Presentations

Once you have done your research on your topic, you will need to narrow your information (to fit it in your time allowance) and find the key message of your presentation. Consider the thought, concept or idea you are gifting your audience. Your key message will direct the storytelling of your information to your audience.

Storytelling is an important part of communicating your information. Like a story, your presentation will need a beginning (introduction), a middle (main discussion) and an end (conclusion). Look at the image below which illustrates a typical structure for a presentation.

Presentation structure by Claudia Espana

Each section of your presentation must walk your audience through your story, leaving a breadcrumb trail of information, leading up to your conclusion. The image below demonstrates that journey of the information and outlines the content you should deliver at each stage.

Presentation storytelling by Claudia Espana

Once you have your content, you need to assess how long it will take you to deliver it against your time allowance for the presentation. Divide up your content into minutes and how long you want to spend in each section and on each point. You might begin to plan your slides at this point as you compartmentalise your information and construct your narrative. A typical rule is to think of one slide as one minute. Any less and your audience won’t have time to process the information on your slide and any longer may make your audience lose interest.  

Take a look at this example for planning your presentation

Use this blank template to help you plan your presentation: presentation planning template

Tips for group work

As your group gathers information, you will need a platform to share your research, ideas and developments. There are many tools for document sharing but you will need to find one that works for everyone on your team. As CCCU students, you all have access to Microsoft Apps including Microsoft Planner and Teams. The Teamworking module has a video which looks at different platforms for collaboration. If you would like more information on how to use these platforms effectively for project planning, contact IT for training: it-service@canterbury.ac.uk

You will not have time to cover all the information you have gathered. So as a group, you will need to agree on the content you will deliver in your presentation. Together:

  • Find your key message
  • Identify the points you want to make in your presentation
  • Draft a bulleted beginning, middle and an end so you all know the agreed narrative 
  • Allocate individuals to develop the content of each section

Where you have been

Where you are now

Related links

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