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Public Presentations Contests

HOW THE 4-H MEMBER WILL BE EVALUATED continued…

II. The Introduction - Attention of Audience Gained/Objectives outlined ...YOU WILL INTRODUCE YOURSELF; include your name, age, 4-H club or special interest group, years in 4-H, title of presentation, etc. This introduction will not count as part of your presentation time limits, so the time keeper will not start keeping track of time until you actually start with your topic. ... Arouse the attention of your audience. Have an attention-getter that relates in some way to your talk. You could use one of the following: 1. Story, anecdote, or joke. 2. Personal reference: If an incident in your own life relates to your topic, use this in your introduction. You could also use an incident in the life of someone in the audience if you ask them in advance.  With Creative Communication you could say, for instance, how you got started with this activity, or why you happened to take lesson on the musical instrument you are going to play. 3. Rhetorical question: This is a question asked by the speaker to arouse interest. An answer is not expected. START HERE4. Quotations: Short, appropriate quotations from literature or from speeches of great or famous people can add dramatically to your introduction. ... Now that you have the attention of the audience, state the purpose/objectives of the presentation: what is to be done, talked about, or presented and what you want to accomplish.

III. The Body-

It is the time to give your performance. With Creative Communication you tell your story, do your skit, dance, sing, etc.  For other types of presentations now is the time to make your major points in an organized manner, such as:

By categories, Structurally, step by step, or from simple to complex ...or As they happened chronologically by date and/or time.

Remember, in a speech the purpose is to entertain, to praise, to dedicate, to teach, or to persuade an audience (to your viewpoint). ...Use strong supporting statements (statistics, facts, case studies, etc.) to strengthen your major points. An important consideration when you are doing a presentation is to select one topic and stay with it.  Make sure your information is accurate and up-to-date. Keep a list of your sources for answers to questions from the audience or for referrals. ... Know your subject and the skills it requires. Practice! Make sure you know how to use the equipment. ... Do your visuals support what you are doing or help to explain the subject? …Remember, no visuals with public speaking. ... Know what you are talking about and don't intentionally mislead the audience. ... Practice until the presentation goes smoothly and easily. If it doesn't go as planned, you can improvise or ask for help.

Demonstrations and Illustrated talks. Use an orderly process in presenting your talk. ... Give careful thought to your presentation and planning ... If you go structurally; follow a logical order, each step based on the step before. Tell the audience the reason for each step. Present each step in a clear and simply way the audience can understand. ... Use visual aids to make information clear or to show the audience what you are doing. ... In a show-how demonstration, hold the item up from time to time, or at each completed step. ... Tell them what you are going to do, and make sure that your purpose has been carried out.

IV. Handling Materials and Equipment ... You are responsible for bringing everything you need for your presentation.  Room monitors will have tape to attach posters, etc. to the blackboard or wall in the front of the room. You will have a small table available for your use. ...Make sure your equipment is clean and appropriate for the type of presentation you are giving. ... Be neat and orderly. You may want to use trays to keep your equipment in the right place at the right time. Keep your work area clear of unnecessary items. ... Keep materials to the side, so audience can see what you are doing. ... Bring paper towels, sponges, etc. for keeping hands and work area clean. ... In a demonstration, talk while you work; share facts, personal experiences, etc.

Visuals and Props - Posters are not required in demonstrations or illustrated talks. If you decide to use posters, all lettering and other artwork should be your own work. ... Illustrated talks DO require the use of visual aids. These could be charts, pictures, graphs, samples, models, posters, slides, overheads, etc. ... Keep your visuals simple in design ... Make sure your pictures, lettering, etc. are large enough to see or read from a distance. Letter size for good visibility (assuming good light, good eyes, and good color) for this contest is 2 inches with a line thickness of 1/4 inch. Photographs should be matte finish, and large enough so the entire audience can see it .... Black on white and navy blue on white are good for posters but black on yellow, black on orange and yellow-orange on navy blue are even better for visibility. ... Don't try to squeeze everything on one visual aid. If you have a lot of information, put it on two or more posters or charts. ... Your visuals should not duplicate what you are going to say. However, posters or flip charts can reinforce the main points and/or aid in the explanation of the most important points. ... Do not stand in front of or block your visuals. ... It can be helpful to use a pointer or ruler to draw attention to an item on your poster. ... Neat and clean visuals reflect well on you and your presentation; sloppy visuals do not.

Quality of the final product - Demonstrations... The final product should be completed by the end of the demonstration or constructed in advance ... Make sure the final product is well made, and is clearly visible to the audience.

V. Summary & Conclusion - objectives achieved, audience reaction...For a Creative Communication the objective might be audience enjoyment, or making the audience think about a topic, without you actually saying it.  In Creative Communications if you have to say what your purpose was, it may not have been successful..... In other presentations re-emphasize the main points.  Be concise and to the point!  Tell how you have benefited and how the audience might benefit from this presentation. Be sure to summarize the talk. Try to stimulate the audience by what you have learned from this presentation. (In a foods demonstration offer the judges a taste of the finished product.).  Ask if there are any questions. Answer them as well as you can.  If you do not know the answer, don't be afraid to say so, and refer the questioner to one of your resources.

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