NILSEN

 

Oral presentations will be graded upon two factors: knowledge of subject and presentation of subject.  

 

Knowledge of subject: it is to be expected that the student has done a thorough job researching his or her topic.  The material should be presented in a thoughtful and compelling manner.  Please guide to focus on the historical significance of the topic.  Everyone has been born, and everyone shall die, if they haven't already.  Please be careful about putting in such facts; they aren't necessarily interesting.  Instead, describe to the audience the important material, while occasionally dipping into the bizarre or funny in order to add zest to your presentation.  Be careful, however, to stick to the facts; attempts to "spice up" historical material by the addition of falsehood, even for the sake of entertainment, is a form of academic dishonesty. 

Reasonable questions asked by either students or the teacher should be answered with authority and completeness.  

 

Presentation of subject: in an oral presentation even the most exciting subjects can be made dreadfully dull.  Your job is to avoid this mistake.  Intonation, eye contact, hand gestures and personal excitement can draw people in--even into a subject they care little about.  Be careful with Power-point presentations!  Of course, nervousness can be debilitating; don't worry about this, nerves shall be accounted for during the grading process.  

The more confidant the speaker feels, however, the better the presentation will be.  Therefore, it is essential that the presenter know the subject.  It is hard to act with composure if your knowledge is pretense.  Costumes and visuals, while occasionally helpful, do not necessarily help your grade.

            

Do not drone on and on and on.  Your grade will suffer.   

 

Here are some guidelines: 

1) Do not simply read your speech.  I would suggest a couple of small file cards with several key words or major phrases upon them.  You are simply trying to "jog" your memory--if you already know the subject you do not need more than this.  Nothing bores or irritates the grader more than to watch someone read a speech.  

2) Make eye contact.  If looking directly at people makes you nervous, then look slightly over our heads at the back wall.  

3) Be careful with "visual aids."  Tiny pictures of your subject matter do not help your presentation.  Furthermore, unless you explain pictures or other material, then it is often a distraction.  

4) Do not wear a hat or something else that will cover your face.  

5) Try to move and use hand gestures.  

6) Try to avoid saying "uh" or "umm." 

7) Do not chew gum.

8) Do Not Go Too Long!
 

Scoring Rubric for Oral Presentations

 

 

PRESENCE & SPEAKING SKILLS                                     5 4 3 2 1 0

      -body language & eye contact

      -connection with the audience

      -poise

      -correct usage of vocabulary and grammar

      -understandable (rhythm, intonation, modulation)

      -spoken loud enough to hear easily

      -spoken, not read

 

ORGANIZATION                                                                    5 4 3 2 1 0

      -clear objectives

      -logical structure

 

KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT                                      5 4 3 2 1 0

      -pertinence

      -depth of commentary

      -able to answer questions

 

VISUAL AIDS                                                                           5 4 3 2 1 0

      -PPT, posters

      -handouts

      -audio, video, etc.

 

OVERALL IMPRESSION                                                      5 4 3 2 1 0

      -very interesting / very boring

      -pleasant / unpleasant to listen to

      -very good / poor communication

      -went past time limit

 

 

TOTAL SCORE: _______ / 25 (x 4 = 100)