Considering your assignment, purpose, and audience for presentations. Begin preparing for a presentation as soon as you get the assignment. Think about how much time you have to prepare; how long the presentation is to be; whether you will use written-out text or note cards; whether visual aids, handouts, or other materials are called for; and what equipment you will need. If you are making a group presentation, you will need time to divide duties and practice. Make sure that you understand the criteria for evaluation—how will the presentation be graded or assessed?

Consider the purpose of your presentation (4d). Are you to lead a discussion? teach a lesson? give a report? engage a group in an activity? Also consider the audience (4e). If your instructor is a member of the audience, what will he or she expect you to do—and do well? What do audience members know about your topic? What opinions do they already hold about it? What do they need to know to follow your presentation and perhaps accept your point of view?

Student Shuqiao Song got a two-part assignment for her writing class on graphic novels: she had to write an argument essay based on her research on a graphic novel, and then she had to turn that information into a script for a twelve-minute oral presentation with slides. After brainstorming and talking with her instructor, she chose Alison Bechdel’s memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic as her topic. She realized that although she wanted very much to earn a good grade, she also wanted to convince her classmates that Bechdel’s book was complex and important—and she wanted to turn in a truly impressive performance in her presentation.