NC Oral Presentation Team Tips 2014 NC Oral Presentation Scoring Elements Listed below are the scoring elements that are used on the official judge’s scorecard to award points. Be sure to address these elements in your team presentation.

Part I - Preparation and Presentation of a Plan (25 points maximum)   

Address the specific environmental problem and all related issues. (0 to 10 points) Include each of the major natural resource areas. Soils/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, and Wildlife. (0 to 10 points) Identify all the different players and interest groups affected by the problem. (0 to 5 points)

Part II - Application of Data (40 points maximum)     



Problem solution – The solution must be factually correct; must address all parts of the problem and have a realistic potential to be applied or implemented. The solution should lead to long term sustainability with respect to natural resources. (0 to 10 points) Main points – All points should be clearly stated and well supported. (0 to 10 points) Political/Regulatory Issues – Address any relevant regulations and mandates as well as any potential impacts on the political system and or community. (0 to 5 points) Ecological/Environmental Issues – Address the major ecological and environmental issues. (0 to 5 points) Economic Issues – Address the following: the cost and benefit of the proposed plan, the cost of implementing the plan, the economic impact on local resources, the cost of doing nothing, potential future costs, potential funding source(s), etc. If the proposed plan will be costly, teams should show how the benefits will outweigh the costs. (0 to 5 points) Social and Cultural Issues – Address any of the following that might be relevant to the problem and it’s solution: private property rights, traditions, a clean and healthy environment, the right to farm, urban issues, cultural issues, and environmental justice. (0 to 5 points)

Part III - Quality of Presentation (20 points maximum)    

Organization – Begin with a clear introduction, follow a logical progression throughout the presentation, and finish with a strong conclusion. (0 to 5 points) Presentation Delivery – Use proper eye contact, gestures, voice inflection, originality, and professionalism, etc. (0 to 5 points) Visual Aids – Use a poster board and colored markers to create visual aids that add to the presentation. Strive to make these visual aids factually correct, appropriate, eye appealing, readable, neat, etc. (0 to 5 points) Judges Questions – Following the presentation there will be a 5 minute period of questions from the judges. All answers that are provided should be correct, logical, and concise. All team members should participate equally. (0 to 5 points)

Part IV - Required Elements (15 points maximum)   

Equal Participation –Your team will receive 1 point for each team member that took an equal part in the presentation. Teams with less than 5 members can only receive a maximum number of points equal to the number of team members. (0 to 5 points) Present a Plan –Present a clearly defined plan. (0 to 5 points) Timing of Presentation – Time the presentation to be 9 to 10 minutes in length to maximize your score. All presentations must end at exactly 10 minutes. The timekeeper will give you visual warnings of how much time you have left. At the 1 minute warning your team should start to wrap things up with a conclusion. (5 pts: 9-10 minutes; 4 pts: 8-8:59 minutes; 3 pts: 7-7:59 minutes; 2 pts: 6-6:59 minutes; 1 pt: 5-5:59; 0 pts: <5 minutes)

NC Oral Presentation Team Tips 2014 Preparing an Oral Presentation 1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. 2. Tell them. 3. Tell them what you’ve told them. Think through 3 things before you start writing: 1) AUDIENCE Who are they? What do they want? Or…What are their interests? 2) PURPOSE What do we want to accomplish by this presentation? What do we want the audience to think/do differently because of this presentation? 3) ORGANIZATION See below … Opening:  Develop a strong opening that makes the audience want to hear more.  Explain who you are and what you have to say.  Make a clear transition to your main points. Body / Organization:  Organize your thoughts around a few main points.  Develop supporting material to validate your main points.  Think about (and include) what is of interest to this particular audience. Closing:  Develop a strong closing that is similar to your opening.  Summarize your main points.  Make it clear to your audience what you want them to know or do.

NC Oral Presentation Team Tips 2014 Delivering an Oral Presentation Things to Consider: 

Manage your nervousness – use your nervous energy positively. (For example: use this energy to show your enthusiasm; don’t fidget with eye glasses or hats.)



Body Language – use open posture and be natural.



Appearance – should be appropriate to the audience and the material being presented.



Movement/Hands/Gestures – don’t be stiff, move naturally for you, gesture or talk with hands when it fits.



Notes – should be neat, orderly and helpful to you. It’s OK to hold and refer to them – don’t be glued to them.



Eye Contact – do make eye contact with your audience.



Voice – naturally vary inflection, pace and volume to make things interesting to the audience.



Pause – a dramatic pause can be powerful when used effectively.



Pronunciation/Articulation – be aware of this and do it well.



Visual Aids – be creative; think from the audience’s perspective. Use the visual aids to add impact to your

GENERAL POINTS TO REMEMBER 

You are talking to five judges, with different professional backgrounds, who are not trying to intimidate you. RELAX!



You have 9-10 minutes to get your point across to these five individuals.



Introduce yourself; introduce your topic, explain your topic, and then recap your topic.



Make sure each team member has a designated role and speaking part. Try to keep the speaking times relatively equal.



Remember to cite sources and use examples.



Try to come up with answers for questions you think might be asked by the panel of judges.



Bring a watch with you to the oral presentation preparation station so that your team can time their practice presentation. Remember, no phones are permitted at the station.