SFL/METU
DBE
SHO-Oral Presentation Guidelines
Spring 2017
PIN-B GROUP
Oral Presentation Guidelines & Suggested Topics
In order to prepare an effective presentation, you need to follow a step-by-step process. The six steps to
follow for a presentation to be successful are:
1) Choosing your topic: It is best to choose a topic that interests you as well as your listeners in order to
ensure a successful presentation.
2) Analyzing your audience: Before you start to prepare your presentation, you need to think about your
audience and its level of interest in and knowledge on your topic. If you prepare well, then you will be
more relaxed when you deliver your message.
3) Narrowing down your topic: Presentations are covered in a limited period of time, and it is not possible
to say everything about a topic when time is limited. Therefore, you must narrow down your topic to a
particular aspect of it. A topic that is narrowed down successfully is specific. That is, it contains only one idea.
4) Gathering information: To gather information about your topic, you can use one or more of the
following ways:
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search tools: search the internet using key words or an optical engine
advocacy groups: find an internet advocacy group that has taken a stance on your topic
newspapers and magazines
books and references: use library card catalogs and online reference sources
government sources: check out websites for the various branches of government
5) Preparing visual aids: It is advisable to use visual aids because they make a presentation clear and
interesting. However, begin your presentation with no aids. Use them at the most appropriate time. They:
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add variety
help your audience focus on what you are saying
show relationships among ideas
help to explain the points you make more clearly
help the audience remember what you have said
In addition, a presentation that uses visual aids effectively is more persuasive and professional. Make sure
your visuals are attractive, informative and convenient to use. Some examples of visual aids are the use of
black board, OHP (overhead projector), posters, pictures and power point presentations.
6) Organizing your speech:
Before the presentation:
a) Choose a title: The title of an oral presentation should prepare your audience for the content you will
present. In this way, from the beginning of the presentation, your audience will know what you will be
talking about.
b) Prepare the body of your presentation: Arrange the points of your presentation in a clear, logical
manner. The organizational pattern you choose will depend on your topic and must enable your
audience to follow what you are saying easily.
c) Prepare a preview: After deciding on the organizational pattern, you need to prepare a preview. You
should tell your audience what you are going to cover before you actually begin the body of your
presentation.
 Example: My purpose today is to tell you what to do in the event of a hurricane. I will
cover three major areas.
o
o
o
First, how to prepare for a hurricane.
Second, what safety measures to take during a hurricane.
Third, what to do after the storm is over.
→ AT THIS POINT, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND GET FEEDBACK FOR
YOUR PRESENTATION (20 pts.)
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d) Prepare an attention-getting opener: At the beginning of your presentation, it is very important to attract
your listeners’ attention. Here are four possible ways to do so:
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Ask your audience a series of rhetorical questions
Tell a story
State a surprising fact
State a well-known quotation
e) Determine your style of speech: Determine the style in which you will present your topic. Style basically
refers to your choice of words, the length and structure of your sentences, and the tone, or attitude, you
express toward your audience. Here are some tips for creating an effective style:
 Avoid speaking in a written style and using long sentences. In general, keep your sentences short.
Remember KISS: Keep It Short and Simple.
 Avoid using excessive jargon and abstract words. And be sure to explain any important words your
audience may not be familiar with.
 Design your presentation with planned repetition. A balanced amount of repetition will enable your
audience to understand the points that you plan to make more clearly as well as help them catch points
that they might have missed in your first mention of them.
 Announce each main point as you come to it. In this way, your audience will know when you have
completed one topic and are beginning the next one.
 Clearly demarcate the beginning and end of each point and segment of your presentation.
 Do not memorize your presentation, and don’t write out your whole presentation. Otherwise, your
speech will sound as if you are reading it. Use brief notes, written on one page or on cards.
 Use your voice well. Your words and sentences should be clear, correct and meaningful.
 Be aware of how you use your body. Body language is very effective in keeping the audience
interested. Also, eye contact should be established between the presenter and the entire audience for the
presentation to be a hit.
f) Prepare a Summary: At the end of your presentation, there is the need to make a summary of the main
points that you have made throughout your presentation.
g) Rehearse your presentation until you feel comfortable.
→ DELIVER THE PRESENTATION (60 pts.)
After the presentation:
h) Ask the audience if they have any questions: Once the presentation is over, you should make sure that
what you have talked about has been understood. Encourage your audience to ask questions, which will
indicate whether you have achieved this objective.
i) Reflect on your performance as a speaker, following the guidelines of the self-critique assignment at the
end of the handout, by writing a short paragraph on the strengths and the weaknesses of your
presentation.
→ COMPLETE THE SELF-CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT (10 pts.)
Your friends will evaluate your performance and give a grade out of 10 points. This will be the last component
of your Speaking assessment grade.
→ PEER-ASSESSMENT (10 pts.)
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LANGUAGE FOCUS: INTRODUCING YOURSELF AND YOUR TALK
Greeting, Name, Position (for future use in business presentations)
* Good morning. (My name’s (...). I’m the new Finance Manager.
* Ladies and gentlemen. It’s an honor to have such a distinguished audience.)
* Good morning. Let me start by saying just a few words about my own background. I started out in ...
Title/Subject
* I’d like to talk today about ...
* I’m going to
present the recent history ...
explain Turkey’s position on ...
inform you about ...
describe a little-known phenomenon...
*
The
subject
focus
topic
of my
talk
presentation
paper (academic research)
speech (usually to a public audience)
Length
* I shall only take (...) minutes of your time.
* I plan to be brief.
* This should only last (...) minutes.
Outline/Main parts
* I’ve divided my presentation into four parts/sections.
* They are …
* The subject can be looked at under the following headings: ...
* We can break this area down into the following fields:
* Firstly/first of all ...
* Secondly/then/next ...
* Thirdly/ and then we come to ...
* Finally/lastly/last of all ...
Questions
* I’d be glad to answer any questions at the end of my talk.
* If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt.
* Please interrupt me if there’s something that needs clarifying. Otherwise, there’ll be time for discussion at the end.
Reference to the audience
* I can see many of you are ...
* I know most of you’ve put time aside to...
* You all look as though you’ve heard this before.
LANGUAGE FOCUS: ENDING
Signaling the end
* That brings me to the end of my presentation.
* That completes my presentation.
* Before I stop/finish, let me just say...
* That covers all I wanted to say today.
Summarizing
* Let me just run over the key points again.
* I’ll briefly summarize the main issues.
* To sum up ...
* Briefly ...
Concluding
* As you can see, there are some very good reasons ...
* In conclusion ...
* I’d like to leave you with the following thought/idea.
Recommending
* So, I would suggest that we ...
* I’d like to propose ... (more formal)
* In my opinion, the only way forward is ... (a call for
action)
Closing
* Thank you for your attention.
* Thank you for listening.
* I hope you have gained an insight into ...
Inviting questions
* I’d be glad to try and answer any questions.
* Any questions?
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Suggested Topics for Presentations
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Ethical implications of issues such as:
Euthanasia
Bribery (What is it? Who practices it? Why? Facts & statistics)
Abortion
Capital punishment
Piracy (music, books, etc) (piracy in Turkey & the world, How ethical is it?)
Immigration
(great immigration waves in history, immigration & ethics, reasons why people immigrate, etc)

Unusual hobbies/leisure-time activities (e.g. firewalking, dumpster diving)
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Latest findings, developments, facts, ethical implications of sth. etc.
Driverless cars
3-D printers
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Favorite book, movie, actor, actress, works of art
Interesting places/museums visited
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Brain and memory
IQ and EQ (distinctions, tests, interesting facts, etc)
Long term and short term memory (distinctions, facts, etc)
Age and memory loss
Tips to improve memory
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Procrastination (what it is, how to avoid it, types of procrastinators, own experience, etc)

Discussion of the following quotations on compassion and non-violence, and happiness:
“As a mother loves her one and only child, so shall you love the whole humanity.” (Buddha)
“Hatred cannot be conquered by hatred. Hatred can only be conquered by compassion.” (Buddha)
“If somebody slaps you on the left cheek turn your right cheek also.” (Jesus Christ)
“I respond to those who do good to me by goodness. I also respond to those who do evil to me by
goodness.” (Lao Tzu)
“If someone lives a life of non-violence, he need not perform other religious acts because non-violent
living itself is the highest form of being religious.” (Thirukkural)
“There is no such powerful weapon as Compassion.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if
you are looking for the meaning of life.” (Albert Camus)
“Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.” (Albert Schweitzer)
“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
(Allan K. Chalmers)
“Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient.” (Aristotle)
“If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.” (Edith Warton)
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” (Mohandas K.
Ghandi)
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Please note that you will be graded according to the rubric below.
Presentation Rubric
Organization and Presentation
EXCELLENT
(9-10)
GOOD
(7-8)
Eye contact and body language
Visual aids
Student presents information in
Presentation has no grammatical
logical, interesting sequence that the errors
audience can follow
Student uses a clear voice and
Each member participates in an
correct, precise pronunciation so that
organized sequence. Each section
all the audience can hear the
flows into the next with no
presentation
repetition of facts. There is smooth
transition between the speakers.
The group works together so that
the presentation finishes on time
Student maintains eye contact with
audience, seldom returning to notes
Student uses visual material that
explains and reinforces the text of
the presentation
Student presents information in
logical sequence that the audience
can follow
Student maintains eye contact most
of the time but frequently returns to
notes
Student’s visual material relates to
the text of the presentation
Student occasionally uses eye
contact but still reads most of the
text/notes
Student occasionally uses visual
material that rarely supports the text
of the presentation
Student reads the text/notes with no
eye contact
Student uses unnecessary or no
visual material
Only one or two minor problems
not severely affecting presentation
Audience has difficulty following
presentation because student jumps
SATISFACTORY around
(4-6)
Quite a few unpracticed areas that
take away from the group effort
POOR
(1-3)
Mechanics and Fluency
Audience cannot understand
presentation because there is no
sequence of information
Major problems with important
points making the presentation
seem unrehearsed and disorganized
Presentation has no more than two
grammatical errors
Student’s voice is clear. Student
pronounces most words correctly.
Most of the audience can hear the
presentation
Presentation has three-four
grammatical errors
Student’s voice is low and/or student
mispronounces terms. Audience
members have difficulty hearing the
presentation
Student’s presentation has five or
more grammatical errors
Student mumbles and/or
mispronounces terms, and speaks too
quietly for students in the back of the
class to hear
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SELF-CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT (10 pts.)
FORMAT:
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1 paragraph (150-180 words)
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Typed
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Double spaced
WHAT TO DO:
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Finish your presentation.
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Reflect on your performance.
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Rate the effectiveness of your presentation and your delivery according to the Presentation Rubric on the
previous page.
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Write your paragraph answering the following questions honestly.
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Put your paragraph in your writing portfolio.
WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT:
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Provide an overall evaluation of your presentation:
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How would you rate the effectiveness of your speech?
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Were you satisfied with your performance?
Comment on your preparation:
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Did you allocate sufficient time and energy for the preparation?
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Did you practice thoroughly?
Comment on the presentation and its content:
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Do you believe that you provided your audience with an attention-getting opener?
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Do you believe that you provided your audience with an interesting content?
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Do you believe that you delivered the presentation in a clear and logical manner?
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Do you believe that you provided your audience with appropriate visual aids?
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Do you believe that you provided your audience with sufficient eye-contact and appropriate body language?
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Do you believe that you encouraged your audience to ask questions at the end?

Describe one thing that you did well in the presentation.
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Describe one thing that you would change in the presentation.
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Comment on the overall experience:
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How do you think you have benefited from the overall experience of presenting? Put your paragraph in
your writing portfolio.
PUT YOUR SELF-CRITIQUE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO.
Comfort, J. (1995). Effective Presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Carney, Josh and Karabağ E, Ayşen, Reading, Listening, Speaking, 2007, METU
DBE Materials Archive.
DML Materials Archive.
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