A capstone presentation is an opportunity for a college student to demonstrate his knowledge of the course topic, his field of study or his educational institution. The culminating presentation, typically based on a research paper, is given before a school committee, a board of professors or a classroom of peers. A student's capstone presentation should demonstrate his ability to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills acquired during his academic career to real-world issues. With proper preparation, you will not only earn high marks, but you'll gain invaluable knowledge and skills in doing so.
Narrow the Focus
Narrow the focus of your presentation. Begin by summarizing your research essay in a few sentences. From there, determine the problem your capstone essay addresses, how your capstone addressed this problem and the most important lessons you learned with regards to that problem. Focus your capstone presentation on those key points -- the summary, the problem, the solution and the lesson -- to avoid going off topic or too long.
Build on Learning Outcomes
Determine what you were expected to learn in the course, then strategize your presentation around the expected outcomes. Decide what to include based on what you were expected to achieve. For example, if an expected learning outcome is that you will show motivation for continued learning, you might include a section in the presentation that poses follow-up questions or problems you'd be interested in pursuing. This awareness of outcomes will help you keep the end-goals of the capstone course and presentation in mind, fostering learning and earning you higher marks.
Incorporate Visuals
Enhance your presentation with visual aids, such as a PowerPoint slide show. PowerPoint presentations are low-cost or free, painless to create and easy for your audience to see. Pick simple templates that won't detract from your presentation, and avoid unprofessional or overly embellished templates, animated images, and too many fonts or color schemes. Include a slide that highlights the key points in your capstone presentation to guide your audience through the presentation. Do not include excessive information that your audience must spend time reading, and don't use the visual aid as a script for your presentation.
Prepare and Practice
Practice your presentation as often as you can to ensure that you have a command of your subject material and the confidence to present it. Create notecards that briefly guide you through the presentation, noting any quotes, facts or figures you want to be sure to mention. Run through your presentation as if you were actually in front of the board, committee or classroom, speaking loudly, clearly and confidently. Time yourself every time you practice to make sure you're within your time limit every time. Ask a friend or classmate to listen to and give you constructive feedback on your presentation, letting them know of the requirements and learning outcomes ahead of time so they can be sure you meet them.
