Presentation Skills – SS3 Horticulture and Crop Production Lesson Note (Third Term)

An oral defence is a conversation in which a student explains a project to a panel of teachers or experts, called examiners. The examiners want to see whether you truly understand what you did. To do it well, you need to prepare, use ICT tools such as PowerPoint, control your body language and voice, and answer questions honestly.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what an oral defence is and why it matters;
• prepare for an oral defence;
• design clear slides and use a projector properly;
• use eye contact, posture, voice and dress to show confidence;
• answer examiners’ questions honestly and defend their choices;
• list common presentation mistakes to avoid.

What is an oral defence?

You have done the field work and written the 50-page report. The final step is the oral defence.

Examiners are not there to catch you or make you fail. They are there to see whether you truly understand what you did. A good farmer must also be a good communicator. Whether you are asking a bank for a loan or explaining a new seed to a village, you need presentation skills.

How do you prepare for an oral defence?

Good preparation matters most. If you know your project inside out, you have nothing to fear.

• Know your “why”: Why did you choose this topic? Why did you use this specific fertiliser? If you can explain your reasons, the examiners will be impressed.
• Summarise your findings: You cannot read your whole report to the panel. Pick the “juicy bits”, which are the most important results and what they mean for agriculture.
• Practise out loud: Stand in front of a mirror or your friends. Speak clearly and slowly. If you can explain your project to a Junior Secondary student so that they understand it, you are ready for the panel.

How is ICT used in presentations?

In the old days, students used flip-charts drawn with markers. Today, we use Information and Communication Technology (ICT), such as PowerPoint, to make our work look professional.

Designing your slides (the “less is more” rule)

• One idea per slide: Do not pack too much text onto one page. Use bullet points, not long paragraphs.
• Use high-quality photos: Instead of describing your greenhouse, show a photo of it.
• Graphs and charts: Use the charts you made in your report. A colourful bar chart is much easier to read from a distance than a table of tiny numbers.

Using the projector

• Technical check: Always arrive 15 minutes early. Check that your laptop connects to the projector. Keep your presentation on a USB drive and in your email as a backup.
• Do not read the screen: The slides are for the audience, not for you. Look at the examiners, not the wall.

How do body language and voice affect a presentation?

How you say it is just as important as what you say.

• Eye contact: Look at the people in the room. It shows you are confident and honest.
• The “power pose”: Stand tall with your feet slightly apart. Avoid crossing your arms or fidgeting with your pen.
• Voice control: Speak loud enough for the person at the back of the room to hear you. If you get nervous and start speaking too fast, take a deep breath and slow down.
• Dress the part: Wear your neatest school uniform or professional clothes. When you look like an expert, people treat you like one.

How do you handle the examiners’ questions?

After you finish talking, the examiners will ask questions. This is usually the part that scares students most, but it need not frighten you.

• Listen carefully: Do not interrupt the examiner. Let them finish the question.
• The “pause”: It is fine to think for three seconds before you answer. It shows you are being thoughtful.
• Be honest: If you do not know the answer, do not try to lie. Say: “That is an interesting point. I didn’t cover that in my study, but it is something I would like to investigate in the future.” Examiners respect honesty more than “fake” answers.
• Defend your choices: If they ask why you did not use a different method, explain your logic. “I chose Method A because it was more affordable for a small-scale farmer in our community.”

What presentation mistakes should you avoid?

• Turning your back: Never talk to the screen or the blackboard. Always face your “customers” (the audience).
• Using filler words: Try not to say “Um”, “Uh” or “You know” too many times. Silence is better than a filler word.
• Going over time: If you are given 10 minutes, stop at 9 minutes. Respecting people’s time is a sign of a professional manager.

Evaluation

1. What is an oral defence, and why do examiners hold one?
2. State three ways to prepare for an oral defence.
3. Explain the “less is more” rule for designing slides.
4. Why should you arrive 15 minutes early and keep a backup of your presentation?
5. What should you say if an examiner asks a question you cannot answer?

Assignment

Choose a crop project you have done or studied. Prepare five slides that follow the “less is more” rule. Practise presenting them to a classmate, avoiding the common mistakes listed in this lesson, and ask your classmate to give you feedback.