WARNING: RANT!
- Smile (make us feel welcomed)
- Do not say "umm" (if you can avoid it.. if it is in every sentence, you don't know what you are talking about well enough to present on it).
- Power Points should not have a zillion words on it (font size 24 should be the smallest size)
- Do not use green backgrounds with red text, or similar disgusting combinations on power points.
- Do not talk like a robot (being too calm and mellow can make one fall asleep).
- Do not talk too fast or too loud (if you over emphasize EVERY other WORD it BECOMES annoying AND does NOT grab OUR attention AND devalues THE key POINTS).
- Be passionate about what you are presenting (again, this does not mean loud).
- Vary activities, get us moving or have time for discussion.
- Do not make us walk around the room a bunch of times, once is enough.
- Do not force us to share thoughts every 5 minutes.
- Organize your handouts (if giving more than one, put them in order instead of making us grab one piece of paper from 5 stacks.. use a stapler).
- Repeat concepts (refer back to previous things you talked about, remind us the long analogy you gave at the beginning of the presentation and how it relates).
- Create open ended questions (never ask a question that has one right answer, ask questions that can lead to good discussion).
- KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE (if presenting on grading styles, know the district's grading policy that you are in).