How to Give an Engaging Presentation | GPSC28

Description

Oral presentation skills are essential for every graduate student to successfully convey key aspects of their work in class, at academic conferences, and to potential employers.

This workshop outlines key elements that contribute to effective presentations, including preparation, structure, and delivery. We will discuss how to construct a presentation, as well as select appropriate visual aids, and discuss strategies for delivering a presentation in an engaging manner. The information covered in this workshop applies to both in-person and virtual environments including tips for a professional presentation in a home office setting and effective virtual engagement tools.

The one-time workshop is composed of two main parts: theory and practice. Theory on the essentials of graduate presentation skills will first be presented as students construct a brief presentation in parallel. The theory portion of the workshop will then be followed by an optional opportunity for participants to deliver their constructed, 3-minute presentation among peers, as well as give and receive feedback to each other and from the workshop leader.

Learning Objectives

After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

Prepare for an effective presentation,
Identify the elements of an effective presentation, in terms of visual support, presenter approach and the virtual environment,
Present their own work in 3-5 minutes,
Provide and receive constructive feedback(optional)

Note that time will be allotted during the workshop for students to work on a presentation draft for introducing themselves and their work. No preparation is required prior to attending the workshop, but students are encouraged to attend with any material that may help inform the content of their presentations.

Leaders Information

This workshop is led by Varda Nisar and Maxine Iannuccilli.

Maxine Iannuccilli is a doctoral candidate in psychology at Concordia University, leading SSHRC-funded research examining the development of gender stereotypes. Maxine is a SSHRC Storytellers Top 25 Finalist & Concordia University’s 2022 Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT) PhD Winner.

Varda Nisar (she/her) is a mother, daughter, and sister. She is also a doctoral candidate in Concordia’s Department of Art History and a Public Scholar (2022-23). Her work diverges in several direction, including art education and community outreach. While in Montreal, she has consistently tried to foreground the work of artists from Pakistan and South Asia. In 2021, she organized and convened a speaker series titled (Art+Micro)History: Contemporary Artistic Voices from the South, which drew attention to the specific concerns and artistic modes of resistance in Pakistan. In 2023, she co-curated a multi-venue exhibition, “re* imagining / créer / building / faire / mapping / connaissance /…” with artists rudi aker, Pansee Atta, Amin Rehman, and Swapnaa Tamhane. She was a 2015-16 Arthink South Asia Fellow and worked with Spark Arts for Children as part of her secondment. Her doctoral research focuses on the nexus between cultural production and military regimes in Pakistan and how museums have come to play a critical role in it.