Effective and ineffective oral presentation skills session

Hello all,

This morning we will be looking at effective and ineffective oral presentation skills.

We will do some group working and some information from me too, using my PP slides as well as the comments from you.

These are the comments about effective presentation skills that your groups came up with today. Most of these were in my slides too, so well done all.

• Body language
• Introduction
• Knowing what you are talking about
• Visuals
• Q and A
• Getting the tone right
• Research
• ...and MUCH more!

Mark

TED Talks overview

Today we looked at two TED talks.

TED talk 1

Why does a failure seem to stick in our minds so much longer than a success? According to social psychologist Alison Ledgerwood, our perception of the world tends to lean negative, and reframing how we communicate could be the key to unlocking a more positive outlook. In this sharp talk, Ledgerwood shares a simple trick for kicking negative thinking to the curb so we can start focusing on the upside...

TED talk 2

What can we expect our kids to learn if they're hungry or eating diets full of sugar and empty of nutrients? Former White House Chef and food policymaker Sam Kass discusses the role schools can play in nourishing students' bodies in addition to their minds.

The reason I picked these two talks were to look at two important issues through the eyes of presenters who have the stage to deliver their thoughts. Being positive is such an important facet to the way I think and of course, feeding the minds and bodies (especially, but not exclusively) of children is also incredibly important. 

Which was your favourite of the two and why? Note your thoughts in the comments box below, using your notes from the class if you want. Using Google Chrome is always a good way into the blog and to provide feedback.

I look forward to your thoughts!

Mark

Welcome to the Academic Skills class - officially!

Hello everybody,

Just a quick note to say that was a great first class we had there on Friday, so thank you for your input. 

We now know a lot about each other and I was gratified to speak with some of you at the end of the class who said they had enjoyed the session.

Don't forget to either e mail me your writing piece (unassessed remember, nobody else sees this) or bring to class on Friday coming - typed or handwritten, either works well.

I will send a post class e mail each week with any documents, rather than using Moodle as we agreed. Remember, this isn't a class with formal assessments, but lots of interesting things to develop your skills.

All the best,

Mark