Guidelines for Oral Presentation

When you finish your Science Project you will be asked to summarize everything you did and learned and to present this information orally to your teacher and peers. This is called the ORAL PRESENTATION. The ORAL PRESENTATION also may be part of what is presented to the judges at Science Fair and would include being able to answer questions about your Science Project.

TIPS FOR ORAL PRESENTATION

• Check your ORAL PRESENTATION thoroughly for grammar. Have your Language Arts teacher help you.

• Start early. A good ORAL PRESENTATION is the result of many hours of work. Practice at home in front of a mirror and in front of family members as well.

• Make sure your voice is well modulated. This means that you are neither too loud nor too soft and that your voice rises and falls normally. Sometimes, when a person is nervous, their voice can rise and get squeaky. Other times they speak with only one tone like a robot. This makes people fall asleep!

• Make and keep eye contact with your audience.

• Keep your head up.

• Make sure your voice is clear and that you enunciate (pronounce the words) clearly.

• Don’t shift back and forth on your feet. Either plant your feet solid and stand still, or, if you want to move, do so purposefully.

• Keep track of your hands. Don’t fidget.

• Avoid verbal clutter ("um", "er", "like", "ya know" etc.). People use these phrases when they are thinking about what they will say. If you memorize completely what you will say you can avoid this problem.

• Sometimes memorizing a speech can cause another set of problems. A memorized presentation can come out sounding flat and emotionless. Sometimes a person speaks too quickly if they have their speech memorized. Know what you will say but avoid these mistakes also.