Presentation 1 Guidelines
For this assignment, you will give a 15-minute presentation to the public on the major findings of your report (you may choose a more focused topic—check with me first). Your audience will be (your choice) either: (1) a descendant or local group; (2) a group of fourth graders; (3) a group of eleventh graders; or (4) a group of senior citizens.
At the beginning of your talk, briefly provide some context. What is the groups' interest in or preparation for the talk? (For examples, a class may have just had a section on archaeology or on ancient Mesoamerica, or a local group may be organizing a heritage center and is interested in knowing more about the archaeological history of the region.) Those who are working on a report on a potentially sensitive topic (e.g., human remains) will need to consider the impact on your audience.
The Kwas guidelines provide helpful tips. Obviously you don't have slides, but you WILL need to come up with graphics/objects to illustrate your points. These can be transparencies, drawings, handouts, or replica artifacts (e.g., you could make construction paper cutouts, or photocopy and cut out artifact drawings from your report to pass around as the objects).
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS NOT AS EASY AS IT MIGHT SOUND AT FIRST. To be able to effectively present a body of specialized knowledge to the public, you really need to understand the material AND you have to effectively communicate with an audience who has little or no background (or perhaps interest!).
You will be graded on:
1. Your grasp of the material.
2. Your ability to communicate effectively to your chosen audience. Pay attention to Kwas guidelines. You should be well-prepared, organized but informal, brief (15 minutes—get as close to this time as possible), and enthusiastic. Do not read your presentation. Make the material relevant to your audience.
3. Effective use of visuals.
4. As with the Archaeology assignment, you can speak in the first person as a researcher working on the project.
It is strongly recommended that you PRACTICE your presentation a number of times before class. Get your roommates or friends to take the role of the audience. Check to see what parts can be improved, expanded, or omitted.