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Competition Rules and Presentation Structure

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any kind; the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration).
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum. Competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when presenters start their presentation through movement or speech.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are to be delivered in traditional presentation style.
• Presenters must submit original research from their thesis, dissertation, graduate project, or any other research-based projects they are working on. The research can focus on the development of new ideas, methods, or products, or it may focus on the application and revision of current methods or models. Students in creative degree programs such as the MA Music should focus on how their creative work applies to the broader exchange of ideas and the role it plays in providing new perspective or changing attitudes.
• You must record your presentation and provide a URL to your video to enter the Grad Slam competition.  We recommend using Zoom to record your talk.   If you are selected to participate in Grad Slam, you will be asked to provide a picture of yourself (a professional-looking headshot) and a short biography,.
• In the event of a tie, a representative from the Office of Graduate Studies will break the tie.

• Clarity:  Did the speaker provide adequate background knowledge to make the talk and the importance of the project understandable?
• Organization: Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Language matches audience:  Was the topic and its significance communicated in a language appropriate to an interested, but non-specialist audience? (For example, did the speaker avoid or explain discipline-specific jargon?)
• Significance:  Did the presenter explain why the project mattered, addressing the impact and results of the research?
• Delivery:  How was the delivery, including pace, enthusiasm, confidence, body language, and dynamism of vocal delivery?
• Visual:  Did the slide enhance the presentation and help to emphasize the primary points of the talk?  Was the slide well designed, clear, legible and concise?
• Engagement:  To what extent did the talk speak to your intellectual curiosity?  Did it make you want to learn more about the topic?

Please see this recording of our recent held by Drs. Michelle Gravier and Divya Sitaraman.

Participants are encouraged to use the services of the SCAA in preparing their presentations. 

/scaa/types-of-tutoring/online-writing-lab-owl.html

Example presentations:

Tips:

• Keep your language simple and accessible for someone outside your field.
• Think of it like telling a short story with an introduction, middle, and end.
• Write a script to guide your thinking.   Practice and revise until you can give your talk without the script.   When you record or present, don't read directly from the script, since it will not feel as natural or engaging.  Look and talk directly at your camera.