Health Psychology Team Presentation Guidelines

Health Psychology Team Presentation Guidelines

Psy 3521, Jeff Ratliff-Crain

(PDF copy of this document for better printing)

A major part of applied health psychology deals with providing people with information that will affect their health and lives. This requires effectively reaching people and providing information in a way that will get their attention and get it incorporated into their lives. This is often a difficult task because the behaviors that are most likely to affect health are also ones that tend to be most tenaciously held. The focus of your presentation will be on a particular health-affecting behavior including its links to health and ways to alter it. You will be expected to discuss the issue, underlying mechanisms, prevention, promotion, etc., as appropriate.

The groups’ role is to summarize information from research articles, relating that information to other course material, with a focus on approaches for changing these behaviors, reasons for doing so, and barriers against being successful. Non-presenting students will receive either an article or will be referred to appropriate background reading in the textbooks—therefore, non-presenting students will have at least basic knowledge about the topic before you present. Presenters will use additional articles/materials in order to flesh out the discussions. Presentations will take 40-50 min. of a class period, so you will need to be succinct.

Presentations should be backed by available literature and a written outline of the presentation and bibliography will be turned in at the time of the presentation. Presentations are worth 40 pts. and students in the class will be responsible for information presented. Because these are group projects, grades will be based on the group’s final presentation. I recognize, however, that there are at times group members who fail to pull their own weight. There will also be a mechanism by which group members will evaluate their own and others’ contributions and these evaluations will be taken into account for final grades. Points will be calculated from the Speech Evaluation Forms.

Presentation topics are listed in your syllabus. The topics can be done in a number of ways. I would suggest narrowing topics as much as possible.

· Cancer prevention

· Compliance in a chronic illness (e.g., diabetes or asthma)

· Safer sex behaviors

· Healthy eating (preventing obesity)

· Promoting exercise

· Alcohol, tobacco, or other drug prevention

Attendance is expected on presentation days:

Fri. Apr. 25,

Mon. Apr. 28, Wed. Apr. 30, Fri. May 2

Mon. May 5, Wed. May 7

Some things to note:

§ Presenters will be able to assign readings of reasonable length and with appropriate notice to the class. Be sure to arrange this one week in advance.

§ Attendance during presentations is expected. I will take attendance those days.

§ Team members should meet with me outside of class to discuss their topic and how they will approach their presentation.

§ I am expecting each person to rehearse their talk with their partners. A partner rehearsal sheet will be distributed and will be handed in at the time of the presentation.

§ Any overheads or hand-outs need to be ready for duplicating 48 hours in advance of the presentation and be of reasonable length (that is, consider how much is really necessary for everyone to have their own copy of).

Grading:

I. An "average" (C) speech should meet the following standards:

A. Is of appropriate type for topic (e.g., persuasive, informative, etc.)

B. Is close to time limit.

C. Uses speaking as only means of communicating (in other words, no use of demonstrations, visuals, hand-outs, etc.)

D. Exhibits reasonable communicative competence in delivery.

E. Is reasonably free from grammatical or pronunciation errors.

F. Is ready for presentation on day assigned.

II. The "better than average" (B) speech should meet all of I. plus:

A. Exhibits sound organization: A clear purpose and a clear thesis supported by main ideas that are easily identified.

B. Is intellectually sound in developing a topic of worth with adequate evidence.

C. Clearly includes relevant discussion of underlying mechanisms.

D. Meets the needs, interests, and beliefs of the intended audience.

E. Appropriately uses visuals, hand-outs, etc.

F. Demonstrates skill in gaining group understanding of difficult concepts or in winning agreement from group.

G. Establishes good rapport with audience through style and delivery.

III. The "superior speech" (A) not only meets the foregoing standards but:

A. Establishes excellent rapport with the audience.

B. Constitutes a genuinely individual and creative contribution by the speaker to thinking of the audience.

C. Demonstrates reliability of ideas and arguments through excellent documentation, persuasive evidence, and/or a variety of supporting materials.

IV. Speeches classified as "below average" (D) are deficient in several of the factors required for the "C" speech.

V. Speeches classified as "failures" (F) are speeches that are not given or that are deficient in most of the factors required for the "C" speech.

SPEECH EVALUATION FORM

Names of speakers:

Topic:

	N D +/- C +/- B +/- A
Timing (within limit?)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Presentation style: Pronunciation & Grammar (clear and correct?)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Delivery (clarity, smoothness, etc.)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Use of material, other than speaking, for bringing topic across	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Clarity of purpose of talk	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Clarity of concepts (gets confusing w/related material?)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Skill in explaining/defining concepts	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Documentation of ideas & arguments (sounds like they made it up, or like they have good back-up material that was presented clearly)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Appropriateness for audience (too low, too high, for people other than those present)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Development of topic	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Application of attitude change techniques	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Discussion of underlying importance or mechanisms	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Rapport with audience (eye contact, boring, too technical vs. lively, energetic, uses ideas that catch attention)	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Creativity	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Strongest aspects of presentation:

Weakest aspects of presentation:

Other suggestions:

PRACTICE EVALUATION FORM

Rate your presentation partner(s) on their practice presentation. Be critical, not cruel. The goal is to help each other develop your presentations. Telling someone they did "fine" won't be of much help-- Note WHERE can they improve.

Name of speaker:

Name of rater: _________________________________

Presentation topic:

	Needs Improvement Average Excellent
Timing (within limit?)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation style: Pronunciation & Grammar (clear and correct?)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Delivery (clarity, smoothness, etc.)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Use of material, other than speaking, for bringing topic across	0 1 2 3 4 5
Clarity of purpose of talk	0 1 2 3 4 5
Clarity of concepts (gets confusing w/related material?)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Skill in explaining/defining concepts	0 1 2 3 4 5
Documentation of ideas & arguments (sounds like they made it up, or like they have good back-up material that was presented clearly)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Appropriateness for audience (too low, too high, for people other than those present)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Development of topic	0 1 2 3 4 5
Application of attitude change techniques	0 1 2 3 4 5
Discussion of underlying importance or mechanisms	0 1 2 3 4 5
Rapport with audience (eye contact, boring, too technical vs. lively, energetic, uses ideas that catch attention)	0 1 2 3 4 5
Creativity	0 1 2 3 4 5

Strongest aspects of presentation:

Weakest aspects of presentation:

Suggestions: