Guidelines
There are 2 steps to this worksheet. To begin, you will apply a free writing technique. This is where you write whatever comes into your mind without stopping. Simply, let the ideas flow and don’t be too concerned about editing. Once you have completed Step 1, return to the session on Ulwazi and work through the different points. At the end of the session, complete Step 2 where take note of your initial ideas about good presentations and what you have learnt.
Step 1: Practice Free writing
For this part of the activity, you need to let your ideas flow by writing continuously without stopping for at least 5 minutes. Don’t worry about spelling or grammer, just let ideas come to you. This is a great technique to allow your ideas to flow without limiting yourself.
Start with the following sentence and keep writing:
An inspiring presentation I will never forget …
An inspiring presentation that I’ll never forget was humorous, the presenter made memorable jokes, gave interesting facts and statistics, made use of analogies that made concepts that are usually difficult to understand easy, the slides of the presentation were not too busy or over filled with information. The presenter added information the slides, using the slides a guide instead of reading the slides to the audience.
Tips for Free writing
Free writing Try to include aspects of ‘free writing’ when approaching activities for the first time:
● Use coloured, unlined paper. ● Use colour felt-tip pens. ● Orientate the paper in a landscape direction. ● Be non-critical of your writing.
The aim of the above ‘rules’ in free-writing is for you to break through the resistance that comes from formal writing, assessments and computer work, allowing for your thought-making process to come to the fore (Badenhorst, 2007).
Want to learn more about Free writing? Have a look at these resources:
Campbell, A. Freewriting Techniques Available at: https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/writing-center/wilmer-center-online-writing-lab/drafting-a-document/freewriting-techniques/ (Last accessed: 22 July 2019).
Friedlander, J. (2010) Unleash Your Creativity: How To Freewrite Available at: https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/04/unleash-your-creativity-now-how-to-freewrite/ (Last accessed: 22 July 2019).
Step 2 – Make notes about your initial ideas and what you have learnt.
Before continuing, engage with the content in Session 2. Once you have watched the videos and read the content, make notes about the similarities or differences regarding the points that have been made, and the ideas you expressed in your free writing in Step 1.
Similarities to Free writing:
- An engaging presentation is like a narrative, effectively conveying the message of what needs to be presented.
- Provides information required and that the audience will be able to understand and remember.
- Facts are categories that is easy for the broken down into audience to understand.
- Slide must be eye-catching but not busy. Acknowledge and reference images and information per slide.
- Use of minimum words per slide, with easy to read font.
- Use of different text colours and fonts only when necessary, such as titles and for emphasis.
- Not writing full length sentences or paragraphs.
- Asking question and summarising talk points.
- The presenter was passionate and made use of voice and hand gestures as well as body.
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