EAP Assessment 4 Checklist Planning a Presentation

This checklist refers to the 1999 EAP course only. It is NOT relevant for the EAP 2000 course. New information on the new EAP 2000 Assignment 4 will follow shortly.

This checklist is to help you with Assessment Four of the EAP course. If your answer to a question is ‘No’, refer to the books indicated, which are in CILL, or the Internet sites. For more information see the blue EAP book. Click here to get this checklist in Microsoft Word format.

1. Is your topic interesting? (Practise your presentation in front of your classmates and ask their opinions.)
2. Is your topic related to your main field of study, or a serious general interest topic?
3. Have you checked with your teacher that your topic is O.K.?
4. Have you thought of some main points covering the most important aspects of your topic?

2.    Organisation

            a. Have you got an introduction containing:

            b. Have you got some main points containing:

1. an ordering word or phrase; e.g. Firstly, next, lastly, finally, I'd now like to move on to talk about...?
2. the main idea?
3. the reason why this main idea is important?
4. details of the idea point?
5. the use of a visual aid?

            d. Have you got a conclusion containing:

3.    Interaction

Interaction is two-way communication with your audience. Have you planned to make eye-contact with your audience and to use hand movements to help you to explain things? Optionally you can ask the audience simple questions, or ask them to raise their hands to vote on something. The audience may ask you questions at the end of your presentation, so you will need to interact by answering them.

1. Is your presentation formal enough? However, as you know your classmates well, don't use English which is too formal.
2. It is O.K. to make funny comments, as long as they are funny, and not rude.
3. If there are any words in your presentation that you think your audience, including your teacher, will not understand, explain them.

5.    Accuracy of grammatical structures and vocabulary

Have you practised your presentation with someone who can correct your grammar?

6.    Range of grammatical structures and vocabulary

If you don't know how to say something in English, have you found out; e.g. from your teacher or from a teacher in the Centre for Independent Language Learning (CILL) (Room L009, G/F, E Core)?

7.    Pronunciation

           Can you correctly pronounce all the important words in your presentation? You can:

1. listen to a word on the Internet
2. ask your teacher.
3. ask a CILL teacher.
4. use the Longman CD-ROM dictionary in CILL to listen to a word.

1. Will you use small cards with notes to remember what to say next?
2. Will you practise your presentation to improve your fluency?
3. If someone asks you a question and you need some time to think of an answer, will you use fill-in expressions; e.g "Well, that's an interesting question. Very interesting. Now let me see. Yes. Well. Hmmm."?
4. If you can't understand a question, will you ask, "I'm sorry, could you explain your question in more detail?"

9. Will you use high-quality support materials?

    You can use:

1. the overhead projector. Check before the presentation that you know how to turn it on, that the light is shining at the screen or whiteboard, and that it is in focus so the audience can see clearly. Your transparencies must be of high quality. Use a pen, not your finger, to point to things on the transparency. Use a piece or paper to cover parts of the transparency that you don't want the audience to read yet. You can write notes on this piece of paper.
2. photographs. They must be at least A4 paper size so that the audience at the back of the room can see them clearly. If you want to pass them round the audience, do it after the presentation, so that the audience’s attention is always on you.
3. the white board. Make sure you have pens, and an eraser to clean the board before the next presenter uses it. You can put pictures on the board using small magnets, tape or blu-tack.
4. short audio or video recordings. Make sure that you have a video or audio tape player, and wind on your tape to the right starting place. Have some pictures or the script in case something goes wrong.

• Presenting Facts and Figures (Business Shelf – Intermediate Level) Library: PE1115 .K47 1992

• Effective Presentations (Learning Video Shelf – Intermediate level) Library: PE1115 .C65 1995

• Giving Presentations (Business Speaking Shelf-Upper-intermediate level) Library: P91.M37 Ca

• Presentations Program (CILL Main Menu > Speaking and Listening > Speaking > Presentations) (Click here for a sample of this program on using a visual aid - the overhead projector.)

For more details, see http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/presenta.aspx