Presentation Guidelines
I will grade your presentation on focus, organization, evidence, depth, and delivery.  When preparing your presentation, keep the following guidelines in mind. 

• Evaluate the information you gather from research and focus your presentation.  Your research will uncover far more material than you can discuss in a five-minute presentation.  Consider how the data you find will advance your classmates’ understanding of the film and its contexts.  Focus your presentation on information that students could refer to in class discussion or incorporate into their papers. 
• Talk with others doing a similar presentation type.  If you’re one of two people doing the same type of presentation, talk with the other presenter to find out what he or she is doing.  You’ll avoid overlap, and you may be able to assist one another with research.
• Remember your audience.  What information is likely to interest them?  Which points might they understand immediately?  Which might require more explanation?
• Make the presentation easy to follow.  Use an organizational format suited for oral presentations:  chronological ordering, cause/effect, compare/contrast, or “three points.”  Use transition phrases to signal the shift from one point to the next.  If you would like to provide the class with an outline of your points or a brief factsheet, I can make copies if I receive your materials the day before the presentation.
• Cite sources clearly.  When you summarize or paraphrase, or quote sources, use signal phrases like “Bordwell and Thompson argue” or “as Gillis-Bridges brilliantly notes.”
• Speak slowly and loudly.  Your audience has only one chance to hear your presentation.
• Speak from notes.  Although you may worry that nervousness will erase your memory, do not write out your entire presentation on paper.  Speakers who do so tend to look only at their papers instead of their audience.
• Avoid lacing your speech with “um,” “uh,” “like,” and “you know.”  Do not perform the shifty-footed, hand-wringing dance of the terrified orator.
• Conclude effectively.  End with a statement that leaves that audience with a significant detail or a statement about why the information you’ve presented is important to understanding the film.  Do not say “that’s all” or “I’m done.”  These statements diminish the impact of your presentation.

• Focus.  The presentation addresses the assigned topic; each detail presented has a clear relationship to the topic.
• Organization:  The presentation has a logical structure; the progression of points is easy to follow.
• Evidence:  The speaker elucidates major points with sufficient details.  If the speaker refers to specific sources, he or she cites those sources clearly.
• Depth:  Although brief, the presentation is obviously well-researched.  The speaker provides significant information about the topic rather than listing points that provide little insight into the film, its production, its reception, or its contexts.
• Delivery:  The speaker conveys points smoothly and adheres to the time limit.  If the speaker provides a handout, the handout is well-prepared (titled, readable) and plays an essential role in the presentation.