As educators, sharing our expertise and innovative practices through workshops or at conferences, is a rewarding way to contribute to the professional growth of our peers. However, crafting and delivering an effective presentation requires careful preparation. Here is a guide to help teachers prepare confidently for a workshop presentation.
Step 1: Structure your message
Start your presentation with an introduction that arouses interest linked to three main points and then summarise in a memorable conclusion. Consider a catchy title, for example: What is Inclusive Education?
Step 2: Develop Your Presentation
Creating a well-structured presentation using a consistent and professional design template. Use visuals such as graphs, charts, and images to support your verbal message and keeping the text minimal. Use your schools/affiliations logo and colours in mind when deciding on a PowerPoint template.
Step 3: Prepare for Questions and Answer (Q&A)
Anticipate questions that might arise and prepare answers in advance. This will help you handle the Q&A session confidently. Keep a pen and paper at hand to make note of the multiple questions asked by an audience member. An example will be: What is your take on the Department of Basic Educations progress on Inclusive Education in South Africa; do you think full implementation of Inclusive Education will be implemented by 2030 and will teacher training programmes be influenced?
Step 4: Rehearse, Rehears and Rehearse!
Rehearsing is crucial for a polished presentation. This will ensure you are comfortable with the flow of your presentation. You can also ask a peer to review the quality of your presentation. For example, make sure what you talk the audience through statistics that you present about the tracking process of Inclusive Education over the past few years.
Step 5: Prepare Your Materials
Make sure all your materials are ready and in order such as handouts and technical equipment (laptop). Electronic slide designs can be between 9-12 slides. Be consistent with colour, design, font size, text layout, transitions and graphic images. Thus, remember the 6×6 rule: no more than six words across and six sentences down. Preferably no more than 25 words on the entire slide. It is a good idea to look at one minute per slide to assist you in knowing how long your presentation needs to be. Using short extracts from policies and reports about Inclusive Education will support the credibility of your presentation.
Step 6: On the Day of the Presentation
Finally, on the day of your presentation, arrive early giving you time to set up, test the equipment, and familiarise yourself with the room. Stay calm and take deep breaths and remind yourself to use pauses. Engage with the audience by making eye contact, speak clearly, and be enthusiastic about your work this way the audience will recognise your passion for Inclusivity.
In closing, preparing to present at a workshop, conference or meeting, as a teacher requires careful planning and practice to build meaningful connections. By understanding your audience, structuring your message and preparing well, you will be able to make a meaningful contribution to your professional community
Rita Bloem – Lecturer
Reference list:
Belcher WL. (2009). Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: a guide to academic publishing success. SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, Calif
Jay R. and Jay, A (2004) 3rd edition Effective Presentation – How to create and deliver a winning presentation Edinburgh: Pearson Education Ltd
Mabrouk, P.A. (2009). Survey study investigating the significance of conference participation to undergraduate research students. Journal of Chemical Education, 86(11), 1335-1340.
