Giving an effective presentation requires skills that can be taught by language and ESL teachers to help their students improve in communication and public speaking.
Oral presentations or speeches are not limited to the stage, or for large audiences, but are also the means by which one can communicate daily in a workplace, teach in the classroom, give opinions and express oneself in a situation that requires explanations in clear and precise speech.
Students need to learn how to prepare and give a successful presentation. Teachers are encouraged to help build those skills in their learners.
Practicing oral presentation skills in class helps students
- by providing a forum in which to speak about a topic of interest
- organize to speak on a topic with a beginning, middle and ending
- listen to others besides the teacher
- listen to different accents and speech styles
- learn how to use modern technology such as PowerPoint or Mimeo Technology
- find creative ways to attract an audience
- build self confidence while speaking in a new language.
Activities to Practice Oral Presentation
When teaching techniques for presentation giving, all tasks, no matter how small or simple should be presented as formally as possible by the students. Students should stand at a podium or at the front of the class so that they practice the procedures of posing correctly, using cue cards, and speaking clearly to the audience.
- Students each read a short (half page) essay or passage. When everyone has read, each stands up and gives a mini presentation, in this case a summary of the material just read.
- Hand out magazine pictures. The teacher can pre-cut a selection of interesting ones to suit the age and ability of the students. Students have five minutes to prepare to speak about the pictures. This is followed by a presentation by each student.
- For homework, students look up information about a given topic. For example, a famous person, strange animal, man-made wonders of the world. In the lesson, each student speaks formally about his or her topic.
- Summary of a news item. As a homework assignment, students have to read a news article either in a newspaper or on the Internet. The assignment is for speakers to tell the class about the news article.
- Presentations can also be used as an alternative to test students orally instead of a usual written formatted test.
Time Allocation Teaches Speakers to Pace Their Presentations
By teachers giving limited time allotments in which students have to present, speakers learn to find the most relevant and important information to talk about in their presentations. There is usually a time limit set for any public speaker or presenter, therefore, adjusting to time allocations is extremely important in presentation giving.
Practice Makes for a Perfect Presentation
Short presentation practices help students get used to standing in front of an audience. Constant practice of giving both prepared and impromptu speeches ensures that speakers get used to the demand of standing up and speaking in situations that call for a frontal appearance. The more they rehearse, the more at ease they will subsequently feel when doing any kind of presentation.
Oral presentations will serve students well for job interviews, tests, and introducing themselves to others. This practice will be rewarding to students both in and out of the classroom. Helping students develop these skills will give them not only relevant skills for the classroom, but also good instruction in presenting themselves to the world.
Lucille Lever - Creative teaching ideas can be incorporated into any kind of lesson. As a teacher of ESL and creative drama for more than 30 years, in a ...
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