During the college period, you often get different types of writing assignments – essays, research papers, capstone projects, etc. One of the most popular writings that students do is a term paper. However, in this case, you have to not only do the writing itself but also present it to your teacher or the committee.
So, you finally wrote a term paper or did your academic paper writing by writingapaper, a huge amount of work is completed, but it’s too early to relax – that’s not all. Your presentation is waiting for you, which requires thorough preparation. It is largely on your performance that the final assessment of the finished project will depend. Where to begin?
What is a presentation speech?
A speech is an oral presentation based on a term paper you have written, which you will present to the committee. It should follow a certain structure and take no more than 10 minutes.
How to write a speech
First, make sure you have a good understanding of your work and remember its structure and conclusions. All of this will affect the performance: if you have a poor understanding of your research, a report you have memorized will be of little use. Then start writing your speech. You must write it according to the following plan:
- Introduction
- The main part
- Conclusion
Your report should be a squeeze of the key points of the term paper.
Introduction
Thus, in the introduction, you need to highlight from the beginning of your work moments concerning the essence of your project: its relevance and purpose, the tasks set, the object and subject of the study, as well as its theoretical basis.
Main part
The main part includes information on the practical part: it is necessary to summarize what work has been carried out and what results you came to. This is the most voluminous stage of the presentation, it should represent the analysis and conclusions of each of the chapters of the main part of the term paper. For convenience, you can resort to the help of handouts or visual presentations, but remember: they should fit the structure of your presentation and be only an illustration, not a repetition of your words. If it is possible within the framework of this study, use diagrams, drawings, and charts.
Conclusion
In the final part of your report, you should draw a general conclusion from the work, answering the question of whether you have achieved the previously set goals – this information is taken from the conclusion of the term paper.
Template phrases and clichés
It is acceptable (and often even desirable) to use typical, template phrases and clichés during a speech: they simplify the presentation and contribute to a faster transfer of information. Cliches (or templates) are such speech turns or patterns that can be easily reproduced in typical situations and certain contexts. Most likely, similar phrases you have already used while writing a term paper: for example, constructions such as “the purpose of this study is…” or “our analysis allows us to assert…”, etc. For convenience, here is a short list of examples for each of the parts of your speech:
Introduction:
- “in modern science the problem is acute…”
- “remains unstudied/understudied…”
- “the relevance of this research is motivated/explained by… (is/is that…)”
- “the purpose of this work is…”
- “to achieve the above goal we set the following tasks…”
- “the theoretical basis/material for our research was…”
Main part:
- “let’s refer to…”
- “there are different points of view on…/opinions on…”
- “this point of view is supported by scientists/researchers such as…”
- “this point of view can be supported by the example of…”
- “in the writings of scholars such as… there is this view…”
- “let’s move on to the analysis of…”
- “as can be seen from the results of our analysis…” / “as shown by the results of our analysis…”
- “reflecting on this topic, we conclude…”
- “thus, we are convinced that…”
- “there is a good reason to believe/believe that…”
Conclusion:
- “as shown by our study…”
- “in conclusion, it should be noted that…”
- “the study established…”
- “in our study, we came to the following results…”
- “the goals were achieved…”
When using such clichés and pattern phrases, the main thing is not to overdo it. Try not to overuse them, not to overlap each other. After all, they should simplify your speech, not make it more complicated and longer.
Mistakes when drafting a presentation speech
Even with a clear plan and regulations, when you compose a presentation speech, some difficulties may occur, which will inevitably lead to mistakes. The main one is the inability to isolate from a lengthy text the most significant and crucial. It should be understood that you are not required to present a complete statement of your work – in 10 minutes you will still not do it, and, most likely, you can not remember absolutely everything you have written. Moreover, the full text of the study you have already handed in, why try to repeat it for everyone orally?
However, this does not mean that you should spend as little time as possible on this part of your presentation, covering everything too superficially and leaving too obvious questions for the committee to ask. Your task is to present the essence of the work so that it is clear what you worked on, how you worked, and what results you got.
After you have written the text of the speech, reread it, and eliminate repetitions, opening words, as well as linguistic and stylistic errors. The text should be clear and look the way your speech is supposed to sound.
Be sure to discuss the upcoming presentation with your supervisor, and agree with him or her on the report. Let them point out the mistakes you made, tell you what should be included in your speech, and what is better to skip. Ask them to make a short list of questions you may be asked so that you are prepared to answer them in advance. You can also specify who will be present at your presentation if you find this information useful.
For your own peace of mind, rehearse your speech in front of your parents or friends. Try to cover your work in a way that gives them a coherent idea of your research – even if they are completely ignorant of the subject. In addition to the text of your talk, keep an outline in front of you so they don’t forget what is required.
Use a stopwatch. If you don’t meet your allotted minutes, make a note of the points you can omit. You don’t have to cross them out completely: it’s better to include a little more information in your written report than you intended to say.
This way you can remember it in case of need, or it will help you to answer questions from the committee later. Of course, you do not need to keep a thick pile of sheets in your hands: first, they will not help you in this case at all – you will only get confused with them, and second, it certainly will not remain without the attention of the committee. It is quite possible that they will simply take them away from you, and you will have to perform without a printed report at all.
How to perform the presentation speech properly
Finally, your presentation speech is ready and rehearsed, all you have to do is perform it. For many, this stage becomes the most difficult. Here it is important not to be confused and literally “defend” what you have been doing for the academic year. The committee should be confident that you know your research, so answer confidently and try to look at the speech text (which you will have on hand as support) as little as possible.
If possible, you can also prepare a presentation and handouts – this will certainly be a plus.
The professional writers from the best writing services recommend addressing the committee and if this has not been done before, stating your name and the topic of your work before you begin your speech, as an opening statement.
At the end of your speech, thank the committee and those present for their attention and express your willingness to answer questions.
Don’t be afraid if there are remarks, just take them into account. They are not meant to drown you out and intentionally lower your grade, but for you to take them into account in your future work. Don’t be afraid of questions: if you are good at your research, you will easily answer them. It is recommended to make additional preparations in advance by discussing possible questions with your supervisor. You can even insert the answers to them in your report so that you can refer to them in case of a hitch and remember what you need to talk about.
Try not to worry, because the defense of the term paper is a necessary stage of your studies. Rehearse your speech in advance, reread the full text of the term paper to refresh your memory of all the details, and get a good night’s sleep before the important day.
