Guide to Doing Distinction Presentations

A one-page or less handout it helpful for your listeners. It might have a brief
outline of your thesis, or it might include a paragraph from a particularly salient
part of your introduction.

Tell something about how you came to this project, why you chose the subject,
your connection to it.

You might mention how the project lent itself to interdisciplinary research, tell
something about your methodology.

Although there are many ways to do it, a summary of your finds and chapters is
always a workable way to proceed. Stories are also good.

If you wish, you might bring up any points that you are still pondering and ask the
audience for perspectives that would help you draw more thorough conclusions.

Thing about how the overall presentation sounds to somehow who knows nothing
about your project.
Handling Nervousness

Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in

Don’t forget water

Breathe deeply. If you pause to breath between paragraphs or segments, or take a
drink, it will seem natural to the audience. Resist the urge to fill every moment
with verbalization – it is not as awkward as you think. The occasional pause is
OK.

Before the presentation, visualize yourself making your presentation. Visualize
yourself exactly as you would like to be under the best of circumstances, noting
each detail. Then strive to recreate that vision.

Remember to project your voice to the person in the corner.

If you feel nervous, admit it to yourself and tell yourself that it’s OK.