Lesson six

• Presentation - comments• Report writing• Discussion of text• Descriptive writing – graphs• References

Presentation techniques

• Introduction – what you are going to talk about, who you are, maybe your conclusion. (Jonas O, Marcus, Malin, Fanny, Chia)

• Circle composition (Andrea, Jonas E, Daniel, Vilhelm, Anna)

• Beginning – quick on points (Johanna, Magnus, Andreas, Gustaf T)

• Slower when near the end, should be obvious that it is finished. (Jonas O, Marcus, Malin, Fanny, Chia)

• Connection between the start and the main part (Gustaf O, Martin, Irina, Anton)

• Have key words as notes, it gives the audience confidence (Axel, Jonas F, Erik, David)

• Always hold a pen in your hand or something. (Axel, Jonas F, Erik, David)

• Don’t make the others look stupid (Andrea, Jonas E, Daniel, Vilhelm, Anna)

• Don’t read from paper (Andrea, Jonas E, Daniel, Vilhelm, Anna)

Do not stress - Fit in the assigned time (Johanna, Magnus, Andreas, Gustaf T)Be ready to improvise (Andrea, Jonas E, Daniel, Vilhelm, Anna)Act like it is a conversation (Axel, Jonas F, Erik, David)Right language (Andrea, Jonas E, Daniel, Vilhelm, Anna)

EvaluationDeliveryThe presentation should show a good knowledge of the subject.The speaker should have good eye contact with the entire audience. The speaker should be aware of and use his or her body language, and use gestures and movements in an appropriate way.The speaker’s voice should be clear and sufficiently loud for the size of the room. The presentation should be delivered in a pace that makes it easy to follow but quick enough that seem fluid and prepared.The presentation should stay within the time limit stipulated.The speaker should not read excessively from his or her manuscript.The speaker should face and address the audience for the entire presentation, with only shorter interruptions.All words must be pronounced correctly.The language should be grammatically correct and stylistically appropriate.The vocabulary should be appropriate, specific, correct and varied. Structure and organizationThe presentation should have a clear structure. The subject should be presented in a way that generates interest in the audience.The title of the presentation should be descriptive and give a good indication of what the presentation is about, as well as generate interest.The introduction should capture the audience attentionIf appropriate the name or names of the speaker(s) should be presented.The introduction should provide the necessary background to what is being presented.The organization of the presentation should be presented at the start.The speaker should be aware of the type of audience he or she addresses and adapt the presentation accordingly.The level of background knowledge required to understand the presentation should match the type of audience that is being addressed.The level of detail of the topic presented should be adapted to the audience.If material is taken from other sources, these must be cited.The speaker should know the correct terminology of the topic that is being presented, and avoid vague, general terms and phrases like “...and things like that”.Difficult terminology that cannot be assumed to be common knowledge in the audience must be explained.At the end of the presentation, the speaker should give a quick overview of what has gone before and possibly draw conclusions from the information presented.In group presentation, the transitions between speakers should be clear and smooth. AidsThe presentation should be supported with audio or visual aids if appropriate.The type of aids should be appropriate to the presentation.The number of power point slides or overhead transparencies should fit the length and complexity of the presentation.The visual aids should be well designed in terms of the amount of information presented and the graphical impression.

Function of the report

• Primary research report• Evaluation report• Background report

Primary research report

• Based on original empirical data• Specific research questions• Method is important• Typical example: Lab report

Evaluation report

• Compare different techniques, products, solutions etc. to evaluate strengths and weaknesses.

• Arrive at the optimal choice• Method important• Typical example: Technical evaluation report

Background report

• Present information that is not easily available from other sources

• Gives expert knowledge to non-experts• Important to adapt to the intended audience• Consulting report

Structure of report

1. Title page2. Table of contents3. Abstract4. Introduction5. Body of the report6. Discussion7. Conclusion(8. Recommendations)9. References10. Appendixes

Title page

The title page should include:• The title of the report• The name of the writers of the report• The name of the course• The name of the instructor/tutor• The date it is handed in

Abstract

• Less than 200 words (for a short report)• Write it last• Should give the reader a good idea of what

the report covers and indicate what the main conclusions are

• Normally no references

Introduction

• General background• Main focus• Specific questions• The development of the report

Body of the report

• Organize the body in a way that presents the information that is logical and clear for the purpose of the report

• Structure of the body depend on the type of report. Primary research reports are fairly standardized (Background research, theory, data)

• Cite sources used in the text

Discussion/Conclusion

• Possibly conflate the two sections• Analyse the information presented in the body• Summarize main points• Make sure you answer the questions asked in

the introduction

References

• Choose an established reference system (APA, MLA, Harvard, Oxford etc.) and follow it consistently

• Always provide a reference list

Report introductionTHE EFFECTS OF INCREASED ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE

I. INTRODUCTION Before the year 2020, the climate of the earth may be warmer than any time in the past thousand years. This change, which is incredibly fast by geological time scales, will be brought about by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. The most important source of excessive CO2 is the burning of carbon-based fossil fuels for energy production. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of all living systems and is normally considered harmless. It is a minor element in the earth's atmosphere comprising only about 0.03% of the total atmosphere. However, this small amount of CO2, along with water vapor, is responsible for what is commonly known as the greenhouse effect.

The fact that changes in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere could cause changes in the earth's climate has been known for over one hundred years. However, only in the last 5 to 10 years has significant research been done in this field. The most ominous of the effects of a warmer climate will be the shifting of local weather patterns. This shifting will have profound effects on agricultural production in a world that is already unable to adequately feed its citizens today. There will also be an accompanying redistribution of wealth which will likely lead to dangerous social conflicts. It is obvious that the continued introduction of CO2 into the atmosphere will have consequences far worse than producing a slightly balmier climate.

The purpose of this report is to examine the climatic changes caused by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and their implications for society. Also discussed will be the mechanisms of the greenhouse effect, the sources and reservoirs of carbon dioxide, and some possible methods to reduce the magnitude of the problem.

3D Printing – specific approaches

• The market potential for consumer oriented 3D printers

• 3D printing effect on the production of counterfeit goods

• Evaluation of 3D printing for serial production

Things to note when writing a report

• Audience of the report• Purpose of the report• Conclusion

Audience of the report

• Define who the intended readers of the report are.

• What knowledge background do they have?• Why do they need the information in the

report?

Purpose of the report

• What is the purpose of the report?• What specific questions is the report intended

to answer?• What topics will the report cover?

Conclusion

• Pulls together the essential facts and ideas included in the report

• Draws conclusions based on what have been discussed in the report

• Answers any questions introduced at the beginning of the report

Graph exercise – describing change

• Look at activity 7.7 in the hand out • Assume that you are including Figure 7.6 in a text.• Draw the readers attention to the graph by referring to it in your text.• Make up any additional details that are relevant for your description,

i.e. some context that gives you a reason to illustrate the change in inflation rate illustrated in the graph.

• Point out the important aspects of the changes in inflation and describe them using the terminology from the hand-out. You need to be accurate and varied.

• Try to come up with a main reason why you want the reader to access the information in the graph.

• The description should be no more than 150 words.

References

Author’s name included in the textJohnson (2006) discovered that children that children were more susceptible... Author’s name NOT included in the textIn a more recent study (Johnson, 2006), children were found to be more susceptible...

Year of study can be incorporated into the textIn his 2006 study, Johnson indicated that children were more susceptible...

References

Subsequent referencesIn a more recent study, Johnson (2006) found that children were more susceptible... Johnson also found that...

In the reference listJohnson, S 2006, Child Psychology, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Placement of references

Place the referents immediately at the point where the information is used, not a the end of the paragraph

In each case, these studies were based on a semantic assumption about the representation of ideas; namely, that events and states and the referents that participate in them make up the basic cognitive network of the speakers and the listeners (see Givón, 1985; Chafe, 1994). This model has an equivalent in the so-called ontologies in use today in artificial intelligence. The analyses of Topic continuity can in fact have numerous applications in this sector and also in computational linguistics.

On-line sources

For newspaper articles found in online newspapers, the required elements for a reference are:

Author or corporate author, Year. Title of document or page. Name of newspaper, [type of medium] Additional date information. Available at:.[name ofdatabase]. [Accessed date].

On-line source

Coney, J., 2009. Is this the start of a new home loan war? HSBC vows to lend £1billion to homebuyers with 10% deposits. Daily Mail, [online] (Last updated 9.47 AM on 09th April 2009) Available at: <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1168461/Is-start-new-home-loanwar-HSBC-vows-lend-1billion-homebuyers-10-deposits.html>

[Accessedon 20 April 2009]

In text(Coney, 2009)