module 2: french educational system réf.: ias/2006/m2/1 the oral examination

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MODULE 2: FRENCH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

THE ORAL EXAMINATIONTHE ORAL EXAMINATION

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THE PURPOSE OF THE ORAL EXAMINATION

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The purpose of the oral examination

• At the end of your internship and of the writing of your report, you have to present it orally.

• Your presentation will be based on the report and on the experience you had in the company.

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• To ‘defend’ the report.

• To expose succinctly but with force your main ideas.

• To answer questions and support or prove arguments, opinions and conclusions.

• To develop the tools and methods used

• To propose recommendations or solutions for future prospects

• To demonstrate that the material is the candidate’s own work.

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• Institutional purpose :

The oral presentation is the last module of validation of your Master.

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• Personal purpose :

• The professional life of an officer needs internal communication actions ( with his/her superiors, his/her subordinates) and external communication (clients, suppliers..).

• Oral presentations are frequently asked to understand each other, convince, lead and/or justify a decision….

• Presentations are one of the first managerial skills which an engineer, a manager or an officer must acquire

This oral presentation will be a good reflection on the way to improve your experience

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TIME CONTRAINT

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Time constraint • The timing of your oral presentation is imposed by the school:- 40 minutes maximum-15-20 minutes for the questions

• Indicative timing:0- candidate’s presentation: 1mn1- company’s presentation: 3mn2- Introduction/presentation of your research: 5mn3- development: 25mn maximum4- Brief reminder: 3mn5- conclusion: 3mn

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THE EXAMINERS

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The examiners

• It’s a combined jury, between 4 to 6 persons. The master’s director The internship’s director One or two teachers One specialist of your research

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CONFIDENTIALITY

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Confidentiality

• If your presentation and/or your report is confidential, the company will determinate the degree of confidentiality in a questionnaire:

- degrees of diffusion

- oral presentation : who can attend the examination ?

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THE EVALUATION

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The evaluationWork produced/input

(importance, results, appended works)

/20 X 2,5=Originality, autonomy integration in the team

( judgment, method, creativity)

/20 X 1,5=

Writing report (substance, bibliographic references, usefulness as a future reference)

/20 X 1,5=

Intermediate/progress report /20 X 1=Oral presentation ( clarity, coherence, mastery of plan and respect of timing )

/20 X 2=General knowledge of the subject (good, deep and wide thought , pertinence of the answers)

/20 X 1,5=

Total in 200=


Criterias of evaluation for the oral presentation

Main criterias

Respect of the subject

Respect of the timing

Organization of your speech (coherence / plan)

Clarity of your talk

Ease of expression

Abilities to answer the examiners’ questions and to react to their remarks

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The evaluation• Scale of marks:

18………….excellent

16………….very good

14………….good

12………….well done

10………….insufficient

8……………really insufficient

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THE CONTENTS OF THE ORAL EXAMINATION

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The contents of the oral examination

• A good oral presentation is well structured

• this makes it easier for the listener to follow.

• Basically there are three parts to a typical presentation: - the beginning: introduction - the middle: body - the end: conclusion

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The introduction

the beginning of a presentation is an important part

it is when you establish a contact with the audience and when you have its attention

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The contents of the oral examinationThe introduction

1. Get the audience's attention and signal the beginning: try to get your audience involved in your talk

“Right. Well. OK. Let's begin. Good. Fine. Great. Can we start? Shall we start? Let's get the ball rolling. Let's get down to business.”

2. Greet the audience“Hello ladies and gentlemen. Good morning members of the jury.”

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The introduction

3. Introduce yourselfand the company where you did your internship

(name, position, responsibility in the company) Not only to give that important information so people can identify you but also to establish your authority on the subject and to allow the audience to see your point of view on the subject

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce myself.

Good morning everyone, I'd like to start by introducing myself. My name is... I am a student at the SUPAERO where I am a master student,

Good morning, my name is…….. I am a student at the ENAC and I would like to talk to you today about some of my findings in I study I did on”

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The introduction

4. Give title and introduce the subject What exactly are you going to speak about?

= Situate the subject in time and place, in relation to the audience, the importance. Give a rough idea or a working definition of the subject

“I plan to speak about...

Today I'm going to talk about...

The subject of my presentation is...

The theme of my talk is... I've been asked to talk to you about...”

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- Scientists want to demonstrate their work and findings“I have chosen to speak about this because... I was asked to speak about X because...”

- Have you set any limits on the scope of your talk? What won't you speak about? It may be very useful to eliminate certain areas before you start so as to avoid confusion or deviation from your main task. It also protects you from criticism later if do not mention it in advance.

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The introduction

5. Give your objectives (purpose, aim, goals) - The main purpose of an informative speech is to have the audience

understand and remember a certain amount of information. - You should thus have two purposes:

a general purpose and a specific one.

1. The former is to inform: to give an overview, to present, to summarize, to outline; to discuss the current situation or to explain how to do something or how something is done.

2 .The latter is what you want the audience to take away with them after listening to you, what you want them to do, what they should remember.

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The contents of the oral examination The introduction

“My purpose in doing this paper is to give…

What I would like to do today is to explain...

to illustrate...

to give a general overview of...

to outline...

to have a look at...

What I want my listeners to get out of my speech is...”

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• Once you have established your specific objectives you may go on to formulate your content

6. Announce your outline You want to keep the outline simple so 2 or 3 main points are usually

enough

“I have broken my speech down/up into X parts. I have divided my presentation (up) into Y parts. In the first part I give a few basic definitions. In the next

section I will explain In part three, I am going to show... In the last place I would like/want to give a practical

example...”

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The main body

What information should you give in your speech? All your information should support purpose. In most cases you will have to limit the content, as time is usually precious!

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The contents of the oral examinationThe conclusion

The conclusion of your talk should include four parts 1.Give a brief reminder of what you tried to show in your

speech and how you tried to do so • You should briefly summarize your speech in a few lines to

make sure the audience has retained the main points.• Alternatives are to just simply:

-state the point of the speech; - give the essential message to retain;

- list the main points and what you want the audience to remember;

- review informally or indirectly by using a quote, a comparison or example.

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The conclusion

2.Present a short conclusion: That is to say you should give a message that logically

comes out of the ideas developed in your speech. This could be a commentary, the lessons learned, some recommendations, or the next steps

3.Thirdly, thank the audience for attending

4.Invite the audience to ask questions

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THE ORGANIZATION OF YOUR SPEECH

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1. GENERALITIES2. RESPECT OF THE TIMING3. IMPORTANCE OF EXPERIENCE

PREPARATION4. THE EASE OF EXPRESSION5. ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE EXAMINERS6. THE CLARTY OF THE TALK 7. ABILITIES TO ANSWER THE EXAMINERS’

QUESTIONS 8. STESS MANAGEMENT

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To draw your audience’s attention and to bring your work out, you must absolutly prepare your talk with care.

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The organization of your speechThe talk does not consist in the summary of your research work / Report.

It concerns :• The choice of your subject • The development of your reflection• The process of research that led you to your own conclusions

You must justify your choices and argue your initial hypothesis regarding the obtained results

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The organization of your speech

• You must avoid details and development on the argumentation and analysis of the research work but you must do a synthesis of your whole work.

• Don’t forget that you’ll be evaluated on your pedagogical and synthesis skills

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The purpose of your talk is to clearly present the issue and to be accessible to your audience (even for someone who wouldn’t know the material of your research).

It means that you must stand back from your work and give your audience the means to understand.

That’s why you must adapt the content of your talk to the level of knowledge of your audience.

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• Your talk should be quite brief, highlighting the leading ideas and the accepted method of resolution.

• Finally, you must conclude and possibly, open new prospects for future developments.

• This presentation must convince your audience of the interest of the process that you followed.

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The organization of your speech• To show a good preparation of your speech, you must build a

plan

• An efficient technique consists in asking yourself simple questions : « What is the central message ? »« What ? Who ? Why ? How ? What for ? »

• Then you must ask yourself : What could interest your audience ? What things do they already know ? What should they know that could be beneficial for them ? What will it provide them ?

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The plan usually followed :

• The work method ( How you proceeded and the reasons for your main choices)

• Remarkable results (Select the most interesting results and present them in a synthetic way : charts, graphics…

• Synthesis, discussion and conclusion (What results allowed you to deduct and understand your subject)

• Prospects ( How we could go further in this reflection / bring your personal opinion)

• Stand back from your work (how you could work in a different way if you had to rework on it)

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The organization of your speechNote about the visual support:

• When using a visual support like powerpoint, only use it to support what you say. Use it to show the organization of your presentation, to define your variables, to illustrate with graphics, charts…

• Don’t put too many informations that could distract your audience.

• Visual must support the verbal and not the contrary.

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Respect of the timing

• It is important to respect the timing you are given.

• It’s prejudicial to pass beyond it : - it would prove a lack of preparation or of knowledge.- your incompetence to manage your presentation - a lack of respect for the next candidate.

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Importance of experience preparation

• A mock examination with unfamiliar tutors acting as examiners, followed by feedback on the candidate’s performance.

• Advantages - gives an experience of a viva-like situation

and opportunity to discuss problematic areas in responses.

• Disadvantages - may not resemble the actual viva at all and give a misleading expectation.

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The ease of expression

In this exercice, you will be judged on your skills to communicate and the quality of your expression.

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Attitude towards the examiners

Remember the 3 V

• Visual : Refers to what your audience sees of you.

• Make a good impression looking at your audience instead of your text or your powerpoint presentation.

• Smile if possible

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The clarity of the talk

Remember the 3 V

Vocal: Refers to the sound of your voice.

• Speak loud enough (but without shouting !) and slowly to help your audience to follow the thread of your ideas.

• Be dynamic and enthousiastic.

• Be proud of your project and be yourself.

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Remember the 3 V

Vocal : Refers to the sound of your voice.

• Avoid reading your notes

• If you don’t master the langage well enough, it’s better to try to speak with your own words even if you make mistakes than to read your notes in a monotonous voice.

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The clarity of the talkRemember the 3 V

Verbal : Refers to the words you are using as well as the organization of your presentation.

• Make sure to announce the purpose and the organization of your presentation.

For example : « We are going to talk about 3 things; first of X, then of Y and we’ll conclude with Z

• Each time you change chapter or section, remember to tell your audience.

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Remember the 3 V

Verbal : Refers to the words you are using as well as the organization of your presentation.

• Avoid a too complex and vague vocabulary

• Make sure to define carefully the technical terms of your presentation

and don’t use them too much.

• Don’t hesitate to reformulate and insist or even correct your mistakes

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The clarity of the talkRemember the 3 V

Verbal : Refers to the words you are using as well as the organization

of your presentation.

• Speak clearly and frankly.

• Be precise.

• Respect the formula :

- K.I.S.S. : « Keep it short and simple »

- Instead of: K.I.L.L. : « Keep it large and legible »

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Abilities to answer the examiners’ questions

Don’t forget you will also be evaluated on your abilities to understand questions and to answer with arguments.

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It’s difficult to anticipate the examiners’ questions but they’ll probably question about :

• Non justified affirmations or non developed points

• Insufficient work

• Possible prospects in the field of your discipline

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• The examiners try to clarify, to put in concrete form or to go deeper into the points raised (or not) by the candidate

• The examiners are interested in :- The implication of the candidate in the elaboration of his /her report - In his / her thought processes as well as in the writing of his / her report

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What might impress examiners?

• Well-considered replies that answer the question asked or points raised.

• Flexible and agile thinking in response to unanticipated questions, substantiated by argument and/or evidence.

• A critical and thorough awareness of the field of enquiry which demonstrates knowledge above and beyond that within the written document (and/or visual work) alone.

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What might impress examiners?

• Awareness of what has been included and excluded and the reasons for both - in other words a conscious knowledge of changes during the research, the reasons for these, and their effect on the results in terms of direction and focus.

• Self critical assessment showing honesty in what has been achieved, partly achieved, or not achieved.

• Awareness of what remains to be researched by the extension of similar methods or the use of others.

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The candidate’s role

• Keep re-reading the dissertation and with the benefit of hindsight analyse its better and weaker points.

• keep on reading and researching - new data can often form an interesting area for discussion even though it is outside the dissertation’s immediate content.

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How can the candidate help?

Imagine yourself in the place of the examiner having read your dissertation.

• What sort of questions would you ask ? • How would you try to create a constructive dialogue ? • How would you try to put the candidate at his or her ease? • Would you strategise the order of points/questions/

discussions?

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• Listen carefully to the questions

• Always request clarification if the question is either unclear or unfocused, or ask for it to be repeated if it is not understood. The examiners will respect your need for accuracy - it reveals the precision of your thinking.

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• Give straight answers to straight questions - resist the temptation to wander off the point.

• However, give full answers remembering that the examiners do not know your previous thought processes.

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• Speak clearly and frankly while looking at the questioner - smile if possible - be yourself.

• Quite often what appears to be a single question actually contains two or more questions, which may be interdependent or causally related. Answer by pointing this out, identifying the issues, and answering them in a stated order.

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• You shouldn’t be uncomfortable if you can’t answer a question.

• Prefer to say that you don’t know the answer instead of answering approximately or something wrong (with roundabout means).

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Stress management

• We can all expect nervosity when we must speak to an audience.

• This anxiety can be managed (but not desappear completly).

• Anyway, remember we can be nervous and manage to do a good presentation

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Stress management

• A good advice to weaken your stress is to concentrate on your breath.

• Taking a deep breath before entering the room, before starting your speech and along your presentation can help you to control your stress.

• If you make a mess of your argument, lose the point, become confused, or simply dry up - make light of it and start again - everyone knows these occasions can be nerve racking.

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ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

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• Have you experienced this type of exercise before ?

• Which main difficulties did you encounter ? (preparation and examination)

• Which advice would you give besides the previous ones ?

In your profession, you may need to use internal communication actions (superiors, subordinates) and external communication (clients, suppliers..).

• Do you encounter problems in doing so ? • Did you have a training for it ? • Which would you give for this type of communication ?

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PRACTICAL EXERCISES

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Exercise 1Introduce yourself

Take 5 minutes to prepare your presentation- Name- your company (name, position, responsibility in the

company)- Education and professional training- Professional experience- The Master you are going to prepare- Your future professional project

Report back to the class within 3 minutes

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Exercise 2You will be given a discussion topic card to read. In small groups, draw up a list of possibilities with the pros and cons of 2 topics of your choice. Report back to the class within 5 minutes. 2 of you must present a part.

Plan of your presentation:

1) Present the topic and the situation in your country.2) Find 3 arguments or more pros and cons.3) Conclude and discuss it with the rest of the group.

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Exercise 2

TOPICS

Violence on television

Uniforms at school

Genetically modified food

English as an international language

Nuclear energy

Cars prohibition in the city center

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Exercise 3

You will be given a paper with aeronautical topics to read. In small groups, choose one of the topics and 2 of you must present it to the class and open the discussion towards new prospects.

Report back to the class within 5 minutes.

Plan of your presentation:

1) Present the topic and the situation in your country.2) Find new prospects.3) Conclude.

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Exercise 3TOPICS

- Air traffic obstructions

- The pollution generated by aircrafts

- The tax on the plane ticket dedicated to third world countries.

- The new generation of aircrafts (Hypersonics or wide body aircrafts)

- The low cost companies

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PREPARATION FOR THE SEMINAR ON POWER POINT

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PREPARATION FOR THE SEMINAR ON POWER POINT

• In groups of 3 members, students choose and organize a professional oral presentation on a generalgeneral aeronautical /space subject.

• The work must be presented on a power point support for a 15 minutes presentation (maximum)

• Don’t forget the audience is not expert !

module 2: french educational system réf.: ias/2006/m2/1 the oral examination

Documents

french educational system

oral examination slide

mn slide

module of validation

evaluation slide

research slide

experience slide

oral presentations