Info on Group Presentations

GROUP PRESENTATIONS

Step 1: Get in groups of 4-5 people. It’s a good idea to organize according to some common interest (like people who have the same major).

Step 2: Identify a local problem (something to do with Ball State or Muncie in general).

Step 3: Come up with at least one person you could interview to get some information/perspective on the problem.

Step 4: Come up with a solution to the problem.

Step 5: Prepare some visuals (like a PowerPoint) to accompany your presentation.

Step 6: When you actually give your presentation, everyone in the group should contribute. You want your presentation to take about 10 minutes. In the presentation, you must do the following:

1) Identify the problem.
2) Tell us why it’s a problem, i.e. back up your case.
3) Propose a solution.
4) Play Devil’s Advocate, i.e. explain any possible difficulties/problems/objections to your solution.
5) Counter those counter-arguments. In other words, explain why your solution is still a good one.

Remember early in the semester when we talked about the different types of audiences? Assume your audience is undecided on this issue. That means you should use different appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) to try and convince us to agree with you.

In the past, students have addressed such topics as problems with the Health Center, problems with meal plans and how they can be fixed, trouble with the current parking situation (and how to fix it), admissions standards for Ball State University (whether they should be raised or lowered and why), etc. This assignment is MUCH easier if you choose a topic that you actually care about.

Also, even though we’re not actually giving the presentations until the end of the semester, it’s a good idea to get started early because it may take a few weeks to set up interviews or conduct surveys and research. For example, if you’re going to give a presentation on the Health Center, you might want to interview a nurse or two. If you’re presenting on the meal plan, you might want to interview someone in charge of Ball State dining, plus a student from another university that you think has a better plan.