each of them plays an active role in it. Exemplification: As being the first to present to you the subject that I remember, you read like this: [you cite the title of the presentation of a brief summary of the text which leads to it] / I take over from my classmate/colleague/co-worker to highlight the [you cite the title of the part that you are responsible for presenting] / To follow up on my classmate/colleague/co-worker, I will present the [cite the title which represents your part of the stint that you had to look into] and off we go.

II) WHILE PRESENTING IN FRONT OF A JURY OR AN AUDIENCE

A) STATE THE SUBJECT to be addressed loud and clear even if the jury or the public already knows it well, it is always more business to remind them of what is at stake here. Exemplification: We are here before you to talk about social media through its pros and cons / I am sitting here before you to address the issue of ... / I have the responsibility to give you my version of the facts regarding ... / The purpose of my presence here before you is to address the issue of ... 

B) STRUCTURE THE PRESENTATION around the team presentation, making it easier for the team you are a part of as well as the jury or audience, to connect with you and be in tune with what you are about to tell them from start to finish. Exemplification: There are six of us to present to you the subject in question which was mentioned a few minutes ago / There are six of us to join forces to guide you in the subject: we have Alice who will take care of ..., we have Bob who will take care of ..., we have Chloé who will take care of ..., we have Daniel who will deal with ..., we have Elliott who will deal with ..., and finally we have Fiona who will deal with ...

C) EMPHASIZE THE VALUE of talking about the topic, either because it is a current topic that deserves to be highlighted in its entirety, or because it is an old topic that needs to be brought back to like and whose implications will ripple through people's lives through negativity or positivity. Exemplification: The subject in question offers the possibility of delving deeper into its ins and outs / Examining the subject that we are about to develop is for us a golden opportunity to recall the different aspects of it / The journey through the mazes of this subject will be a joyful moment to express ourselves on all the sides that the subject can allow / Addressing this subject will make us discover many things which, I hope, will interest you 

D) DELINEATE THE SCOPE you want to present as the topic can be approached from different angles. Exemplification: We will focus on the aspect of ... / We will instead work on the next aspect ... and leave aside the rest because we would like you to learn more about it / The topic will focus on ... which will provide you with all the necessary knowledge to enable you to deepen your skills / We will focus exclusively on ... / We clarify that we will not look at all the facts that the topic entails but rather ...

E) DIVIDE THE SPEECH into different sections:

1st section: INTRODUCTION = The introduction is the head of the oral presentation. It is in the introduction that we must first define the scope of the subject that we wish to address and then announce the content of what we are going to do in the remainder of the oral presentation. As a last resort, it is appropriate to end the introduction by stating the parts to be covered through a well-structured plan. Exemplification: The introduction will first provide you with a definition of the topic we would like to highlight and then an overview of how we plan to approach the topic through an organized set of ideas that the plan will encompass / A definition of the topic will get the ball rolling in the introduction as we examine it before presenting the main ideas, representing those that will guide us in understanding the topic.

2nd section: DEVELOPMENT = The development is the body of the oral presentation., that is to say all the elements that we wish to develop. It is through the different parts that you develop your argument, being able to rely on videos, slideshows and quotes to support your arguments. It is appropriate to present contradictory arguments before taking a position when it comes to addressing a controversial aspect. It is necessary to ensure the transition between the parts of the subject. Exemplification: After analyzing the first aspect of this study, we will move on to the second part / We will now move on to the second part of this study which made us known / Let us move on to the next point which will be addressed / Let us move on to the second part after having exhausted the first part.

We can also QUESTION THE PUBLIC by asking if everything is going well. Exemplification: do you have any questions so far? If there are no questions, let's move on to ... / Is everyone following my presentation? / Are you still in tune with me? Okay, let's continue then.

In the case  of several successive speakers, it is necessary to ENSURE THE SPEECH TRANSITION to make the presentation as fluid and pleasant to the ear as possible. Exemplification: I will now give the floor to Bob who will tell us about ... which represents the second point of this study / That's all for me but let me give the floor to Chloé who will explain ...

3rd section: CONCLUSION = it's not a repetition of what you have already said in the development section but a brief summary of what you developed in the second section. Exemplification: We have just seen the opposing ideas which could be summarized as the pros and cons of the topic / The advantages and disadvantages have clearly shown that the above-mentioned topic is based on a duality / The benefits and the harms of the topic have been clearly exposed in the second part of the above presentation represented by the development section / The topic has provided us with an opportunity to highlight the pros and cons of the task we have been privileged to face.

AN OPENING TO A BROADER questioning process consisting of a few questions about what you did not cover in your presentation. The conclusion opens new doors arising from the initially discussed topic. New doors open to questions that could give rise to new discussions within the framework of an expansion or extrapolation of the initial theme. Exemplification: Could we close the gap that development has created for us through the plan by imagining another setup for this topic? / Are the highlights presented in the development section the only way to approach the topic without imagining another possible option? / Will the subject probably fit into the division that you have just drawn above or could another possibility of which we are yet unaware of the existence materialize? / Could there not be another alternative different from those we have mentioned and which could be innovative in its approach and implementation

III) WHILE WINDING UP THE PRESENTATION

A) YOU MUST DECLARE that you have officially completed the presentation, which signifies to your listeners, jury and/or audience that his is the final aspect of what you have revealed so far. Exemplification: That's all / That's it / I'm done / That's all I had time for / I'm going to leave it there / I'll call it a day / I'm winding up / I'm wrapping up

B) THE JURY OR THE PUBLIC MUST BE INVITED to ask questions. Exemplification: Do you have any questions? / Please feel free to ask any questions you deem necessary / Any questions you want to ask, now is your time / Don't hesitate to ask me any questions you like / I'm all ears to listen to your questions / I'm open to all your questions

C) YOU MUST THANK the jury and the public for listening to you. Exemplification: I will not end this presentation without thanking you for your time and wishing you a wonderful day / Let me end my presentation by thanking you very much for your time / Let me just say I appreciated your time / I very much appreciate your time and consideration throughout this presentation