Create the Ideal Class Presentation

The big "secret" to creating a powerful and effective class presentation is to, first, really want to. The most successful presentations are offered not necessarily by the smartest or best students in the class but by those who were passionate about their topic, who picked a topic that they really cared about instead of trying to figure out what might be the easiest to do just to get it over with. In fact, developing a topic that is relevant to you personally or professionally and discussing why your topic is important to you is a major part of the assignment!

There is a great deal of pedagogical value in class presentations if they are approached and completed properly. I strongly urge you to take your presentations as seriously as you can. Here is some detailed advice about how to approach your class presentation to earn the highest grade possible.

1. During the first week or two of class, take a close look at the major headings in your textbook. These are your list of categories that you should create a topic from. Spend some time thinking about your topic carefully. As you read over the major headings, try to think of a topic that has great meaning to you personally or professionally. This class presentation is really a "thinking assignment" more than anything else. Telling me "this is something I have always been interested in" is non-responsive: I want to know exactly why the topic you have chosen is meaningful to you.
2. Write your presentation topic as a research question. This will help to keep your focus narrow and specific. For example, instead of writing "Stress" as a topic (this is not a topic but a general heading), you must develop a specific research question, e.g., "Anxiety adjustment disorders faced by Ethiopian housekeepers in the UAE."
3. Presentations that are mostly or entirely definitional in nature (simply define a category heading, e.g., Motivation, Stress, Mood Disorders, Intercultural Communication, Leadership, etc.), that fail to provide insight and detailed information, can earn no more than a grade of 50 (minimal pass).
4. Presentations that simply define a broad category heading, such as "motivation" or "interpersonal relationships" are non-responsive and will receive very poor grades.
5. Your PowerPoint slides should contain mostly bulleted points. You want to use the slides to remind you of the points you want to speak about. Do NOT read large blocks of text directly from your slides if you want a good grade.
6. Pay very close attention to the time factor: Fifteen to 20 minutes does not mean three or four minutes. No one can develop and present an academic topic sufficiently in less than 15 minutes. Rehearse your presentation before giving it in class to make certain that you have something of substance to present for at least 15 minutes. This minimum time requirement is there to help you structure a detailed presentation that has substance and reflects original or creative thinking.
7. Remember: You cannot fake a good presentation. You either have something of substance to present or you don’t.
8. This presentation is not intended to be a basic computer skills test: Do not copy and paste blocks of text from the Internet. Doing so will result in an automatic “F” (with or without citations). The presentation must be written in your own words. When you cite another author, you must use quotation marks and then provide the author’s name and publication year.
9. You MUST cite at least two external references within the presentation itself to earn more than a minimal pass. Simply listing references at the end of your presentation (last slide) that have not been specifically cited within the presentation itself is unacceptable.
10. Due to very tight time constraints, there can be no "do-overs," second chances. Make sure you understand exactly what is expected of you before presenting. This is what the presentation proposal is for.

Sample PowerPoint Presentation

For very clear and explicit examples of one excellent versus one very poor quality presentation, take a look at the article sample presentations. Here you can download actual PowerPoint presentations that clearly illustrate what you should do and what you should not do.