Presentation Prep

Presentation Prep

As well as the two exams you give one **formal presentation**, the **Spoken Language endorsement**: stand up, talk for up to **10 minutes** on a topic you choose, and answer a few questions. It is reported **separately** as Pass, Merit or Distinction, so it cannot drag your 9-1 grade down. Three objectives are marked, and it is judged **holistically**, so you must meet all of them:

Give it a backbone

A rambling talk loses the room. Build a clear **structure**: • An **opening** that hooks the audience and says what you'll cover. • Your points in a **logical order**, each **signposted** ("Firstly…", "On the other hand…", "Finally…"). • A **strong conclusion** that sums up your message and ends memorably.

Order the talk

Put the parts of a well-structured presentation into the order you'd deliver them.

• An opening that hooks the audience and states your topic
• Your first main point, clearly signposted
• Your remaining points, in a logical order
• A conclusion that sums up your message
• Inviting and answering questions from the audience

Deliver it well

**AO9** wants **spoken Standard English** for a formal setting, and the audience has to be able to follow you. You can still sound like yourself: Standard English is about clarity and correctness, not being stiff or posh.

Which is Standard English?

Which sentence uses spoken Standard English suitable for a formal presentation?

• There are three reasons we should act now.
• There's like three reasons we should of acted, innit.
• Me and him done a survey about it.
• It ain't gonna work, basically.

Meet their needs

Which of these best helps you MEET YOUR AUDIENCE'S NEEDS during a presentation?

• Signpost your points and pitch your vocabulary so the audience can follow clearly
• Read quickly from a script in a flat monotone
• Use as much technical jargon as possible
• Face the screen with your back to the audience

Plan your opening

Presentation prep. In about 50 words, draft the OPENING of a short presentation on a topic you care about. Include:

• a hook to grab the audience (a question, a striking fact, or a bold statement)
• a clear statement of your topic
• a signpost of what you will cover

Handle the questions

Your talk is over and the questions start. Three moments, three choices.

• Someone asks a long question and you think you know where it is going after the first few words. What do you do?
• You are asked something you genuinely do not know. What is the strongest response?
• A questioner disagrees with your main argument. How do you respond?

Spot the slip

Here is part of a student's presentation. Tap the ONE phrase that is not spoken Standard English.

• There are three reasons the council should reconsider
• .
• They should of consulted residents first
• .
• Furthermore, the survey I carried out suggests strong local opposition
• .

Signpost the talk

Open by telling the audience what you will cover. Introduce your first point with _____. Bring in a contrasting view with _____. Signal your last point with _____, and close by summing up, because a talk that stops without a _____ feels unfinished.

Going for Distinction

Ready to present. To aim for **Distinction**: • **Structure** it clearly. Hook, signposted points, strong close, and keep to time. • Use **fluent Standard English** and a **wide, precise vocabulary**, with genuinely **developed ideas**. • **Engage** the audience throughout, and answer their questions **confidently and fully**.