In the scholastic world, it is a routine that having studied for a while, students are asked to do project research, cause discoveries, and to pick a project topic and develop a quality substance for such a project topic. Most of the time, final year project topics are chosen from a pool of accessible ones by students and endorsed by their supervisors before they initiate to take a shot at it. In the long run, students are expected to make a presentation to a group of illuminated researchers in regard to their final year project and furthermore attempt to relate it to this present reality situation that anticipate them having procured capability in their field of study, art is generally known as final year project defense.
Under recorded here, are a couple of tips for good project defense to assist you to make an outstanding presentation while defending your final year project:
- DO EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH ON YOUR TOPIC: It is imperative to make nitty-gritty and broad research on your project topics to acclimate with ideas included. Your first step in writing a research project work is the same as your first step in any writing task, select a suitable project topic, preferably one you are familiar with. Whether you are assigned a topic or choose your own, don’t rush off to the library or log onto the Internet right away. A little preparation upfront will save you a lot of time and possibly much grief later on.
Firstly, if you’re not sure what your supervisor expects, clarify what is required of you. Next, consider what approach you might take in presenting your project topic. Does it lend itself to a comparison? Process? Cause or effect? If the topic is assigned, often the wording of the assignment will suggest how your supervisor wants you to develop it. Deciding upfront what kind of research project topic you are going to write will save you hours of work, both in the library and at your desk.
When you’ve decided, at least tentatively, on the approach you’re going to take, you are ready to focus on the kind of information you need to look for in your topic. For example, if you’ve been asked to evaluate a contemporary Nigerian novel, you won’t waste time discussing the history of the novel or its development since 1870. You can restrict your research to sources that contain information relevant to your specific topic.
Once you have an idea of the kind of information you need in order to develop your project topic, it’s time to find the best sources you can.
Table of Contents
• ARRANGE YOUR DISCOVERIES: After conducting legitimate research, it is essential to orchestrate your resultant findings in order of necessity. Present your findings
This page and the next, on reporting and discussing your findings, deal with the core of the thesis. In a traditional doctoral thesis, this will consist of a number of chapters where you present the data that forms the basis of your investigation, shaped by the way you have thought about it. In a thesis including publication, it will be the central section of an article.
For some fields of study, the presentation and discussion of findings follow established conventions; for others, the researcher’s argument determines the structure. Therefore it is important for you to investigate the conventions of your own discipline, by looking at journal articles and theses.
Every thesis writer has to present and discuss the results of their inquiry. In these pages, we consider these two activities separately while recognizing that in many kinds of thesis they will be integrated. This section is concerned with presenting the analysis of the results of data analysis.
There is a great deal of disciplinary variation in the presentation of findings. For example, a thesis in oral history and one in marketing may both use interview data that has been collected and analyzed in similar ways, but the way the results of this analysis are presented will be very different because the questions they are trying to answer are different. The presentation of results from experimental studies will be different again. In all cases, though, the presentation should have a logical organization that reflects:
the aims or research question(s) of the project, including any hypotheses that have been tested
the research methods and theoretical framework that has been outlined earlier in the thesis.
You are not simply describing the data. You need to make connections and make apparent your reasons for saying that data should be interpreted in one way rather than another. Discuss your findings
In the discussion of your findings, you have an opportunity to develop the story you found in the data, making connections between the results of your analysis and existing theory and research. While the amount of discussion required in a thesis may vary according to discipline, all disciplines expect some interpretation of the findings that make these connections.
- WRITE: Writing down your project and introduction steps all together will assist you with acclimating with the substance and furthermore help you to recognize what to state and when to state it.
- NOTE KEY FOCUSES: recording key focuses on convenient notes or cards can be useful. While introducing, simply take a gander at a point and give subtleties. Recall you should not give off an impression of being perusing to your crowd rather you ought to seem to comprehend what you’re introducing.
- PRACTICE YOUR SPEECH: rehearsing your speech aloud several all by yourself until you get used to it and feel confident about it can be of great help in achieving excellent presentation delivery. Some of the time, practicing before a mirror and reenacting this present reality condition by practicing before a couple of loved ones if accessible could help as well. Rehearsal provides opportunities to apply knowledge to practice different parts, see what works, and then put it together for a total speech. Rehearsal is important because you can apply your knowledge of public speaking to test out what works for you and learn from the experience in a safe environment.
Importance Of Rehearsing
Rehearsal involves praxis, which usually refers to the process of putting theoretical knowledge into practice, through a constant cycle of conceptualizing the meaning of what can be learned from experience. Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, embodied, or realized. Praxis may also refer to the act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing, or practicing ideas.
You have been studying public speaking and learning about a delivery, gathering information, organizing speeches, and selecting a method of delivery. Through rehearsal, you have the opportunity to separate what works from what does not work.
Rehearsal Through Analysis and Synthesis
During this period, it is important to break down the rehearsal into different chunks or skills for analysis, work with the smaller areas, and then strive for synthesis. You may learn by practicing different ways of actually expressing ideas, through which you can determine the best one. Alternatively, you can practice different styles of delivery such as speaking faster or slower. To learn from practice, you can record your work to view it later, or you can have a trusted friend or coach provide feedback.
You may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect,” but before attempting to reach perfection, you must experiment to determine what it is you exactly want.
Rehearsal As Simulated Experience
Just like the contestants in the Miss Universe Pageant, you have an opportunity to practice on stage before the actual event. The learning that can occur in rehearsal is situated in a simulated experience. While rehearsing, you simulate the real speaking experience so you know what to expect. You can rehearse with the equipment or visual aids you will use, you can make sure that you are in control of the time, and you can rehearse answering questions for a Q&A session. You will know what to expect and ultimately feel more secure with your ability to perform in the actual speaking situation.
- GET CRITICISM: Feedback from your recreated crowd can cause you to notice zones where improvement is vital. The support, as well as analysis they provide for, can give a thought of what’s in store in the genuine introduction and accordingly help in the arrangement.
Getting Feedback On Your Writing: 4 Things To Keep In Mind
But if you are going to ask for advice, here are four pointers that may get you constructive feedback rather than vague praise or frustrating negativity:
Don’t be vague. Be as specific in your request as possible. Rather than saying, ‘Is my writing any good?’ say ‘I’m struggling with how much plot to put in a romance novel’ or ‘Do you think my chapters are too long?’ You will probably know where you are comfortable and confident in your writing, so it is better to ‘zoom’ in on the parts that keep you up at night.
- Don’t get your back up. If someone says they didn’t like your main character, for example, don’t feel the need to angrily defend your writing. ‘But I was trying to show the dissociation and alienation of a millennial generation — how can you not see that?’ If you were trying to create a likable character, it’s perhaps worth taking some of the advice to heart.
- Don’t hear criticism that isn’t there. This is the opposite of the point above — if someone points out one glitch, you assume the whole story is broken and irredeemable. ‘I don’t really see how the subplot with the talking cat fits in with the thriller storyline,’ someone might say. In your mind, you hear: ‘Your whole story is terrible — best you throw it away and start again or, better yet, take up adult coloring books as a hobby.’ Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater — to quote another threadbare cliché.
- Don’t be too quick to change your story. Here’s another scenario. Someone you trust or admire gives you feedback on a story you’ve been working on for months, maybe even years. ‘I think this story would be so much better if it was set on a spaceship rather than a seaside village.’ You rush back to your laptop and start re-writing your story, but a couple of chapters in you stop or hit a dead end. You’re not motivated or excited by the story. ‘I don’t like science fiction — why am I writing this?’ Let things simmer for a while before you tackle a change. And, in the same vein, don’t ask for feedback too early — or too late.
Feedback is a useful way for a writer to set about improving the craft of writing. It’s not useful if you’re using it as a fall back to soothe your neurotic soul or seek false praise.
- DRESS WELL: Finally, on the D-day, guarantee that you dress fittingly and look confident so as not to draw undesired attention to yourself. When defending your project, you will need to prove to your audience and supervisor that you are capable of producing more broad-ranging, in-depth pieces of scholarly writing. With this in mind, you should look the like. You will need to wear professional attire, this has to be comfortable on you also because the last thing you want is to distract your audience from the masterpiece which is your thesis by tugging, stretching, and dancing at cloth-discomfort while you are presenting your defense or fielding questions. Nor do you want to disrupt your own ability to concentrate by squeezing into those “cute” shoes.
It can, therefore, be believed that a generally accepted outfit for a more corporate outfit is a completely black suit (meaning the materials of the jacket and pant/skirt must be uniform in color and stuff) with the same color of belt and shoes (preferably black). Then a clean plain shirt with an official color (preferably white, sky blue, or lite-pink) with a plain or striped black or navy blue tie for the gents, then the ladies may choose to have a simple neck chain or button up to the neck depending on the shirt design. Then a lady will need to wear a simple hair-do, with simple accessories to avoid unnecessary side attractions. - SPEAK UP: attempt to talk perceptibly, obviously, and soundly yet abstain from yelling.
- LOOKUP: Looking directly at your audience instead of fidgeting or looking at the ground sends a good signal that you are confident and know what you’re speaking about. However, if you feel uncomfortable with direct eye contact, try looking at their foreheads or any other focal points in the venue.
- BE SURE: Your confidence and information ought to be joined to demonstrate to your audience that you know more about your project topic than the other people around. Deliver your speech confidently and articulately.
- EXIT THE STAGE: it is essential to thank everybody for their time and consideration before leaving the stage
Above are the tips for good project defense and how to convey good presentation