89 Summary

The presentation is really a representation of your thesis. It is not your work in its entirety, but rather an enlarged picture of a significant aspect. With this in mind, whether an oral or poster presentation, the narrative will function the same as your research. You will introduce your field, engage with something missing in that field, articulate a research question that addresses that gap, and then discuss how your research has answered the challenge. To ensure this is concise, we suggested that you narrow your research question and select only a few finding sections which address it. This way your presentation will have a constrained but engaging narrative, able to grab at the concerns of your audience immediately with little fluff. The last core point we sought to impress was your nerves. A presentation is all about confidence, so trust that the work and planning you have done translates to a deserved pride you feel when sharing it with others. If you naturally fear public speaking, see the resources listed in the chapter for help.

In closing, we would like to reiterate our pride for your successful completion of the prior stages of research. It takes courage to share your work with others, to hope that it is worthy of being accepted while simultaneously recognizing its limitations. This effort, however, is what makes our work alive: capable of beginning new discussions, interacting with old ones, and translating them to the perceptions of listeners who can then share it with others, either in action, speech, or further research.