Blog 8: Outline of Group Project Presentation

Presentations are often the most feared requirement in both the academic and professional workplace. This fear is often found in individual as well as group presentations. However, with proper planning, a group/individual presentation can become less fearful. A listing of specific guidelines as outlined in the course textbook along with personal experiences will be discussed later within this blog. First, I would like to discuss the overall group progress. Currently, our group has created a draft brochure. The purpose of this brochure is to successfully assist incoming online English 333 students. The brochure consists of different sections (i.e. technological requirements, frequently asked questions, etc) with the common goal of making the online course experience an easy transition. The group is in the process of providing one another feedback and making the necessary final edits. Our next step will be the group presentation. Listed below are steps to take prior to and during group presentations (as paraphrased from the Writing in Academic, Professional and Public Contexts, 2008 along with personal experiences):

1.Know your audience
2.Relax
3.Create an outline with the responsible person
4.Respect each other’s opinions
5.Decide on format to use (handouts, PowerPoint, etc.)
6.Rehearse
7.Do not rely on technology as a crutch (maintain eye-contact)
8.Include a copy of the document being discussed
9.Offer reasonable time for audience discussion

When the aforementioned steps are utilized, a presentation is typically viewed as a success. In other words, pre-planning is essential in a presentation that is successful and maintains the audience’s attention.

After group discussion and following the previously mentioned steps, I created a draft outline. The outline is as follows:

I. Introduction
A. Who we are?
B. Online Course Pros and Cons
C. Distance Learning at USM
D. English 333 (Technical Writing) Course Description

II. Brochure
A. Purpose
B. Process
C. Components

III. Words of Wisdom
A. Quotes
B. Concepts

IV. Miscellaneous
A. Basic Writing Tips
B. Frequently Asked Questions

V. Next Steps

The above outline is only a draft and will be finalized after more group discussion this week. However, the outline will retain its five components due project management concerns. In other words, keeping the approach simple and to the point.

It is anticipated that our discussion will be 15-30 minutes, unless otherwise noted by course requirements. Of the 15-30 minutes, equal time will be divided among each member of the group. This will be accompanied by sufficient time allotted for any questions from the audience. Upon completion, we hope the brochure and related project material (podcast) will be uploaded to the English Department’s website or a component of future English 333 classes.