- The Process of applying the Design Thinking Methodology to any discovery, invention or innovation requires asking three basic questions. Those three questions are:
- first, asking WHAT was the discovery, invention or innovation?
- second, asking HOW or WHY was this possible—the context/zeitgeist?
- third, WHAT was the ultimate or long lasting impact—the paradigm shift?
After deciding on your overall topic, you must then pick some aspect of that topic area that happened because of some innovation. (This is a research question). Then state a theory (or educated guess) for how/why that innovation occurred. (This is a thesis). In other words, you must have a theory for why the change happened. In writing, we call that theory a thesis or thesis statement. For this class, all thesis statements have the purpose of revealing something about the thought process that was behind the innovation. That process represents design thinking. The purpose of your presentation is to give reasonable explanation for how/why that design thinking occurred when and where it did.
- Do not do a report. You will need to mention dates and locations, etc. but you must then tell us how that information is relevant—you must interpret it.
The most important single aspect of your presentation is in the form of a thesis statement.
- What were the underlying circumstances?
- Look for reasons why the design innovation occurred.
- Establish the overall spirit of time and place or Zeitgeist for the specific development/innovation you are going to talk about. You must be able to show how that Zeitgeist affected the specific development/innovation.
- Establish the relevant technologies of the time.
- Establish the relevant belief systems, religion or prevailing attitude.
Format of your Presentation
- Do not do a book report. You will need to mention dates and locations, etc. as a part of setting the context, but you must then tell us how that information is relevant.
- Your presentation may be in the form of a Powerpoint, a multi-page PDF, video, website or other form of slide show. You may also choose to bring in actual examples or additional artifacts to explain your thoughts.
- You need to be innovative in your delivery of your information
The Goal
- Your main purpose is to reveal a unique aspect of Design Thinking that was influential to the innovations, inventions, style or contributions of your chosen subject.
- You must draw a conclusion(s) that indicates what or how the persons contributions have left an impact. You are looking for unique evidence to support this or as an example of this.
Organization for both Written and Oral Presentations
- You should organize the material that you present so that it follows some sort of logical order or sequence. We can use the well-established structure that is used for writing research papers to guide us in organizing an oral presentation that is research oriented. That organization typically includes the following specific divisions shown below, but require some modification for oral presentations (listed below that):
- Abstract —An abstract is sometimes referred to as an Executive Summary. Whatever is called, its main purpose is to concisely reference the main points of the paper or proposal that it accompanies. It may be in the form of either a bulleted point summary, outline, or in a narrative paragraph style. In either case it is a single page. It is not the same as an introduction.
- Introduction — The Introduction to a well-organized research paper or presentation always includes 3 main/basic parts and is a section of the main paper or presentation, not separate from it.
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- A Topic—The general area or subject of your paper
- A Research Question—How you will investigate your Topic
- A Thesis—a sentence which states what you hope to prove or answer the Research Question. These three parts have a relationship to one another that is somewhat similar to one kind of human relationship. As such, they might be compared in this way:
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- Bob introduces Jose to Adeline. (Introduction)
- Adeline feels some sort of interest/attraction towards Jose.
(Jose is now the Topic) - Adeline is curious to find out more about Jose and so asks Bob and other friends questions about Jose such as “What does Jose like to do for fun?”
(a Research Question) - Adeline discovers that Jose likes sports. So, she guesses that a good way to get to know Jose better would be to ask him what his favorite sport is and why.
(Thesis Question)
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- Method—Discuss how the data or factual information was collected and how it was transcribed. Do not be personal (e.g. I did this, etc.) It is better to use the passive voice to put the focus on what was done rather than who did it.
- Results—Also factual information, not interpretation. You need to display the data/examples.
- Discussion — This is where you DO interpret your findings. Showing that your facts provide proof of your thesis statement. A side point of this is that you should also acknowledge any information that you have discovered that DOES NOT support your thesis. Development of the topic. This is the main body of the paper. Connect the facts, examples to your thesis.
- Conclusion/Summary
- Citing References
- Reference List, Citation List, Bibliography
- Chicago Style Bibliography
- Put raw data in an appendix
- Powerpoint—To cite your sources within a PowerPoint presentation, you can include your references or in-text citations on each slide. You can (a) provide the references verbally, (b) provide a reference list slide at the end of your presentation with corresponding in-text citations, or (c) combine these.
- In Chicago style, cite sources that you found in someone else’s PowerPoint lectures or slides in this format:
Speaker’s Last Name, Speaker’s First Name. “Lecture Title.” PowerPoint presentation, Institution, Institution location, Date.
Example:
Marks, Diana. “Fish Roles in the Wetlands Ecosystem.” PowerPoint presentation, LaCruz University, Philadelphia, September 9, 2019.
- In Chicago style, cite sources you found in someone else’s Lecture or Speech
- In Chicago style, cite references within your own Powerpoint Presentation
- Powerpoint tips to do this.
- Format style
- There are two ways to cite within a PowerPoint presentation in Chicago style: author-date and notes-biblio. In both cases, the citation should include the author’s name, the presentation title, and the date. If the presentation is accessed online, the URL or DOI should also be provided. In author-date style, the citation is placed in parentheses in the text. In notes-biblio style, the citation is indicated by a superscript number and referenced in a footnote or endnote. A bibliography should also be included on a separate page with the title, Bibliography, centered d at the top.
- In Chicago style, cite sources that you found in someone else’s PowerPoint lectures or slides in this format:
Additional Oral Report Guidelines
Thesis
Every presentation should have a thesis statement. Tell the audience in the first minute or so what you plan to do in the presentation. Often this will be exactly the same thesis used in a written research paper that is associated with your presentation, but sometimes the presentation will have a narrower focus due to time limitations.
Time
Typically a scholarly presentation at a professional meeting is 20 minutes. Class oral reports may be 20 minutes, but they also may be as short as 5 minutes. Make sure you understand the time limits. You must practice your written presentation and time it. It is awkward and will negatively affect your grade if you are stopped because of time limits and cannot include your conclusion.
Development of the topic
If your presentation is 15-20 minutes, you need to demonstrate that you are familiar with the scholarly sources you have consulted. For your main points, clearly identify the source of your information; this does not mean that you need to mention a source for every statement you make. Organize your points to create a clear and logical discussion. As you develop your topic, make sure that you are creating a persuasive discussion.
Reading your presentation
The model for an oral presentation is what happens at a scholarly meeting: the presentation is read. You should not use as a model a classroom lecture, which has a less structured quality so an instructor can have discussion. In writing your presentation, use clear language and clear sentences. Often shorter sentences work better in this format.
Pronunciation
Many times artist’s names, technical terms, and foreign language terms used in art history are difficult to pronounce. Practice these words so you can say them with confidence when giving your presentation. If you don’t find the pronunciation in a standard dictionary, you might try “googling” “pronounce X.” Consult your professor about the pronunciation of foreign names and terms if you have not found another authoritative source.
Imagery
Presentations in art history should be about images. When you plan a presentation, think about what the imagery will be, and then construct your text to support the imagery. If you find you have long paragraphs about “background” and introductory material, unrelated to an image on the screen, you should rethink how effective that is. It is wise to have something in your written document reminding you when to change slides.
Quality of Imagery
Get the best quality images you can locate. ARTstor is a great resource, but the quality of images within it ranges from excellent to very poor. Don’t just assume the first one that pops up in a search is the best one. Some museum websites have pretty good images. Scanned images from books generally do not look as good as those from the internet.
Variety of Imagery
Think about how the layout of your slides will help to make your points. Use details beside the whole work, or put two works you want to compare side by side. Use the Powerpoint tools to do things like circle details on slides.
Quality of Powerpoints
In making your Powerpoint presentation, “less is more” in terms of slide design is best. The emphasis should be on the art images. Use a black background, and put labeling information in white lettering at 18 pt. Avoid fancy backgrounds, strange fonts, and anything else that would detract from the imagery. Check spelling and dates as carefully as you would in a written paper.
First and last slides
Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, your first slide should list the title of your presentation, your name, and the date. You do not need any special slide at the end saying something like “The End” or “Thank You.” Your last slide should be the image or images you most want the audience to remember from your presentation.
Check your presentation in the classroom
Whether you bring your laptop to the classroom, use a flashdrive, or email your presentation to yourself, always check out the classroom equipment in advance, and have a “plan B” if something doesn’t work. Some images from the internet are in a compressed format that will not open on the classroom computer. Sometimes presentations made on Mac computers don’t work properly on the PCs in the classroom. If you are planning to include something taken from the internet, such as YouTube, allow enough time to move between the internet and Powerpoint during your presentation.
Presenting yourself
Be on time to the class period in which your presentation is to take place. If you are late or absent, do not assume your instructor can reschedule your presentation; you may end up getting a zero for the presentation. Present yourself professionally. Use appropriate language, not slang. Do not chew gum. Do not announce how nervous you are. Speak clearly and slowly so you can be understood. Practicing in advance is essential. When appropriate, use the laser pointer to show the audience a detail that is important.
It is required that every member of the group has a meaningful voice in the preparation/organization as well as the presentation of the project.