Presentation 1: Process Description

In this talk, explain a process to a technical/professional audience. The process may be how something works (so that the audience understands the process) or how to do something (so that the audience can carry out the process). Your topic should be one that you are comfortable with and that is related to your major or to your co-op experience.

 

Presentation 2: Technical Explanation

In this talk, select an abstract technical concept from your field and explain it to this audience (the class). To succeed you will need to provide good examples and metaphors and use appropriate visual aids.

 

Presentation 3: Argumentation

Here you will prepare a talk designed to persuade your audience. Depending on your topic, you will probably have one of the following aims:

•If the topic is controversial, your audience should understand and appreciate your viewpoint, even if they are not persuaded fully to accept your argument;

•if your topic requires some action, the audience should be persuaded that a problem exists and that they need to take appropriate action.

 

Presentation 4 Argumentation -- group project

For this project, work in a group to prepare a panel designed to persuade the audience to accept an idea/a proposal/a purchase. Your group will decide on the audience and its likely reaction to your topic; you will also decide on individual responsibilities. One of the group, for instance, will act as leader: this person will introduce the topic/project; will preview the roles that the other members will play; and will summarize/conclude.

 

The self-evaluation

This paper should be 1-2 pages long and should have the following characteristics:

1) It should make note of the comments made in your evaluation by your teacher, maybe by picking out the most important ones (you decide which they are) and including them in your discussion.

2) It should suggest things (neutral characteristics, faults or strengths) which you noticed about your presentation and comment on where they come from, in your previous training, your way of preparing for this talk, or your reaction to your audience.

3) for you faults and weaknesses, it should suggest strategies which you have already used (later in the term, in future talks which were more successful in this respect) or will use to improve or overcome the problems.

4) for your strengths, it should explain where they come from and how you got there, to allow you to retain those techniques even beyond the boundaries of this class.

5) To do a really good job, you should put your discussion in terms of specific characteristics (terminology: things like specific purpose, cognitive dissonance, the big ones that we mentioned often) discussed in your book and in class.