The Art of Presenting a Thesis Proposal

How to Present a Thesis Proposal

Congratulation on completing the thesis proposal writing process. I bet it was not easy, and you are pleased that you have overcome a big barrier. Sorry to burst your bubble but presenting a thesis proposal is also a daunting task. It can easily be nerve-wracking for someone who is not a good public speaker or has no experience speaking in front of a crowd.

The good news is that you do need to be good at sales to convince the committee that your proposal is worth approving. With these tips, you too can make present your proposal effectively and in a convincing manner.

Practice in Front of Friends

You might have all the information about your proposal on your fingertips, but can you summarize the whole document within 20 minutes? Most institutions set a time limit for presenting a thesis proposal, and in most cases, it will not exceed half an hour. However, you can ensure that all your key points will be conveyed within the set time by practicing before the actual presentation. This will help you gauge how much time you need to arrange for each section and how many PowerPoint slides to create.

Taking in front of friends or family members allows you to know where you need to put more focus on and get feedback on what your audience thinks about the presentation you just made. You can then take the feedback and use it to improve and perfect your talking skills.

Talk to Other Students

Taking to other graduates who have already given their thesis proposal presentation will help learn from their experiences. It can also be a way to understand which questions the committee might ask so that you can know what to expect. Interacting with other graduates may help eradicate nervousness as you will you are not alone. And that since other people were successful, you too have a chance to do your best and get your proposal approved.

Avoid Cramming

If you understand your thesis proposal and what information it contains, there is no need to cram the whole thing. Besides, you might end up getting nervous and forgetting what you wanted to say. Instead, note down the key points and see if you can briefly explain each one. Talk about only the important information to showcase your excellent communication skills and the ability to carry out in-depth research.

Use Slides to Provide Visual Support

Avoid putting a lot of information in your slides as they will be less visually appealing. Instead, use the slides as supportive tools for your thesis proposal presentation. Include pictures, graphs and any other visual presentation that will help you to get your point across clearly.

Keep in mind that it is less about the slides and more about what you are saying. Therefore, ensure that the slides do not take away all the attention or dominate the presentation. You can easily do that by creating slides that emphasize your points through storytelling technique. That way, your proposal will be memorable and connect more with the committee.

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