Tips and Tricks: Volume 5 - University Referate

Yes, this is from Spongebob.  It illustrates the point
perfectly though.

     Here in Germany, one of the primary methods of grading in university seminars is using a Referat, or oral presentation, designed to both teach a topic to the rest of the class, and evaluate the student presenters.  While most college age students are fairly familiar with how to give a standard presentation, there are a few odds and ends which warrant mentioning before you go off to the great wide world of standing in front of a room of disinterested fellow students.

How obvious is it that I couldn't find a better way
to represent a handout?

     First up is the handout!  At the top of the page, include your name and contact information (email address), and that of your group members, if you are working with others.  Next, you will need to include any major points that come up during your presentation (bullet points here, you aren't writing an essay!).  If you choose to discuss a quote(s) during your presentation, it is a good idea to include it in the body of your handout, for ease of reference by your classmates - they do rely on you to provide what amounts to the lecture material on your topic after all.  At the end, make sure to include any and all sources that you used (the Germans have a thing for hard copy text sources).  And now the hard part: keep it to a single (double sided) piece of paper, and make a copy for everyone!

I opened the website that this picture comes from to get the source
link.  The background music kinda sorta clashes with metal music.

     In the actual presentation, if you decide to include a presentation (ie. Powerpoint), make sure to include a slide listing the topics to be covered (match up with your handout).  Also, for each image that you use, include a citation (stating "Google Images," with the search term and date accessed is sufficient in a pinch) on the actual slide, rather than including them in your citation list, as is more common in the United States.  Finally, although it should be common knowledge, make sure to limit the amount of text that you use on a slide.  If the audience is actually reading the text shown, you have too much.

Final Tips:

1. Aim for a 15-20 minute presentation (if you are given a large topic or are in a group, otherwise go for 10-15 minutes).
2. Don't go off topic.  You have been assigned a specific topic, so stick to it.  The closest you should come to going off topic is, perhaps, to very briefly explain a topic that directly leads into yours (ie. if your topic is the continuation of another, and doesn't make sense as a standalone point).
3. Make eye contact!  It is very easy to simply read off of your notes, particularly if you have a tendency to write out your entire presentation (not a bad idea though), but you will lose your audience's interest and attention if you give your presentation to a sheet of paper.
4. Relax!  You are going to make mistakes, guaranteed.  If you trip up over some words, take a moment, backtrack to the last point that makes sense, and keep going as if nothing happened.  No one is going to hold you accountable for not being perfectly spoken in your non-native language.  Just make sure they can understand your material.
5. Use language which makes sense to you!  Even though you may be able to find words to convey your points using a dictionary, it is a much better idea to use words that you already know when possible.
6. And finally, if you are in a group, and are given responsibility for a certain part of the presentation, make sure that you deliver!  Also, if you are given the option as a group to select one person to speak, and you are not that person, make sure that you provide and excess of material for them to cut down as they choose.  It is much kinder to them, and will improve the quality of the Referat.

Proverb of the Day:

Sometimes its the little things in life that make the greatest difference.

This applies to Sriracha hot sauce and Turkish fast food as well.

*Source links are included for stock images.

**The background music is not from a personal music project in progress.  I'm kind of insulted that you assumed it wasn't finished actually.  That is what they call sarcasm.