Linguistics

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Mean

Organization

Audience cannot understand presentation because of poor organization; introduction is undeveloped or irrelevant; main points and conclusion are unclear;

Audience has difficulty following presentation because of some abrupt jumps; some of the main points are unclear or not sufficient stressed;

Satisfactory organization; clear introduction; main points are well stated, even if some transitions are somewhat sudden; clear conclusion;

Superb organization; clear introduction; main points well stated and argued, with each leading to the next point of the talk; clear summary and conclusion.

Mechanics

(PowerPoint or other supporting materials)

Slides seem to have been cut-and pasted together haphazardly at the last minute; numerous mistakes; speaker not always sure what is coming next;

Boring slides; no glaring mistakes but no real effort made into creating truly effective slides;

Generally good set of slides; conveys the main points well;

Very creative slides; carefully thought out to bring out both the main points as well as the subtle issues while keeping the audience interested.

Delivery

Mumbles the words, audience members in the back can't hear anything; too many filler words; distracting gestures;

Low voice, occasionally inaudible; some distracting filler words and gestures; articulation mostly, but not always, clear;

Clear voice, generally effective delivery; minimal distracting gestures, etc., but somewhat monotone;

Natural, confident delivery that does not just convey the message but enhances it; excellent use of volume, pace etc.

Relating to audience

Reads most of the presentation from the slides or notes with no eye contact with audience members; seems unaware of audience reactions;

Occasional eye contact with audience but mostly reads the presentation; some awareness of at least a portion of the audience; only brief responses to audience questions;

Generally aware of the audience reactions; maintains good eye contact when speaking and when answering questions;

Keeps the audience engaged throughout the presentation; modifies material on-the-fly based on audience questions and comments; keenly aware of audience reactions.