Audience expectations
A key purpose of confirmation is to determine whether 'the candidate has developed a clearly defined, coherent and feasible research project'.
The oral presentation is primarily an opportunity to establish that you have satisfied this criterion. In addition, it is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your (developing) oral presentation skills.
No one will be expecting your confirmation presentation to be a consummate performance. Your supervisor(s) and the other academics in attendance are likely, however, to expect it to be a thoroughly prepared presentation, evidenced by your:
- Reasonably fluent delivery, with minimal use of speaking notes, and
- Use of appropriate visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides or overhead transparencies
More particularly, your audience will be expecting you to:
- Articulate a research problem and research questions (and tentative hypotheses in some disciplines - check with your supervisor)
- Demonstrate some understanding of the merits and limitations of the methods you propose to use
- Demonstrate general reading of scholarly literature in the field and your particular knowledge of previous research on the topic you will be investigating
- Present your research proposal with interest and enthusiasm.
The last point is important for both you and your audience. Your audience will be more interested in your research proposal if you appear enthusiastic. More importantly, once you have your audience's interest, you will relax and gain confidence in your delivery.
Particularly if English is not your first language, it’s important to be aware that an oral presentation is not an academic paper read out loud – it’s a different way of using language. Keen observation can be the first step in developing your skills in this area.
Keeping the audience with you
Even though you will be addressing a specialised audience with technical knowledge of your general field, aim to make your presentation as clear and accessible as possible.
Clarity is assisted by:
- Using 'active voice': 'I will investigate ABC', not 'ABC will be investigated'
- Precision: if possible specify extent, duration, quantity etc
- Brevity: if one word will serve, use it instead of a phrase. For example, use 'as' instead of 'on account of the fact that'; 'then' instead of 'after this has been done'.
- Connecting new information to something already known. For example, before describing a new computer modelling program, briefly remind your audience of the features and functions of the programs they are likely to have used in the past.
Most importantly, remember that your task is not to tell your audience everything you know about your topic. Instead, your task is to outline your research proposal, indicating its main elements, its scope and extent, and its significance.
The information, and particularly the detail, that you don't include in your presentation is not 'wasted'. Indeed, you need to keep something in reserve to draw on in question time.
