The Presentation

Before you begin to create your presentation, have a look at the judging criteria so that you know what you need to include.  While putting the presentation together consider the points below:

 How do you keep the presentation interesting?

  • vary the types of presentation style, including a range of different approaches :…. power point, slides and information… a personalised eye witness report, a story: an interview
  • use short sound bites,  visuals,  music, interviews
  • Have  a definite introduction,  central content,  and conclusion

 

Introductions / How to begin …. Building confidence

  • First impressions …. What do you wear as a team?
  • How formal do you want your presentation to be, style, branding?
  • Entrance: dramatically or casually?
  • Positive or negative imagery?
  • Do you want to shock people to make them wake up, or gently introduce them to what you’re going to say?
  • Introductory imagery and music giving an overview of the country?
  • Cultural music, or contemporary music that has a message?
  • Opposites …Development statistics over positive images?
  • Voice over images , stating hard facts?
  • Dramatic silence …. Head lines, stark, silent shocking
  • Or positive; spelling out the new advantages  as a result of the charity
  • Introducing yourselves, or the people concerned with the project?
  • Introducing the charity or your representative young person?
  • Do you include cultural artefacts, costume
  • Do you spell out right from the start why you chose your charity

The content / how do you keep that middle bit interesting ?

  • A change of style of presentation from the introduction?
  • It’s got to be more than just facts.
  • Do you cut the music, or introduce a different style of music, a different presenter? A different pace / a story?  What elements of drama can you introduce?
  • How do you introduce your charity? Through their logo? Their strap line? Through a mock interview with an aid worker? Through the eyes of a village person?
  • How much information do you need before it becomes a shopping list?!
  • How do you use video clips creatively?
  • How do you clearly identify the work and achievements of the charity?
  • How do you link it all to the Sustainable Development Goals?
  • How do you introduce the young person? Find images that could be that person’s “family”, village, school.
  • Could you read something they have “written”  either to you, or thanking the charity ….
  • Or could it all be seen through the eyes of a tourist visiting that area who tells of their experiences, a dialogue ? …or through the eyes of a volunteer who was working on the project

Conclusion/ How do you finish it with impact?

  • Sometimes it helps to think of the ending before you do the beginning. How are you hoping to sum this up?
  • Do you want it to be a positive ending/ or open ended …..  that there is still more work to do out there!
  • Are you going to find imagery that helps you wind it up? Sunset/  laughing children/ Successful image of the project?
  • What is the last bit of information you want to leave your audience with? How do you reiterate the important information?
  • Do you have concluding music that will mean you don’t leave the stage in silence….what sort of mood do you want that music to leave behind?
  • Do you want to finish by reiterating your beginning?
  • Do you state very clearly here why you chose this charity?

Practicalities:

  • Put the whole presentation together in draft form before you start finalising anything
  • Write all the script before you start researching any images. ( four pages of A4 in Comic Sans size 14 takes about 10 min to read).
  • Finish at least two weeks in advance of your in-school deadline and run through it a number of times so that you know your timing and that the technology work.
  • The presentation has to be available on a memory stick for the final at the Mountain View Innovation Centre.
  • Don’t try to get  all your presentation on a timed power point.
  • Edit it if it runs over the 10 minute mark.
  • Practice using the mic before the night.
  • If you need a script, do you have prompt cards or do you need a lectern? Try not to read everything from cards – use bullet points or prompt words to remind you what you want to say.
  • Try videoing yourselves doing the presentation.

NB…. be careful not to paint too negative a picture . Whereas many people do need aid to help them out of poverty … we are looking for evidence of  respect and understanding of the circumstances that can affect people in the developing world.