The oral defence
Preparing and delivering the defence of an internship or a project: the two parts, the plan of the talk, the slides, the timing, the demonstration and its fallback, answering the jury.
- 24 cards
- 6 topics
- Free
The outline, topic by topic
Each topic is weighted the way the exam weighs it.
- Concepts
- Questions
- Sort and link
- The numbers
- Scenarios
- Understand
A few cards from the deck
Oral defence: what is it?
Show the answer
An oral examination in which you present your work to a jury, then answer its questions.
It has two parts, the talk then the questions, and the jury marks the way you answer as much as the talk itself.
A jury member asks a question whose answer you do not know. Which reaction is best?
- Say you do not know, then give what you know and how you would find out
- Answer confidently about a neighbouring point you master well, gently steering away from the question
- Rephrase the question to make it easier before answering it
- Offer to answer by email after the defence
Show the answer
Say you do not know, then give what you know and how you would find out
A jury spots invention, which costs more than an admission. Saying what you know and how you would find out shows lucidity, a quality expected in a professional.
A slide carries … idea, and its title states the ….
Show the answer
A slide carries a single idea, and its title states the message.
“Migration results: three times faster” says something; “Results” only announces a theme. A message title guides the ear before the eye.
Hook: what is it?
Show the answer
The first sentence or first image of the talk, chosen to hold attention before getting into the subject.
A striking figure or a concrete situation beats “Hello, I am going to present my internship”: the first seconds win or lose the jury's attention.