A presentation is a method used to communicate an idea by showing and/or telling. It can be a demonstration or a talk that uses posters and other visual aids. Planning to give a 4-H presentation helps youth:
- Develop leadership skills.
- Increase self-confidence and ability to present ideas.
- Expand skills for planning, preparation and performance.
Pick a Topic
When preparing any good presentation, the first important step is to pick a topic you’re comfortable with. If you’re familiar with and excited about the topic, your presentation will be more interesting for the audience to listen to and for you to present. Other things to consider when selecting a topic:
- you want to share with others
- you learned through your 4-H project
- is an idea that can be presented in a short time
- a topic that can be easily broken down into steps that can be demonstrated.
Once you have selected a topic, decide on a title for your presentation. Select a title that:
- relates to the subject and is “catchy”
- is original
- is short
- suggests the subject without telling the whole story
Prepare an Outline
There are three parts to a presentation:
- Introduction -- the “why” of it
- Body -- “show and tell” portion
- Summary or Conclusion -- the “what” of it
Begin researching your topic. Always find more information than you will use in the presentation. This will help you answer questions and make adjustments later. Create a logical outline for the sections of your presentation.
Introduction (The Why of It)
The introduction is your first impression and should creatively capture attention, focus interest on your topic and hook the audience into listening for more! Begin your presentation with an “attention getter.” This should introduce your general topic and theme. You could ask a question, tell a short story or give a quotation or statistic to peak their interest. Greet your audience and get their attention and interest. Tell what you will be presenting and explain why you are interested in the topic.
Body (The Show and Tell Part)
This is the main part of your presentation. You should show and explain all the points or steps of what you are doing in logical order. Explain what you are doing and why. Give facts or statistics or tell your story in more detail and perhaps compare it to similar experiences your audience may have had at some time. Show step by step procedures but it is not necessary for you to always complete the entire product. For example, only sew part of a seam, or only attach one rocket fin. Combine talking and doing; that is, always talk while you’re working if possible. Fill in with extra information relating to your presentation. Write a rough draft and create your visual aids.
The visual aids should stand alone. This means that you could place them in a different order or just use one and it would not rely on another visual. Visual aids can provide an outline for your presentation. Use personal examples and stories in your presentation to make it more interesting for the audience.
Summary (The What)
Your summary should be similar to the introduction. It reviews the important points of the presentation.
- Use your outline to remind the audience what they have learned. Briefly restate main points of presentation.
- Remember to cite your sources (4-H resources, websites, books, 4-H activities, etc.).
- In most presentation formats, only the judges may ask questions. Speakers are expected to handle questions related to the presentation. The purpose of questions is to evaluate how well you know and understand the subject of your presentation. You should make sure that questions are heard by the entire audience by repeating the question, paraphrasing the question, or including the question in the answer. Repeating gives you the chance to make sure you understand the question. It is acceptable to admit you are unable to answer the question, but provide a resource for finding the answer. Never make up an answer.
- After questioning is finished, indicate to the audience that you are finished by making a final closing statement that brings back the theme of the presentation.
- Finally, thank your audience.
- Invite the audience and judge to sample and/or inspect the finished product.
Length of Presentation
Consider contests rules or presentation length requests when preparing your presentation. The complexity of the topic, and the age of participants should dictate the appropriate length.
Practice – Practice – Practice
- Out loud, around six times
- With props
- In front of a mirror
Time your presentation so you will know if you need to remove or add words. This is where that extra information may come in handy. Remember that you should always be talking, so if it takes you longer to load or unload a tray than you have words to say, then you know you need to make some changes.
Present
- Dress neatly. You can even dress for the topic you are presenting. For example, if you are talking about building wood duck houses you could wear camouflage clothing.
- Be sure everything is in place before you begin.
- Work quickly and neatly.
- Look at the audience, not down at the demonstration table or your notes too often.
- Speak naturally in a clear loud voice so your audience can hear you.
- Smile at your audience, relax and enjoy what you are doing.
- Mistakes do happen -- go right on with your presentation and explain what happened.
- Weave personal experience into your presentation.
- Keep notes available, but never read from them or rely on them too heavily.
- Be enthusiastic.
Take time to review your presentation. How well did it go? You might ask your leader or someone else to give you suggestions on what you did well and how you could improve.
Congratulations! You have just experienced and worked hard on a series of skills that will assist you during the course of your life! These life skills include communication, social skills, planning/organizing, goal setting, decision making, critical thinking, problem solving, and many more! You are building confidence in skills that will help you through school, job interviews and life!
4-H Contest Opportunities
Youth enrolled in the Nebraska 4-H Youth Development Program are eligible to participate in the county-based communication contests or the 4-H Illustrated Presentation Contest at the State 4-H Premier Communication Event. Contact your local Nebraska Extension Office for more information.