Combining sound, pictures, and words to tell a story . . .From Reading to Presenting Legendary

characters are often heroic, from John Henry, the man

who tested himself against the steam drill, to Pecos

Bill, the greatest cowboy in the West.

MultimediaPresentation

Combining sound, pictures, and words to tell a story . . .

MultimediaPresentation

One way to bring a legendary character to life is with

a multimedia presentation, which uses sound,

visuals, and text to explore the character and his or her

story.

Combining sound, pictures, and words to tell a story . . .

MultimediaPresentation

Multimedia presentations capture the attention of the

audience and help the presenter convey his or her

message.

B a s i c s i n a B o x

GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION

A successful multimedia presentation should

• capture the audience’s attention with a strong opening

• use appealing visuals and props

• clearly, directly, and logically present information

• use a variety of media that is appropriate to the content

• end by summarizing the topic and the points made

An effective presenter should

• have good posture and maintain eye contact with the audience

• vary pacing as well as the pitch, tone, and volume of voice

• use gestures and body language to get the point across

• use visual aids effectively to help the audience understand the topic

Content Delivery

To find a topic for your multimedia presentation:

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation1 Planning Your Presentation

List legendary characters from stories in

this unit and stories you’ve read outside

class.

Brainstorm names of folk heroes whose

deeds have become part of American

folklore.

Steps for Planning Your Multimedia Presentation

1. Brainstorm details about your subject. If you

have chosen a character, write down his or her

deeds, personality traits, and physical qualities.

List other characters connected to the story as

well as the setting. If you have chosen a legend or

tale, outline the plot and list any unusual qualities

of the story.

Steps for Planning Your Multimedia Presentation

2. Choose your focus. What are the main ideas you

want to communicate? What is the goal of your

presentation?

Steps for Planning Your Multimedia Presentation

3. Think about your audience. How much does it

know about the character or tale that you’ve

chosen? How much background will it need to

understand your presentation?

4. Organize your information. What is the best

order for presenting? Where should media

elements be used?

Steps for Planning Your Multimedia Presentation

5. Decide which media elements to use in your

presentation. What types of resources are

available to you? Which will help get your point

across most effectively? Consider these

possibilities:

Audiotapes and CDs add sound effects such

as music.

Steps for Planning Your Multimedia Presentation

Charts, posters, photos, slides, and graphs

allow you to represent information or ideas

visually.

Videos provide sound and visual material.

Computers can create visual aids such as

graphs, charts, drawings, and even slide

shows.

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation

Once you have gathered the information, you

can begin organizing it and creating the script

and adding the media parts.

2 Developing Your Presentation

Steps for Developing Your Multimedia Presentation

1. Write your script. Prepare what you are going to

say. Indicate where you will include your media

elements. If you need to explain or introduce

certain audio or visual materials, write that

information in your script.

Steps for Developing Your Multimedia Presentation

2. Create an attention-getting introduction and a

strong conclusion. Begin your presentation with

a question, an anecdote, or a quotation that gets

your audience interested in your topic. Use your

conclusion to restate your main idea.

Steps for Developing Your Multimedia Presentation

3. Prepare your media elements. Gather the

materials and equipment for the media parts of

your presentation. Make sure that the equipment

works and you know how to operate it. Adjust

volume and make visuals large enough so that

everyone in the audience can hear and see.

Steps for Developing Your Multimedia Presentation

4. Evaluate your media choices. Be sure that you

have used various media as effectively as

possible. Lists, charts, and graphs can help you

organize key facts. Slides or video clips present

strong visual images.

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation

Practice your presentation several times so

that you become familiar with your script and

media elements.

3 Practicing and Presenting

Project your voice to the back of the

room. Vary your pace, tone, and volume

to emphasize important points and to keep

your audience’s attention.

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation

Be familiar with your script so that you

can make eye contact with your

audience. Use appropriate gestures and

facial expressions that will maintain their

interest and strengthen your points.

3 Practicing and Presenting

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation

Practice incorporating your media

elements. Know how to operate all of the

equipment, and be prepared to answer

questions about each of your materials.

3 Practicing and Presenting

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation

After rehearsing on your own, invite family

and friends to view your presentation. Use

their comments to help you rework parts of

your program.

3 Practicing and Presenting

TARGET SKILL

CHOOSING APPROPRIATE MEDIA

With a world full of sounds and images, how do

you choose the best ones to use? You’ll

probably be able to think of many different

media elements that are related to your script.

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation4 Refining Your Performance

TARGET SKILL

CHOOSING APPROPRIATE MEDIA

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation4 Refining Your Performance

Think carefully about what point you are trying

to make, and then select the media element that

best makes that point.

TARGET SKILL

CONSISTENT FORM

Visuals can help you present information in a

clear, interesting way. Your audience will have a

greater understanding of your presentation if all

of your visuals are easy to read, consistent in

form, and correct in capitalization and

punctuation.

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation5 Editing and Proofreading

FOR YOUR WORKING PORTFOLIO

What did you learn about your subject by doing

this multimedia presentation? What effect do

you think the media elements had on your

audience? What would you do differently next

time?

Creating Your Multimedia Presentation6 Reflecting