The objectives of this skills training are as follows:

a. To increase your awareness of the range of issues that needs to be considered when preparing and delivering a presentation for a multilingual and multicultural audience.
b. To give you some practice at delivering a formal presentation in English, using your fellow participants as the audience.
c. To give you specific feedback on the structure of your presentation, your delivery skills, vocal and verbal performance, body language, and use of visuals.
d. To make you aware of the criteria against which you will be viewed and assessed by your audience in a real, live situation.

After this training, do not expect perfection immediately – it is normal to have to check words and expressions and to ask for advice. You should be able to give constructive advice to your peers, and to recognize what your strong points are and where you need to improve.

Giving formal presentations in English need not be painful, although it will inevitably be not without its challenges. Our aim is to try to minimise any perceived difficulties and to offer you the chance to practice your topic-specific and general language, give a presentation in a controlled and monitored environment, and to give feedback where it is helpful to do so.

The course covers the wide range of issues that need to be considered when conducting or preparing to give presentations in English in a multilingual and multicultural environment. It focuses on your delivery skills and, in addition, covers nuances of style in English to enable you to achieve just the right tone in motivation or disapproval. In addition, it covers vocabulary and expressions that are valuable in effective formal communication.

You will be required to deliver a prepared presentation at three times during the course.

We recommend you buy the following short book on presentation skills, which is written with beginning researchers like yourself in mind. It should be available at the Randwijck and Tongersestraat bookstores.

Van der Laaken, M. & Van der Laaken, B. 2007. Presentation Techniques. Coutinho Publishers. ISBN: 9 789046 900475.

During the first five sessions, your instructor will discuss different aspects of effective presentations. You will receive the accompanying slides before each session, allowing you to print them off as handouts for note taking.

Requirements enrollment:
Only for RM students and PhD students!!!