The University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education (UCITE) will hold a session, titled “Presentation skills from the classroom to conferences,” Thursday, July 9, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Herrick Room of the Allen Memorial Medical Library.
The ability to give good presentations is an important skill for any student or academic. Apart from simply being a way to influence how other people view the speaker, preparing a good presentation helps to sharpen ideas, be more concise and pointed in messaging, and become more aware of the power of language to persuade.
During this UCITE session, Sarah de Swart, associate director of UCITE, will discuss some of the central elements that go into making good presentations, such as voice and body language, as well as the different kinds of strategies that can be used for classroom lectures or scientific presentations. She also will try to tackle some of the presentation challenges raised by the group. Using a roundtable method, the group will identify the most common issues for faculty and share strategies for success.
Drawing upon her prior experience as a professional actress, de Swart will illustrate how some of the skills used in improvisational theater can be adapted by professors for their own use. She has been advising Case Western Reserve University faculty on an individual basis on how to improve their presentations.
Pizza, sodas and water will be provided at this session. RSVP to ucite@case.edu.