The ability to deliver brief oral presentations is an important skill in a wide variety of careers in both the public and private sectors. In 17.41 recitation, you will be delivering an oral presentation on the subject you have chosen to address in your long policy memo.
Audience
In practice, your audience is your recitation section. However, it’s best to pitch the presentation to the audience you have chosen to address in your memo.
Format
You will have 5 minutes to deliver your oral presentation, followed by roughly 5 minutes of answering questions from your classmates and TA. You may choose to use slides to accompany your presentation, though they are not required.
You may choose how to organize your presentation, but one possible approach is to adopt a similar framework to the one you use in your memo. For example, if you use the “Summary—Background—Analysis—Recommendation” format in your memo, you could organize your presentation along the following lines:
- Begin with a **“hook”—**i.e. something that will draw the audience’s attention to the policy challenge you have identified in your memo. (20–30 seconds)
- An anecdote, an image, or a statistic can all be effective “hooks.”
- Provide a summary of the possible policies that could be used to address the challenge and which one you recommend. Preview what your remarks will address in the remainder of the presentation. (30 seconds)
- Give background on the history and context of the policy challenge you have identified. (30-60 seconds)
- Spend most of your time on the analysis of the pros and cons of different policy approaches to the challenge through the lens of course concepts. (~3 minutes)
- Conclude by giving your recommendation for what approach your audience should use to address the challenge*. (30 seconds)*
After you deliver your presentation, your classmates and TA will have 2–3 minutes to ask you questions on the subject of your presentation. All students are expected to listen attentively to their classmates’ presentations and ask them thoughtful questions during the Q&A. This means you are still expected to attend recitation the week that you are not scheduled to present. Please arrive on time so as to avoid interrupting the first presenter.
Evaluation
The oral presentation will be evaluated in three areas:
- Content (50%): The ideas in the presentation are logically coherent and creative. The policy challenge and potential solutions are analyzed through the lens of course concepts. Possible critiques of the recommended solution are addressed.
- Organization (30%): The presentation is clearly structured and addresses all of the key points of the memo. (i.e. The policy challenge is described, a range of potential solutions are analyzed, and one of those solutions is recommended.)
- Delivery (20%): The student manages time well within the limited time constraints. The student speaks clearly and professionally. The student fields questions directly and effectively (even if they don’t know all of the answers).
Tips for Success
Practice delivering your presentation out loud at least twice in advance. If possible, practice it in front of someone else, like a friend, classmate, or roommate. Use a timer to ensure that you are staying within the time limit and that you are allocating your time appropriately among the different sections of your presentation. (You will be surprised how quickly 5 minutes go by!)
Make sure you are comfortable using the necessary technology, including being able to share any slides (if applicable) without mishaps.
Schedule
Your TA will arrange the exact schedule, trying to accommodate your preferences.
