Linda asked:
You may write a splendid, award winning research paper with an eye catching research paper topic, brilliant research paper ideas, and reliable evidence. But, if you are unable to present it in a bewitching way to the audience, you will not get the results you deserve.
The way you present a research paper stands for 50 % of your success. Hesitation, trembling voice, uncertain body language can greatly hinder your presentation and spoil the net result.
Once you appear to be persuasive, confident, and eloquent enough to get your research paper topic and research paper ideas across to the public, you may be sure to get the highest reward.
Therefore, you should remember that writing research papers involves far more than information search, doing the research and putting down its results. By the end of the research, spend some time preparing to present your research paper in the most appropriate way.
Usually students are required to present their college research papers in 15-20 minutes maximum. If you have a gift of the gab, it might seem that 20 minutes won’t be enough to give the clear outline of your research paper; and if you are one of those reticent students, you might think 20 minutes is far too much for your research paper. In both cases you should learn to keep within the limited time period and present the key points of your research paper at a time.
For that purpose, be sure to practice the presentation of your research paper at home or where you can be at ease and comfortable, for example, in front of a mirror, your family, friends or colleagues. If possible, use a tape-recorder and listen to yourself.
This way you will come to know your strong and weak points and will be able to emphasize your strong points during your presentation and get the research paper ideas across to the audience.
The preliminary steps for preparing an oral presentation include a thorough choice of your clothes, which should be appropriate for the occasion. How you are perceived is very important. Thus, present the desired image to your audience so that they will get interested in your research paper topic.
Oral presentation requires an outline of the main research paper ideas you want to deliver in front of the audience. Put them down so that to have a backup in case you lose the track of ideas.
Do not read your research paper. It is much better to present its ideas personally by explaining the key points. Of course, you do not need to memorize your research paper by heart, simply put down the points you want to dwell upon and organize your speech around them.
The way you begin your presentation and end it counts most. So, make sure to make a fascinating introduction and conclusion. A good introduction should capture the audience’s attention and warm you up. Some say that the best way to start the presentation is by introducing a joke, but you are rescuing seriously if your joke falls flat.
It is much better to start on a genuine note. It will be good introduction if you:
• Recollect some recent events or refer to a local
event;
• Tell a personal story, preferably one that is
humorous;
• Start with a good quote;
• Ask a rhetorical or factual question;
• Refer to something that has happened in class;
• State the reason why you chose this particular
research paper topic.
You can choose any of these approaches, but make sure it is tied to your research paper topic.
Once you have interested the audience, you can dwell on the body of your research paper. However, you should remember that you do not have much time to report your results in detail. That is why, summarize, give the main points, and hit the highlights. Interpret your results, talk about their significance, and only then clearly state your conclusions.
It is also important to remember that your presentation should not replace your research paper, but rather whet the audience appetite for it. Thus, it is commonly useful to allude to information in the paper that can’t be covered adequately in the presentation.
As it was pointed earlier, your conclusion should be as strong as the introduction. Either end research paper presentation with a concluding statement or invite questions, or both. When you reach the end of your presentation, use the words “in conclusion”, “finally”, or “one more thing.” Do not end your speech suddenly without recalling what you have said.
By the end of the speech, say “Thank you” or “Thanks for your attention” or something like that, not “Well, I guess that’s about all I have to say” or by just quitting. It is embarrassing when someone just stops without saying a word of conclusion. In this case people don’t know whether you’re done and it’s time to clap or if you are going to continue.
In order to charm the audience be sure to talk to the listeners, not the screen or the blackboard and try to establish the dialogue with the audience. Maintain eye contact, but not with just one person. This will make the whole experience feel more natural.
You should get rid of distracting mannerisms like slapping your leg, playing with the keys in your pocket, pulling at your ear, nose, shuffling your notes, playing with the projector cord, or whatever. Body language plays an important role in everyday communication, and even greater
in conference talks.
If you are experiencing stage fright, take a deep breath before taking the floor. Try to gather your research paper ideas together. Walk slowly to the front, pause and look at the audience before speaking. Remain calm. And off you go to the victory!