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Some tips for IOP


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I finished my IOP about a month ago with a 27/30 - i'm proud but i could've definitely done better (i literally did it the night before it was due). I thought i'd give the people who are out there and haven't done their IOPs some tips.

1. STOP STRESSING! Of course, being a bit stressed is necessary but i often see people pulling their hair out about their IOP. Honestly, if you have analysed your material thoroughly, planned well and know what you are going to talk about, it is not that worth stressing over!

2. Choosing a topic

For those of you who are like me and spend AGES trying to find the PERFECT topic - don't! i've just realised, the best thing to conquer this habit is to go with something you're interested in. Along the way, you might find the perfect topic! It's just a matter of starting it.

For the presentation

3. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.

Know your material. If you haven't procrastinated and managed your time okay (note that i didn't manage my time okay but i was REALLY into the book and passionate about the themes. I didn't have the material on paper but it was in my mind XD), you'll be much better off. Whatever you do, DON'T WRITE YOUR SCRIPT ON YOUR PALM CARDS!!!!! I can't stress this enough. Even if you know your whole script by heart. If you get nervous, you'll probably end up reading it straight of your palm cards anyway.

4. Improvisation and SOUND INTERESTED

Again with the palm cards, i put dot points but i usually practice my speech over and over again (yes i did not sleep that night). Add a little improvisation for a more casual tone. A stiff, speech-like tone can be just as boring as a monotone. Even if you aren't interested, sound interested in what your talking about - it will be much more charismatic. When i practiced, i had a script but i didn't follow it word for word. I improvised a bit and that made it easier to remember.

5. Get creative!

I did Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. I think the main reason my presentation was a success despite it being done so quickly is the fact that i was creative. I tried to add that casual tone to it and some humour too, all the while exploring the topic extremely deeply. For example, instead of just saying that 'the costuming changed by scientific to humanistic to express the characterisation process', I started off dressed in a leather jacket and a scarf (over my uniform). After every few slides, i would take a cool-looking item off until i was left in my normal uniform. Then, i started putting on pajamas. At the end of the presentation, i explained how it reflected the costuming in the movie. It was really embarrassing to do it in front of the whole library but i definitely think it was worth it.

I'm pretty new to the IB but this is some of the stuff i have learnt. I really hope it helped! Feel free to ask any questions!

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I had a lot of fun with my English IOP. I even had two classmates dressup and I threw things at them, items that were relevant to my discussion of Brave New World. it helped me hold my own focus and the focus of the audience. Do something, don't just sit and do boring.

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