Evaluation Sheet

Your performance will be evaluated by the following criteria which are organized into an evaluation sheet. It comprises your performance in the following areas:

A. Content

B. Organisation and Structure

C. Language

D. Manner of Presentation

A.1. Your audience are not likely to get interested in the topics which are not within their sphere of interest or knowledge. But even if the topic is relevant to their field nobody will be interested to listen to what they already know. Promoting new ideas, covering new aspects, offering new information on insufficiently explored areas is what they need.

A.2. When choosing a topic think about whether your findings will have any scientific value and whether they will have practical application. There is no need to waste your time and the time of your audience on the ideas that will never be used by anyone.

A.3. The presenter’s ideas should be founded on the fundamental knowledge of the given problem, and the presenter should be able to show this knowledge to the listeners. Use up-to-date information.

A.4/A.5 Your audience and committee panel will judge your knowledge of the topic by your ability

- to explain the causes of the phenomenon you examine;

- to state its relations with other phenomena;

- to describe its possible consequences;

- to ground the conclusions you draw;

- to provide accurate and precise answers to the questions asked

B.1 Your presentation should be made in an organized fashion. The following is a simple outline of any written/oral text:

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

1. The introduction part introduces (shows, describes, presents, illustrates, gives) a speaker and an idea. The elements of an introduction are:

- greeting

- introducing yourself

- introducing your topic

- outlining your talk

2. The body has information that supports, develops and describes the idea stated in the introduction.

3. The conclusion concludes (ends, finishes up) the discussion of the idea. It should remind your listener in a general way about what you have said. Here you

- summarize the main points

- conclude your talk

- invite questions

B.2. Your topic should be clearly stated, i.e. its title should reflect the main idea of your talk.

B.3 Connectors, or linking (transition) words and phrases are used to tie thoughts together. When you use them, your sentences begin to show relationships to each other. Transition words and phrases bring life and variety to your speaking/writing.

Compare:

He never studies. He receives bad grades. (the sentences seem unrelated)

He never studies and receives bad grades. (there is a certain connection between the sentences; however, it is not clearly stated)

He never studies; therefore, he receives bad grades. (a cause and effect relationship is obvious)

However, you must be careful to use connectors correctly. Using them too much is as bad as not using them at all. For a comprehensive list of connector see V.S. Slepovich, Academic Speaking.

B.4. Don’t talk too quickly. However, a too slow pace may indicate to your listeners that you have either lost the thread of the talk or that you are not completely confident of your arguments. Don’t be monotonous – vary your voice pitch. Use pauses effectively. It’s a good idea to practice speaking your talk into a tape recorder before the conference and listen to yourself.

C.1 Other elements of an effective presentation are:

1. Grammar – assemble the sentences correctly in terms of language forms.

2. Vocabulary – choose the right word in spoken rather than written language.

3. Pronunciation – stress words and sentences correctly.

C.2 The style of your presentation should be neither too formal nor informal. Keep your language simple and clear, avoid jargon and slang.

D. Never forget your audience. Take into consideration their level of knowledge of the subject and their level of understanding of English. Let them give feedback by questions and comments.

Think about suitable non-verbal elements (eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and postures).

For further reference:

Слепович, В.С. (2003). Курс английского академического письма. БГЭУ: Минск.

Слепович, В.С. (2003). Деловой английский, Часть 3: Презентации и выступления, Тетрасистемс: Минск.

Dryha Y.A., Vashkevich, O.I. and Yakovchits, T.N. (2006) Making a presentation at a students conference. Unpublished.

Bibliography:

Гойхман О.Я. (1999) Теория и практика референтской деятельности. Инфра-М: Москва.

Яхонтова, Т.В. (2002) Основи англомовного наукового письма: Навч. Посiбник для студентiв, аспiрантiв i науковцiв. Видавничий центр ЛНУ iм. Iвана Франка: Львiв.

Emden, J. and Becker, L. (2004) Presentation skills for students. Macmillan: Palgrave.

[1] Тезисы

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