Lesson 4

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • “How to Give a Killer Presentation,” Chris Anderson, Harvard Business Publishing

Materials

Question Sets

• What Does It Mean to Live a Life Well-Lived?: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• What Does It Mean to Live a Life Well-Lived?: Section 3 Question Set

Activity 1: Read – Write

We will examine how to make our presentations powerful by reading and analyzing “How To Give A Killer Presentation.”

Step 1

You have worked on solidifying your understanding of task, audience, and purpose and have begun developing a plan for your presentation. Now, your group will consider how to best present the information for your research path.

As a team, read a 2013 Harvard Business Review article, "How to Give a Killer Presentation," by Chris Anderson, who has been the curator of TED Talks for more than 30 years and has helped presenters hone their presentation skills. The article gives instructions on the issues to consider as you plan a talk. He uses a story about a 12-year-old Masai boy to introduce and frame his discussion of what makes a good presentation.

Access the article and the video of the TED Talk. As a team, read the first three paragraphs of the article. Then, as a class, watch the video, thinking about the following question:

1. What tips from the TED Talk might you think about when you give a presentation?

Step 2

Discuss the video and your responses to it, sharing your observations about things you might have learned from it.

In preparation for a team discussion and presentation, individually read the rest of the article, taking notes using the two-column note-taking format you used when examining sources. Think about the following question as you read and take notes:

2. What are the key ideas or steps that Chris Anderson presents?

You might identify and make notes about these in the left column of your two-column notes.

Step 3

Working as a team, discuss the main ideas you have noted in the left-hand column of your two-column notes, then make a list of the main steps Anderson says a presenter should take when preparing.

Under each step, add two to three bullet points that offer more precise guidance for the step. You might be able to find these in the right-hand column of notes you have taken while reading.

In the next activity, you will be asked to present the instructions orally to another group to ensure that all important points have been captured.

Activity 2: Present – Discuss

We will apply the knowledge we gained from “How To Give A Killer Presentation” by presenting the information to our peers.

Step 1

Working with your team, use the information you collected and summarized about Anderson’s advice for effective presentations to create a short, how-to, oral presentation that could be used to instruct others. Your presentation time should be no more than three minutes. You will be presenting the information to another group to compare the conclusions you have each reached based on reading "How to Give a Killer Presentation."

Determine who from your team will overview the main ideas and steps you have identified and who will explain the bulleted points for each step.

Step 2

Your research team will now present the instructions you have created to another research team. Each team will present to one other team, switching roles after each presentation so that both teams have an opportunity to instruct and to listen.

Discuss the following questions after the three-minute presentations:

1. Did both groups include the same key steps in their oral presentation of how to create an effective presentation? If not, what was different?

2. Were the instructions clear and could they be easily followed by someone who had not read the article?

3. What adjustments could be made to make the instructions clearer?

4. What aspects of the presentation were effective?

Step 3

Return to your research group. Discuss the ideas presented in Anderson’s instructions to determine if there are aspects you should consider as you prepare your final presentation for the unit.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will make decisions about specific aspects of our presentations.

Step 1

Once you have an idea of what claims, ideas, and information you wish to include in your product, consider its format and the approach to take in the presentation delivery.

Starting with the questions below, discuss the plan for your presentation with your research team to make decisions that will make the drafting process more effective.

1. What do you imagine your presentation delivery looking like? Knowing you only have 5-7 minutes, what is the critical information your audience must get?

2. What sources are important to present? What facts, quotes, or questions will you present to the audience?

3. What will each team member present?

4. Who is going to start your presentation? Who will end? How will you immediately engage the audience? Who will answer questions?

5. What tools or graphics do you need to present based on your presentation format? How will you access the tools or graphics you need?

6. What planning or delivery tips from Chris Anderson’s "How to Give a Killer Presentation" can you use in your presentation?

Step 2

Based on the list of team members’ skills you made when deciding on the final product format, and the needs and desires of your team, assign roles for each team member for product creation and presentation delivery. Be sure to refer to the list you created of features you want to include in your product.

The roles will be specific to whatever format you have chosen and should capitalize on the skills and abilities of the team in making the most effective presentation.

You will have the following lesson to work on your presentation.

Activity 4: Write – Discuss

We will reflect on our work to determine how prepared we are for the presentation.

Respond to the following questions on your Learning Log with your group:

1. How did you, specifically, contribute to your group?

2. On a scale from one to four, how well do you understand the topic, your research, the texts you read, and the presentation plan?