Nervous No More

Delivering an Oral Report in Class

    Many students shun the idea of presenting or delivering an oral report in class. I also did when I was still a college student. However, now that I have discovered an effective way of doing it, I am the one encouraging my students to report in front of the class. Reporting in class provides a unique opportunity for personal development such as: practice of speaking in English; facing and convincing an audience; and overcoming fright, to name a few.
    The key to giving effective and memorable reports in class is preparation. A student-reporter who is well-prepared can face any audience with his or her message.

Preparation

    You need to prepare physically, mentally and even emotionally and spiritually. For first-time reporters, be assured that it will be easier than you think. This is especially true in cases of reporting in class because your audience will be a group of people not stranger to you. For sure, you have friends among, or at least know some of, them if not yet all of them so you need not fear your audience. They are in the same boat with you so to speak. Be ready preferably at least 24 hours before the time of your report.
    The most important aspect of the report that you need to be ready about is the topic that you will be presenting. To have a really effective report, you should choose a topic that is close to your heart. If you have no control of the choice of topic, make the topic assigned to you close to your heart. Then gather as much information about the topic as you need to convince yourself of its merits: its importance or relevance to you (and hence to your audience); why your audience must lend you their time to listen to what you have to say. Exhaust every source of material available to you. Ask experts on the topic, including your instructor and/or adviser, for matters that need clarification in your report. Clarify any aspect of the topic that you still have some doubts about until all aspects of the topic are clear. At this point, you would have been already a believer of the topic you’ll deliver. In other words, you now have some form of ownership of the topic. That’s what will make the delivery as easy as sharing yourself in a conversation with a friend, your audience is simply greater in number.
    When you “own” the topic, you can think of the delivery as simply thinking aloud for “out of the abundance of the heart (mind) the mouth speaks” [Matthew 12:34]. When you are convinced of the importance of your topic, rest assured that you will find words to say what you mean even though you are already in front of the class. When you know your topic well enough, you can make yourself clear in front of anybody. You know you have an important message to tell and that awareness is enough for you to find words to say until you see in the eyes of your audience that they got your message.
When the topic is already clear to you, then you need to organize… write down the main points you want to bring so as to present the ideas in a story flow that will convince your audience just as you are already convinced. Aside from the main ideas or body of your report, select a beginning point or introduction to get your audience’s attention and more importantly the ending point or concluding part - the ideas you want your audience to remember. Let these be very clear in your mind beforehand. With these, you have an organized report. If you feel you still need to use notes, try small index cards as prompts during you’re your delivery. Write the salient points (use large letters) of your report in such cards for you to refer from during your presentation.
    You will also need to be ready with the materials needed during the presentation proper. Consider a summary of the main points of your report on a transparency (or equivalent) as minimum visual aid requirement plus necessary illustrations. When using slides, a maximum of only 8 lines per slide is good practice. Use visual effects to a minimum: just enough to add interest to the presentation but not too much as to divert the attention from the topic towards the visual effects. Feel free to include in your report whatever you think will enhance your presentation such as video clippings, posters, etc.
    And spend time in prayer for God’s guidance and providence.
On the day of the report, be also physically ready. Be presentable preferably in formal attire.

Reporting / Delivery/Presentation
    Ask somebody to introduce you, assuming that your audience does not know you yet. Including some aspects of your life or personality relevant to the topic can help set the tone for your delivery.
After your name is called, walk eagerly in front of your audience. SMILE! Greet them, then pause a little to get their full attention. Establish rapport with your audience by looking at their eyes. If you are feeling nervous (which by the way is normal), choose to look first in the eyes of friends but you should not look away from your audience. Then share what is in your heart about the topic. Stand in proper posture and speak boldly without hesitation. Remember, you have an important message to deliver them, a message that you yourself believe in. Be forthright and factual. Be sincere. Be sure to talk to the whole group by looking at everyone though you may prefer to look longer to your “friends” in the audience. Speak confidently from your heart and appropriate gestures will follow naturally (just like when you are telling a story).
    Choose what is close to your heart among the various ways of delivering report and then proceed. Vary your speaking speed and tone as to what you are saying. These are valuable tools for maintaining audience attention and for emphasizing major points of your topic. Avoid verbal mannerisms. Focus on your message! When you keep in mind that your audience needs to receive your message, you will forget yourself and your nervousness will disappear. Discern the reaction of your audience especially through their facial expressions. If they seem confused or even uninterested, make them understand… A good way of fostering understanding of the topic is to be able to site local examples or applications of it. Bear in mind that what is important is your message, and your audience’s need to understand it.
Be sure to speak only with the time allotted to you (your ability to speak within time limit is also indicative of your mastery of the topic.) Thank your audience after your delivery. Also, ask them if there is any aspect of the presentation that you need to clarify: answer questions honestly.
After your report, ask your instructor as well as others from the audience who are willing to give honest feedback to give you an evaluation of your oral report, with suggestions for your improvement.

Continuous Improvement / Readiness
    Oprah Winfrey said, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” So start trekking your road for improvement immediately. Be on the look out for matters of personal interest and make data gathering a daily habit. Grab the next opportunity to speak again in front of an audience. As in any skill, speaking in public in enhanced through practice. You’ll be glad you did! You can never tell how such an exposure will help you sooner or later, perhaps in you job or visa application interview …

And don't forget that the key to it all is to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

~ Sir Magi

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Suggested Reading:
McFarland, Kenneth, Eloquence in Public Speaking Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1984