UNDERSTANDING ORAL REPORTS. Oral reports can be deceptive. When watching someone give an effective five-minute talk, you may assume the speaker spent less time preparing it than he or she would a ten-page paper. But be warned: Oral presentations require all the research, analysis, and drafting of any other type of assignment, and then some. After all the background work is done, the material needs to be trimmed to its most important points and sold to an audience. Here is some advice for preparing effective oral reports.

Know your stuff. Having a firm grasp on your subject will make a presentation more effective — which is why you need to do serious research. Knowledge brings you confidence that will ease some anxieties about public speaking. You’ll appear believable and persuasive to an audience. And you’ll feel more comfortable when improvising or taking questions. When you are in command of a subject, you’ll survive even if equipment fails or you misplace a note card.

adapting material?

Organize your presentation. If your report is based on material you’ve already written, reduce the text to an outline, memorize its key points (or put them on cards), and then practice speaking about each one. If it helps, connect the main ideas to one or two strong examples listeners might later remember. Make the report seem spontaneous, but plan every move. (order ideas)

The process is similar for an oral report built from scratch. First, study your subject. Then list the points you want to cover and arrange them to engage listeners, choosing a pattern of organization that fits your topic. Use note cards or the outlining tools in programs like Word or PowerPoint to explore options for structuring the talk.

Cover only a limited number of points. You want an audience to walk away thinking about two or three key ideas.

Keep your audience on track. At the beginning of your report, tell your audience briefly what you intend to cover and in what order. Then, at critical transitions in the report, remind listeners where you are simply by stating what comes next: The second issue I wish to discuss . . . ; Now that we’ve examined the phenomenon, let’s look at its consequences. Don’t be shy about making your main points this directly and don’t worry about repetition. In an oral report, strategic repetition is your friend.

Stay connected to your listeners. For about thirty seconds, you’ll have the spontaneous goodwill of most audiences. After that, you’ve got to earn every minute of their attention. Begin by introducing yourself and your subject, if no one else performs that task. For longer reports, consider easing into your material with an anecdote that connects you, your subject, and your listeners. Self-deprecating humor usually works. (Short, in-class presentations won’t need much, if any, warm-up.)

Establish eye contact with individual members of the group right from the start. Watch their reactions. When it’s clear you’ve made a point, move on. If you see puzzled looks, explain more. No speaker charms everyone, so don’t let a random yawn throw you. But if the whole crowd starts to snooze, you are the problem. Connect or lose ’em: Pick up your pace; move on to the next point; skip to your best material.

Be sure to speak to your listeners, not to your notes or text. Arrange your materials and print them large enough so that you can read them easily from a distance and not lose your place. If you look downward too often or gaze at your own slides, you’ll lose eye contact and your voice will be muffled, even with a microphone.

Use your voice and body. Speak clearly and deliberately, and be sure people in the back of the room can hear you. Nervous speakers unconsciously speed up until they’re racing to their conclusions. If you get skittish, calm yourself by taking a deep breath and smiling.

If the room is large and you’re not confined by a fixed microphone, move around on the stage to address more of the audience. Use gestures too. They are a natural part of public speaking, especially for arguments and personal narratives. If you get stuck behind a podium, be sure to scan the entire audience (not just speak to the middle of the room) and modulate your voice. Keep your body steady too: Don’t rock or sway as you speak.

Adapt your material to the time available. If you know your subject well, don’t worry about running out of things to say. Most speakers have the opposite problem: They talk too much. So be realistic about how much you can cover within an assigned time limit, especially if you have to take questions at the end. Tie your key ideas to fixed points on a clock. Know where you need to be at a quarter, half, and three-quarters of the way through the available time. If you’re taking questions after your presentation, follow up with Any questions? (connect ideas)

Practice your talk. With any oral report, you need several dry runs to increase your confidence and identify potential problems. Speak your material aloud exactly as you intend to deliver it and go through all the motions, especially if you will use media such as slides or video clips. Have one or more friends or classmates observe you and offer feedback.

If your presentation is collaborative, choreograph the report with the full group in attendance, agreeing on the introductions, transitions, and interactions with the audience. Who manages the laptop? Who distributes the handouts and when? Who takes the questions? Handoffs like these seem minor until they are fumbled on game day.

Go through all your materials when you time the talk, including any audio and video clips. If you review the presentation only in your head, you will greatly underestimate its length.

Prepare for the occasion. Before the report, check out the physical location if possible, as well as any equipment you will use. Be sure your laptop will connect to the multimedia projector in the room; know how to dim the lights; be sure a screen or electrical outlets are available.

Then dress up. A little spit and polish earns the goodwill of most audiences. Your classmates may razz you about the tie or skirt, but it just proves they’re paying attention. And that’s a good thing.