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Oral Presentation Exercise 

Faculty: Arts. Degree Programme: Comparative Literature. Course: Comparative Literature 2. Study level: Bachelor. Class size: 50.

Motivation for the activity

The students' oral presentations often create problems in the classroom. Many presentations are not sufficiently precise, and the audience is not always particularly attentive, apparently thinking that the time could have been better used.

Central learning outcome for the activity

The oral presentation is part of the training for the oral examination as a general practice in relevant, focused and concise oral presentation.

Description of the activity

The class is divided into study groups where four groups each have prepared a presentation of approx. 15 minutes with an interpretation of a short story in a comparative perspective.  Each study group  has chosen its own focus and perspective.

  • First, each of the four groups is assigned a separate room for their preparation while the remainder of the class is divided into four groups who act as a critical audience.
  • The groups give their presentations, preferably with handouts, PowerPoint presentations or other material of their own choice. Questions from the audience.
  • The group preparing an opposition take notes and prepare their opposition during a time-out to be presented in front of the class once we are gathered again, with approx. 10 minutes per text. They select one or two students to do the talking.
  • The entire class gathers again for the four oppositions, 4 x 10 minutes.
  • We use approx. 10-12 minutes per short story for the ensuing class discussion.

Videos on oral presentation (in Danish)

In the three first videos below, Svend Erik Larsen and three of the students reflect on the entire excercise with regard to training oral presentations.

In the fourth video Svend Erik Larsen provides two useful pieces of advice for students who have to make group presentations.

 

1. Practice in oral presentation

2. The students are obliged to each other:

3. Focused oral student presentations

4. How to make a good presentation:

Activities

    Examples of practice