We also presented a five-minute TED-style talk on a topic of our choosing. I chose to present on a topic that I already had familiarity with: the importance of representation and diversity in children’s literature. My process for this assignment began with research to develop a well-supported argument for my talk (CLO 3). Then, I crafted a verbal presentation for my peers (CLO 5) and created an appropriate, visually-appealing slideshow to accompany this speech (CLO 4). This required me to understand and adopt the rhetorical conventions of TED talks (CLO 1), as well as develop a presentation using plain English that would hold the attention of my classmates and instructor (CLO 2). Overall, this assignment provided valuable practice with public speaking skills for solo presentations in a professional but low-stress environment, preparing me for similar presentations in my future educational and professional endeavors.
Here, you can access my full slideshow and read the script from my in-class presentation.